50 Book Challenge 2015 Part Six

I am just posting my complete list for 2015 with the books I loved in bold and the books that really disappointed or I didn't enjoy in italics. Overall it was a good year but I think my favourite of all was Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane. I

1. The Martian - Andy Weir.
2. Unravelling Oliver - Liz Nugent.
3. The Wee Free Men - Terry Pratchett.
4. The Dinner - Herman Koch
5. Christmas at Thornton - Lynn Marie Hulsman.
6. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkein
7. The Thief of Time - Terry Pratchett.
8. Stoner by John Williams.
9. The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Flier.
10. A Crack in Everything - Ruth Francis Long.
11. Storm Front - Jim Butcher.
12. The Night Watch - Terry Pratchett.
13. Dark Places- Gillian Flynn.
14. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde.
15. Soul Music - Terry Pratchett.
16. A Hat Full of Sky – Terry Pratchett.
17. Wintersmith – Terry Pratchett.
18. I Shall Wear Midnight - Terry Pratchett.
19. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
20. Snow White Must Die - Nele Neuhas.
21. The Darkest Part of The Forest - Holly Black.
22. Small Gods - Terry Pratchett.
23. Monstrous Regiment - Terry Pratchett.
24. The Monk Who Vanished - Peter Tremayne.
25. I Am Legend - Richard Mathiese.
26. The Stranger - Harlan Coben.
27. The Leopard - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.
28. Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
29. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman.
30. Just One Damned Thing After Another (Book One in The Chronicles of St Mary’s) - Jodi Taylor.
31. The Goldfinch - Donna Tart.
32. The Last Hero - Terry Pratchett.
33. Hyperion - Dan Simmons.
34. Dwarves - Markus Heitz.
35. Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury.
36. In The Woods – Tana French.
37. Lost in a Good Book – Jasper Fforde.
38. Almond – David Skellig.
39. Thud – Terry Pratchett.
40. Snuff – Robert Rankin.
41. Skullduggery Pleasant – Derek Landy.
42. A Morbid Taste for Bones – Ellis Peters.
43. The Haunting of Highdown Hall – Shani Struthers.
44. The Assassins’ Apprentice –Robin Hobb.
45. Royal Assassin- Robin Hobb.
46. Assassin’s Quest – Robin Hobb
47. The Shepherd’s Crown – Terry Pratchett.
48. Playing With Fire – Derek Landy.
49. Mort – Terry Pratchett.
50. Landmarks – Robert Macfarlane.
51. One Summer America 1927 – Bill Bryson.
52. Station Eleven - Emily St. John Martell.
53. The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century – Ian Mortimer.
54. The Magpies – Mark Edwards.
55. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler.
56. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs.
57. At Home: A short history of private life - Bill Bryson.
58. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman.
59. Because She Loves Me - Mark Edwards.
60. Them: Adventures with Extremists – Jon Ronson.
61. Swan Song - Robert R. McCammon.
62. Jingo – Terry Pratchett.
63. Why Be Happy When You Could be Normal – Jeannette Winterson.
64. The Golden Compass – Philip Pulman.
65. The Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman.
66. The Art of Asking – Amanda Palmer.
67. The Winter Ghost – Kate Mosse.
68. Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble – M.C. Beaton.
69. Hogfather – Terry Pratchett.
70. Over Sea Under Stone – Susan Cooper.
71. The Dark is Rising –Susan Cooper.
72. Winter Solstice – Rosamunde Pilcher

My last book of the year was 'When the going was good' by Evelyn Waugh which is a collection of his travel writings from the 1920s and 30s. Entertaining if you ignore the casual racism that is typical of his generation - this was just the occasional comment not a massive part of the book. This has accounts of his time in Africa which formed the basis of his novels set there. My interesting fact is that there were lots of Greeks living in Ethiopia and neighbouring parts who had moved there particularly from the Greek islands as there were more opportunities in Africa in that time than in Greece. Interesting as I had no idea and of course because of the numbers going the other way this year.

Happy New Year!

Love my paperwhite, you made the right decision pants!

Happy New Year everyone :)

I've got an old basic kindle. I was initially very resistant - I love paper - but actually it's been transformational and I love it. I also use audible a lot - anyone else?

Oh and happy NY

cote I listened to Born to Run on audible - the narrator was very engaging. I find it can be hit and miss but if they're good it can make a book.

I'm not a great runner - I was just starting out but I found the passion of the author really motivating. The imagery was compelling and I loved the two college kids as you say an unconventional cast of inspirational characters.

gailforce - I've just ordered a paperwhite - it seems to be the one that is most recommended. I do love the familiar feeling of a book, so I don't think it will take them over completely, but I live in a small house and I have an overflow problem - not just books - everything!

Or McEwan even!

frogletsmum, we are on the same wavelength with Ian McKewan

Oops sorry, forgot ---

Happy New Year everyone.

I love my Kindle, it is just a old basic Keyboard model. I have saved hundreds of pounds since I bought it - my Wishlist is very long and I usually purchase books when they are 99p. If I live until around 175 years old I should just have run out of books to read - this is the only downside, it is just so easy to order books.

Sorry,should've said I wanted to read separatelyy or all in one and have been eyeing up the Clive James translation on Amazon

Glad you said that Chillie I want to read Inferno,The Divine Comedy and the other two but needed a recommendation for a good translation :)

101. Dante, translated by Clive James The Divine Comedy

Not being an Italian speaker I have never read the original, but I heard very good things about this translation, and it lived up to expectations. James has opted for quatrains rather than the terza rima because quatrains work better in English, and I think it's an incredible piece of work.

whippet I know exactly what you mean about Ian McEwan. Claustrophobic is exactly the word for how he makes me feel too.

Forgot to mention my favourite books of the year:

H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald
Mrs Hemingway, Naomi Wood
Early One Morning, Virginia Bailey
All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
and the Marilynne Robinson Gilead trilogy.

My last few to finish the year:

61. Gilead, 62. Home, and 63, Lila, all by Marilynne Robinson - trilogy set in 1950s small town America, each one in a different voice exploring ideas of goodness and grace and humanity. Quietly compelling and very moving.

62. The talented Mr Ripley, Patricia Highsmith. Thriller and study of a psychopathic mind.

63. Walking Away, Simon Armitage. Account of Armitage's walk along the South West Coast Path, supporting himself along the way by giving readings of his poetry and passing round an old sock for donations. Gentle and amusing observations, though less about both poetry and walking than I expected.

64. The King in the North, Max Adams. Non-fiction about Oswald, 7th C king of Northumbria who became a cult figure after his death. Fascinating and very readable, especially the dip into forensic archeology. Thanks to whoever recommended it on here.

65. The Driver's Seat, Muriel Spark. Dark and disturbing novella about an unhinged woman who takes a trip to a southern European city where bad things happen.

66. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck. Last read in school several decades ago. Had forgotten how powerful and sad it is.

Am now reading Kate Forsyth's The Wild Girl, the story behind the Brothers Grimm, and already have a pile lined up for next year. Looking forward to hearing about everyone's reading in 2016 too - I love reading these threads and my resolution is to join in more regularly. Happy New Year all!

I have to say I don't love the kindle.
It has it's benefits, lighter suitcase on holiday and easier to carry than a book if, like me, you never go anywhere without a book. It's the inability to just flick through the pages that I hate. Mine is 1st generation so buttons rather than touch screen. I'm happy with that and when it dies I will get a paperwhite as I prefer not to have a backlight (I can use the app for that).
The book I am reading now is the worst possible kind for a kindle. Story flits back and forth between characters and times. If I had a paperback I would find it much easier to look back and remind myself who is who. The State We're In by Adele Parks. Is it worth persevering I wonder?

Pants which Kindle are you looking at? I would love one but don't know which one to choose?

Hurrah! To finish the year:

114. The Children Act - Ian McEwan
     An Ian McEwan novel I didn't hate! But it reminded me of other Ian McEwan novels and his precise, crafted style makes me feel claustrophobic somehow. It's too 'written' if that makes sense? Probably not...

115. The Brothers - Asko Sahlberg
     Dark, wintry turn-of-the nineteenth century Finland is the setting for this novella. Strangely compelling (and short at about 114 pages).

That's it for the year. Won't read as much next year due to PhD but I will attempt 50 and I fancy a few good long books to tuck into for January.

My favourite books of 2015 were:
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
This Thing of Darkness - Harry Thompson

Thanks for all the great recs you lovely lot.

My last books of the year:

61. My history by Antonia Fraser Very engaging, readable memoir - Fraser is very likeable and I loved the little touches, like discovering she played rugby at school. I sometimes wished she'd realised just how privileged her upbringing was (she waltzed into her first publishing job on the strength of her mother's connections ) but a good read nonetheless.
62. Granta 133 Usual mix of short stories and articles from Granta - not one of the best, I felt, but worth reading.
63. Joshua’s story by James Titcombe James Titcombe's baby son Joshua died in hospital as a result of medical incompetence. It was Titcombe's determination to find out what had gone wrong that led to the investigation into Morecambe Bay and the damning Kirkup report. A very moving read but also very shocking - if Titcombe hadn't been so persistent, none of the poor practice and cases of negligence would have come to light.
64. The Leopard by Lampedusa This is about the life of a Sicilian prince during the 19th century campaign for Italian independence, and is apparently one of the great 20th century novels. I so much wanted to like it but to be honest felt a bit meh. I didn't mind it, and found it interesting enough, with a few clever bon mots but I just wasn't captivated by it. Probably just me.
65. The rise of Islamic State by Patrick Cockburn Patrick Cockburn is a journalist who reports on Middle Eastern affairs - this is a very compelling account of how ISIS came into being and why they've been so successful. I read it to make myself better informed - would definitely recommend.
66. A book for her by Bridget Christie A Christmas present! Found it moderately amusing, but that's all, really.

Currently reading 1606 by James Shapiro, which is excellent (about what Shakespeare was writing in 1607 and the political and social context) but won't finish it in 2015.

Think I'm going to take the plunge with the Kindle - my hand is hovering over the 'place order' button. Slightly annoyed that it was on sale yesterday and now the price has been raised again!

Damn, I seem to have ended my reading challenge with a whimper rather than a bang. That's what happens when you have family visiting for December, I guess! Disappointed that I didn't make it to 70, although was really pleased to get to 50 having not achieved that target previously. I think I got distracted by ticking items off on a specific challenge mid-year on top of my annual Booker readathon. Not sure I'd bother with that again, as I already seem to be reading an increasingly wide range of books from the recommendations on here

Looking forward to 2016's reading and the excellent company of you lovely lot! Happy New Year all, may it be a good one for us all

Agree re the Kindle. Thought I would hate it but it's been brilliant. It hasn't saved me any money though!