50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Two

I think I'd like to see the film now Remus as I've heard loads of people race about it. It's one of those films I'm really not sure how I missed. Dh is out tomorrow night so tempted to treat myself and snuggle on the sofa and watch it.

I have just spent some time deliberating between a terribly intellectual looking and worthy book about growing up as a girl in poverty in Afghanistan and the first book in the Dalziel and Pascoe series. Both authors i haven't read with names beginning with H.

Needless to say I went with the trashy option and book 4 will be A clubbable women by Reginald Hill. :o

1. How To Be A Bad Birdwatcher - Simon Barnes. Lovely little book about the basics and pleasures of birdwatching.

1. The Potters House - Rosie Thomas. Started out a bit light and fluffy but ended up quite dark.

Currently got a few things on the go, still reading SPQR, A God In Ruins and no 6 in the Ruth Galloway series.

Jeepers The film is brilliant - far superior to the book.

Finished books 2&3

2) The Shock of the Fall Expect most people have read this but basically its one young mans narrative of his struggles with mental illness which stems from his brothers death and the feelings of guilt about it. It was really well written and felt believeable, and struck a chord with me especially the parts where the narrator and his family are trying to deal with their loss.

3) Pocket Full of Holes and Dreams Autobiography about a mans "rags to riches" story. Didn't overly enjoy this book. Some of childhood parts were interesting, but I felt that most of it was a massive brag . And the fact that he made out like he was back on the scrap heap when his multi million pound business collapsed, yet his kids were still in private school and they could still afford a nice home annoyed me, especially as he came from absolute poverty as a child.
I think that when you can't warm to the narrator you're just not going to enjoy it.

Finished book 3 The Princess Bride by William Golding. It was nice to have a bit of silliness and I do have a bit of a soft spot for both swashbuckling fantasy and post-modern smarty-pantsness. My only issues were the fact that there really wasn't a single interesting female character (Buttercup is rather pointless I felt) and that the version I had contained a long intro bit where he wittered on about the film, which I haven't seen so was a bit tedious.

Now I need a H author for my next book. I can't decide if I fancy another trashy one or something a bit more taxing this time.

1. Carrie by Stephen King.

I expect everyone knows the gist of the story. Bullied teenager with telekinetic powers, blood features a lot. It was OK, seemed a bit dated, but that might be just because I was reading an ancient charity shop copy.

I've almost finished book four!

Another book added to my reading list satsuki

*book4 Charles Dickens biography by Claire Tomalin
Very informative,I enjoyed it very much. I knew very little of Dickens and he was certainly an active man and influential and also had a tangled personal life!

Some unexpected reading time today, brought to me courtesy of a chest infection and my dh having to take over childcare duties so...

10. True Grit by Charles Portis

When Frank Ross is shot down in cold blood by a wayward employee, his 14 year old daughter Mattie decides not enough is being done to apprehend his killer, so takes matters into her own hands, and engages Marshal Rooster Cogburn, against his better judgement, to assist her, hearing that he has 'grit'. Well, Mattie has some grit herself and it's great fun watching a grudging respect form between the unlikely companions as Mattie seeks to avenge her father's murder.

Fantastic read. Good old-fashioned storytelling that carries you along, with a clear beginning, middle and end, really refreshing. A satisfying, fast paced adventure with great characters, and just what I needed to take my mind off being ill. I grew up with the John Wayne film version of this, but the book was well worth it, going to watch the more recent adaption as soon as DH finishes the book.

Natasha - no, haven't read that series, more for the pile! thank you!

Indeed, Prince- Ineed Simon Callow or even Dickens himself to come and read me a chapter every month, that would suit me fine! After all, that was the format for which he was writing. Maybe there should be Dickenscasts with some great actor reading him aloud, especially for ploughing through his huge novels!

urgh, typos aplenty

5. So You've Been Publically Shamed by Jon Ronson
Account of people's experiences of internet trolling, and wider public shaming. Good commentary on the nature of mob-justice, and how the anonymity of the net can make people a bit more thoughtless and a lot less kind.

Movingonmymind I have Bleak House in my to-read pile, and am rather daunted by it's size. Keep wishing I'd asked for Hard Times or some else slimmer instead...

as I've got a soft spot for a cosy murder mystery
Me, too. Have you read the Dandy Gilver series by Catriona McPherson? It was (again) someone on here who recommended them to me and I've really enjoyed those that I've read.

Thank you for the advice to give both the Cornish Coast and Lake District murders a swerve, someone had recommended them to me as I've got a soft spot for a cosy murder mystery, but shall wait for a better suggestion. (Keep hoping there's a Christie I haven't read somewhere, not sure if it's been long enough for a reread of some of her best).

I think it's also lack of time now. I know I only have arround an hour a day to read most days, so if a book is crap, I'm stuck with it for a week (or longer if I can't focus on a dull book). I was brought up on going to the library rather than buying books, but taking out multiple books at a time, I do find buying books harder, the idea of just buying one at a time and being stuck with a bad choice! (Kindle is good for that).

That said, last year I only adandoned 2 books - there were several I wish I'd abandoned, and others I would have done if they weren't "book club" books, I'm waiting to see if they have similarly uninspiring books this year and I might make my excuses and leave the book club...

It really is the agony of choice, does anyone else find that? If I don't much like a book a little way in, I mostly give up on it. Whereas 20 years ago -without the same immediate availability of affordable books - I'd have ploughed on and may have found some joy in it further down the line.

12. House of Hidden Mothers by Meera Syal. This has been my most enjoyable read for a long-time. I find Meena witty, very perceptive and warm, her dialogues are excellent. She may not be the most literary of writers, but writes well enoug and if you're after a pacy, engaging, topical read, I highly recommend it. It centres on a 40-something British-born Indian woman and her immediate and extended family both in London and in India, but also about so much more than that- Indian surrogacy, ageing, relationship with a younger man, friendship, chasing dreams, parenting struggles...so much is packed in there, all acutely, painfully observed. Very sad to have finished it.

Returned to both my Dicken's biography and Bleak House, his best novel by far, in my view. To be honest, i enjoy the picture he paints so vividly on Victorian life, but it is SO drawn out, so many characters. I keep forgetting who everyone is! Is it me or in the 21St century is he just not very gripping? Shall persist for a little longer. Also still got A Shepherd's Life to turn back to. Hmm. Not sure if I like it. Would have been a fascinating radio documentary or magazine article.

bibliomania I read The Cornish Coast Murder a couple of years ago and was similarly unimpressed. In fact, I can barely remember a thing about it now. I started to read The Lake District Murder shortly afterwards but lost interest and never went back to it.

They're not in the same league as Sayers or Christie.

I realised this morning that I haven't updated for ages. I am still ploughing my way through War and Peace. It is taking me forever but that's mainly because I have a lot on at the moment and my time for reading is limited. Thankfully, things are calming down now, so I should be able to crack on a bit.

To vary things, I'm slowly working my way through Louis MacNeice: Collected Poems. I love MacNeice, particularly Autumn Journal, and I'm enjoying reading some of his lesser known poems.

I bought The Good Fairies of New York for my Kindle on Remus's recommendation and I have another recommendation from someone on here: Shadow of the Serpent by David Ashton ready to go. Oh, and I'm hoping to see As You Like It which is the NTLive performance next month, so I want to fit in reading that over the next couple of weeks.

Have to finish War and Peace first, though. I really am not keen on this translation (P&V) - I may try Anthony Briggs for a re-read!

12. The Cornish Coast Murder, John Bude.
1930s "Golden Era" crime fiction, republished recently. I can't really recommend it. Mildly interesting as a period piece, but the characters/setting/plot aren't particularly memorable.

13. A Game for all the Family, Sophie Hannah
After ranting about this author's disappointing endings, I've adjusted my expectations. She does create intriguing set-ups and has some interesting female narrators, so on balance, there's enough there to keep me reading.

Nearly finished 14. Seedless in Seattle, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
This is one for existing fans rather than those new to the series, as it helps to be familiar with the back-story. Set among the rugby-playing private school classes of South Dublin. The real attraction is the narrator's voice, which reminds me a bit of Bertie Wooster - aware he's not the brightest, but so irrepressibly chipper that disaster piled on disaster just gets funnier and funnier.

Another couple to add:

6. The Affair of the Blood Stained Egg Cosy - James Anderson - well, this is a wonderfully light read book - set in 1930s (written in 70s), it's in the Christie style of a group of posh people in a country house where there's a cast of 'usual' characters, including a couple of foreign diplomats trying to have secret talks with the Earl (house owner)'s younger brother (a politician), some rich Americans visiting to look at the Earl's gun collection, bringing a famous diamond necklace with them, lots of guns, a mysterious French Baroness who's clearly up to no good (being female, gorgeous and foreign), and a spy. Necklace gets stolen, guns get used, there's a couple of murders and a bumbling local policeman who turns out to be a bit sharper than he first seems (naturally). A good 'whodoneit'. Great if you don't want to tax your brain too much.

7. The House on the Strand - Daphne du Maurier -this wasn't the sort of book I expected to enjoy. The book is narrated by Richard/Dick Young, who has borrowed a house in Cornwall for the summer from an old uni friend, Magnus Lane, and agreed to be a ginea pig for a drug Magnus has developed, which seems to transport Richard back to the 14th century, able to witness what is happening. Young becomes rather obsessed with the lives of the people he sees, and begins to get confused with real life. His wife and step sons join him in Cornwall, becoming increasingly worried as his behaviour becomes increasingly odd. I'm not sure I can say more without giving away the plot, but it's very well written (as you'd expect from du Maurier), and the ending left me a bit confused as to what's happening.

So I'm going to take today off reading, as there's no way I could concentrate on a new book, and I'm a bit short on 'light books that I don't need to think about' on my 'to read' list!

I'm so enjoying reading about everyone's book choices!

5. The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, by Anna North This novel examines the life and films of Sophie Stark, a young, indie filmmaker. The narration is split among five significant people in Sophie's life, and each person narrates at least one section in the book. Sophie, however, never narrates. Sophie's not an easy character: she's brilliant and unapologetic in how she creates her art, which often comes at price to both her and the narrators. I surprised at how very much I like this book.

Next up will probably be either All The Light We Cannot See, The Improbability of Love, or How To Tell Toledo From The Night Sky.

I've have just finished my 2nd book of 2016. valley of the dolls by jaquelin Suzann (prob spelt wrong). I loved it- pretty trashy but an interesting insight into sleeping pill addiction and the price of fame. Also full of utter bastards!

Had to give up on miss peregrine. I have lived in Wales and the authors complete inability to capture any element of Wales, the welsh people or their accents started to drive me spare. The whole "building a book around random pictures" thing didn't work for me either.

On to number 3- a Helen dunmore, I think. I need to up my speed as winter bugs and sick children have meant a slow January.