50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Two

Anne 87 hours left?! Wow...

Sadik Ah, political disagreement would make sense! I read it having been to Russia 2 years ago and found Moscow to be a city that didn't seem to know what it wants to be. In some respects, it's very Western; in many others, it still seems Communist (almost frighteningly so). I read the Pomerantsev to try and get some insight into why modern Russia is the way is - and it was fascinating.

Satsuki - glad to hear you recommend Ulysses. I love Joyce generally so am hoping I will enjoy it.

Stop it Remus. Our reputation for diametrically opposed literary tastes is at stake here

Ooh yes - we did! Another Cote rec.

LookingForMe many thanks for the encouragement to get the Pomerantsev book. I think the negative reviewers perhaps were in political disagreement with him, rather than literary!

Cote/Remus - I think you both liked Ready Player One, IIRC?

I really enjoyed World War Z too. Blimey, Cote - it'll be a dozen shared fiction-likes before we know it!

Sadik - thanks for the other perspective on Mother of Eden.

I'm holding off on buying it for now anyway after seeing the price on kindle (£7.47), I can't justify that at the minute given the mountain of unread books staring reproachfully at me...

I quite liked World War Z. It works very well as both a war strategy & contagion control manual. How to fight the enemy as well as control the spread of the infection. Very well done, imho.

But yes, we do seem to agree (somewhat) on dystopian sci-fi

One day you will properly read Cloud Atlas, love it, and kick yourself for not reading it sooner. I'll be here to accept your grovelling apologies for calling it unreadable and boring

I think I would like Triffids if it didn't have any Triffids in it. I thought the book was a pretty good post-apocalypse story based solely on the sudden blindness of nearly the world's entire population and what would happen when such a disaster strikes. What ends people would go to, in order to survive. How difficult it would be to actually find food if you can't see it. What kind of new order people will try to create.

Triffids added nothing except hilarity to that book imho.

ulysses I actually found a really good read. A long read, for sure, but good once you find the rhythm of it. You have to leave any preconception of it being 'difficult' at the door, and try not to overthink it. It is (largely) one man, one day, and what he's thinking as he goes about it. It is funny, vulgar, with some great imagery in it. Whenever I retrieve the cheese from the fridge I'm reminded it's the 'corpse of milk', though that's a weird recommendation, I'll admit

1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A YA fantasy novel about an American teenager who visits an isolated Welsh island to find out about his grandfather's past. The story is fun and original and always taking unexpected turns.

Ok maybe I'll give that one a go, after another palate cleanser! It was dire!

Rhu Not read his werewolf ones. I do think 'The Good Fairies' is fun, and don't have a prob with the quality of writing in it. And I'm usually pretty intolerant!

You wouldn't like it, Cote. It's just a slim Shire volume - not much depth.

Fiction we've both liked (iirc):
Red Rising and Golden Son (thanks to your rec)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Fahrenheit 451
Brave New World
And you ended up quite liking 'Triffids' recently, yep?

Do you like, 'A Clockwork Orange'? I have a feeling you'd love it, if you haven't read it already.

I've tried to read and gave up on Martin Millar. I had Lonely werewolf girl, I got about halfway and just couldn't continue. . It's maybe too YA for my taste but if I'm honest it's just really badly written and loads of YA is well written just for a younger audience. He explains everything, and repeats and repeats in case you've missed it first or second time around. Life's too short, sorry.

1. Because I was all geared up for some monsters. . World war Z by Max Brooks. Not bad, the bits where he plays with politics and international relations, how it could work if such a big calamity strikes. Not great, where is a bit too testosterone driven military acronyms macho stuff and all the stories of the different people get a bit boring. Still, amused me.

Yes, cote I've seen bits of it of course but I have a thing about reading a book before watching the film version, so have never made it a thing to sit and watch all the way through, looking forward to it now.

Ha remus I think cote was quite restrained

9. A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson

This is a book about war, and, centrally the impact of WWII and its effect on those who lived through it, and those who came after. It is as playful as you might expect from KA, darkly humourous, with deft deployments of emotion. Her writing is terrific; especially in the sections detailing Teddy's time as a fighter pilot. The descriptions of the battle sequences are extremely absorbing and well done. Other parts, for me, were less successful, but overall thought-provoking and an involving read, with many beautiful moments.

FiveGoMad I have already downloaded the sequel Edward Adrift

I have enjoyed everything I've read this year, whereas I can remember reading some real turkeys, and ploughing through worthy stuff I just wasn't enjoying when younger.

I was trying to decide whether I've become indiscriminately easily pleased, or better at choosing what to read. I decided the latter. With a demanding job, child, life in general, and no academic reading obligations to fulfil, I don't beat myself up about how far along the sliding scale of brainhurtiness my reading matter is. I know my own mind and tastes better. I also think Amazon / kindle, with its reviews and suggestions, has made it easier to identify books that are likely to appeal. This thread is helping too! (Maybe a bit too much - I've never had so much on my Amazon wishlist that it's gone to 2 pages before!)

Anyone else feel they have a higher ratio of reading hits to misses than they used to?

Remus - Who is the author of the Victorian Workhouse book? I can't find it on Amazon.

Hah Remus, I remember how boring you thought 2001 was

Has there ever been a fiction book we both liked? Aside from This Thing Of Darkness which is not really fiction, that is.

Oh, I have added Cote's insanity reading to my list. As a fellow Russophile I am also adding Pomerantsev.

I am currently reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Memoirs of Casanova - the latter I started last year and am only up to 6% and it took most of last week to get to 7%. Kindle says I have 87 hours left.

Sadik I've read the Pomerantsev and thought it was really interesting. What do the bad reviews dislike about it? I will admit I'm slightly obsessed with all things Russia though. Currently reading War and Peace alongside other things.

Muskey I really liked most of Dubliners. How far have you got? Am also planning to read Ulysses later this year, in my attempt to read more of the epic classics I feel I should have read! Would be good to have someone to discuss it with!

Have just finished 7. The Revenger's Tragedy - Read for work as it's the partner text for Hamlet for the A level English Lit spec I teach. Enjoyed it and a good companion to Hamlet but the language feels very second-rate in comparison to Shakespeare.

Light and fluffy reading next for book group - Disclaimer by Renee Knight. Have seen very mixed reviews for this one so not sure what to expect.

Lol - crossed posts! :) :)

Book 13
The Victorian Workhouse - a Shire History book
This was very short but pretty decent, and it taught me a few things that I didn’t know before. Unfortunately the quality of the illustrations was poor, which made it hard to read the source documents which the text referred to. This was okay rather than great.

Cote Yes, I think you'd like it. It's got ice, manliness and doomed efforts - what's not to like?!

Satsuki Shhh. Don't tell Cote how much you enjoyed 2001. I read it on her rec and absolutely detested it! She'll be insufferable!

Satsuki - The film 2001: A Space Odyssey is brilliant, especially considering that it was filmed nearly 50 years ago.