50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Two

I can't open your link Remus

Yes to all of those - its easier for me to find time to read on the kindle so I end up hoarding a "greatest hits" in paperback for high days and holidays (or sick days), I like knowing there is something there for an emergency .

Looking forward to all of them but don't want to speed through them.

Arthur and George - complete pleasure!

And CJS?

Some absolute corkers waiting for you there. Satsuki - do I spot This Thing of Darkness and Arthur and George?

Ha - you made me check mine - about the same excluding library and Kindle.

The pile behind is made up of waifs and strays that require a shelf

8. The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes - A retired man looks back on his childhood friendship and first relationship. It is only towards the end that it's clear there was another story going on that the narrator, Tony, didn't really understand at the time.

It is a very gentle and navel gazing book, although well written.

Just picked up this beauty for a grand total of a pound in the Waterstones sale. I saw the exhibition at the Wellcome and anything to do with nits, cholera, syphilis etc is right up my street!

Satsuki - it was a great all as all were on buy one get one half price! But the 'to read pile' is now ridiculous- plus what's on the Kindle!!

Just joined the discussion the first couple of books I would like to read is The unmumsy mum and According to Yes.

rmc that's the kind of discovery I'd like to make. Love seeing pictures of books!

3. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

A sort of apocalyptic pandemic / reality TV thriller.
Zoo (a reference to her job rather than her name) is one of 12 contestants in a new wilderness survival TV reality show, which rather than having contestants voted off or booted out for coming last, aims to make things increasingly nasty for them so they'll quit, with the last one standing set to win $1 million.
But, the start of filming coincides with the start of a global pandemic. Unknown to the contestants, people are starting to get sick. And it's spreading fast.

This story switches back and forth between 2 timelines. We have the past, following the TV show from the start of filming, and the present, as Zoo trudges across a land devastated and empty.

The present day Zoo spends most of the book in denial about the reality of the situation, telling herself it's all a twisted trick by the TV producers, and that if she plays by the rules and doesn't quit, it'll all be fine. Last time she saw the TV crew, she was told that they were starting solo challenges and she might not spot the cameras, after all. The TV crew are sure to pop up sooner or later. Those things that look like dead bodies? Very realistic props, of course. Those abandoned buildings? The TV company must be renting those for backdrops to the show. She's aided in her denial by the fact she's almost blind without glasses, and the only pair of glasses on her get broken very early on.

I found this thoroughly compelling. Although there's a bit with an abandoned baby that I did find very disturbing. An uncomfortable reminder of just how horribly vulnerable babies and small children would be in a situation where all the adults around them had sickened and died.

Lottery win!! Not really found a stash of Waterstones vouchers that I had forgotten from my birthday and Xmas.?
Not that I needed more books...

This is my first time on this year's challenge thread. I'm aiming for 30 books again although managed 44 last year. Some felt a bit rushed though.

So far I have read:

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde. Excellent. Realised I'd read it before.

1. The Outrun - Amy Liptrot. I love reading about life on remote Scottish islands and this hit the spot. I found her personal story as a recovering alcoholic very engaging.

1. The Stranger in My Home -Adele Parks. Didn't even know I had this. Just found it on my iBooks. Good story, bit of a twist.

1. The Lady in the Tower - Alison Weir. Wanted to know more about the Tudors, especially Ann Boleyn, after the BBC programmes presented by Lucy Worseley. Really good book.

1. The Muse -Jessie Burton. Loved this. Absolutely gripped, even though it was fairly obvious what the story was. Just loved the writing.

Currently reading: The Sellout by Paul Beatty. Terrific, funny, sharp, tragic - my book group chose it and I can't wait to discuss it as I'm sure there'll be a range of opinions.

Re Three Body Problem - Well for example - Wang Maio has a wife and child - he gives them no thought or mention once the plot takes over, and doesn't display many emotional reactions to anything, or attachments to anything, I just didn't get much of a sense of him as a personality. Ye wenjie is more developed but is so nihilistic that it takes over the general feel - which is fine, but then it makes the speech about what makes humans different from trisolarians seem tacked on, rather than being in evidence throughout the story. I mean, maybe that's the point, but it just wasn't that engaging for me. I didn't mind the style but sometimes the dialogue had lots of awkward explanatory exclamations which made it seem stilted. I thought the final chapters were good but it felt a long time getting there, personally, rather than rollicking along I guess did no one else find all the dehydrating a bit silly.

Having said all that, I've reserved the second one from the library

Now I am about to take a bath so I can have some time alone with Raymond Chandler.

The good thing though is that this reminded me to check and the library now does have book 3 in stock, so have put myself on the reservation list for it :)

Interesting comments on The Three Body Problem. One of the things I liked most about the first book was the characters of Ye Wenjie and Wang Miao - I certainly wouldn't have seen them as undeveloped or indistinct. I also really enjoyed the writing style / translation, and was a little disappointed that bk 2 read more like a regular western sci-fi novel (different translator which may have had something to do with it).

1. The Muse - Jessie Burton

2. Gone Without A Trace - Mary Torjussen

3. Flesh Wounds - Christopher Brookmyre

4. Phantom - Jo Nesbo

5. Dead Simple - Peter James

6. The Turtle Boy - Kealan Patrick Burke

7. All Good Deeds - Stacy Green this was a bit of a trial. CPS worker turned Private Investigator turned Serial Killer, Lucy Kendall assuages the ghosts of her past by killing paedophiles who the legal system has not punished enough in her opinion. Fair to say this is not a subtle or thoughtful book as it wears its politics fairly heavily on its death penalty loving sleeve. Not dissimilar to the idea behind Dexter, it lacks the humour and general interest to make it any good. And frankly if Lucy spent a little more time pondering the crimes and less time considering the attractiveness or otherwise of others (and bought bigger vest tops) her reactions might be less visceral and she would do less dry heaving.

Remus and Plus3 so agree with you about The Loney! Was a reading group book and think we pretty much universally hated it. Actually though the descriptions of his family and church were quite well written and quite witty. Reminded me a bit of Oranges are not the Only Fruit. However once they went away and the whole 'witchcraft - devil worship thing' made an appearance it was shockingly bad!

Just finished book 10 The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse . This is the first of hers I have read. My OH has been on at me for ages to read Labyrinth and the accompanying books. This one was OK. Read it in an afternoon, but the story was very predictable. Have Labyrinth on my to read pile but not feeling really inspired to start.

Going to move on to the Essex Serpent

1. The Miniaturist Jessie Burton. An enjoyable page turner. I guessed the revelation towards the end of the book but was disappointed that a particular mystery was never resolved. The characters and setting were engaging. Overall I'm glad to have read it as it has been sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years.

Next up is The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain.

1 The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
2 Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
3 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (audible)
4 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
5 Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
6 Still Life by Louise Penny (audible)
7 A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker
8 The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.

9 Nightwoods by Charles Frazier. This is the story of a young woman, Luce, who is living a a very solitary life in rural North Carolina, as the caretaker of an empty lodge in the off-season. Set in the 1960s. The story begins when she is appointed guardian to her murdered sister's twins, and struggles not only to take on the obvious responsibilities involved with parenting the twins, but also with the simple act of communication with the children. It is implied that the children have been in some way abused, or witnessed abuse, at the hands of their step father, Bud. Bud himself is a central character - he is acquitted of the murder of his wife and sets out to find his step children as he believes they know the location of a sum of money hidden by their mother. Overall I enjoyed this book, particularly the descriptions of nature - the woods, lake and night skies. It was a slow read - and took more than 50 pages for me to become particularly interested. I liked the final sequence of the book and I did like the resolution , which risked becoming far fetched and thankfully didn't. The main character Luce is a strong minded, clear headed heroine of few words and no pretences.

Have started The North Water by Ian McGuire. Inspired by previous reviews on this thread. It is absolutely not a slow read, that's for sure, and is exactly what I'm looking for at the moment.

I am trying hard to not buy any books this year - this thread is great for reminding me what I have waiting for me on my shelves, in particular May We Be Forgiven and The American Boy .

10. Joyland by Stephen King

Under the Hard Case Crime banner this story centres around a college student who works for the summer in a fair ground. Quite good fun. Stephen King has the engaging ability to make characters come alive with his writing and even if some of his stories aren't perfect, they're usually enjoyable. Except Mr Mercedes which I hated.

Half way through Jerusalem and into the 1200s now.

Inspired by this thread I gave the Three Body Project to my DH for Christmas. He's now read and really enjoyed all. But he would agree with Satsuki about the characters but an interesting point Cote about the collective rather than the individual being more important in Chinese culture. A point that is made when I read the The River Town.

My first 10 books of this year have either been Christmas presents, sitting in my Kindle for an age or library books. Very pleased with not having bought any, after the excesses of Christmas.

8. The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Short, weird, story about a woman who, after a vivid dream, refuses to eat meat, for no reason that she can articulate, and the impact this has on her life and those around her. It is sad and disturbing in tone, with some things to say about what it is to be merely alive versus actually living, but I have to say it didn't have that big an impact on me and I didn't find it very interesting. I wanted to find out what it was all about (do you ever with these kinds of books?) so kept reading but was a bit bored and underwhelmed by it. It won the Man International Booker and is under 200 pages, but felt to me like it could have been more effective as a short story.

It has passed the time nicely whilst up with coughing child, though

Thanks, Wee.

Plus - nice to see somebody else hated The Loney. Pile of twaddle, imho.

Hi all - can I join you? this thread has made me finally re-log in after about 3 yrs! Have been lurking though & completed the 50 book challenge last year. My favourite books last year were:

1. The Goldfinch don't think I have ever cared about a character as much as Theo. Recommend this book to everyone
2. HHhH unlike anything I'd read before, and probably wouldn't have picked it up if not for this challenge, so thank you
3. This must be the place superb story telling

So far this year I have read:

1. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier.Can't believe I haven't read any of her books before.Completley and utterly brilliant, beautiful writing that made me devour the book.
2. A Whole Life - Robert Seethaler. Short, but affecting. Each life, no matter how small is significant.
3. A monster calls - Patrick Ness. Read as on my DS's reading list, and wasn't sure how he would cope with it - left me an emotional mess, with proper sobbing. I like that in a story.
4. The Loney -Andrew Micheal Hurley. God, I hated this. Just not what I was expecting, none of the ideas came together, too religious. Maybe I missed something.
5. The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher. Sad reading