50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Two

I mean 3 (eyeroll- can't count)

Can't believe you're on the second thread already, but my resolution was to be a regular on this thread, so I hope I haven't missed the boat so to speak.
I'm aiming for 100 (ambitious I know)

I have done 2 so far:

1. The Wolf and the Raven (Book 2 in a Robin Hood series) on Kindle - very readable and quite gritty (no green tights, lots of swearing and some shagging). Will get around to the rest-another two to go in that series.

2. The Hobbit (on Audible) - classic re- "Read"

3. Greenwitch - children's book- Book 3 of the Dark is Rising series. Quite good but the second one was better.

Have now started Fellowship of the Ring on Audible, I'm allowed to class LOTR as three books, right?
Am well into Child 44 on Kindle- it's distracting me from work, so it shouldn't take me long.

It's interesting to hear views on 11-22-63- It would out that as one of my top reads last year.

I read Pet Sematary years ago, pre-DC, and while I agree it's properly creepy, I'd also add that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with small DC.

I don't think I could handle even re-reading it right now, with my DC the ages they are. Some of the things in that are a parent's nightmare (and DS2 is 3.5 yrs now, so not that much older than the little boy in Pet Semetary).

Oh god this moves too quickly for me even to join the discussion!

1. Transmission, by Hari Kunzru

Hmm, looks like you're confirming my views on 11.22.63 and it's heading for the charity shop. Although that's sort ofagainst my principles and I feel I should re-read it first. Decisions!

I hated The Children Act MsLucy, I just felt manipulated and I know exactly what you mean about Jodi Picoult, it made me furious.

In the Kingdom of Ice looks right up my street, but I'll have to wait until it comes down in price.

Yes, I read The Stand a couple of years ago. It took me the whole of January.

I'm going to look up all these recs on Amazon and see how I feel. I do fancepy The Green Mile but that may be because I've seen the film.

I have a couple of half read things to finish and then see how I feel.

Thanks for the thread - need some motivation to keep reading after having my son last year...

So far in 2017:

In The Kingdom Of Ice by Hampton Sides. About a Victorian polar expedition that (spoiler) doesn't end well. Loved it but then I'll read anything involving polar exploration for some reason.
Ian McEwan - The Children Act. Don't know why I keep bothering with IMcE as I rarely enjoy them (except Atonement). I liked the courtroom/legal bits but not the rest and couldn't quite shake the feeling it was basically a Jodi Picoult novel it was OK to like.

This thread also reminds me how much I like Stephen King. I like his short novels best, especially the ones written as Richard Bachman - The Long Walk, The Running Man etc. Good dystopian stuff.

I run hot and cold on King. There's something about his prose tone I dislike and I'm not one for horror.

Have read :

Different Seasons
Dolores Claiborne
The Gunslinger
The Drawing Of The Three
The Waste Lands
The Green Mile
The Stand

Gave up on :

Wizards And Glass

Left unfinished, but might finish :

Under The Dome

Would recommend :

I think The Gunslinger is a bloody brilliant extremely well written book, and it's just a shame the Dark Tower series nosedives for me from there

I would also recommend The Stand most apocalypse type stories, end of civilisation type ones, are basically just copying The Stand it's the blueprint for all the others.

Dolores Claiborne is something a bit different from King's oeuvre as well, so if you don't like his stuff, you might like that. Older woman is questioned by police in connection with a murder and it's written like a monologue.

Book 3 was another Karen Rose book, it was a good story can't remember the title and it's upstairs I will add it later.
Book 4 Poison Study by Maria V Snyder enjoyed it, I am reading all the books I have bought over the years so there may be some very old and odd choices. I desperately want to read His Bloody Project but I have decided not to buy any more books until I read what is here first

For somebody fairly new to King, my recs would be:
Misery
Bag of Bones
The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon
The Green Mile

Best I don't think you can go far wrong with The stand, IT, The shining and Doctor sleep.

The ones that really shit me up and had to sleep with a light on were Bag of bones, Pet cemetery and Duma Key.

I've re-read nearly all S K over the years and I'd love to experience them for the first time again. Happy reading!

So I've finally spent my Christmas amazon vouchers and this is what I've bought. I'm very excited, hence the utterly pointless post. Sorry not sorry.

A god in ruins
Life after Life
Ready Player one
The Haunting of hill house and...
Wool.

My tbr pile has just increased by quite a bit.
I better crack on!

And I was about to ask you both for some SK recommendations.

1. Misery - Stephen King I've only read 3 or 4 of King's books - male American writers and horror generally not being my thing really. The ones I've read (The Stand , 11.22.63, and Mr Mercedes ) I certainly wouldn't class as horror but Misery falls into that category for me.

I'd seen the film so I knew the storyline and I won't go into it here. I'm still not sure whether or not I like him as a writer but he certainly tells a good tale.

So is there one book you'd recommend as being the ultimate and best SK?

Apart from The Dark Tower and Dune .

I liked The Luminaries apart from that a) lots of stupid padding and b) the end was stupid.

Yes to some Stephen King (and I'm glad Cote doesn't like Roland, as it means i get to keep him for myself).

A Venn diagram is a brilliant idea, MuseumofHam.We'll need to put Dark Tower v on my side and the monstrosity that was Dune v firmly on Cote's.

Sort of. I don't think Remus would consider me a SK fan after the fiasco that was Dark Tower

I am over halfway through 11.22.63 on audio. I am sucked in by the storytelling at a micro level, but have some issues that the bigger picture and purpose of the whole enterprise is never really examined, and you'd think, in a 30 hour long book, he could squeeze in a wee 5 minutes consideration of that. It is a marvellous story though.

Cote and Remus I feel that a Venn diagram would be more useful than a separate thread, if you could manage

Don't you both like Stephen King?

You're right but I would count Shardlake books as 1, Red Rising ones as 2, This Thing As Darkness frankly as non-fic. I thought you didn't like The Luminaries

Dissolution
Dark Fire

Fiction:

Red Rising x 3
Ready Player One
This Thing of Darkness
The Luminaries (with reservations on my part)
Lord of the Flies
Erm... Do Androids Dream? Brave New Wold? 1984?
There must be more!

1. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh. The last 40 pages would have been a great short story. The first 220 pages were dull. I really hope my next book His Bloody Project is better.

Remus, you are being optimistic. I think we have both enjoyed about 4-5 fiction books in total, including This Thing Of Darkness which is pretty close to non-fiction. On non-fiction books, we do have a lot of "liked" books in common.

I'm a teensy bit behind because I've been incredibly busy with the business and days out with the dc, but I'm about to finish my second book. I read All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (definitely recommend, it deserves all the praise it recieves) and am reading The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward (which is aimed towards young teens but I quite enjoyed it nevertheless). Excited to start reading Bridget Jones' Diary tonight!