50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Six

Remus reading The Bone Clocks! You'll hate it - or love it. I'm already looking forward to the discussion with Cote

FWIW I thought it was ok but I didn't love it.

He's a great writer which kind of pulls you through relentlessly.

I'm about to start Rush-Oh.

Ha - I thought that about Bone Clocks too - overall I did enjoy it but it's absolutely bonkers.

Now reading The Bone Clocks. Veering between quite liking it and thinking it's all pretty stupid. Time will tell.

I know what you mean about the ending of The Lie Tree, Remus. It did all seem a little rushed. From Sadik's comment it sounds like some of her others might be worth a go though.

I finished Tigers in Red Weather but I skim-read large portions of the second half of it so can't count it really. It was a glossy, frothy beach read type book, not wholly badly written, but it was too long and involved for what it was really; like it had pretensions to be more and fell short. The characters were superficial and some of the most annoying people I've met in print. So a time passer, with an element of thriller and a bit of retro glamour and distraction if you want that sort of thing, but not for me.

20. Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple

This was for me. It has very mixed reviews online so it may not be for anybody else but I really enjoyed it, liked the unlikeable main character, and found it all very funny and finely observed. A lot of people seem to be comparing it unfavourably to Where'd You Go Bernadette but I liked this one on its own merits. It is a day in the life of Eleanor Flood, a middle aged artist who is sleepwalking through life but begins every day with a promise to herself that she will do better. When her ever reliable husband suddenly goes awol she sets out to track him down and the book follows her comic misadventures to do so, interspersed with flashbacks as to how her life has been up to this point. Some of these are the weaker parts of the book, but I laughed a lot throughout and though parts of the story are exaggerated, the observational humour and insights into human behaviour and modern existence were very true to life, and sometimes poignant, and that's what I enjoyed the most. I'm seeking out her first one which I haven't read yet as I think her writing is really terrific, and so don't care too much what she's writing about to be honest. It's not the unadulterated success that Bernadette was, but I found much to like in it and will be looking forward to anything else Semple writes.

Gaiman very overrated, imho. I really like Anansi Boys and think Coraline and The Graveyard Book are pretty good. American Gods was good until he reissued it as the 'uncut' version, which turned it into a bloated and flatulent monster. Hated The Ocean and didn't like Stardust or Neverwhere much.

Book 65
A Clockwork Orange
A re-read of this work of genius, and confirmation that my thoughts after the first reading of it were accurate. Oh my brothers, this tale of your humble narrator, Alex, his horrific behaviour and the horrors that are done to him to ‘cure’ him of this is incredible. Please, please read it, if you haven’t done so already. It’s certainly not an easy or comfortable read, but it is clever and moving and thought-provoking and what Burgess does with language fills me with awe and envy. There’s not a wasted word in it.

Thanks chaps. 50 pages in. Bit different from detective stories

I'm not a fan of Gaiman but some people LOVE him so you might be one of those

Passme I've never read Stardust but I enjoyed The Ocean at the End of the Lane which is also by Gaiman. And DS1 likes his children's books - Fortunately the Milk and Odd and the Frost Giants.

41. Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

So so YA novel. 17 yr old Celestine lives in a society where breaking moral rules results in being literally branded as Flawed and having to comply with various restrictions. She falls foul of this when she helps an old, sick, Flawed man to a seat on a bus, and ends up an outcast with 6 brands (she'd have been fine if she'd let him collapse and die in the aisle and tutted disapprovingly at the inconvenience).

The message about the deeply flawed nature of this society that's so keen to punish imperfections is very, very heavy handed. The moral of the story is that no one's perfect, to be human is to be flawed, and judging each other is bad.

Hmm. That doesn't sound too hopeful.

Stardust was a bit too much like Enid Blyton does Tolkien for me but I'm no good with fantasy. I know others have loved it.

Dh has bought me Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I have never heard of him which surprised DH. Any opinions?

Sadik both DH and I enjoyed Child 44

Just finished book 31 Eleaner Olliphant is completely fine. I listened to this on Audio and enjoyed it. I only listen in short chunks so am never captivated by an audio book. This was just right for that purpose - a liner storyline is all I can cope with on Audio.

Just realised I have 19 books lined up on my Kindle for my holiday! I have decided to make a start and I'm now reading The Sunrise by Victoria Hyslop. Hyslop has become, for me, a holiday must ever since I read 'The Island' whilst on holiday in Greece
This novel is set in Famagusta in Cyprus during 1972. Typical holiday read

Don't get me started on Susan Hill again!

I'm about 60% into a re-read of A Clockwork Orange. My goodness, it's good (she says, eloquently).

Maximilian I think I have read The Children's act but the fact I can't remember probably doesn't bode particularly well!!

Thanks Cote - I'll get it but not the sequels. I've caught up a bit now so reckon one more on my tbr list is ok

Sadik - Child 44 is really worthwhile, although I thought the ending was a bit meh. The one sequel I read wasn't good at all.

RMC123 It's the first of his books I've read. I'm thinking of getting The Children Act next, what did you think of it if you've read it?

Just seen Child 44 + sequels are 99p on todays Kindle deal. I think I remember people discussing them on here, but Search is playing up - are they worth reading?

28. How We'll Live On Mars by Stephen L. Petranek

This book on the details of the plan to colonisé Mars was short, to-the-point, and full of fascinating information. Not surprisingly, there is a lot in there about Elon Musk but not just his vision. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.

Oh, I hope you like it Sonnet!

just had a spending spree and added the following to my holiday reading list:
The Unseen - Roy Jacobsen
The Evil Seed - Joanne Harris
The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead
The Power - Naomi Alderman

Thanks everyone!