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50 Book Challenge in 2013. Who's with me?

991 replies

CardiffUniversityNetballTeam · 05/01/2013 16:58

Tidying up after Christmas it has come to my attention that I have nearly 100(!!) paperbacks in stacks down the side of my bed waiting to be read. BlushBlush
I am going to challenge myself to try and read at least 50 of them this year. That's nearly one a week so I am going to have to really apply myself and stop faffing around and doing other things when I could be enjoying a good book.
I wondered if anyone else would like to join me? We can post what we are reading and then post when we have finished each book and what's next.
I know I would love to hear what others are reading and enjoying (or not enjoying) so I can go out and buy more books in a few months time!
My first book of the year is President Down by Terence Strong about spies and terrorists which my dad lent me about a year ago! I'm only about 20 pages in, but so far so good.

OP posts:
mumslife · 08/04/2013 14:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

moonshine · 08/04/2013 17:47
  1. Witch Hunt - Syd Moore 5.5/10

Needed a really light read after book 8 but just couldn't get into this book at all - a little too predictable.

  1. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy 9/10

Forgot how utterly bleak this was but still loved reading it, in a perverse way. Also reminded me that I should read more classics.

Interested in the discussion re kindle re: physical books. I still love 'dead tree' books but must admit that, after more than 2 years of mostly reading from a kindle, I find it strange and even quite hard to read a non-ebook (unless it's a non-fiction which are usually easier if they have loads of footnotes/pics etc)! Just love being able to have the font and font size I want and so much easier to read in bed/one-handed etc etc. Never thought I'd say that!

linkainka · 09/04/2013 06:42

Book 3 The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

An interesting read x

CoteDAzur · 09/04/2013 13:02

14 - SuperEgo - Julia Wurz

Not my usual genre, but pretty good. Kind of like The Devil Wears Prada but about F1 races around the world. I recommend it.

CoteDAzur · 09/04/2013 13:04

MegBusset - Good luck with Anathem. It is challenging but a very satisfying read Smile

PerksOfBeingNorthern · 10/04/2013 14:12
  1. Annie Murray - Chocolate Girls
  2. Jon Richardson - It's Not Me, It's You!
PerksOfBeingNorthern · 10/04/2013 14:15

moonshine yy to being able to read in bed with kindle light and one handed! Grin
I do sometimes ''forget'' I'm on kindle though and attempt to turn the 'page..' Blush

mixedmamameansbusiness · 10/04/2013 16:23

Checking back in and have caught up.

Re: the kindle discussion. My favourite thing about it is the reading in bed and propping it on the table whilst I eat, that is the best thing ever. However, the books are often more expensive than my second hand Amamzon/Oxfam book shop purchases so I really only use it for book club as we don't often read anything I must have on my shelves and classics, which I have on my shelf but read them on kindle for ease.

My update

  1. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
  2. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J K Rowling
  3. The mysterious affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
  4. The uncommon reader by Alan Bennett
  5. The Lighthouse by Alison More
  6. The tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
  7. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
  8. Emma by Jane Austen
  9. Murder on the links by Agatha Christie
10. Fifty shades of Grey by E L James ( curiosity finally got the better of me, but I have satisfied it and won't be reading the others) 11. Victorian Feminism by Philipa Levine (non fic) 12. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 13. The hundred year old man.... By Jonas Jonasson 14. Gone girl by Gillian Flynn 15. The English German Girl by Jake Wallis Simons

Whilst I am here I have to recommend no. 15. It was an absolutely heart wrenching, beautiful book. It is about the Holocaust but it is devasting in a non-graphic concentration camp way, it is centred around a families struggle to leave Germany in the run up to the war and one of their children gets a place on the Kindertransporten. It is just utterly beautiful and I really urge anyone and everyone to read it. Best book I have read this year so far.

Book 16 is Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I have exams in May so I expect I will be reading this for a while.

By the way, I am loving Goodreads and how it tells me ow many books ahead of target etc i am.

DuchessofMalfi · 10/04/2013 17:32

Still going with books 30 and 31, but have also finished books 32 and 33 - In Pursuit of the English by Doris Lessing (which I didn't like at all - boring), and The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua, which I did like.

linkainka · 10/04/2013 18:42

Book 4. Non fiction. Run Yourself Skinny by Michael Thomas.
I was looking for some inspiration to start running again but unfortunately didn't find it in this book. Too brief and doesn't do the trick.

pipsy76 · 10/04/2013 18:51

Just dusted off my kindle having got an iPad for Xmas and neglected my reading for watching back episodes of comedy on 4od, however have now read the following;

1The fever tree- excellent really atmospheric view of South African diamond mining and smallpox
2You had me at hello - ok not that memorable and I've only just finished it
3Monday to Friday man- also ok
4 The night circus - still can't quite understand the ending of this brilliant book but definitely would recommend
5 river of destiny -great book for someone interested in history, horses and Suffolk that's me!

  1. Just downloaded 'the sister brothers '- I'll let you know!
SnowWoman · 10/04/2013 20:05

I seem to have been reading a lot by a few authors, I think I need to broaden my reading a bit more.

Book 16 ? The Emotional Life of the Brain ? Richard J Davidson, non-fiction, neuroscience
Book 17 ? The Judas Rose ? Suzette Haden Elgin
Book 18 ? Whispers under Ground ? Ben Aaronovitch
Book 19 ? The Complete Father Brown Stories ? G K Chesterton
Book 20 ? Twelve Fair Kingdoms ? Suzette Haden Elgin
Book 21 ? Beauty and the Werewolf (500 Kingdoms) ? Mercedes Lackey
Book 22 ? A Sudden Wild Magic ? Diana Wynne Jones
Book 23 ? Earthsong ? Suzette Haden Elgin

thanks for all the ideas - I don't think the TBR pile is going to get much smaller any time soon :)

pipsy76 · 10/04/2013 20:08

snowwoman, I just love the Ben Aaronovitch rivers series, can't wait for the next one to come out!

PurpleStorm · 10/04/2013 23:03

Checking back in with:

Book 19 - Sheri S Tepper - The Waters Rising (took a while to get into it, but ultimately enjoyed it. Strong environmental themes as with most of her books)

Book 20 - Stephen King - The Shining (excellent)

Book 21 - Jeanne DuPrau - The City of Ember (entertaining. Two teenagers are looking for way to save their underground city)

Book 22 - Rachel Vincent - Shadow Bound (good)

Book 23 - Charles Stross - The Clan Corporate (3rd in Merchant Princes series. Good, but I think you really need to have read the first 2 to follow it)

Book 24 - Mia James - Darkness Falls (okay. Vampire troubles at London school)

Book 25 - Kim Izzo - The Jane Austen Marriage Manual (I found it very hard to suspend disbelief with this one. There's some ludicrous plot points)

Book 26 - Melissa de la Cruz - Serpents Kiss (flimsy and unmemorable)

Book 27 - Meg Cabot - Underworld (sequel to Abandon. Good, but again, you really need to have read the first one)

Book 28 - Georgette Heyer - The Convenient Marriage (thoroughly entertaining)

Book 29 - Adele Parks - Game Over (good)

mumslife · 11/04/2013 12:37

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsCosmopilite · 11/04/2013 12:46

Oh for goodness sake! If only I could keep a proper handle on what number book I'm on by reading my own posts!

Finished #19 Tea rose - Jennifer Donnelly. I quite liked it. Every time I thought there was going to be something predictable, there wasn't...until the very end. I won't do a spoiler alert here but I'd rather that some things had been left unresolved.

I'm now reading #20 Bronze summer - Stephen Baxter and #21 (my original #23) Mrs Robinson's disgrace - Kate Summerscale. This was a MN giveaway, as I thought if I didn't get stuck in, they'd be waiting for feedback for a long time!)
Both very different, so no chance of confusing which story is which.

So still to read, and revised numbering (which I MUST LOOK AT BEFORE NEXT POSTING)
#22 The woman who died a lot - Jasper Fforde
#23 The somnambulist - Essie Fox
#24 The confessions of Katherine Howard - Suzanna Dunn

shrinkingnora · 11/04/2013 14:01
  1. Ended up being Husband, Missing - another one that is much better than it sounds! It's compelling but I was a little disappointed with the ending. Disturbing in a way too.
minsmum · 11/04/2013 19:32

24 Just finished Fury's Kiss - Karen Chance I had been waiting for ages for the next one in the series about Dhory & Louis-Ceseare and it was worth the wait

tumbletumble · 13/04/2013 08:23

Just finished 13 (I'm another who got the numbering wrong in my last post!) - Gone Girl. Brilliant!

WednesdayNext · 13/04/2013 10:24

Finished book 16 from the Game of Thrones series.

Book 17 is the next in the series 'A Feast for Crows'.

I'm simultaneously reading a manuscript for a friend of mine which I'm counting as book 18 if that's ok? It's not a published book (yet) but it's still a big read!!

DuchessofMalfi · 13/04/2013 19:28

Finished Book 30 My Animals and Other Family by Clare Balding. Lovely book, lovely person :)

minsmum · 14/04/2013 14:10

Book 25 The Devil of Kilmartin- Lauren Wittig so halfway through now. I am also reading When the Lights Went Out- Andy Beckett about Britain in the 1970's

linkainka · 14/04/2013 19:25

Book 5. Lisa Gardner The Survivors Club a good, gripping thriller

greenhill · 14/04/2013 20:30

I realised that I missed out number 6...

  1. Raven Black - Ann Cleeves it was the first part of the Shetland Quartet. Excellent crime novel, great sense of place and menace.
  2. No Time For Goodbye - Linwood Barclay. Disappointing thriller.
10. The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Penman. I'm halfway through, the story is gripping, but there is such a lot of historical fact I have to remember, that it is a slow read, but it is very pacy.

I'm impressed by everyone managing to read more than a book a week Smile

MrsMaryCooper · 15/04/2013 08:10

Finished No 32 The Prisoner of Heaven - Carlos Ruiz Zafon I really enjoyed it but I wish I had started with The Shadow of the Wind and read them in order. The Prisoner of Heave is 3 of 4 in a series.

Now reading Sanctus- Simon Toyne for No. 33