50 Book Challenge 2013 -The Sequel!

[CardiffUniversityNetballTeam]

Morning all,

As the old thread here is nearly full, I have created a shiny new one for your delight and delectation.

Sign in and update your progress here!

I'm Cardiff and I've nearly finished book 16, so I'm very behind as to be in track we should be approaching 25 by now. Where is everyone else up to?

Minsmum - almost there. I am so lagging behind.

I've been lurking and reading what others have been posting. I'm also lagging way behind, but am loving that I have got back into reading.
Here's my list so far:

1. How to be a Woman ? Caitlin Moran
2. Raising Boys ? Steve Biddulph
3. Reaver?s Ransom ? Emily Diamand
4. Kindred ? Octavia E. Butler
5. Wendy ? Karen Wallace
6. Generation A ? Douglas Coupland
7. Runemark ? Joanne Harris
8. The Picture of Dorian Gray ? Oscar Wilde
9. The Hundred Year Old Man who climbed out of a window and disappeared ? Jonas Jonasson
10. Shade?s Children ? Garth Nix
11. The Journal of Dora Damage ? Belinda Starling
12. The Hunger Games ? Suzanne Collins
13. Island of Lost Girls ? Jennifer McMahon
14. The Garbage King ? Elizabeth Laird
15. Heart-Shaped Box ? Joe Hill
16. The Adventures of Jimmy Scar ? Jeanne Willis
17. Catching Fire ? Suzanne Collins

Almost finished:
18. The Snow Child ? Eowyn Ivey

31. Martian Time-Slip - Philip K Dick
32. The Witches - Roald Dahl
33. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
34. The Worst Journey In The World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard
35. James And The Giant Peach - Roald Dahl
36. The Children's Hospital - Chris Adrian
37. Ring Of Bright Water - Gavin Maxwell
38. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
39. The White Queen - Philippa Gregory
40. Blindness - Jose Saramago. A post-apocalypic dystopian novel not dissimilar to John Christopher's The Death Of Grass which I read earlier in the year, this has the premise that first a small group of people, then everyone in the world is suddenly struck blind, and rapid breakdown of civilisation follows. It's not an easy read but incredibly well written so would highly recommend for those who like that kind of thing.

41. Space Captain Smith - Toby Frost

45. Stepford Wives - Ira Levin. A really good quick read.

Stepford Wives is a fun read - and it's intriguing to see where the trope originated.

Finished Mutton by India Knight. I feel the same way about IK as I do about the Sunday Times Style section. It keeps trilling at me "This is what women are like!" and I keep thinking nope, that doesn't reflect me. But it was an entertaining read and slipped down easily.

Have started (44) Under Another Sky by Charlotte Higgins. A couple of chapters in and I'm loving it. It's just the sort of book I adore. The author visits various sites connected with Roman Britain and muses about the the way the Roman presence has been interpretated over the centuries.

46. Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble - M C Beaton. The story felt a bit rushed, but was mildly amusing.

bibliomania I've just started 'Rosemary's Baby': so far, so good, if I enjoy this Ira Levin too, I may download some more.

Didn't even realize that was the same author! Yes, please do say if it's good.

You're getting in early with your Christmas reads!

75 - Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.

36. The Light Between Oceans. Gobsmackingly good.

greenhill - If you haven't read it, I would recommend Ira Levin's The Boys From Brazil.

Thanks cote I've just downloaded it, there are 4 Ira Levin books in Amazon's summer sale at 99p each.

I know - I have Rosemary's Baby waiting for when I manage to finish neverending Anna bloody Karenina

Book 41: Jodi Taylor "Just One Damn Thing After Another" - a kindle freebie but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's quite a light read, flyby in places with an interesting concept. I'd definitely read more by her.

Book 42 was another kindle freebie: Shelley Adina "Lady of Devices: A steampunk adventure". Not at all what I expected, but another enjoyable read.

Started 43 which is Rosie Thomas "Iris and Ruby" which I've had on my kindle for a really long time.

Can I very belatedly join please? Have two DC under 4 so my reading has been pitiful but been so inspired and motivated by this thread, going to count up all books this year for interest and join in for the rest of the year as I've just visited the most amazing bookshop in the world and came home with 13 books for $8.....

In no particular order:

1. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime - Mark Haddon
2. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - Aleksander Solzhenitsyn
3. Sexing the Cherry - Jeanette Winterson
4. The Islamist - Ed Husain
5. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
6. The Painted Veil - Somerset Maughn
7. On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
8. How to be a Woman - Cairlin Moran
9. Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald

10. The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas 11. Rimbaud - Graham Robb 12. Howls Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones 13. Gordon - Edith Templeton 14. Feminine Mystic - Betty Friedan 15. The Theatre and it's Double - Artaud 16. Of Woman Born - Adrienne Rich 17. Anthills of the Savannah - Chinua Achebe 18. City of the Beasts - Isabel Allende 19. Hidden in Plain Sight - Zainab Salbi 20. Fingersmith - Sarah Waters 21. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood 22. Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts 23. Corrections - Jonathan Franzen

About to start Call for the Dead - John Le Carre. That's awesome! Way more than I thought! I won't include plays because I read tons and they only take an hour but if I'm allowed to read "proper" children's books with DS over the course of at leat a week or two, then:

24. Esio Trot - Roald Dahl
25. George's Marvellous Medicine - RD
26. The Twits - RD
27. James and the Giant Peach - RD
28. Fantastic Mr Fox - RD
29. The Magic finger - RD
30. the Giraffe The Pelly and Me - RD
31. Mr Stink - David Walliams

Now reading Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie

Welcome! And jealous to hear of the most amazing bookshop in the world! If it's in dollars, I assume it's nowhere near me...

Sadly it's in California (well, not that sad for me, only a 2hour drive away from home). It's outdoors and has such a huge range and variety, comfortable chairs in the shade everywhere, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff, excellently laid out and a "house" in the middle where they've done up a fake kitchen to house the cookery books, a library for military history, a nursery for children's books. Heaven. And around the outside are hundreds of books for 50cents each with an honesty box for when they're shut.

That bookshop sounds amazing, sadly it's a bit too far to get to

Would love to come home and open on similar. Though the outdoorsy aspect might have to be rethought.

76 - The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan. Absolutely amazingly brilliant. Loved it.

Bookshop sounds wonderful. Sigh for that climate also.

31. The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, recommended up thread. Wow. An amazing book about an incredible expedition (Scott in the Antarctic).

32. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. I really enjoyed this.

Love the sound of that bookshop too!

I need to visit that bookshop!!

Book 43 "Iris and Ruby", I thought was brilliant. Really enjoyed it.

Not yet decided on 44.

32. The curious case of Benjamin Button and other tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald

If I am honest, I just ploughed on. Button was for book club but I read the others do I could count the book. Following on from Gatsby it seems I just don't like Fitzgerald really. I enjoyed a couple of the short stories but otherwise was a but meh about them.

Uni is starting in October and I have an immense amount if reading to get through so not sure how/if I will get to 50 as just starting back to work too. Luckily I e of my modules is literature based so I will be able to count those.

Next though is A sport and a past time by James Salter for book club too - which is 194 pages and book club is tomorrow!

Book 46 was The Beach Hut by Veronica Henry - easy holiday read on kindle that I could pick up on days out with DD!
Book 47 The Casual Vacancy - I was surprised how much I loved this book. I was in awe of her structure and characters interlinking. I would give it 5 stars. Not everyone's taste but having experienced village politics and worked with young people similar to Krystal, it felt very raw.

Now reading book 48 Apple Tree Yard. Thanks for the recommendations for this book.