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?

22. Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery. A re-read, I would last have read it over 30 years ago, but was reading it to my 6 yo DD as her bedtime story. Inspiring and innocent.

23. The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters. The speaking tube incident had me too frightened to go downstairs and let the cat in! I had to read something bland to shake the mood off.

24. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin

25. P&P - Austen and almost finished 26. Tomorrow, When the War Began - John Marsden.

I think I really have to clear some of the backlog on my kindle and my bookshelf before buying anything else who am I kidding

Finished 22: the last of the current Game of Thrones book. Have thoroughly enjoyed them.

Book 23 will be a re-read of an old favorite. Janice Galloway's "The Trick is to Keep Breathing".

23: Life of Pi. I really enjoyed this story and I cried at the end .

Nearly finished 24: Changeling - Philippa Gregory. I'm enjoying this one too. It's a YA book so it's a nice easy read and although it is historical it reads rather like a fantasy book which is right up my street.

I'm trying to decide what will be 25, maybe a reread of Brave New World, or maybe I'll go on to We need to talk about Kevin, or maybe something else will catch my eye.

Just finished 37, the Agatha Raisin story. Great fun.

My reading has been appalling recently, so this year I've set myself a goal to read 30 books (no way I could read fifty, although I used to...) I am, quite embarrassingly, way behind my goal, but my reading speed has picked up and I make sure to read a bit every day, rather then sit on my laptop/play candy crush... So there's still hope!

So far this year I've read:

1. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
2. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
3. Them: Adventures with Extremists - Jon Ronson
4. The Stepford Wives - Ira Levin
5. Sabra Zoo - Mischa Hiller
6. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
7. 1984 - George Orwell

Currently reading:

1. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks
2. The Smoke Jumper - Nicholas Evans

Number 8 is good, number nine is rubbish, both nearly finished.

Ooh, I love Coraline.

22. Dear Lupin by Roger and Charlie Mortimer. Gentle humour from a past age when people wrote letters rather than sending e mails or texting!

25. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Wednesday, I loved it too. It was the first (and, so far, the only) Neil Gaiman book I've read, I'm gonna have to put some more of his work on my "to read" list.

Last night I finished 38. Louise Douglas' Missing You- it was nicely written, but I found the characters a bit flat and the plot unremarkable. I'd got it for bobbins in the kindle sale and forgotten the genre, so I was half-expecting a bit of a thriller. It wasn't .

Books 57 and 58 - finished yesterday -

Brooklyn - Colm Toibin - audio book.
Findings - Kathleen Jamie

Im halfway through 39, a really well-written family drama, Whatever You Love, by Louise Doughty. It's been shortlisted for the Costa prize, and long listed for Orange, and it hasn't disappointed me so far.

MegBusset - I came on here with the sole purpose of telling you to immediately start reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I am reading it now and it is brilliant cyberpunk. On par with Snow Crash, in fact (minus the Sumerian genius) and I don't say that lightly as a card carrying Neal Stephenson fan.

I bought it a while back because it was the Kindle Daily Deal and forgot about it. Wow, am I regretting that now! I can't wait to come to the end of this post so I can go back to reading it

Nickname - what a pleasingly varied list. If there was a prize for eclectic reading choices, you'd probably win it.

I've read 29 books so far this year. Not sure how those of you who have read 50 or more are doing it - I imagine your children in rags, sobbing, scrabbling at pieces of coal for food.

juney, what did you think of The Five People You Meet in Heaven? I read it last year and was not too impressed. I don't understand why it is so critically acclaimed!

Hackmum, that is frighteningly close to the truth

20. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Truly awesome story. Brilliant adventure in the virtual reality of a dystopian future.

Book 23 complete.

Book 24 is Iain Banks "The Wasp Factory"

Thanks, hack!

Luckily I have a child that likes toast.

31. Martian Time-Slip - Philip K Dick
32. The Witches - Roald Dahl (to DS1 at bedtimes)

Cote thanks for the recommendation, I've reserved it at the library :)

27. HHhH by Laurent Binet

I didn't like the unique narrative style. The story was interesting though.

Reading 28. Adam Bede by George Eliot

Updated list:

1. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
2. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
3. Them: Adventures with Extremists - Jon Ronson
4. The Stepford Wives - Ira Levin
5. Sabra Zoo - Mischa Hiller
6. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
7. 1984 - George Orwell
8. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks

Currently reading:

1. The Smoke Jumper - Nicholas Evans - this one will have to wait, as I don't actually have it at home, but, to be honest, I'm only reading it cause I don't like abandoning books half-way through, I'm not enjoying it at all...

10. METRO 2033 - Dmitri Glukhovsky - I've had this book on my kindle for so long, I can't even remember what it's supposed to be about, so it will be a bit of a surprise.

Tumbletumble I read "the five people we meet in heaven", it was alright, the end was a bit contrived. I didn't know it was critically acclaimed, I got it from the library.
Since January I'm currently on book #48 "strata" by Terry Pratchett and #49 "The Wild Rover" by Mike Parker.