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50 Book Challenge 2013 -The Sequel!

807 replies

CardiffUniversityNetballTeam · 16/06/2013 11:05

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?

OP posts:
RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/12/2013 20:50

Ah - need HUGE books at the moment...

juneybean · 28/12/2013 20:50

Millennium Trilogy? Alison Weir?

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/12/2013 20:56

Hated Dragon tattoo thing. Maybe Alison W but find her a bit wearisome at times tbh.

I need some lost Austens to be discovered! Wink

juneybean · 28/12/2013 20:57

Have you ever read Paullina Simons? Hers have tiny font, quite long!

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/12/2013 20:59

Mmmm, ta. Will look. Not convinced by first glance tbh. Am having a bit of a hate hate relationship with most female writers (and indeed most fiction writers) right now.

MegBusset · 28/12/2013 23:07

Remus - do you have a Kindle? Just bought Mallory's Everest book, and an interesting-looking book about Siberia, in the Kindle new year sale.

But if you want HUGE - Infinite Jest or Mason & Dixon, if not already read!

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 29/12/2013 15:58

No Kindle. Read and ADORED the Everest one. Will check out the others - thank you. :)

minsmum · 29/12/2013 20:54

77 Bring up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel
78 A Touch of Midnight - Lara Adrian
79 Angel with Two Faces - Nicola Upson
80 The Witness - Nora Roberts
81 Butterflies in November - can't remember the author and don't have the book to hand but a very good read

I haven't posted for a while and am not reading much but I have enjoyed these

CoteDAzur · 29/12/2013 21:43

Remus - Try Neal Stephenson's Anathem. It is a huge tome AND it's intellectually challenging.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 29/12/2013 21:46

Not sure I'm up for much intellectual challenge right now! What I really want is something else like World War Z, but with bonnets as well as zombies! :)

CoteDAzur · 29/12/2013 22:02

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons?

funambulist · 29/12/2013 23:42

67 A Kind Man by Susan Hill

I've read hardly anything over the last couple of weeks as I've been wrapped up in Christmas preparations. All our visitors have now gone home and, feeling slightly guilty that I wasn't dealing with the mound of washing that's accumulated, I curled up with one of the books I was given for Christmas. This was a very quick read, I read it in an afternoon and almost effortless. I've now started An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, which I'm really enjoying.

AnneWentworth · 30/12/2013 08:34
  1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Delightful really and short.

Obviously not going to make 50 so revised to 45. I am going to start Pride & Prejudice today as it feels a bit wrong as an Austen fan not to read it in its 200th year anniversary.

juneybean · 30/12/2013 11:16

45 is still a fantastic achievement! I was a bit worried at the beginning of December I wasn't going to make it so I started reading short books Wink

I think I'm done for 2013 now, got university work to crack on with.

juneybean · 30/12/2013 11:19

I've created the new thread here Grin :

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/adult_fiction/1951735-50-Book-Challenge-2014

AnneWentworth · 30/12/2013 11:30

Juney I am delighted. I have set a target of 25 next year though as I have a tough year at uni ahead.

gailforce1 · 30/12/2013 12:34

This has been a brilliant thread both for making me keep track of the books I have read but also for getting inspiration for new reads! Highlights of my 53 reads in 2013 are:-

  1. A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym. Looking to find more of her books.
  2. Persephone books - Dorothy Whipple, Winifred Watson. Also looking to read more of these in the coming year.
  3. Heft by Liz Moore
  4. Big Brother by Lionel Shriver
  5. Life after Life by Kate Atkinson
  6. Dear Lupin and 7. Dear Lumpy by Roger Mortimer
  7. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome - how has it taken me so long to get round to reading this, now going to be a "comfort read"!
  8. Brighton Beach by Graham Greene
10. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford 11. My Reading Life by Pat Conroy - insight on how his Mother and an English teacher inspired this American author 12. Transatlantic by Colum McCann - excellent

Thanks to Cardiff for starting this thread.

tumbletumble · 30/12/2013 14:54

I'm not going to have time to finish my current book before the end of the year, so that means I've ended up on exactly 50! Really pleased.

My top 5 for the year:

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel
The Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

moonshine · 30/12/2013 16:18
  1. Enemies - A History of the FBI: Tim Weiner 7.5/10
  2. Nameless: A Novel: Joe Conlan 7.5/10
  3. The Song Before It's Sung: Justin Cartwright 7.5/10

I've had a good run of enjoyable books - all very different. And that's me for the year. I knew I'd never reach 50 as I am a pretty slow reader but I shall resolve for next year to at least put more time intoreading (i.e. instead of watching crap threads on mn tv)

CallingAllEngels · 30/12/2013 18:27

I'm on book 49...eek! Wonder if I can make it to 50 before midnight tomorrow?

Southeastdweller · 30/12/2013 21:46

I'm coming in at a thoroughly embarrassing 16. I can't even say I've got a family to distract me, no, it's bloody gadgets Blush.

I've recently moved to a place that's more quiet and may even leave my iPad at work a few times a week so I'm hoping I'll read much more next year.

My favourite read of the year was 'The Help', by Kathryn Stockett. An entertaining but at times shocking book that I found very rewarding.

WednesdayNext · 30/12/2013 21:54
  1. Neil Gaiman "The Graveyard Book"

I'm about to start another Neil Gaiman but it's unlikely I'll finish by tomorrow night so I guess that'll be my first book on the new thread!!

BitOfFunWithSanta · 30/12/2013 22:21

  1. Nothing To Envy- about lives in North Korea. Beautifully written and fascinating.

  2. The Avenue Goes To War- RF Delderfield.

Yay- I got there! Xmas Grin

PerksOfBeingNorthern · 31/12/2013 13:03

Should finish Giovanna Fletcher - Billy & Me today which brings my total to 122.
Lots of shiny new books/downloads have been purchased from the back of this thread so thanks to all for sharing and thanks to Cardiff for the great idea.
See you on the flip side (or on the other thread) Smile

funambulist · 31/12/2013 15:13

68 An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

This is an absolutely fantastic book. I would recommend it to anyone. The author, Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut. The book explains how he decided that he wanted to be an astronaut aged 9 after watching the moon landings, how he worked to achieve this and what being an astronaut really involves given that the vast majority of the time is spent on the ground. Chris has the gift of writing really well, so that the book is a pleasure to read. What he has to say is genuinely interesting e.g. how to you go to the loo in zero gravity? And his experiences have taught him some lessons that we can all follow about being happy, successful and getting the most out of life.

While I was reading the book I also watched a few of the videos Chris made whilst based in the International Space Station (search on Youtube under his name). The one of him singing Space Oddity whilst floating around the ISS in zero gravity is the most famous but the others (brushing your teeth in space, making a sandwich in space, wringing out a wet cloth in space etc) are also fascinating.