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?

Middlesex is very good. I haven't read any of his other books but finished that book thinking that the author is quite brilliant.

Wednesday - If you loved Atonement, I think I can safely say that you should read Sweet Tooth.

Hmm, I found The Marriage Plot pretty annoying, now that I've finished it. Madeleine was rather passive, the 'wrong' suitor condemned by Eugenides for his mental illness as though it were a moral failing, and the 'right' one was a disturbingly misogynistic dick who whined all the way through about being friend-zoned. The meta-ending didn't fix these flaws or do anything different with 'the marriage plot' of literature, which was obviously his aim.

The language was striking though, and I will try Middlesex.

56. Hope- A Tragedy, by Shalom Auslander is next though.

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
9. Metro 2033 - Dmitri Glukhovsky - really enjoyed this one, and the last few pages took my breath away!

Currently reading:
10. 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... Only about 30 pages to go...
11. A Greyhound of a Girl - Roddy Doyle - I'm just about to start this one and really looking forward to reading it, I love a bit of Roddy Doyle :)

40. Without Fail - Lee Child
41. The Persuader - Lee Child
42. Unseen - Karin Slaughter
43. Another Man's Poison - Ann Cleeves
44. NOD - Adrian Barnes
45. Waiting for Wednesday - Nicci French
46. Wild Cards - George RR Martin

My Kindle BROKE on holiday. It was hell.

Middlesex is a fantastic book and 1984 is one of my favourite books clevercircus. I also hate abandoning books but I did give up recently on the hundred year old man who climbed out the window one by Jonas Jonasson. Struggled to get through it several times.

Bit late in the day to join but from looking at my kindle I've only read 13 books this year. Had a baby at the end of 2012 so reading time has somewhat diminished. Managed to read three this week (The midwife's confession, The secret of Crickley Hall and The time machine) so I'm up for the challenge of 50 by the end of the year.

Can't believe I'd never read The Time Machine before. Loved it.

Nor sure what to read next. Will have a look.through some of your lists to inspire me.

26. Papillon by Henri Charriere. I think someone mentioned this upthread - escape from a French penal colony in the 1930s / 1940s. Brilliant!

Now reading Saplings by Noel Streatfield, which I have also read about on MN recently - can't remember if it was this thread or another one. I loved her books as a child, so looking forward to this one.

Have just added 2 more books to my 'to read' list (Sweet Tooth and Apple Tree Yard) after reading all your posts!

31. Martian Time-Slip - Philip K Dick
32. The Witches - Roald Dahl (to DS1 at bedtimes)
33. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
34. The Worst Journey In The World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard

Picked this up after reading Scott's Last Expedition (Cherry-Garrard was one of Scott's companions on the expedition) and actually it's the better read, brilliantly written and incredibly moving.

mrsmarycooper your kindle broke? What a nightmare, but at least you can still download all the books to your new device. Was it still under warranty?

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 (bedtime story for DS1)

30. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

greenhill The Kindle was out of warranty but they sent me a new one, anyway. Yay for Amazon!

I read about two books a week normally, so have probably read about sixty so far this year. currently reading Racing Pigs and Giant Marrows by Harry Pearson, very amusing.

Book 64 - Lady Chatterley's Lover - D H Lawrence. Surprisingly readable. Gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

Finished book 29 "The 100 Year Old Man". It was a move gentle read, but I wasn't wowed by it and feel like I must have missed something as lots of people have recommended it to me as one of their favourite books.

Book 30 will be Ian McEwan's 'Sweet Tooth' based on Cote's recommendation. I'm really looking forward to starting it.

Right - RL has got in the way.

So my #33 became #32 (The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language - Mark Forsyth)

33. How to do Everything and be Happy (Peter Jones). A sensible, do-able self-help book. I'm going to get a copy as I feel as though I almost know him (in RL he's the friend of a close friend of mine)
34. The Divorce of Henry VIII: The Untold Story(Catherine Fletcher) - factual but a little dry. 35.A Plague on Both Your Houses/ 36. An Unholy Alliance - both by Susanna Gregory.
35. The Brothers Boswell - Phillip Baruth. Not really sure what I made of it, to be honest. A nod to literary stuff in Georgian England, but mostly well-written nonsense, in the nicest possible way.

28. Kiss and Hell. 28. My way to Hell. Both by Dakota Cassidy. Light and fluffy, paranormal romance involving demons and ghosts and of course, true love conquering all.

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
9. Metro 2033 - Dmitri Glukhovsky

10. The Smoke Jumper - Nicholas Evans - what a waste of time that was, glad it's over!

Currently reading:
11. A Greyhound of a Girl - almost finished, it's lovely (or should that be grand?)
12. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson - only just started, so don't know what to think of it yet.

I really want to read Sweet Tooth. I downloaded the sample pages on my kindle a while back, but haven't got round to reading them yet. I've read three McEwan novels this year, so I'm fairly certain I'll like it. I've just got to get on with reading everything else I have lined up first :)

11. Greyhound of a Girl - Roddy Doyle - very quick and enjoyable read.

Currently reading:
12. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson
13. Two Pints - Roddy Doyle

26. Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story That Changed The Course of WWII - Ben Macintyre

Brilliant true story of a pivotal WWII deception ploy that assured Allied victory. Incredibly detailed, with photos of all players and even most documents. I heartily recommend this book to all non-fiction readers, especially if you are interested in WWII and/or war strategy & espionage. (Remus: That's you )

27. Saplings by Noel Streatfield. Not as good as her children's books, but an absorbing read.

Only 3 chapters into "Sweet Tooth" so far but I'm hooked.

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
9. Metro 2033 - Dmitri Glukhovsky

10. The Smoke Jumper - Nicholas Evans 11. A Greyhound of a Girl - Roddy Doyle 12. Two Pints - Roddy Doyle

Currently reading:
13. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson
14. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce