50 Book Challenge 2014

[juneybean]

Hopefully nobody minds me starting this thread.

The idea is to read 50 books in 2014 (or more as many people have achieved this year!)

Please also check out our group on Goodreads if you're stuck for ideas of what books to read!

www.goodreads.com/group/show/59438-the-book-vipers

1. The Snowman - Jo Nesbo

Love Nesbo and this is probably the best of the ones that I have read so far. If you like gruesome killings and plots that twist and turn then you'll like this.

Just starting Augustus - John Williams

Just finished the first one - Death Comes to Pemberley. Not a fan - if anyone's thinking of reading it, I wouldn't bother. It's not really a good murder mystery, nor is it a good follow-on to Pride and Prejudice - it just annoyed me how PD James kept trying to explain the characters' feelings and motivation, as if Austen didn't do that well enough at the time.

Anyway, I need to speed up as that's certainly not an average of one per week! Currently re-reading The Stand (Stephen King) at bedtime and going to start The Lambs of London (Peter Ackroyd) at lunchtime today. Suspect The Stand will take a while to get through given it's HUGE, but my New Year's resolution is to actually get out the office at lunchtime so I've been going to the library near work for a bit of a read, so hopefully The Lambs of London will be a bit quicker!

I love the idea of getting out at lunchtime - not for fresh air etc but to read in the library. I work in a lovely part of London and am looking forward to it stopping raining so I can sit in the squares reading. Although I also have a library up the road.

Getting out at lunchtime is good. I tend to stay at my desk and then get annoyed when colleagues wander up to ask random questions - they can't do it if you're not there! I sometimes go to Costa, but that has the downside of costing money.

Finished #2 last night - I, Partridge. Very silly but entertaining! Just started Saturday Night & Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe this morning.

Ok so far:-

1. Carrion Comfort by Dan Sims (vg)
2. A Perfect Proposal by Katie Fforde (ok)
3. Loot, Inside the World of Stolen Art by Thomas McShane; this was ok but a bit repetitive. Art gets stolen, gangsters have art, guy retireves some/all art. It could have done with colour plates for the art really.

and now...

4. Wool by Hugh Howie

Really enjoying this so far. Tend to like dystopia type books...

Another one with a library near enough for some lunchtime browsing. I don't get any reading done, but I'm happy just to wander the shelves and see if anything catches my eye.

Finished book 4 - I've got your number by Sophie Kinsella (Audiobook) going to start book 5 later :)

I'm loving this challenge, I love reading but dip in and out of the habit, so this is a great way to inspire me to read more!

Still on number 2 for me, May We Be Forgiven, which I'm really enjoying despite not being sure at the start. It really reminds me in style of something else I've read relatively recently and it's driving me a bit mad trying to work out what!

About 100 posts ago, i said I'd post the reading list from the back of Her Brilliant Career - 11 novels by women from each year in the fifties. So here goes:

1950 Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
1951 School for Love - Olivia Manning
1952 The Sugar House - Antonia White
1953 The Echoing Grove - Rosamund Lehmann
1954 The Tortoise and the Hare - Elizabeth Jenkins
1955 A World of Love - Elizabeth Bowen
1956 The Towers of Trebizond - Rose Macaulay
1957 Angel - Elizabeth Taylor
1958 The Bell - Iris Murdoch
1959 The Vet's Daughter - Barbara Comyns
1960 The L-Shaped Room - Lynne Reid Banks

I've read none of them so lots to get on with!

Interesting list, half. I've read and adored three of them - Barbara Pym (my absolute favourite writer), Rose Macaulay (The Towers is Trebizond is bonkers but enjoyable) and Elizabeth Taylore.

Added a stray "e" to Taylor above.

1. The Circle - Dave Eggers
2. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother - Amy Chua
3. The Art Forger - B A Shapiro
4. The Timewaster's Letters - Robin Cooper

Still to finish:

1. Fall of Giants - Ken Follett
2. A Teacup in a Storm: An Explorer's Guide to Life - Mick Conefrey

Just finished book 2 - 'Apple Tree Yard' by Louise Donaghy, a very exciting page-turner that I highly recommend.

Now starting on 'I Laughed, I Cried' by (possible MNer) Viv Groskop.

I've just finished The Goldfinch. I almost feel like it's pointless to start another, because it's almost certainly the best book I'll read this year! Just beautiful.

This rave review says it much better than I could.

1. Stolen - Rebecca Muddiman

Really good, read in a few days.

Woo? What did you think of, 'The Circle'? Am wondering if I should give it a go.

I have The Circle on my Kindle, so am also interested.
BOF - I am beyond excited about The Goldfinch.

Finished no.3, March by Geraldine Brooks. Really excellent. It's basically what happened to the dad in little Women. Bit unreliable narrator-y, but very affecting.

now into no.4, Stonemouth by Iain banks.

Finished no 3, Brighton Belle by Sara Sheridan - a good light detective story.

No 4, Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson, another kindle 99p read that seems promising so far.

HarderTo Kidnap I really liked March too.

Unusual for me to enjoy a book that's basically a spin-off from a classic. None of the Jane Austen-related stuff works for me - Death Comes to Pemberley being particularly poor - but this stood up as a novel in its own right IMO.

Gawd I've got readers block at the moment. I'm struggling on with "the husband's secret" and seem to have been reading it for weeks but am only a third of the way through the book.

I'm a bit late to this thread but love the idea so count me in. Will pop down to the library later to see what I can find that looks interesting. Good idea around reading at lunchtimes at work. It will force me to take a break and recharge the batteries.

Highland Coo and Harder to Kidnap - Brooks', 'Year of Wonder' is worth a read too. I liked, 'March' better but it's another interesting read, half decently written.

1. Priceless - Shannon Mayer