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

Remus - I've heard of Mortal Engines but haven't read it. I'm not averse to a bit of YA fiction, having really enjoyed Philip Pullman's Dark Materials and also liked The Hunger Games (although it was in a different class IMO).

My foray into sci-fi was less successful - I love Iain Banks' mainstream writing but struggled with his Culture books.

Thanks for the recommendation - will take a look.

1. The Second Life of Amy Archer - R S Pateman

Started off well but went downhill fast. I sped read the final chapters.

1. Until You're Mine - Samantha hayes

Taut psychological novel with a satisfying twist which I didn't guess til right near the end. 8/10

For Bronte fans, a book I really recommend is The Bronte Myth by Lucasta Miller - a non-fic about their posthumous reputation. I love the story that Charlotte dedicated Jane Eyre to Thackeray because she admired him, not knowing that he really did have a wife in a madhouse. Lots of readers obviously then assumed that he was really the basis for Mr Rochester.

That sounds a very interesting book, Bibliomania. I'm going to have to get that from the library. Is Thackeray's response to the dedication known?

Can't remember the details, Duchess. Embarrassment mainly, I think. He and Charlotte hadn't actually met at this point, only exchanged letters after he enthused about the first edition of JE, so the dedication went into the second edition.

Hello. I'd like to join this and the Goodreads group too if that's ok. I managed 50 books last year and logged them on Goodreads. I've set myself 52 this year but I am behind. So far:

1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman - loved this, short and beautiful

1. The Secret History - Donna Tarte - I've almost finished so will add it now. It's a reread, before I read the Goldfinch. I love this book, one of my all time favourites.

I want to read Goldfinch next, but might go for something quicker first to catch up a bit!

Book 1 - the Crimson Petal and the White - Michel Faber
Book 2 - The Blackhouse - Peter May
Book 3 - The Universe Versus Alex Woods.
Book 4 - Mad About the Boy
Book 5 - My Life - David Jason
Book 6 - Paper Towns - John Green
Book 7 - We Are Water - Wally Lamb
Book 8 - American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
Book 9 - What Alice Forgot - Liane Moriarty

Needed a bit of easy light relief after book 8 and definitely got it here. It's not a bad book but didn't blow me away. Thought provoking on a basic level.

Book 1- A Presumption of Death - Dorothy Sayers
Book 2- Throne,Dominations - Jill Paton Walsh
Book 3 - The Late Scholer- Jill Paton Walsh
Book 4 - Heirs of the Body - Carola Dunn
Book 5 - Busmans Honeymoon - Dorothy Sayers
Book 6 - The Attenbury Emeralds - Jill Paton Walsh
Book 7 - Saints of the Shadow Bible - Ian Rankin
Book 8 - Sweet Danger - Margery Allingham
Book 9 Flowers for the Judge - Margery Allingham
Book 10- The case of the Late Pig - Margery Allingham.

Really must try something a little more challenging, all these are really light reading although none the worse for that.

So far:-

Book 1 - Carrion Comfort by Dan Sims
Book 2 - A Perfect Proposal by Katie Fforde
Book 3 - Loot, Inside the World of Stolen Art by Thomas McShane;
Book 4 - Wool by Hugh Howie
Book 5 - A Feast For Crows by George RR Martin - Game of Thrones

and now

Book 6 - A Dance with Dragons, another Game of Thrones books.
Finding this one a bit frustrating as I am not that interested in getting to know new characters, I want to know about the old ones!

Hmm, reading a lot of fiction so far, think I need a break from GoT after this one, might read The Goldfinch or Life After Life which sounds really interesting.

Some of you are making amazing progress!

Book 14 - making up for time lost with v dense non-fiction books and rather ashamed about this one but hey ho!
The Secret Island by Enid Blyton - a favourite quick bath time read.

DBXmum, fair play for getting through American Psycho. I tried to read that years ago but the graphicness of the violence was just so disturbing I quit.

My 18 year old loves it - I've not plucked up the courage yet!

Proud to annouce my 4th book review has just gone up - so I'm pretty much on target for the 50 reviews over the course of the year.

Review of Colin Cotterill's 'The Woman who Wouldn't Die'

This is really pushing me to choose a wider selection of books in the local library, so I'm feeling quite pleased about it.

Is anyone else reviewing as they read, or is it just me?

1. Ker Dukey - The Broken

10. Linwood Barclay - The Accident

1. The Universe versus Alex Woods - Gavin Extence. Loved it. Quite humorous in parts and I found his voice slipping into Will from The Inbetweeners at times describing his class mates.

1. The Rosie Project. I devoured this in less than 24 hours (partly thanks to my already long commute being extended due to delays) and LOVED it. Laugh out loud funny and ridiculously engaging. 5 stars from me.

9. The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel. Found it a bit hard to keep track of the characters and it's just one thing after another without much momentum. Still, might take a look when it comes out on film.

I still have Diana Gabaldon on the go, but got distracted by Drink by Ann Dowsett Johnston. It's pretty readable, although really just an over-extended magazine article.

1. The fault in our stars - John Green

Had started this last year but this challenge spurred me on to finish it and really glad I did - a good read, kind of heart-breaking but oddly hopeful at the end.

Had been going to read 'Dances with Dragons' by George Martin next but it's massive and I'm not in the mood so will return my library version of it and later in the year download it to kindle before we go on summer holidays.

Instead I have nabbed 'A Possible Life' by Sebastian Faulks on a quick-back from the library so that will be coming with me to parents in Somerset this weekend.

Very pleased with 6 books in January, think I only read about 6 all year last year!

1. The fault in our stars - John Green

Had started this last year but this challenge spurred me on to finish it and really glad I did - a good read, kind of heart-breaking but oddly hopeful at the end.

Had been going to read 'Dances with Dragons' by George Martin next but it's massive and I'm not in the mood so will return my library version of it and later in the year download it to kindle before we go on summer holidays.

Instead I have nabbed 'A Possible Life' by Sebastian Faulks on a quick-back from the library so that will be coming with me to parents in Somerset this weekend.

Very pleased with 6 books in January, think I only read about 6 all year last year!

Oops, sorry for the double post!

10. Stephanie Meyer - "Eclipse"
11. Germaine Greer "The Female Eunuch"

#5 The Salmon of Doubt -Douglas Adams. This is a sort of anthology of various scraps of work, emails, faxes and letters, and the first chapters of the book he never finished. I wish someone could take up the story and finish. He was a huge loss to fiction writing.

Book 15 - another easy re-read. Am so tired, I'm just not up to anything else. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield.

Remus, I'm loving your choices! Ballet Shoes and The Secret Island are two of my favourite children's books. My copies are dog-eared and tattered, I must have read them both at least 10 times...

ThoughtFox, I haven't written any reviews of the books I've read yet but might post some on Dooyoo at some point in the future.

I've finished another Agatha Christie (Murder is Easy) and an Enid Blyton (Mountain of Adventure.) All very light and easy reading but enjoyed them both in different ways.