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

Good question. I have included two, because I got about halfway through and felt that I 'knew' the book. Perhaps I shouldn't though. You definitely can't include ones you read the back of and think "This looks shite" though .

Bugger. . Wondering how long I have to keep struggling with The Bloody Luminaries before I can count it.

Take me Home was shit wasn't it. I loved the Bill Bryson though.

Felt that you "knew" the book?

Personally, I wouldn't count a book as "read" if I haven't actually read it, but to each their own.

Having said that, I have already decided that I will not be pushing for 50 books this year so not feeling the same pressure. I started working more and playing the piano again after a 30-year hiatus Still happily (and slowly) ploughing through my #3, the huge tome that is Music In The Castle Of Heaven.

No to unfinished books - or I'd be adding another four!

Absy - What do you mean by "160 million females missing"? Missing as in dead? Or less in number than the male population? That book sounds interesting.

Absy 12 Years a Slave is nowhere near as heavy going as you'd expect it to be - even the writer says towards the end that he has dwelled more on the (relatively) positive aspects of his experience than the real horror stories that occurred. There are some unpleasant bits but they are quite understated, although you can read between the lines as to how much worse the reality must have been, and they're not dwelled on.

12. Stephen King's Pet Semetary. The first book of his I read as a teenager. Found the book much more creepy now and had shivers at the end of it.

Okay okay, I'll scrap those two then. Tbf, I don't think you need to read an entire Daniela Sacerdote to get the gist, mind...

CoteDazur I've read that book too and it is missing as in never born. Aborted in favour of trying again for a boy. It is a v interesting if depressing book.

Just finished #8 I think, the last game of thrones book. Vg really enjoyed it, am a bit baffled about how he's ever going to finish such a gigantic story though. He just keeps adding in further complications and twists.

Have started #9, the brightest star in the sky by marian keyes. Light read (badly needed after all the murder and mayhem in GoT) and going along splendidly so far. Not one severed limb yet ;)

Thanks, wilting.

1. The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell. Quite good.

Finally finished (11) A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gablaldon. At nearly 1000 pages hardback, it was slightly dangerous to read in bed - I nearly brained the child slumbering beside me. It would have been a better book at about a third the size. I skim-read most of the build-up to the American Revoluntion. I still like to know what Jamie and Claire are up to, and it was just about enough to keep me from abandoning it.

Revolution. Not Revoluntion.

As wilting said, they're missing as in not born. The natural sex ratio or any given population is between 104-106 males to females. In some countries, particularly in Asia, the ratio is skewed to an extent that is unnatural (I don't have the book to hand, but in some areas of China its around 173:100). A ratio that skewed shows that there's people intervening in sex selection, be it by aborting female fetuses, infanticide or some other means. Rajasthan, Albania, Georgia, areas of China and Azberbaijan (I think?) have really skewed sex ratios, and the argument of cultural/religious preference doesn't stand up really, as they're all quite different (though she doesn't really get to the bottom of why in all instances, just that boys are favoured). South Korea used to, but have managed to sort it out.

Thanks Dum. I look forward to it.

Cote - how are you managing with the piano, or making the time? I used to play, but stopped in my late teens. I now have a piano (it was my grandparent's, and I went to great trouble moving it into the flat so it can primarily serve as a place to put photo frames ). Are you taking classes? I need a kick up the butt to start playing properly again.

1. The Girl who played with fire by Steig Larsson.
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
3. The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves

And have managed not to buy any more as well! The real paper cook book and the kindle book bought by DP on my account doesn't count.

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
Book 10 - The Personal History of Rachel Dupree - AnnWeisgarber
Book 11 - The Garden of Evening Mists - Tan Twan Eng.
Book 12 - The Cuckoo's Calling

Don't want to say too much about this here because of spoilers but I'd say this was just OK. A bit predictable in terms of the characterisation (troubled, heavy drinking, dogmatic protagonist) and very much leaning towards a series of books. Easy read.

Absy - I used to play the piano as a child and stopped in my teens, just like you.

I got my "kick in the backside" as you aptly put it last year when I had to go on stage with DD to play the piano (long story). So I started to practice, with wooden fingers at first, and got increasingly confident. I started to really enjoy it so went on to other pieces I used to play, then on to composer I now like as an adult but never played as a child. I haven't been taking any lessons.

Finding the time just meant reading less in my case. I work from home and used to read in my 'breaks' from work. Now I work for a while, then play the piano to rest & relax. I don't know how happy the neighbours are about this change, but I'm loving it

14. Alicia Hart "Brains, Trains and Video Games" a memoir of a family with an autistic son. It was interesting, though a bit repetitive at times. Worth a read but I won't be rushing to read the others, iyswim.

Now reading "The Universe vs Alex Woods"

16 - Swim Bike Run - A & J Brownlee - sports autobiography
17 -Dani's story: a journey from neglect to love - Diane Lierow
18 - Edible history of humanity - Tom Standage - pop science about the evolution of food crops and the industrialization of the world.
19 -Silent stars go by- Abnett, Dan - A Dr Who Novel

Audio book
4 How to be a Pirate - Cressida Cowell.

11. Diane Chamberlain - Necessary Lies
    About a social worker in 1960's North Carolina fighting against enforced sterilisation for one of her cases. Very interesting read.

12. Gervase Phinn - The Little Village School
    Easy to read and unchallenging. Laughed at the teacher 'practising' her lesson before the inspectors came in!

1. Perfect Meringues -Laurie Graham

1. Assassin's Quest, Robin Hobb.

I'm off to look for perfect meringue Best1swest as I like her books

Book 11 The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

I think someone had read this earlier in the thread and so I decided to check it out. Absolutely amazing book, really well written and crafted. It tells the story of King Arthur from the perspective of the women, chiefly Morgaine - most commonly known as Morgan Le Fay. Bradley did wonders with her research, although I know from her acknowledgements that a lot of the pagan beliefs and rituals came from modern pagan beliefs. Although that would be inevitable given how little information we actually have about the Druids etc. It was a book that spoke to me, which is quite a rarity. Loved it.