50 Book Challenge 2014 Part 2

[juneybean]

Thread 2 of the 50 book challenge. Here is the previous thread...

The idea is to read 50 books in 2014 (or more!)

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

Bit late in joyning but here's my list up to now.
I do read fast and a lot and I forget a lot too, especially endings!
There are some on the list that I didn't finish.. Piper Kerman is cringeworthy, Stephen Batchelor too and hated Dark Materials... (hides)

28. Fever of the Bone (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #6) Val McDermid
29. The Girl with All the Gifts Carey, M.R.
30. Still Life with Bread Crumbs Quindlen, Anna
31. The Testament of Mary Tóibín, Colm
32. Beneath The Bleeding (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #5) McDermid, Val
33. A Tale for the Time Being Ozeki, Ruth
34. The Torment of Others (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #4) McDermid, Val
35. The Tie That Binds Haruf, Kent
36. Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy, #1) VanderMeer, Jeff
37. Under the Skin Faber, Michel
38. The Farm Smith, Tom Rob
39. Strange Bodies, Theroux, Marcel
40. The Flamethrowers, Kushner, Rachel
41. Rivers of London (Peter Grant, #1) Aaronovitch, Ben
42. Burial Rites, Kent, Hannah
43. The Summer Without Men, Hustvedt, Siri
44. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) Pullman, Philip
45. The Chessmen (Lewis Trilogy, #3). May, Peter
46. Caribou Island, Vann, David

1. Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, Batchelor, Stephen
2. Apple Tree Yard, Doughty, Louise
3. The Last Temptation (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #3), McDermid, Val
4. Orange Is the New Black, Kerman, Piper
5. Homer & Langley, Doctorow, E.L.
6. Glittering Images (Starbridge, #1) Howatch, Susan
7. Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? Sandel, Michael J.

2.The Woman Upstairs, Messud, Claire

1. The Pesthouse, Crace, Jim

23. The Rosie Project. I fell a little bit in love with Don

24. The Heart of the Night by Judith Lennox. An easy reader given to me by MIL. Follows the lives of three people during WW2, through Russia and England, a nice read.

I'm going to start The Goldfinch this afternoon.

YYY to the light between the oceans. Made me cry.

Remus - I apologize unreservedly if I upset you. No offense whatsoever intended in my previous post. I didn't mean to say you have problems with English comprehension obviously! It was just a lighthearted tease about your very fast pace of reading (note the smiley).

Remus - I apologize unreservedly if I upset you. No offense whatsoever intended in my previous post. I didn't mean to say you have problems with English comprehension obviously! It was just a lighthearted tease about your very fast pace of reading (note the smiley).

1. Jenny Colgan, Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe.

10. Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers. 11. Malcolm Bradbury, The History Man. 12. Jenny Offill, Dept. of Speculation 13. Hermione Eyre, Viper Wine. 14. Deborah McKinlay, That Part Was True. Nearly back on schedule...

tumble, will keep an eye out for the other Sarah Moss book, thanks.

I sometimes think I spend too much time gobbling down books, and wonder whether it's an entirely healthy addiction.

13. Dune - Frank Herbert

I thought it would be a good idea to revisit this old favourite after the dull-fest that was Wolf Hall, especially since it features much strategy and intrigue, as is often claimed that Wolf Hall does (very badly).

Well, I was surprised to see that I am much less taken by this book than the last time I read it 10-12 years ago and am now a bit that I have recently been defending it so rigorously against its critics. Yes, it still has a good story with incredibly rich detail that 50 years of technological development has not rendered silly and backward, and it is still interesting with its strategy ploys and games within games. It is still a classic must-read in the same way that Brave New World and 1984 are. But I suppose I must have read some very good books in this genre in the last decade or so and Dune has slightly paled in comparison.

Now on to A Colder War, Charles Cummings' new spy book that came out only 3 days ago.

Thanks, Cote. Apology v much accepted. I over-reacted - I took the smiley as sarcastic, when of course it was tongue in cheek.

Interesting that your re-read of, 'Dune' made you re-assess it a bit. You know my thoughts on it! Last year I re-read, 'A Passage to India' which I had really enjoyed aged about 18, and was thus looking forward to revisiting. Well, it was dreadful - I actually couldn't see any point in it at all. It neither told a story nor appeared to say anything at all about the world, or the people in it. It had about as much depth and vision as, 'The News of the World', and less style. So disappointing.

Not sure if I dare admit that I have now finished number 51! Another Edmund Crispin who-dunnit. They are just gorgeous - very funny and very English and very slightly surreal. And I love the fact that there are quotes from Larkin and Betjeman about them too. Here's what Larkin said about him - "Beneath a formidable exterior he had unsuspected depths of frivolity." Love it!

Thanks for posting the book Remus - I will eagerly await and let you know when it turns up ??

Interesting debate re reading and forgetting. I also do that to an extent and am most embarrassed by one RL friend who asks me 'what I have been reading and any recommends'. I have taken to taking my kindle along to meet ups ??

I have to be in the mood for a book and like to get totally immersed. Saying that there are very few books that stay with me.. I have also re-read books I loved years ago and have been left a little flat by them. Maybe I should do the opposite and re-read disappointments from years ago to see if I love them?!

Just finished 'White is for Witching' - an odd little book, can't say I loved it but it made an okay read. Wouldn't re-read.

I can now confirm that after this thread I will not be re attempting Wolf Hall. I started it but put it aside when a real life upset meant I needed 'comfort reading'. I re started it on holiday in Turkey last summer but could not get in to it and declared it a 'winter' book. This is another odd thing with me some books are summer reads and some defiantly winter reads with the fire on and a blanket over my knee

Not sure what I am in the mood for for book 23.....

Book 23 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. It has been on my "To Read" bookshelf for long enough thanks for the recommendation prompt WednesdayNext

12 Debs at War by Anne de Courcy, how wartime changed the lives of upper class Debutantes, loved this, really interesting, lots of insight into how upper class women lived before and during the war. A real study into the prewar class system and how it changed.
Must get a wriggle on and read more books

32. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris

As amusing as ever. Some stories better than others, but I love the ones about his family's eccentricities. Guaranteed to cheer me up.

33. One Night in Winter - Simon Sebag Montefiore

This was an audiobook to accompany my long daily walks. Thoroughly engrossing tale of life in Stalinist Russia by a man who clearly knows his subject inside out. Detailed, complex, and terrifying - I enjoyed it very much.

Finished no 16, The Crow Trap, Ann Cleeves, first in the Vera series and I enjoyed it, usual detective story.

10. Broken Dolls - James Carol 8/10

Cheapie on kindle, so was really surprised at its 'unputdownableness' (am usually suspicious of the cheap ones).

11. All Hell Let Loose - Max Hastings 8.5/10

One volume history of the 2nd WW which I really enjoyed and learnt quite a lot from. It has also reignited my slight obsession with this period so will explore that soon, I think.

12. Longbourn - Jo Baker 7/10

Had mixed feelings about this one - I enjoyed the writing and the first part very much but kept checking how much longer I had to read at the beginning of the second part and was impatient for the story to move along.

Do I qualify for being the slowest reader on this thread?

Moonshine, we are tying
Though I am half way through book 13, I am trying.

book 15 = the Silent Wife. I enjoyed it, give it an 8.

Next is The Thread.

Lizzylou - I should read some shorter books but I like to get my money's worth and love a saga - Shogun is beckoning me but I'm resisting!

14. House At The End Of The Street

This is a book based on a screenplay. It is about a girl who moves into a new neighbourhood and finds out that the couple at the end of her street were murdered by their daughter who subsequently disappeared. It was okay. I imagine the film might be quite scary but it just lacked any depth as a novel. That is if you can even call it a novel as it is less than 200 pages.

29. beneath the bleeding, Val McDermid. Bleak! Was terrible to leave it there so straight on to the next one.

Remus - the book turned up today, thank you!
Am going to put aside A Discovery of Witches' and start on this at 'reading time' tonight

Hurray! That was quick because I only posted it on Saturday lunchtime. I really hope you enjoy it.

Mumslife, me before you by jojo moyes is just gorgeous, can strongly recommend. Am going to buy ship of brides.