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

So since my last post I have read numbers 14 & 15,
The Song of the Quarkbeast and The Eye of Zoltar, both YA fiction set in an alternative reality by Jasper Fforde.
V reminiscent of his Thursday Next series, but enjoyable none the less.

32. Before Jamaica Lane - Samantha Young
    7/10

33. The King. - J R Ward
    8/10

34. The Mouseproof Kitchen. - saira Shah
    9/10

43. Phillipa Gregory "The White Queen". Enjoyed it though it did play into a lot of stereotypes of women (witches, scheming, seducing) which did grate a bit. I'll give her others a read though.

I have to say Cote, I'm not at all minded to read Wolf Hall, it sounds awful!

Sonnet I hope you enjoy the Harkness novel- do let me know what you think of it!

ThursdayLast I'm yet to read both those Fforde novels, glad to hear you found them enjoyable

14. A Colder War - Charles Cummings

This is a spy thriller, published less than a week ago Most of the action takes place in Istanbul and I give the author lots of cookie points for having actually done his homework & got the details and spelling right. As is usual with Cummings, it is a good story, modern & realistic in a way that books by the older generation spy book writers just are not anymore.

Have started, 'The Three Musketeers' but it's feeling too much like hard work at the moment. Also have a v busy week and have been ill, so I think I'll need something really lightweight or at least non-taxing next! I'll be slowing down for a few weeks now, as work is likely to be pretty crazy for a while.

WednesdayNext I enjoyed all three of the Gregory books in that set: White Queen, Red Queen, and cousins of the river (I think it was called)

I am so far behind but am only planning for 25 anyway and once I have my exams out if the way I will be able to kick back and enjoy reading.

I have caught up and noted some recommendations.

My plan is:
Shimon (I promised to review this for a PR company, so far 'it's s**t' is probably not going to cut it
A very short history of the Soviet Union (Remus all of these are buy one get one half price in Waterstonex)
Revolutionary Russia, Orlando Figes
Meltdown by Ben Elton for book club

Then The Count if Monte Christo which I am so excited about as I loved The Three Musketeers.

I will be back to tell you quite how terrible Shimon is once I struggle through.

Just finished book 23 - The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin.
I have laughed out aloud reading this so thank you Remus. A gem of a book filled with eccentric characters and weird and wonderful situations. A real comfort read too and I look forward to reading more of them.

Back to Discovery of Witches which becomes my book 24.

Remus sounds like you need more Edmund Crispin after reading your last post

Sonnet There's 6 books in that series now!

17. Maggie & Me, by Damian Barr.

A memoir of a boy growing up gay in turbulent circumstances in the 80's and 90's near Glasgow, 'linked' to Thatcher's rise to power. Thought that I'd read this book several times before. Writing mainly flat, lots of filler content, and the influence of Thatcher on the author didn't come across. But I enjoyed the cultural references, being the same vintage as him. Overall, though, I was disappointed.

Thrilled that I've met my target of 17 books by the first quarter of the year so on track for 50 in eight months time. I only read 17 in the whole of last year and I'm loving reading more now. Much happier now I'm spending less time looking at the screen of my phone and more time in books like I used to.

34. Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich. This was another audiobook, chosen because it appears to be very popular - always booked out from the library. Having now listened to it, I have no idea why it is so popular. It's dire trash. Not clever, not funny, way too much bad sex in minute detail. Awful. 2/5.

Book 35 will be Alys, Always by Harriet Lane, which is shaping up nicely. Half way through now - pleasant literary intelligent novel. Like it very much. Waiting for the psychological thriller (as described on front cover) to kick in, tension building slowly and steadily.

1.Player One – Douglas Coupland
2.Wolf Cry – Julia Golding
3.Of Bees and Mist – Erick Setiawan
4.The Clan of the Cave Bear – Jean M. Auel
5.Luke and Jon – Robert Williams
6.The Red House – Mark Haddon
7.The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid
8.Mortal Engines – Phillip Reeve
9.Children of the Dust – Louise Lawrence
10. Submarine - Joe Dunthorne
11. The Somnambulist - Essie Fox

Nearly finished
12. Mister Monday - Garth Nix.

I was ahead of myself, then we were packing to move, then we moved and then we unpacked and now I am back into a routine, so hopefully will be back on target soon!

DuchessofMalfi I read Alys, Always last year and Frances bothered me a great deal!!

Glad you enjoyed it, Sonnet. Will pop the others in the post as soon as I can.

I've started a re-read of Coupland's, 'Girlfriend in a Coma.'

18. The Rosie Project - quite entertaining, but the written-for-film style of it irritated me

19. Americanah - a great read, really enjoyed it and still thinking about it.

13 It's a long way to Malta, Paddy Cummins, bought as a cheapo as going to Gozo soon, truly dreadful drivel, really bad.
Have started Heft by Liz Moore.

19. Fireside Dream - Amelia Grey

Chicklit fluff but has got me back into reading after a break over easter and while some craft projects took over...

21. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson

I was a bit apprehensive about this after reading some 'it goes on forever...' comments on this thread, but actually I really loved it. Very interesting and unique concept, and I thought it made for great reading. It was funny that the main character herself wasn't that interesting as a personality, she was almost like a blank page. It was all the different things going on around her that made her engaging.

22. I've Got Your Number, Sophie Kinsella

Charity shop buy that's been sitting on my shelf for a while. Sophie Kinsella generally teeters on the edge of readable chick-lit for me. Since I moved to France and learned French, I actually prefer to read her books in French translation as it's just about at the level of what I can manage, and the twee style doesn't smack me in the face as much. But anyway, I had this one in English. My dog died on Monday, I needed something fun and shallow to read, this did the job. Thank you Sophie Kinsella.

I'm sorry about your dog, river

Thanks Cote, it's been a tough few days. Thank god for books and films and TV to take our minds of these things a little.

argh, minds OFF, not of...

Mumsnet really needs an edit post feature.

I have missed those WednesdayNext thanks xx

Sorry for your loss river