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

1. Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach. A generally plausible and absorbing thriller about the dangers of living too much of our lives online.

Aiming to be on double figures by the middle of next month

Book 14 Never Go Back by Lee Child.

I borrowed this from soneone at my book club, although there's no way on earth I would lend out any of my hardbacks! I can't buy it until it is out in paperback otherwise it won't match the other 17 in the series, so it was good to get my hands on it early. I really enjoy the Jack Reacher books - good easy reads, engaging enough stories (although they are more than a little improbable!), and Reacher himself I like alot, although I imagine he must be infuriating to be around. They are the sort of books I can just whizz through in a day, which is what I did with this one yesterday.

17. Joan Jonker - Sweet Rosie O'Grady (re-read)
18. Jenny Colgan - The Loveliest Chocolate Shop In Paris

Charging up Kindle for week off...

Blimey, 'Fanny and Stella' is a bit full on. I don't think I've ever seen the word, 'sodomy' so much, even after reading lots of books about Oscar Wilde!

V interesting so far, but too much padding, where he constantly keeps saying exactly the same thing, but in three different phrases layered on top of each other.

I'll report back - will finish it by tomorrow probably.

22 Forged in Fire Trish McCallan
23 Forged in Ash. Trish McCallan
24 Watch Your Back. Karen Rose

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 - Robert Galbraith
Book 13 - Greyhound of a Girl - Roddy Doyle
Book 14 - Gangsta Granny - David Walliams
Book 15 - The Rosie Project
Book 16 - 12 Years a Slave
Book 17 - Doctor Sleep - Stephen King
Book 18 - Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
Book 19 - The Impossible Dead - Ian Rankin

Predictably solid Rankin. It's a Malcolm Fox novel and I think they're as good as Rebus although Rebus does take some beating in terms of character. A nice, easy to follow whodunit.

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 - Robert Galbraith
Book 13 - Greyhound of a Girl - Roddy Doyle
Book 14 - Gangsta Granny - David Walliams
Book 15 - The Rosie Project
Book 16 - 12 Years a Slave
Book 17 - Doctor Sleep - Stephen King
Book 18 - Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
Book 19 - The Impossible Dead - Ian Rankin
Book 20 - Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone.

Read to my 8 year old over the last few weeks. Lovely to see it for the first time through her eyes although I have to admit she kept correcting the storyline when it didn't correlate exactly with the film version of events (blush)

Why didn't that work?

^ that's what I meant :)

1. Penguin Great Journeys No.2 - From the Meadows of Gold - Masudi

Travels in the Middle East and India in the tenth century. Some interesting details in it.

1. Blackout - Emily Barr

I needed something to spend a pound on so I would get free delivery on something from Amazon. I found the Quick Reads series and got this. It was really good - a woman wakes up in a strange room, in Paris, on her own, strange clothes, no money or passport, without her husband and baby.

10. The time of my life - Cecelia Aherne

Now I happily read a bit of chick lit as well as heavier stuff but I thought this was pretty awful. I nearly stopped reading after a hundred pages, but made myself finish it and really wish I hadn't bothered. The premise was that a woman is stuck in a bit of a rut so she has to have a meeting with her life - a man who tries to get her to change and sort herself out. Sounded like it could be OK.

I have decided that when I find a book dreadful I shouldn't waste time finishing it, hoping it will get better. There are far too many great books to read to waste time on something which I am really not enjoying!

Immediately Googles the Penguin Great Journeys series. :)

dont I was thinking the same today - life's too short. I'm contemplating reading The Strangers Child by Alan Hollingshurst but I had an awful time getting through The Line of Beauty...I've promised myself if I'm not enjoying any book 1/3 through I'll give up.

14. A short history of tractors in Ukrainian - Marina Lewycka. Has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years so glad I finally got round to it. Fairly enjoyable and quick to read.

YA (Marcus Sedgewick up next).

I can't remember where I'd posted in the first thread but as I've reached 10 books I will list them.

1: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
2: Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders
3: The Worst Witch Saves The Day (to DD)
4: The Worst Witch to the Rescue (to DD!)
5: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
6: The ABC Murders
7: And Then There Were None
8: The Murder on The Orient Express (Agatha Christie binge for Feb!)
9 Start With Why - Simon Sinek
10 Leaders Eat Last - Simon Sinek
11 Life After LIfe - Kate Atkinson

Now eagerly awaiting the paperback of The White Princess which should be 12 and reading The Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England.

Oh the Marcus Sedgwick isn't Blood red, Snow White is it?

No, Anne. Have read it, though I didn't enjoy that as much as most of his others. Loved The Dark Horse, Floodland, Revolver and My Swordland is Singing.

Just started reading White Crow and realised I've already read it, just didn't recognise it from the blurb!

16. How to Think Like a Neandertal. I enjoyed this one, although it has the feel of an undergraduate textbook. Very readable, and makes you think about what it means to be human.

17. An Echo in the Bone, Diana Gabaldon. Luckily I spent 10 hours on the train over the last couple of days, so this kept me company. She suddenly threw in loads of plot to the last few chapters (an utterly unexpected scene between Claire and Lord John!) so damnit, I have gone on the library waiting list for the next book, due out this summer. I begrudge the sheer length of these books - so many tangents! - but keep getting drawn back in.

I understand it isn't in the same vein as many of his others. I have about a quarter left of Biografi by Lloyd Jones. Ds1(8) has just finished his fourth book and is catching up so I need to get a move on although goodreads says I am ahead (target 25).

I think that may be why I didn't take to it anne, because it was so different to his other books and not what I was expecting iyswim.

Not going to re-read White Crowsowill choose something else. Have Inkdeath as another ya waiting for me.

14. Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld. Read for the MN Bookclub. Didn't enjoy it all that much. I felt it dragged on too long and the main character started to annoy me, and then did something so utterly stupid that I wanted to give her good slap :o. 2.75/5 stars on Goodreads.

11. The Silver Linings playbook, 3/5. I might have enjoyed this more if I hadn't read The Rosie Project last week as this pales slightly in comparison

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

Nearly finished:
9. Children of the Dust – Louise Lawrence on recommendation of people on here! Great book, but think I need to read something a little more cheerful next!

Number 29 - Fanny and Stella: I really enjoyed this, but it's not for the faint hearted!

#24 - Project Rainbow by Rod Ellingworth -

A book about cycle coaching ( sort of) by the man who created the British cycling academy scheme and organised Mark Cavendish's World Championship winning ride in 20011, oh and the GB road race team for the Olympics , oh and Team Sky for the last 3 seasons... Hes had a busy 10 years.