50 Book Challenge 2014 Part 3

[Southeastdweller]

Thread 3 of the 50 book challenge. Here are the previous threads...

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

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

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/adult_fiction/2000991-50-Book-Challenge-2014-Part-2?

59. Joan Jonker - Sadie Was A Lady
60. Diane Chamberlain - The Midwives Confession
61. Jill Mansell - Solo 62 - 64. Robert Bryndza - The Coco Pinchard books
62. Rachel Abbott - Sleep Tight
63. Gi Fletcher - the one that I want

36. The House We Grew Up In , Lisa Jewell

I enjoyed it. The hoarding plot gave it an interesting twist, outside the usual tangled family affairs stuff. Definitely glad I read it, I almost didn't bother since I had been finding some of her more recent books quite lacklustre. This one was the best of the last few.

35. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. I enjoyed this. Some great characters and a clever interweaving plot.

36. A Month in the Country by J Carr. A lovely little story recommended by someone upthread - bibliomania maybe?

73. Bread and Chocolate by Philippa Gregory. A collection of short stories which I rather enjoyed. Have been dipping into them over past couple of weeks and finished them this afternoon whilst lazing on the beach

Next up is Prophecy by S J Parris. Second in her Giordano Bruno series.

53. The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons

I got this as a MN freebie so I put it higher on the TBR than it would've been going by the synopsis. It started very slowly but, after the first 100 pages, it really gained momentum and interest.
The characters are all incredibly sympathetic, the reader understands how and why each character acts they way they do. Juliet is an engaging and determined woman, I really rooted for her throughout the book.

26. The Shock of the Fall. I really enjoyed this. Quite different, well written, quirky. An interesting insight into mental health, and family dynamics.

27. was 20% of Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer until I realised that actually Dark Side was the sequel to Blacklands, (Grrr) so have now started Dark Side - can't bear the thought of reading them out of sequence.

Ooh, tumble, yes, that was me! Really glad you enjoyed it!

Not getting on with The Restoration of Rome so far - lost in Huns. Will give it a bit longer to see if I get into it.

Blossom - the Belinda Bauer novels definitely have to be read in the right order. I made the mistake of reading Dark Side before Blacklands, not realizing it was the second in a trilogy, so spoilt the twist in Blacklands. But went back and read Blacklands straight away. I think the series was brilliant, wish she would write more set there.

25. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

Yes duchess agree, am 15% into dark side now so feeling calmer about things! Really enjoy her books too.

Not updated for a while

27 - When the Emperor was divine - Julie Otsuka
Really good - about Japanese families living in the USA during WWII being evacuated to camps

28 - Jaguars and Electric Eels - Alexander Von Humboldt
The authors travels around Venezuela - interesting as we went there on our honeymoon about 100 years after he visited!

29 - The Underside of Joy - Sere Prince Halverson
Bought it cheap in the Works but really enjoyed it. A woman battling not to lose her step children after her husband dies.

30 - The Secret Children - Alison McQueen
Really enjoyed it - about two sisters born in colonial India to a British father and Indian mother.

31 - 501 Must-Visit Natural Wonders
Not a good book for me, when I already have a huge list of places I want to go

32 - To the Holy Shrine - Richard Burton

Duchess Have you finished Her yet?

Aaargh. No have about 40 pages to go. Am on holiday and don't want to take it to the beach in case it gets all sandy . Hope to finish it today, but have been reading in fits and starts and feel the need to go back and read it again from the start. Have liked it very much so far.

Harriet Lane is the master of the very quiet thriller where you think not much is happening - very subtle.

Don't blame you for not taking it to the beach, Duchess, the book jacket is lovely.

Is everyone aware that the Kindle version of The Silkworm is reduced to £1.99 at the moment on Amazon?

I wasn't. Thanks for that Southeast

Book 78 - Shops and Shopping A nicely academic text from the lovely people at Faber. Just my sort of thing - I loved it! :)

'The Silkworm' is pretty terrible, imvho. I really liked, 'The Cuckoo's Calling' so was hugely disappointed by the follow up. I think she rushed it out too quickly. I also suspect that 'Robert Galbraith' received more editing than, 'JK Rowling' did - and the latter really needed it.

Thanks for that, Remus. I was looking forward to starting it just now

35, The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language - Mark Forsyth

This wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but was still OK. It is written for a pub youth reader base and felt rather superficial. I wasn't a fan of the flippant writing style, especially in the footers like "I could have counted them all but just didn't".

Some of it made me LOL, though, such as:

"Myles Coverdale was an early Protestant who believed in principle that the Bible should be translated into English. He decided that, as nobody else seemed to be dong it, he had better get on with the job himself, and he didn't let the tiny detail that he knew no Latin, Greek, or Hebrew get in the way. This is the kind of can-do attitude that is sadly lacking in modern biblical scholarship."

Did you read, 'The Cuckoo's Calling,' Cote?

Thanks southeast - have been waiting for it to drop.

Remus - Yes, and I liked it, although the ending was a bit like that old-fashioned Agatha Cristie style of "Nobody figured anything out but I'll tell you what happened and who did it".

I'll start it in a bit and let you know how I get on

Yes - I thought exactly the same, but didn't mind the Agatha Christie-esque summary. SO disappointed re, 'The Silkworm' - sorry to bang on about it. Dp thought exactly the same - he loved Cuckoo and hated Worm.

38. One Summer: 1927 by Bill Bryson

This was brilliant. Bill Bryson takes one extraordinary Summer in the US and tells the story of the key events and characters involved. I really enjoyed it .

Finished off book 52 - midwinter of the Spirit
Book 53 - Eeny Meeny

Will start 'We are almost completely beside ourselves' tonight