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. Anne Rice "Memnoch the Devil" I actually enjoyed it after I got over the obsession with menses.

Book 61 = "Mr Mercedes" by Stephen King. I enjoyed this. It's not King at his absolute best but it was very readable and I liked the central character (a retired police detective) a lot.

64. Before We Met- Lucie Whitehouse. Excellent domestic thriller- I can see it being adapted for TV. A good tense read.

27. Lexicon by Max Barry. I really enjoyed this. Interesting concept, gripping plot, good characters. Thanks for the recommendation Cote.

49. Veronica Henry - The Long Weekend
50. Elaine Hussey - Sweetest Hallelujah

60. Jasper Fforde "The Song of the Quarkbeast"

32 - Trespass by Rose Tremain - Loved It

Just started book 33 - The End of Mr Y. Recommended by a friend whose suggestions I normally enjoy.

mumslife The Secret River is a great book. It really captures the beauty and remoteness of the Australian landscape and the hardship of the first settlers. I read vas forget books often butvthusciscibevifvgevfew from last year that has left a lasting memory! Hope you enjoy it.

Goodness me - auto correct let me down. I was intending to say; I read and forget many books not thus is one of a few from last year that has left a lasting memory.

23. Fractured - Dani Atkins

Not too bad, fairly fluffy and insubstantial! Need something to get my teeth into...

21. Perdido Street Station - China Mieville

Finally finished. Really really really enjoyed this and recommend to Cote, Remus and anyone else who likes fantasy/steampunk.

61. Veronica Roth "Insurgent"

35. Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley. Okay, nice easy calm read. Bit too chronological, first this happened and then the next thing.. story of the life of a woman from young girl to middle aged. But it's good in how it takes you in and slowly my attitude towards the main character changed. Liked the awkward kid, the grown woman not so much.

Now going for something a bit more exiting.

41. Irène by Pierre Lemaitre I'm so cross with Lemaitre's publishers: they published book 2 of a trilogy before book 1 meaning book 1 (Irène) was completely ruined for those who had already read Alex (book 2)

This is novel is very graphic, I think too graphic. I absolutely loved Alex, it was one of the best crime novels I've ever read but I can't judge Irène fairly as I think if I'd read it first I would have been completely caught up in the story.

I'm so cross I want to stamp my feet and write angry emails to the publishers. (I won't, I'll just vent on here but Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!)

I'm 10% into We Need New Names but after the bleakness of Irene I think I need something light and fun next.

51. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini. Mixed feelings about this novel. I gave it 4/5 on Goodreads, but really can't decide how much I liked it.

There were parts that I enjoyed, especially the first part when Amir and Hassan were young boys in Afghanistan. I didn't like bit when Amir was growing up in America, thought that weaker, but then it improved again when he went back to Afghanistan as an adult to look for Hassan's son.

All in all, though, a better novel than And The Mountains Echoed. Will get round to reading A Thousand Splendid Suns later in the year, perhaps. Need to read something less harrowing next.

20, the girl who never came back. Enjoyed it, different, clever I thought.

Next is what kind of mother are you?

20. Didn't manage to finish One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which I know is supposed to be a classic, read for book group and once we'd had the meeting I didn't pick it up again so I'll have to do 51 books. Nice easy Mark Billingham, The Burning Girl and that's no 21 finished.

65. Orange Is The New Black- Piper Kerman. The memoir which the TV show is based on. An excellent and humbling read.

Thanks for the smaller books suggestion - I guess that's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series off the agenda for a bit! I picked up books 2 & 3 from a book swap a few years ago & only recently managed to get a copy of no 1 from the charity shop. Didn't want to buy a new copy as I'm not sure they'll be my thing.

Finished Hamlet today - fantastic novel. Will definitely be reading the same authors reworking of Macbeth at some point this year.

Started The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window & Disappeared this evening.

Could really do with some recommendations for funny, slightly romantic but not cheesy stuff. Haven't read chick lit for a few years but am battling with anxiety & depression at the mo and would like to read some decent, lighter stuff while I get my mojo back.

Anything good on NLP would be fab too! .

Book 42 White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison

Seventh in the Rachel Morgan/The Hollows series, and the last of them that I currently own although I have bought book eight on eBay and am waiting for that. Rachel does appear to be growing and changing in her character at last, which is good because after six books in which she arrogantly rushes into things without thinking and disaster ensues a bit of self-reflection and personal growth is necessary. Consequences have finally been felt in a big way in this one, so I think the next one is meant to be focused on her actually trying to sort her life out.

I do enjoy the books, but Rachel can be completely self-absorbed and arrogant at times which is a touch irritating.

Wyrd - Marian Keyes? Romantic and funny but goes beyond that too, often addresses issues like depression, alcoholism, abuse etc. If you don't fancy that, Lisa Jewell isn't bad either, though it's more 'straight up' chick lit.

There is also of course the Rosie Project, which everyone has been raving about this year and I really loved. And 'The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets' from a few years back was great too.

If you fancy something with more of a classic feel, how
about 'I capture the castle' (Dodie Smith) 'Love in a cold climate' (Nancy Mitford), 'Cold Comfort Farm' (Stella Gibbons), or the Darling Buds of May series by HE Bates.

white wine - I started 100 Years of Solitude a few years back and never finished it either. Too many characters with the same name, very confusing and I just couldn't get into it.

22. The Fast Beach Diet – Mimi Spencer.

Some good tips here for those that need a 5:2 reboot and I like her writing. I wish some people on here would stop dismissing it as a crash diet and read more about it.

23. The Hive – Gill Hornby

A comic novel set in the home counties about some SAHM’s. Some good observations but the plot was a bit thin and there were too many characters. All in all it was a decent, light read.

Should finish my book on sign language this week and after that I fancy something ‘out-of-the-box’ and challenging…the new Tanya Byron book looks promising though Her by Harriet Lane also looks good.

Book 62 - Edmund Crispin's, 'Frequent Hearses' - it was okay: think I'm a bit fed up of him now.

24. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett Little bit of a nostalgia read Such a classic, I cried twice!

Moving onto The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden - really enjoyed The 100yr Old Man Who... so hoping this will be as good!

45. Down Under - Bill Bryson
46. The Days of Anna Madrigal - Armistead Maupin
47. Sidetracked - Henning Mankell
48. Whispers Underground - Ben Aaronovitch
49. Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley - MC Beaton
50. Solar Lottery - Phillip K Dick