50 Book Challenge 2014 Part 4

[Southeastdweller]

Thread four of the 50 Book Challenge.

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

Here are the previous threads...

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

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

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/adult_fiction/2094773-50-Book-Challenge-2014-Part-3?msgid=49151537#49151537

Marking my place for the new thread :)

Ooh shiny new thread

49. This One is Mine by Maria Semple

Absolutely love Where'd You Go Bernadette by same author. This is not as good but still very enjoyable. Her portrayal of eccentric people is wonderful and I don't agree with reviewers who said all these characters were too unlikeable to care about. A great holiday read.

And yay onto book 50!

Marking place. southeast for the new thread. Currently reading East of Eden by Steinbeck and loving it so much I've slowed my reading down to savour it all the more. I'll write up a review when I've finished. After that I intend to read Byatt's Possession or the new Murakami which DH has just finished and loved.

Been away (what have I missed?) and read a couple of silly free Kindle things whilst there, but didn't have much time as we were dashing around all week.

Book 95 was, 'Dear Enemy' which is the sort of sequel to, 'Daddy Long Legs' by Jean Webster. I enjoyed this, so thank you to whoever it was on MN who rec'd it to me!

Book 96 was a ridiculous polar adventure story from, 'The Boy Aviators' series, by Captain Wilbur Lawson. It was written in 1910 and has a couple of intrepid teenagers trying to reach the South Pole, whilst having a whole crazy series of adventures on the way. It was racist and jingoistic and very, very silly. I rather enjoyed it as a sort of historical terror that made Enid Blyton look positively PC in comparison.

I started reading, 'New Grub Street' but was finding it rather a bore - would anybody like to encourage me to continue with it? Also started, 'Eight Cousins' by Louisa May Alcott, which I couldn't stand.

Pretty sure I read another one too, but have completely forgotten what it was.

BsshBosh - I read East of Eden a looooong time ago, but I remember really enjoying it. I think it paints a very compelling, resonant picture of the human spirit. Definitely Steinbeck's best, next to Mice and Men. I think I'll have to re-read it soon!

Anyway, I'm bringing my entire list over (as at the start of every new thread) so I can keep track. Highlights in bold!

January

1. Mad about the boy, Helen Fielding
2. The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith
3. The Husband's Secret, Liane Moriarty
4. Mr Penumbria's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
5. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kudd

6. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway

1. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
2. Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte

9. The Rosie Project , Graeme Simsion

February
10. Shirley, Charlotte Bronte
11. The Fault In Our Stars, John Green
12. The Tin Drum, Gunter Grass

March
13. What Alice Forgot, Liane Moriarty
14. Stoner, John Williams
15. Instructions for a Heatwave, Maggie O'Farrel
16. Lady Oracle, Margaret Atwood

April
17. The Hypnotist's Love Story, Liane Moriarty
18. The Shock of the Fall, Nathan Filer
19. Longbourn, Jo Baker
20. North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell
21. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson

May
22. I've Got Your Number, Sophie Kinsella
23. Appletree Yard, Louise Doughty
24. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte
25. Stay Close, Harlan Coben
26. The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
27. Maddadam, Margaret Atwood
28. Love Nina, Nina Stibbe

June
29. The Humans, Matt Haig
30. Americanah,Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

July
31. Emotionally Weird, Kate Atkinson
32. The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
33. Across the Universe, Beth Revis
34. The Knot, Mark Watson
35. The Silkworm, Robert Galbreith
36. The House We Grew Up In, Lisa Jewell

August
37. Wives and Daughters , Elizabeth Gaskell
38. For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemmingway
39. The Universe versus Alex Woods Gavin Extance

...meant to add, I'd be really interested in any recommendations from anyone who thinks they might have similar taste to me, based on my list above! I've enjoyed pretty much everything on it, with the exceptions of The Tin Drum, Stay Close, Emotionally Weird and The Old Man and the Sea.

I think I've got my numbers wrong somewhere. This is Book 80, not 81 - Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich. The series is getting weaker and I'm bored by the Morelli or Ranger dilemma. And just how old is that hamster now? May not continue with series - will wait and see.

Next up - Sacrilege by S J Parris. Book 3 in her Giordano Bruno series. Rather enjoying these Elizabethan spy/thriller tales.

Good idea river. I think I may have to bring over my list, too, tonight

BishBosh East of Eden is my fave book of all time. Just amazing

36. The Life Of John Clare - Frederick Martin

Moving and compassionate account of the life of the Northamptonshire "peasant poet".

Not transferring over my list as it's scattered across most of the previous thread. Just an update that I'm currently reading 6 books simultaneously. I've nearly finished three of them, so will be able to give you an update on 38-40 very soon. 41-43 are a slower read, and 44 has yet to be started.
(Cryptic, eh?) :)

May I join? I did a 52 book challenge last year (one per week) and am doing a hundred this year. Just finished book 64 and am part way through 65 Outlander by Diana Gabaldan, one I've wanted to read for a while.

Welcome rivier . Do you have any recommendations for us from your list of 64?

Found you!

61. James Patterson - Cradle and All An intriguing and different concept. I wasn't sure whether I was enjoying it but, at the same time, I couldn't put it down and read it in two sittings straight. Reminded of aspects of the Omen.

Been on holiday so have been ploughing through Kindle freebies stored on my phone:

62. Nicola May. The School Gates.
    Easy reading chick lit. Not the best of its kind and far too many people having random affairs.

63. Lucy Clarke. The Sea Sisters.
    Really disappointing. Unlikeable characters and weak plot.

64. Heather Gudenkauf - One Breath Away
    OK but not as good as I'd expected. Bit slow.

65. Agatha Christie- The adventure of the christmas pudding.
    Poirot short stories

66. Jodi Taylor - The Nothing Girl
    Really enjoyed this. Very quirky and imaginative. One I could happily re-read as soon as I'd finished it.

36. The Glass Room (Vera Stanhope) by Anne Cleeves - a good read.

Marking my place...
About to choose book 59:

My 2014 list (incomplete):

I didn't keep a complete list until I started this challenge in August but guesstimated I'd read around 20 books by then including:

Whatever It Takes, Adele Parks
Journal of a Solitude, May Sarton
Hard-boiled/Hard Luck, Banana Yoshimoto
Werewolves in Their Youth, Michael Chabon
Nocturnes, Kazuo Ishiguro
An Artist of the Floating World, Kazuo Ishiguro
A Pale View of Hills, Kazuo Ishiguro
Helium, Jaspreet Singh
The Vacationers, Emma Straub
Unexpected Lessons in Love, Bernardine Bishop
Strange Weather in Tokyo, Hiromi Kawakami
For Once in My Life, Marianne Kavanagh
Offshore, Penelope Fitzgerald

21. The Lake, Banana Yoshimoto
22. Solar, Ian McEwan
23. The Bookshop, Penelope Fitzgerald
24. The House by the Sea, A Journal, May Sarton
25. The Summer Bird-Cage, Margaret Drabble
26. The Seven Sisters, Margaret Drabble
27. The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert
28. Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
29. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
30. Rivers of London, Ben Aaronovitch
31. Moon over Soho, Ben Aaronovitch
32. Sweet Tooth, Ian McEwan
33. East of Eden, John Steinbeck (current read)

Book 70 Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

Thursday has returned to the real world, following a two year sojourn in fiction, to try and get her husband un-eradicated. She has brought Hamlet with her so he can see what people think of him, and finds Otto von Bismark and Lady Hamilton living in her mother's house as her chronoguard father attempts to sort out trouble with the time lines. Yorick Kaine, devious and dastardly politician, is attempting to become dictator of England by fomenting war with Denmark, the Goliath Corporation is aiming to become a religion, and centuries-dead seers are returning.

Not quite as strong as others in the series, I didn't think, but a good bit of distraction fiction. Back into the dark depths of Scandinavian crime next.

I'll bring over my full list to the new thread this evening as well.

riverboat I like a lot of the same stuff as you, so here are some recommendations as requested

The Old Wives' Tale - Arnold Bennett (a bit similar to Mrs Gaskell)

And based on your enjoying Sue Monk Kidd and Kate Atkinson:

Secret River - Kate Grenville
Bel Canto and State of Wonder - Ann Patchett
Earth and Heaven and The Mystery of Glass - Sue Gee
The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
Music and Silence and The Road Home - Rose Tremain

Finally, A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry (divides opinions on MN I know, and does contain some heart-wrenching scenes, but one of my all-time favourites)

Some you have probably already encountered but hopefully some new ones to try ..

My complete list, so far is:-

1. The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith
2. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris
3. May We Be Forgiven - A M Homes
4. Ratburger - David Walliams
5. Takedown Twenty - Janet Evanovich
6. The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
7. Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
8. Apple Tree Yard - Louise Doughty
9. The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway

10. The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Alison Weir 11. Into The Darkest Corner - Elizabeth Haynes 12. Love, Nina - Nina Stibbe 13. The Pedant in the Kitchen - Julian Barnes 14. The Song of Lunch - Christopher Reid 15. Sisterland - Curtis Sittenfeld 16. The Mammy - Brendan O'Carroll 17. Nonsense - Christopher Reid 18. Kiss Me First - Lottie Moggach 19. The Love Object - Edna O'Brien 20. The Story of Before - Susan Stairs 21. The Hare With Amber Eyes - Edmund De Waal 22. The Good Thief's Guide to Berlin - Chris Ewan 23. Mad About The Boy - Helen Fielding 24. Harvest - Jim Crace 25. Lady Audley's Secret- Mary Elizabeth Braddon 26. Restoration - Rose Tremain 27. A Scattering - Christopher Reid 28. The Examined Life - Stephen Grosz 29. Just What Kind of Mother Are You? - Paula Daly 30. Jigs and Reels - Joanne Harris 31. A Commonplace Killing - Sian Busby 32. Queen's Gambit - Elizabeth Fremantle 33. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris 34. One Night in Winter - Simon Sebag Montefiore 35. Big Girl Panties - Stephanie Evanovich (wish I could erase this one from memory :o) 36. Alys, Always - Harriet Lane 37. The Sea - John Banville 38. On The Beach - Nevil Shute 39. The Wild Things - Dave Eggers 40. A Life Like Other People's - Alan Bennett 41. Merivel - Rose Tremain 42. The Marrying of Chani Kaufman - Eve Harris 43. The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker 44. Twelve Years A Slave - Solomon Northup 45. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops - Jen Campbell 46. Brighton Rock - Graham Greene 47. And The Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini 48. The Lie - Helen Dunmore 49. Heartbreak Hotel - Deborah Moggach 50. Gentlemen & Players - Joanne Harris 51. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 52. The Enchanted April - Elizabeth Von Arnim 53. Gillespie & I - Jane Harris 54. Margaret Beaufort, Mother of the Tudor Dynasty - Elizabeth Norton 55. Lord of the Flies - William Golding 56. The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill 57. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 58. The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham 59. The Signature of All Things - Elizabeth Gilbert 60. The Pure in Heart - Susan Hill 61. The Skeleton Cupboard - Tanya Byron 62. The Murder Bag - Tony Parsons 63. The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry 64. Heresy - S J Parris 65. The Thing About December - Donal Ryan 66. The Risk of Darkness - Susan Hill 67. The Vows of Silence - Susan Hill 68. Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch 69. The Shadows in the Street - Susan Hill 70. Raising Boys - Steve Biddulph 71. Belle - The True Story of Dido Belle - Paula Byrne 72. Bread and Chocolate - Philippa Gregory 73. Her - Harriet Lane 74. Prophecy - S J Parris 75. We Were Liars - E Lockhart 76. The Light Years - Elizabeth Jane Howard 77. Moon Over Soho - Ben Aaronovitch 78. A Breach of Security - Susan Hill 79. Whispers Underground - Ben Aaronovitch 80. Top Secret Twenty One - Janet Evanovich

Marking place!

Still reading The Luminaries... it's essentially a mystery story and I'm not really into those, despite this I'm still reading at 30% so it must be doing something right! Rather a LOT of characters though...

I'm going to be tackling The Luminaries some time in the next few weeks, wilting. I took up Audible's offer to upgrade my kindle edition to a Whispersync so I can read and listen when I'm in the car/out walking etc as well.

Have picked up a few books from Audible for free under the Whispersync system (don't ask me how it works though :o)

Just started number 65 - infinite sky which won the Branford boase award.
Was underwhelmed by we are all completely beside ourselves.
Eeny meeny - good premise, but writing was pedestrian and cliched and felt the s&m elements were there as it is a theme du jour. would probably make a good tv series.

The good girl - mary kubica
Didn't guess the twist, but why didn't Mia share her story with Colin? It was all so pointless and why oh why did they just not buy some bloody soap and shampoo?