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

86. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch. The fourth and, for me my least favourite, in the Rivers of London series. It seemed to drag out a thin story, but had an unexpected twist and a good enough ending to keep me wanting to read this series.

Next up The Goldfinch and Americanah (audiobook) .

My book list for this year....

1. bones of the lost - kathy reiches
2. the surrogate - tania carver
3. swipe - kathy reiches
4. therapy - Sebastian Fitzek
5. the dare - john boyne
6. famous: a novel - Blake crouch
7. I'm king of the castle - Susan hill
8. the neighbour - Lisa Gardner
9. the perfect husband - Lisa Gardner
10. the house is in charge - Germano Deliecilo
11. stalkers - Paul Finch
12. the resolution - linda green
13. the enemy within - James Craig
14. origin - J A Konrath
15. have you seen her - Karen rose
16. the eye collector - Sebastian Fitzek
17. wonder - R j Palicio
18. apple tree yard - Louise Dougherty
19. marvins funny dance - Sarah McConnell
20. blood and roses - A K Alexander
21. the raven - Edgar Allen poe
22. how to be a woman - Caitlin Moran
23. dinosaur rumpus - tiny mitton
24. don't put your finger in the jelly nelly - nick sharatt
25. never shake a rattle snake - micheala Morgan
26. dinosaurs love underpants - Claire freedman
27. Kirsty's Vintage Home - Kirsty allsop
28. the silent wife - a s a Harrison
29. super cute felt - Laura Howard
30. the 10pm question - kate de goldi
31. the concrete grove - Gary MacMahon
32. shrine - James Herbert
33. all the pretty girls - j t Ellison
34. the collector - john fowles
35. Americanah - C N Adichie
36. sleep tight - rachel Abbott
37. 314 - AR Wise
38. it must never happen again - John McShane
39. the bird eater - Ania Ahlborn
40. promises to keep - Elizabeth Haynes
41. night film - marisha pessl
42. child 44 - Tom Rob Smith
43. the second life of Amy archer - R S Pateman
44. the ritual - Adam Neville
45. taboo - casey hill
46. lolito - Ben brooks
47. Gerald's game - Stephen King
48. three weeks to say goodbye - CJ Box
49. the housemates - Iain Rob Wright
50. the rats - James Hebert
51. lair - James Herbert
52. how to fall in love - Cecelia Ahern
53. lullaby - Claire aeener
54. trapped - jack kilborn
55. right to life - jack ketchun
56. the fault in our stars - john green
57. hide and seek - jack ketchum
58. the cry - Helen Fitzgerald
59. dead lovely - Helen Fitzgerald
60. Pines - Blake crouch
61. wayward - Blake crouch
62. ravage - Iain Rob Wright
63. how to be a good wife - Emma chapman
64. slow bleed - tim Adler
65. savage - Iain rib wright
66. every woman for herself - trisha Ashley
67. wedding night - Soohie Kinsella
68. reconstructing Amelia - Kimberly McCreight
69. the Amityville horror - jay anson
70. the lie of you - jane lythell
71. ours are the streets - Sanjeev Sahota
72. the little coffee shop of Kabul - Deborah Rodriguez
73. cop town - Karin Slaughter
74. Thursdays in the park - Hilary BOyd
75. love Rosie - Cecelia Ahern

37. Winter in Madrid - enjoyable and informative, not terribly keen on the ending.

39. Possession, A.S. Byatt

Two contemporary scholars hunt down, like literary detectives, the poems, stories, correspondence and journals of two obscure Victorian poets, uncovering a passionate, secret and tragic love affair between the two... whilst slowly developing a tentative affection between themselves. But other academics want a piece of the action and the hunt becomes a race against time.

The book was gripping and compelling (with some breathtaking poetry written for the book) and I hurtled my way through it, staying up most of the night to finish.

Duchess I did not see the twist coming at all. I was properly flabbergasted

Just wondering how Ben Aaronovitch is going to get round that one in the next novel. Drumming fingers impatiently for next instalment

Started Americanah this morning. Got a little muddled with all the characters' names at first, but got it sorted now. Liking it very much so far. This is the audio version narrated by Adjoa Andoh (hope I spelled that right). Her narration is brilliant, as always.

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks is £0.99 today on the Kindle.

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is also 99p until midnight.

Been away for a week and just catching up. My additions are :
86. Ian Rankin "The Hanging Garden"
87. S.J.Watson "Before I go to Sleep"
88. Muriel Spark "Memento Mori"
89. Ian Rankin "Dead Souls"
90. Haruki Murakami "Norwegian Wood"

Alan Johnson's follow-up to The Boy - Please, Mr Postman - is being read on Radio Four by the author this week. In the Radio Times, on the BBC website and on iPlayer it doesn't say whether it's abridged but as the duration is an hour in total I think it must have been so I'll read the paper book instead.

Available on iPlayer for a week.

Sorry, maths was never my best subject - duration of 75 minutes for the book reading above.

Bsshbosh - (:9) Sounds really great. I've added it to my wish list

Onto #76 The Memory Keeoers Daughter

" 39"

So glad you enjoyed Possession BsshBosh - it's one of my all time favourites!

BsshBosh Possession is one of my all time favourite ever books. What are you reading now?

I have started The Goldfinch as I appear to be one of the only people left in the whole of the world this thread who hasn't read it.

Have also read:
41 The Black Tulip - Alexandre Dumas
42 Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
43 Riceyman Steps - Arnold Bennett

Enjoyed the Black Tulip, it was such fun, quite over the top and had lovely romantic theme.

Was surprised to utterly love Farenheit 451. Another book about books and reading/censorship. I had never read it and am so glad I did. I am creating an exhibition on banned books in the library where I work and this is one of the banned books. It really made me think.
Riceyman Steps depressed me immensely. I have enjoyed some of his other books but this was really sad.

The Goldfinch will take me forever.
Ah well!

whippet I'm reading McEwan's Children's Act now. So far enjoying it; it feels like a quiet, understated novel but being McEwan I'm waiting for a big twist.

40. The Children Act, Ian McEwan

A high court judge, her marriage on the rocks, takes an unorthodox and highly personal interest in one of her cases - that of a 17 year old Jehovah's Witness refusing a blood transfusion that could save his life.

I found this to be a quiet little book whose ending didn't come as a surprise but was devastating nonetheless. Hours later, the story and characters are still haunting me...

Finally finished Book 104, the steampunk thing. Some interesting ideas and quite amusing and gripping in places, but ultimately he was trying to ram too much in and it got very messy and annoying. Here I don't particularly recommend it.

Too busy at work now to do much reading, sadly - so it'll probably be the weekend before I have anything at all to add. :(

Whippet - I really enjoyed F451.

Fancy a good ghost story and as I've never read Sarah Waters I'm going to choose The Little Stranger. The Kindle sample has already drawn me in but I can't neglect my little DD so will read tonight after she's in bed.

The Little Stranger is a good read, but I didn't find it at all spooky. It seemed to me more a personal "haunting" of each character by the thing they feared the most. Will be interesting to see what your thoughts are, Bssh. Good choice :)

Hi Duchess, I read your Goodreads review and admit I was curious as to how I would interpret the "ghostly" aspects. Will let you know.

70. Pattern Recognition - William Gibson 5* This book is bloody brilliant, will definitely be in my top 10 of the year.

I loved The Little Stranger, it was very gripping.