50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 1

[Southeastdweller]

Thread one of the 50 Book Challenge.

The idea is to read 50 books (or more!) in 2015.

Who's in for this year?

Clash - Again, to each their own. I like complex stories and intellectually challenging books, so YA is never going to be my thing. I'd rather read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell than Harry Potter, 1984 than Divergent. What I find most satisfying are long & difficult books like Anathem and Umbrella. YA doesn't even begin to scratch the itch

1. Black Cat by Martyn Bedford

Chloe is trying to establish herself in a new life, following a stint at a protest camp against the building of a bypass which involved living in trees and tunnels, as well as a relationship which ended in part due to Richie not understanding about her unusual talent. She is a dowser, like her mother. Ethan is a slightly odd loner, living in a caravan on a farmer's land (along with a dog called Erica) and searching for the possibly mythical Black Beast, thought by those who believe it exists to be a panther. This slightly odd couple join forces, and the search eventually takes a darker turn.

It's an okay book. The story is interspersed with reports on mauled sheep carcasses, tales from people who have had encounters with the cat, and statements looking back on the events of the book and experiences of Chloe and Ethan. These accounts make it very clear as the book progresses that something significant and unpleasant has happened so I suppose that was Bedford's way of building up tension, but the story and the characters didn't really work for me.

I like a mixture - I like long and thought-provoking but sometimes I like something just long enough to last me for a bath!

Oh I like a mixture. Variety is the spice of life.

Anyway, I'm off to track down my next read...I have actually been looking at cloud atlas as it keeps pooping up in my recommendations in amazon...

I find I quite often buy YA books by mistake on Amazon, I wish they were more clearly signposted. I start reading and find it a bit simplistic and then realise it's meant to be YA.

1. The Finkler Question - this is about north London Jews. The main character is friends with 2 Jews and feels he is missing out by not being Jewish himself. It won the Booker a few years ago but didn't really do it for me. I didn't find it that funny and thought it was quite slow moving.

1. The Summer We all Ran Away - Cassandra Parkin. This is about a group of people who find themselves squatting in a mansion in Cornwall that is owned by a famous rock star. The characters are well drawn, particularly the teenagers. The plot skips between the past when the rock star lived in the house to the present. It's an easy read but well written, although I'd have liked a bit more closure at the end.

Kindle Unlimited trial finishes tomorrow and I won't be extending it. I just don't think the quality of the books on there are good enough.

I live YA there some amazingly well written books. Delirium trilogy are great, as are the Maze Runner trilogy - they're not all love stories

I'm reading 5th wave atm - it's set after an alien invasion, good so far

Finished Book 6: The Smile of a Ghost by Merrily Watkins. This is the seventh in the Merrily Watkins series and as usual I felt it very engaging. In this novel Merrily does not face such dark supernatural forces but rather faces her own issues. I love the way strands of continuity weave themselves through each story linking them all together.

Book 7 was: The Sober Revolution - Calling Time on Wine O'clock - Something for me to ponder upon during Dry January.

I have started Book 8: Black Dog by Stephen Booth

Remus My DD1, now 18, absolutely LOVED Lemony Snickett. (I read most of them too) and I have just noticed we have the entire set on a bookshelf in the spare room - I might have to re-read a couple

Sonnet - my now 19 year old adored them too - and she won a signed, limited edition leather bound copy of the first one, in a Waterstones competition. We probably should have sold it at the time, when it was going for £100 or so. I doubt it's worth anywhere near that now, but it's nice to have.

Book Ten - another sublime bathtime short re-read = 'Endgame' by Samuel Beckett. This is my favourite Beckett and, Cote, it's post-apocalyptic too. :)

I love this thread. It's introduced me to so many new possibilities book wise - I was stuck in a rut before, now my 'to read' list is absolutely mass-hoo-vise!

Don't read that one in the bath Remus

Just bought another 2 ClashCityRocker after catching up with this thread! ??

1-3 The Northern Lights trilogy by Philip Pullman.

Classed as children's reading but enjoyable if you like adventure/fantasy. I read these when they first came out and though I have loved the writing and story both times, I found the religion vs science theme a little wearing by the third book. Glad I revisited however.

1. Tsunami Kids - Paul and Rob Forkan.

The story of the Forkan family before and after the 2004 Tsunami. The brothers went on to set up Gandys Flipflops and found charities in India and Sri Lanka. Naturally it does tell the story of what happened to them on Boxing Day and how it changed their lives forever but there's hope and positivity running through the book.

1. the hitchhikers guide to the galay- reread after 13 years.love it just as much.

1. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

It's taken me a while because I just didn't think about it at all when not reading it. Initially it was interesting enough to keep me reading each session but I somewhat lost interest towards the end and had to do that annoying thing of just reading to finish.

Didn't really feel anything for any character, except maybe the mother. It just all felt so....scientific

Next up is either Merchant of Venice or the Omnivore's Dilemma....

I am still plodding through #3, Child 44. I really like it but it makes me feel quite uncomfortable. I will finish it, and I really want to, but I can only read a few pages before I start feeling a bit creeped out.

started americanah...bit 'meh' at the moment.Not sure what all the hype was about. Hoping it will drag me in soon.

kats - I listened to the audio version of Americanah read by Adjoa Andoh and thought she read it brilliantly. That was probably what made me enjoy the book so much. If you're struggling with the reading of it, I'd definitely recommend the audio book - she brings all the characters to life so wonderfully.

1. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

This is quite an extraordinary book. Even if you don't know anything about hawks, or think that you wouldn't like a book about them, still read this - it is so good.

The book is not just about hawks though. It is about how the author, through training her goshawk, slowly comes to terms with the loss of her father who died very suddenly and unexpectedly.

Helen Macdonald is an experienced handler of falcons (taking on a goshawk wasn't a mere whim of hers but an ambition). Mabel is, however, her first goshawk. She had been advised that goshawks are extremely difficult to train and can lead to frustration and drive the trainer to the edge of madness. It very nearly does tip her over the edge. Trying to train a goshawk when there was so much else going on in her life - bereavement, loss of her job and home, and failed love affair, was probably a bad decision (in theory) but it all worked. It is an incredible book on so many levels - coming to terms with loss, and the redemptive power of love for a goshawk. There are some moments when Mabel shows her independence of spirit - taking off over the fields on her own, diving in amongst a pheasant breeding wood and bagging dinner for herself, leaving the author watching horrified. Couldn't help but laugh when she said they pocketed the pheasants and went home!

Interwoven into Helen Macdonald's own tale is a retelling of the author T H White's disastrous attempt, and failure, to train a goshawk. There are additional biographical details of White's very unhappy life, and his writing. I had only heard of him as the author of The Sword in the Stone which I remember reading at school. I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed that book - another one to add to the re-read list!

I doubt that The book thiefis YA read. I used to read adult only books from the age of 12 and would say that The book thief is suitable for a 14 yo.

Finished no 4 The missing and the dead - Stuart McBride

Thriller set in Aberdeen/north east. I quite enjoyed it but I found the earlier ones in the series better, and now so many terrible things have happened to Logan McCrae I'm continually amazed that he can function.

Still, enjoyed it.

5 is Best of Tor origninals . Sci fi short stories. Loved one, baffled by one so far.

Duchess - Lovely review.

I'd say that, 'The Book Thief' would be fine for around 12 plus, which, I think, would class as YA.

I've started another Wilkie. Will be bereft when I've finally worked my way through all of his, although there's still a fair few to go yet.

antimatter - Book Thief was awarded Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Book of the Year award in 2006. It also received Michael L. Printz Honor Book in 2007, given to the best book for teens.

It is a YA book written for teenagers. 14 is YA/teenager, anyway.

Thank you Remus :)

Currently half way through one I think you recommended on here a while ago - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. Love the little illustrations that come with the Persephone Books edition - so glamorous.