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?

H for Hawk has just won the Costa Book Award 2014, beating the favourite, How to be both, by Ali Smith. It's out in paperback next month so I'll read it soon after.

That's brilliant news Southeast

1. She Wolves by Helen Castor. Non fiction about medieval queens of England and how they attempted to rule the country. Well written and has taught me loads of history that I didn't know before. Long book and because it looks a several different periods of history did find myself getting slightly confused at times with the various Earls who feature. Well worth reading. Shall be choosing something a bit lighter for the next read.

I love that book Cedar. Its one of my favourites. Her other book, Blood and Roses, a book about a family during the War of the Roses is also a marvellous read.

1. A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch - it was ok, but no more than that. Trying to be a Sherlock Holmes or Lord Peter Wimsey, but a bit flimsy and contrived - this is the first in a series and I've got a few more as I downloaded them as a set, so will return to the series again

Sorry about the burnt thumb, Ellis! Happy to compare notes once I get through Wolf Hall/BUTB. I have massive hardbacks from the library, so slightly intimidated by their size. I also got from the library a kind of cultural history of Anne Boleyn - why people are so interested in her and how they've interpreted her in different ways. Looking forward to that one.

Forgot to say that I'm also partway through The Curse of Babylon by Richard Blake. This is part of a series set in 7th century AD, so there's a real sense of being in the ruins of the former greatness of the (Western) Roman Empire, the last vestiges being in the form of the Byzantine empire. Lots of horrible tortures and deaths and an impenetrable plot, but the hero/narrator is great fun, there are lots of tight corners and amazing escapes, and it's very evocative of a turbulent era.

Ooh, I have Helen Castor's latest one on Joan of Arc on my pile to read.... Looking forward to it now!

3 Lover Mine by J R Ward
4 Dark Lycan by Christine Feehan
5 Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan
6 The Lady and the Laird by Nicola Cornick
7 Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann
8 The Proffessional by Kresley Cole
9 Lover Unleashed by J R Ward
10 Lothaire by Kresley Cole

All very enjoyable escapism. Since my mother died , just before Christmas, and we are sorting everything out my ability to concentrate on anything has disappeared and all of these fulfilled my need.

I have just started Longbourn and The Republic a non fiction book about the setting up of the Irish Republic and will see how it goes

#4 The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Read this after some recommendations on this thread, and because I enjoyed The Goldfinch.

Became completely absorbed in this book - which is strange as there is not one character I found likeable. It tells the story of an ordinary boy leaving home on the West coast for university in Vermont and being drawn into a clique of privileged, elitist individuals. They take things a bit far with their "experimentation" which results in an unintended tragedy. Most of the book explores the consequences of this.

Enjoyed it very much.

min - I'm so sorry. I lost my mum 22 years ago now, but it was just before Christmas too. Thinking of you.

min - I'm so sorry for your loss. My sincere condolences.

min - so sorry to hear of your loss

1. The Murder Bag by Tony Parsons - a serial killer goes round bumping off grown ups who all went to the same elite private school - derivative, cardboard cut out characters - hey, it's another detective battling with his demons while caring for a vulnerable family member. Come on Tony, this has all been done so many times before! The plot is unrealistic, with characters seeming to be able to divine details from barely a scrap of evidence; there's no basis on how the murderer was able to identify his victims. Just so meh!

min deepest condolences from me too. Hope you are getting on OK with all the sorting out that has to be done. I remember it being an emotional task.

I think Longbourne will do the job for you as regards an enjoyable but undemanding read. When my mum was very ill before she passed away my sister buried herself in the Big Stone Gap series of books. Quite comforting and not too challenging which was what was needed at the time. Cazalet Chronicles are even better but you may have already read those.

Look after yourself

minsmum, so sorry for your loss what a difficult time. Wishing you strength

Sorry for your loss, minsmum

1. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. I've see some bad reviews up thread, but I really enjoyed this. It's not the most well-written book I've ever read, but it was original and intriguing enough to keep me interested.

So sorry to hear of your loss Min. When my mum died I was careful with subjects I read but I did have comfort from reading familiar authors. I see you like the JR Ward series - I've enjoyed that too. A world I can lose myself in.

Thinking of you Min.

Book 6- Station Eleven- Emily St John Mandel.

Such a beautiful book. Technically a dystopian novel I suppose but it didn't feel like that. Station Eleven tells the story of a world where Georgian Flu has wiped out 99% of the population.

It's one of those books where you end up wondering what happened to the characters. Loved it.

IsabellaofFrance I will look up other books by Helen Castor and add them to my list to read.
The book that inspired me to look up about this period was The Death Maze by Ariana Franklin (I think) which is a murder mystery set in medieval times and can recommend it for those that like that kind of book.

Snow day so just finished my 3rd book!

1.we were liars
2.we are all completely beside ourselves
3.child44- I was gripped by the book and I love spy novels and modern history. Liked the book a lot, however 60 percent through I started to lose interest and the end of the book felt rushed, the links and coincidences were hurried and a bit to predictable!

Onto something a bit lighter I think!!

So sorry for your loss Min

1. The Girl on the Train

Alright. I liked the concept, and I do love an unreliable narrator, but the big twist was pretty obvious. Still a good, fast paced read that I would recommend to someone who's not looking for anything too cerebral

7# Wild, A Journey from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed

This is a memoir of the author's 1100-mile hike from the Mojave desert to Oregon. After the sudden, devastating death of her mother just as she is finishing university, Strayed struggles to deal with the impact the bereavement has on her life and family. Rootless and rudderless, and sailing dangerously close to drug addiction, she somewhat randomly sets on hiking the PCT as a means of walking out of her old life and into a new one, learning to deal with her grief, her difficult childhood, and her own mistakes along the way.

I loved this and tore through it.. Strayed's voice is warm, funny and breathtakingly honest; by the end I felt like I had walked every step with her, minus the blisters.

Book 12 - 'My Lady's Money' by Wilkie Collins
V lightweight and fun, with a happy ending. Wilkie at his fluffiest. I enjoyed it.

Book 12 - Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

This is a disc world book about the night watch involving Vimes going back in time and taking on the role of mentor to his younger self. The 'original' night watch - nobby and colon - are there on their younger incarnation, as are a lot of the 'regular' characters of Ankh Morporkh.

This is my favourite of the disc world books - it is both laugh out loud funny and oddly moving in places. Pratchett at his best.

Currently reading Wolf Hall in the bath. It's a bit tough going at the minute and im not sure I really understand what's going on.

4 The Missing - Tim Gautreaux. I loved this book, there are brilliant descriptions of the various characters and life in the deep south during the prohibition era. Themes of love, loss, forgiveness and revenge run through the book.

5 Hide Her Name - Nadine Dorries. I got a Kindle at Christmas and this was one of a selection of books randomly chosen by my husband. It is the second part of a trilogy, I haven't read the first part but that isn't necessary to understand the plot. The book is about an Irish community living in Liverpool close to the Docks in the early 60s. I thought that some aspects of the story were totally unrealistic and the book ends abruptly. I doubt that I will read the other two books.

Book 13 - 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know' - Ranulph Fiennes' autobiography. This was really interesting. Annoyingly though, chunks of it were pretty much identical to sections of, 'Cold' which I read a couple of weeks ago, which I thought was rather cheeky.