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?

Book 16
'The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack' by Mark Hodder
A steam-punk fantasy set in Victorian-esque London, where the explorer, Richard Burton, becomes an agent for King Albert, and sets out to solve a case based on a series of assaults on young girls. It's much more than that though, and was an absolute hoot. I loved it.

DuchessofMalfi - no, I didn't read anything by Banana Yoshimoto or Takashi Hiraide.
Off I go to check those authors.... - thanks for the recommendation!!!!

Narrattors of 1Q84 on Audible were amazing if anyone is thinking of listening to it

11. My Family and Other Superheroes by Jonathan Edwards. This is the winner of the Costa Poetry Award 2014. Loved it. It's clever, funny, quirky and really enjoyable.

1. Robert J Crane - Alone

1. Robert J Crane - Untouched

1. Robert J Crane - Soulless

These are the first 3 books in The Girl In The Box series and I got them as a free Kindle book set. They were much better written and much more absorbing than I expected from a freebie.

The first book does a lot of scene setting. Sienna's about 17 at the start of the series, has been brought up in isolation by her mom, has had to live by a set of rules basically involving keeping her existence hidden from everyone except her mom and being fully clothed down to shoes at all times. Then her mom goes to work, doesn't come back, and armed men break into her home. Turns out Sienna is a superpowered "meta" - there's a variety of these, all have at least a degree of superhuman strength, speed and are fast healing, plus an extra special ability. Sienna's meta ability is revealed at the end of the 1st book.
The second book has Sienna coming to terms with events in the 1st book while another powerful meta threatens to wipe out a city, and deciding to join one meta organization.
In the third book, Sienna is sent on her first mission with 2 other new recruits. They're sent on a nice easy mission to get them started as agents but things take a more serious turn when they find out that a rival meta organization has launched a major attack on Sienna's organization.

11 Longbourn can't remember who it's by. I had to rush it because it was due back at the library and someone had ordered it. That wasn't a bad thing as it forced me to finish it. I quite enjoyed it but not as much as Pride and prejudice.
Not sure what to read next The Minituarist , not sure that's spelt right, is my next book club book but I don't find the idea of it very appealing. Still I should just knuckle down and make a start I am sure it will be fine

Forgot to say The Psychopath Test is what it says on the tin, a discussion of the standard psychopath test and what constitutes acceptable madness and how we as society encourage and spot and use madness.

Just finished Hazlitt's characters if Shakespeare. Infuriating. On the one hand much modern lit crit could not have been written without him, on the other he is a proponent of the Shakespeare is to be read not acted crew and about women says that

" It is the peculiar characteristic of Shakespeare's heroines, that they seem to exist only in their attachment to others. "

Hmmm. Is it true? Viola exists before she sees the Duke, Celia and Rosalind do quite well before their chaps come along. Miranda only takes flight later, I agree, and Hermione is determined by her marriage.

Anyway, a book I might dip into again, but equally might not.

1. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

Introducing Captain Vimes, Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs, along with the adopted dwarf Carrot. The night watch of Ankh-Morpork are drunks, losers and no-hopers. And then a dragon arrives to wreak havoc in the city, followed by a suspiciously coincidental heir to the defunct throne.

It has been a few years since I read this one, but it's good to be reminded just how far Vimes and the Watch have progressed.

Some good kindle prices drops, I can't do links but The Paying Guests, Lamentation, The Bone Clocks, How to be Both and The Book of Strange New Things amongst others.

Yet more books queued up on my kindle!

ancient - Psychopath Test sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.

I think you would like Confessions Of A Sociopath by M E Thomas. Check out last year's 50-Book Challenge threads for my review of this book.

Woohoo, woke up this morning to loads of price drop alerts so, like whitewineandchocolate I have got even more on my Kindle to read.
Got loads of really good title this morning for 1.99 each!

Minsmum - I've got, 'Longbourne' on my to-read pile. I suspect that I will heartily dislike it, but I was a bit desperate in the library. The only Austen spin-offs I've liked are, 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' and, 'Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.'

I've just seen on the news this morning that there's to be a film of, 'Zombies' with a very dishy young actor playing Bingley. Must watch it - for the literary value, obviously.

The Rosie Effect. Graeme Simsion

It's the sequel to The Rosie Project.
Don Tillman is a geneticist who has just married Rosie. The first book infers that he is autistic. Anyway this book is about his relationship with his wife now she is expecting.
Found some parts of it a bit hard to believe to be honest and not as funny. It's an ok read if you really enjoyed the first book. Which I did!

Started book five!

Remus: Longbourn is brilliant, imho. It's not at all what you might expect - the problem with people who try and write P&P sequels is that it rapidly becomes obvious that they're not even a tenth as good as JA. So Jo Baker just does something completely different from the rest, so that it stands as a novel in its own right. And she is a very good writer.

The Children's Act by Ian McEwan is £1.99

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell is £1.99

and

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber is also £1.99! Don't think this is in the vein of the Crimson Petal and the White for those of you feeling bitten

I will give it a good go, Hack. I suspect it's not really my sort of thing, but will happily come back on here and eat my hat if I like it!

and Longbourne is only £1.89 actually.... I usually avoid spin offs like the plague but I've seen this recommended a few times... hmmmm

The Ice Twins really good

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is only £1.19, it is years since I read it but it was vg, quasi science fiction/adult horror about a group of children raised in what seems to be an isolated boarding school for a particular purpose that gradually becomes clear. Disturbing and poignant.

I hated, 'Never Let Me Go' with a passion bordering on psychopathic. Couldn't wait for them all to die. I must have been feeling particularly sadistic though, because I still forced myself to finish the damn thing.

Crap just bought Us by David Nicholls too (£1.99) must get off amazon now

omg did you? I thought it was brilliant! It is v emotional though, why on earth did you persist???!

Occasionally I make myself finish something I'm hating, to prove to myself that I was justified in hating it!

Woohoo, good news about the price drops on kindle books, have got a £10 gift certificate ready to splurge on some new reads. Have just ordered The Children's Act and Longbourne as they were on my wish list, think I may order The Girl on The Train and Elizabeth Is Missing.

Any other recommendations book lovers?

Thank you Antimatter for the recommendation of IQ84 in the audible version, I've got a spare credit this month so I think I'll use it for that and take the hardback back to the library!

Ooooh yes I have my eye on The Ice Twins noddy

I am still reading Stolen by Lesley Pearse....finding it boring and I am not picking it up to read as I should....