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50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 1

999 replies

Southeastdweller · 31/12/2014 20:28

Thread one of the 50 Book Challenge.

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

Who's in for this year?

OP posts:
Iamblossom · 01/01/2015 13:59

Hello! Happy new year to all.

I only managed 38.5 last year, pretty pathetic, so must try harder this year and read more instead of Facebook, mn and soap watching.

My list was:

  1. Ken Follett - Fall of Giants
  2. Donna Tartt - The Goldfinch
  3. The Never List
  4. Light between the oceans
  5. Apple Tree Yard
  6. The Rosie Project
  7. The Husband's Secret
  8. Earth Heaven
  9. The colour
10. Longbourn 11. The midwife's confessions 12. Kill your friends 13. What Alice Forgot 14. The 100 year old man that jumped out of a window and disappeared 15. The silent wife 16. The Thread 17. The cry 18. Mad about the boy 19. Sisterland 20. The girl who never came back 21. What kind of mother are you? 22. Ship of brides 23. Can't anyone help me? 24. Gone 24. She's not coming home 25. Hunger 26. The shock of the fall 27. Darkside 28. Finders keepers 29. Lies 30. The snow child 31. Wool 32. Fear 33. Plague 34. Light 35. Shift 36. The play date 37. Daughter 38. Whatever it takes 39. Dust

I think my favourites were Earth Heaven, The light between the oceans, Finders Keepers and Darkside. Also really enjoyed Daughter by Jane Shemilt.

Need to finish Dust (3rd in a trilogy by Hugh Howey) and then I'm going to read The Fault in Our Stars.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 01/01/2015 14:06

I couldn't read, 'The Girl With all the Gifts.' Gave up after a few pages because I can't stand novels written in the present tense.

DuchessofMalfi · 01/01/2015 14:10

Rugby - found, and approved. See you over on Goodreads as well Smile

IsabellaofFrance · 01/01/2015 14:11

Winter of the world, the second part of Ken Follett's century trilogy (after Fall of Giants) is very good Iamblossom

I do like Ken Follett books, if you can get past the fact that all of his leading characters are involved in most of the big historical incidences.

hollytom · 01/01/2015 14:28

Happy new year. I would like to join. I read as much as I can; last year managed over 100 but it would be good to chat about books. Just finished 'You' by Caroline Kepnes which was very intense and gripping and dark. Think I need something a bit lighter after that.

CheckpointCharlie · 01/01/2015 14:31

Joining! DH bought me a set of Booker prize nominated books for Christmas so I have a ready made set!

whitewineandchocolate · 01/01/2015 14:44

Hi and welcome to all new recruits.

I managed 50 last but only just so my aim is the same as last year, less Mumsnet and more reading!

  1. Life Below Stairs by Alison Maloney - this book is OK but not highly recommended, it is really just a collection of quotes from other books about servants rather than a new book in its own right.

Just started Revelation by CJ Sansom.

openskies · 01/01/2015 15:02

Happy new year all! I'd love to join too please.

I think I only managed around 20 books last year (I was surprised it was so few when I wrote them down), but weighted towards the end of the year, so I'm hoping that 50 might be achievable for me.

I've started with We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and am also finding myself using the Kindle dictionary more than usual...

ASmidgeofMidge · 01/01/2015 15:23

I'm in! Wasn't on 2014 thread but my last book of that year was The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, which was fabulous. Have a couple to start 2015 downloaded on my kindle, including The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, so might kick off with that.

Costacoffeeplease · 01/01/2015 15:47

I'm in too - I love reading and have a very full kindle and very full bookshelves, I'm starting with 'I capture the castle' by Dodie smith

tumbletumble · 01/01/2015 16:02

Enjoy, Costa - one of my favourites!

I'm in this year. My first book of 2015 is The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt. I'm less than halfway through, but loving it so far!

Here are my favourites from last year (already posted on the 2014 thread, but re-posting just in case anyone who is new this year is interested):

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius - Graham Farmelo
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys - Viv Albertine
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

ClashCityRocker · 01/01/2015 16:11

Happy new year all!

I would like to join in too, please. Also doing the twelve modern classics, so my first book of the year will be In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Do they have to be books you've not read before? I must admit, I'm a re reader, but it is my New Years resolution to read as many new (to me!) books this year as I can.

Slightly worried that the new GoT book will be out this year, and will mean rereading the previous books which will take a good chunk of time.

WhenDoISleep · 01/01/2015 16:19

I'm in too! Signed up last year and started well but completely dropped out by the end of January.

I used to be able to read 4/5 books a week pre DC - now I'm lucky to read that many a year. I spend far too much time on the Internet in the evening and am determined to read more books this year.

NomNomDePlum · 01/01/2015 16:20

count me in. i think i only read about twenty last year, but my new year's resolution is to ditch all the pointless messing about on the internet, so hopefully will do better this year.

currently reading lila by marilynne robinson.

hackmum · 01/01/2015 17:08

I read 81 books in 2014. Have no desire to read more than that this year - am aiming for quality not quantity.

Have mentioned this several times already (oh woe is me) but am reading Ulysses. Nearly half way through now, not much clue about what's going on. Please someone tell me it turns into a fast-paced page turner in the second half.

And am desperate to move onto all the other books that are next in my list, including In Cold Blood for the modern classics thread - I fear by the time I've got round to that everyone else will have moved on.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 01/01/2015 17:09

Yurgh to Ulysses. Life really is too short.

'In Cold Blood' is well worth a read though.

TheOnlyWayIsLindt · 01/01/2015 17:20

Can I join in? I'm determined to read much more this year.

Just finished The signature of All Things (which I thoroughly enjoyed). I started it a few days ago but finished today, so I hope that counts as number 1!

New book is Red Love: The Story of an East German Family by Maxim Leo (autobiography).

BestIsWest · 01/01/2015 17:21

Blimey, only just found you and page 3 already!

bibliomania · 01/01/2015 17:27

That's James Joyce's Ulysses rather than Homer's, I take it? Haven't managed it myself - I only read the last couple of pages of Molly Bloom's soliloquy. Then if anyone mentions it, you can look misty-eyed and murmur "what'll I wear shall I wear a white rose" and nobody asks you anything more, I find.

costa, I Capture the Castle is lovely.

I tend not to count re-reads - no major reason, I'm just mildly curious about how many new books I get through in a year. So not officially counting my current book, Under Another Sky by Charlotte Higgins, a non-fiction book about how Britain conceptualises its Roman past. That makes it sound ponderous, but it's really not. She travels around in an unreliable campervan to visit things like Hadrian's wall, and talks about what people used to make of it, as well as what we currently know. It's just the kind of thing I like.

My dad passed on his unused Kindle to me, so I'm going to have a go at getting to grips with it. It's complicated as I haven't set up my internet connection at home as wifi. Don't know if I should try to re-set it or just resign myself to downloading books in places where I can access wifi.

I need a man around the place to sort out my techie stuff for me . Alright, not really.

highlandcoo · 01/01/2015 17:54

Happy New Year everyone Smile

I'm jumping back in for this year's challenge. I started well last year, got to 51 books by the end of October then changed countries and lost track as far as recording what I was reading. Also, had intended to post short reviews for all the books I read but only managed that for the first twenty. Will do better this year!

Last book I read in 2014 was Angels by Marian Keyes - I had fancied an easy read but found this a struggle tbh. I really don't like chick lit I have re-decided!

First book of 2015 is The Case of the Pig in the Evening Suit; a present from DS2 and the first in the Dumfries Detective series. I grew up in the Scottish town of Dumfries and it's weirdly enjoyable to find all the familiar places of my childhood mentioned in this crime novel. The writing is pretty good too; so far I am intrigued.

I've decided this will be a year when I tackle my to-be-read pile and also reread some old favourites. I recently revisited The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett after almost 30 years and enjoyed it loads.

Looking forward to hearing about everyone else's reading experiences this year.

ClashCityRocker · 01/01/2015 17:55

Yeah, I don't think I'll count rereads.

Is Ulysses not worth reading then? It's on my list but I've heard a few people found it hard work...

MrsCurrent · 01/01/2015 18:27

Ok! one down, love a lazy New Year's Day. Lots of very interesting sounding books up thread however I have gone for Carole Matthews' With Love At Christmas, pure escapism.

MadameMacaron · 01/01/2015 18:42

I'd like to join in too, please. Just starting Her by Harriet Lane. I loved her debut novel Alys, Always, so I hope this one is as elegantly sinister.
Happy new year to all!

Sonnet · 01/01/2015 18:56

I managed 88 books last year so will be aiming for 90 this year.

Book 1 - Tintagel Rising by Ardyth Hughes. Utter tosh but cured my Cornish itch! It involved King Arthur and time travel but not very well written in my opinion.
Have just started Love Nina for book 2 for my book group meeting next week. Not sure what I think so far to be honest!

Sonnet · 01/01/2015 18:57

This year I will try to concentrate on my pile of books/kindle purchases first.

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