50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 2

[Southeastdweller]

Thread two of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

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

Previous thread here

1. Oryx And Crake - Margaret Atwood.

I think someone else has already reviewed this one (not sure though), so...

Set in the near future, Snowman, the narrator, tells the story of the end of mankind. He has, understandably, lost touch with reality a bit. Alone in the world apart from a small group of genetically altered, friendly human creatures, and a lot of wild animals (most of which want to eat him), he spends his time remembering his parents, his friend since childhood, Crake, and Oryx, the woman he loved.

This was my first Atwood novel, I am definitely going to try to get the sequels from the library as well. I could barely put it down. Quite graphic at times, very descriptive (occasionally it was a much TBH) & I thought it was a really well imagined. I've read reviews that say her style of writing can be somewhat brusque in places, however I liked it (and thought that the book was already quite long anyway).

16. & Sons, David Gilbert "Fathers start as gods and end as myths and in between whatever form they take can be calamitous for their sons."

At the heart of this sprawling family saga set in wealthy New York City is 79 year old A.N. Dyer, famous reclusive author, facing up to his own mortality. He desperately seeks to reunite, both physically and emotionally, with his estranged sons; sons that have had to battle with their conflicting feelings for him, each having struggled, in their own ways, to carve out for themselves a shaky independence from the father's talent and fame.

A big, bold book about father-son relationships, sibling rivalry, the publishing world, New York City (a dazzling character in and of itself). There are many weak points which jarred with me, though, particularly an annoying, irrelevant (to me) narrator.

If you enjoy Franzen, DeLillo, Tartt or Z.Smith you may well enjoy this novel. He's not as accomplished as these authors but he's an author I'll keep an eye on.

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I got two-thirds of the way through Jonathan Strange before I had to come up for air and put it aside. I remember enjoying the book, and many of the passages mesmerised me, but it was all too much - like an over-abundant, grotesque feast. I'll pick it up again, but I still feel I had my fill of it and there are so many other books I want to read. I'll watch the TV adaptation though, as a shortcut to see how the book ended.

sootgremlin I like that. It's the second Lawrence book I've read and likely to be my last.

I also hated Jonathan Strange. Found it very very dull.

Hi everyone. I'm on top of a mountain in Italy, writing these words from a dingy Italian cafe with unreliable internet access. Just thought I would share these thoughts with you all:

I'm about 75% into the book Into Thin Air and think we may have found the second ever book that Remus and I agree on. It is fantastic. And I had no idea about the story before I started it, and have been reading the first half thinking "Oh what a lovely little story about achievement & camaraderie" etc. Oh. My. God.

As I now realise, having just left DD (9) with a numpty instructor in charge of 9 children in the midst of a snow storm with about 15m visibility with little communication skills in any of DD's three languages, IT WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA TO READ THIS BOOK WHILE ON THIS SKIING TRIP. I'm supposed to be working now but instead I'm sitting here silently freaking out that I will never see her again

Don't be discouraged re Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell naysayers I have never been tempted by a single magic/fantasy book including Harry Potter but was mesmerised by JS & Mr N and was bereft when it ended. Make sure you read the footnotes, as that is where most of the background story is.

cote. I'm sure your dd will be fine.

Going to look up the book though, not that I need any more at the moment.

Cote, I read Into the Silence and while loved isn't the right word, it is a great - and sobering - read. Not one for reading while actually on a mountain though, methinks.

I'm sure your dd will be fine and it sounds like her communication skills are better than the instructor's!

I also loved Into Thin Air - it's a fantastic book.

Enjoy the mountains Cote. We were in the Alps last week - was wonderful.

DD is back, saying all went well, skiing was great, etc. None of the other parents were worried. It seems I was the only parent to have worked herself into a frenzy. Damn you, Into Thin Air

I'm very late to the party, but would like to join, if I may, as I hope to increase my books read from the 40 of last year. Read so far are:

1. Hotel on the corner of Bitter & Sweet - Jamie Ford
2. The Last Tiger: A Novel - Tony Black
3. Pigeon English - Stephen Kelman
4. The Ocean at the end of the Lane - Neil Gaimon
5. The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Filer
6. Casual Vacancy - J K Rowling
7. Death comes to Pemberley - P D James
8. Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
9. Waiting for Sunrise - William Boyd

I hated none, but was disappointed by the Last Tiger and The Shock of the Fall, whilst finding Casual Vacancy a bit dour. My overall emotion with Pigeon English was one of sadness, as it put the whole Damilola Taylor story into context. I felt Death comes to Pemberley to be just "meh" - it added nothing to P&P but having read no other PD James, I cannot say if it added to her portfolio of work. Hotel on the corner was pleasant enough and there's something about Neil Gaimon's work that draws me - not sure what, but this is the second book of his I've enjoyed without really being able to say why.

The last two were my favourites: in reverse order, the subject matter of the Boyd was of particular interest to me (Freud in Vienna) and whilst the behaviour of the protagonist would make no sense in the present day, it made more sense in the novel's time (1918). The only other book of Boyd's that I've read was much more modern and I particularly admire that he seems to get his novel's voice so true to its set time. Despite spending 6 years of my childhood in Nigeria, Americanah is the first Nigerian novel I've read. The first half, set in the US dealt with the bigger subjects. The viewpoint of a "third-worlder" in a first-world country caused me to nod and smile, the observations on race came from a different perspective and so brought much to the discussion overall. When the leading character returns to Nigeria, it was more the smaller details that chimed with me and made it such a pleasure to read.

I've started book 10 and its Olive Kitterage: A Novel in Stories by Elizabeth Strout. Too soon to say yet.

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations. Some kindle purchases already made, others just added to the wish list. That TBR pile just grows and grows doesn't it

Glad she's back safe, Cote. Sorry, meant Into Thin Air earlier - Into the Silence is on the ever-growing TBR

I found this link on the 20 best (subjective) dystopian novels. I thought it might interest some of you. I'm definitely going to be working through some of this list in the future.

www.shortlist.com/cool-stuff/20-best-dystopian-novels

I haven't posted since the very beginning sorry. I have been having lots of snuggles with my new born daughter!
Just checking in.

1. What Alice Forgot
2. The Miniaturist
3. The Paying Guests
4. Elizabeth is Missing
5. The Rosie Project

Whippet - it's one of the few books both Cote and I rate. I really hope you enjoy it, and you Soot. I didn't think it 'felt' long at all.

Cote - blimey. We'll have to be careful. We might end up hitting half a dozen shared 'likes' at this rate! Glad that dd returned safe from the mountain.

IronLung Nice to see a kindred spirit! I haven't seen the film of, 'A Clockwork Orange.' The book is awful in content, as the film will no doubt have shown, but it has asort of awe-ful (see what I did there?!) beauty in the writing, in a similar way to, 'Lolita.' It took me a very long time to read, 'Orange' because the first few pages were so horrifying that I kept putting it down in disgust, but once I stuck to it, I was blown away.

Thanks for that list, too. Have read twelve of them, and abandoned, 'The Drowned World' in disgust. Will look into the others - a couple of them I'd never heard of. Nice to see, 'The Running Man' in there but, for me, 'The Long Walk' is far more terrifying.

I am currently reading book number 6:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

i have never actually read this book and with all of the hype around Harper Lee's new book coming out I thought now is a good time. I actually really enjoy books set in this period of time and wish I had read it sooner. It makes me want to read more of this sort of book as enjoy it but after discussing at work it's made wanr to read Of Mice and Men and other books I read for GCSE.

17. The Casual Vacancy. It was ok I suppose. I kept waiting for the charcter a to reveal themselves as something other than the cliches they appeared to be. But no.

I have just added Into Thin Air to my wish list.

16. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Really enjoyed this. Have posted a review on Goodreads but won't post here to avoid plot spoiling for everyone else reading it. 5/5.

#7 How to be both Ali Smith

Didn't really "get" this one. It's very clever - two quite separate stories that are interwoven, but presented separately. The characters were quite absorbing, but I found the device of the two stories to be too much of a distraction. Perhaps if I read it again, I would enjoy it more. Didn't enjoy it overall, but I did enjoy it in parts.

Now reading The Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

14. The Illuminations - Andrew O'Hagan

This is a new novel initially about an elderly woman with the onset of dementia in contemporary Scotland, and her grandson who's leading a mission in Afghanistan. He then comes back to Scotland after his mission goes wrong where he helps her confront a mystery from her past. I thought some of the dialogue in the Afghanistan parts was awful and the book in general feels too lethargic, but he captured the family dynamics wonderfully and there's some beautiful prose and astute observations so I would tentatively recommend it.

About to get into bed to start reading my first Margaret Atwood book - The Handmaid's Tale.

1. Girl on a Train - lots of other reviews but I read this in a day, (after Jonathan Strange) and it was quite a relief to read something quick and easy, but I enjoyed it, I imagine it will go into film production fairly soon!

Welcome Joyless!

Welcome Joyless. Beware - this thread will send your wish list spinning out of control :o I've discovered so many wonderful new books since joining the 50 Book Thread :)

Hello joyless

Welcome back ryslady and congratulations on the birth of your daughter.

And book update - 100 pages into Hyperion and hooked.

14. The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene

He's just a wonderful wonderful story teller. I realise each time I embark on one of his books how much I enjoy his writing. This isn't one of his best for me but is still very good. I'm intending to read a few more of his this year.

Just started One Night Markowitz by Ayelet Gundal-Goshen after reading a review of it in the paper.