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50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 2

999 replies

Southeastdweller · 05/02/2015 06:48

Thread two of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

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

Previous thread here

OP posts:
FanFuckingTastic · 21/03/2015 13:53

Hi I am new. Been reading a lot recently so thought I would share my list. I am mostly a fantasy reader, with some apocalyptic tendencies. I am always looking for more to read though.

Book 1, 2, and 3.

Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set: The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

I started reading this as this author took over another series by another author I liked and I wanted to see what his own fiction was like. I loved this series. Brandon writes some really great magic systems and his world building is top class. He also writes a good female protagonist. This series made me want to read everything he has written.

Book 4

The Things That Keep Us Here byCarla Buckley

A really interesting read about a couple and their children and what happens when flu virus hits the population with an almost 50% kill rate. This book made me cry, perhaps because I could totally see myself in the mother's position. It is an emotional read, this is a separated, unhappy couple, trying to hold it together through illness, loss of power, hunger, human violence and terrible weather. When I finished the book, I had to sit for a while and just think about it, it was entirely plausible that this situation could hit, and a reminder of how thin the veneer of civility really is when we are talking about survival.

Book 5

Burn for Me: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona Andrews

This is an urban fantasy with elements of romance. A young magic user and her mostly teenage family, along with ex-army sharp shooter mother, and tank fixing, straight talking grandmother.

Most of the world was changed in the past by a serum that encouraged developments of "magic" throughout the population. This changed the structure of society, with major magical families becoming high society and basically running their cities themselves. People basically arrange themselves into castes based on the strength of their magic, with Primes being on top.

The protagonist is a young woman who runs a private investigation firm, family based, which works out of one of the major families due to financial issues, has been given the impossible task of bringing in one of the runaway sons from another family. She's probably going to die trying. And she gets some unwanted attention trying to do so. At least nobody knows that she's not completely powerless herself.

Since I love this author, I can only recommend. It's kind of a fantasy trope, the young female PI against the world, but it doesn't read that way. I like the strong female characters who don't just fall in love and let their man save the day.

Book 6

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Another book that made me cry. Proper sobbing with snot too. It's a story about a monster in the night, nightmares, bullying and death, but it's not what it seems. Another one that is a dark read with a very interesting message, and also another one where another author has taken up the reins of a story after the death of the initial author. I find it very interesting to see how these stories compare to the original works, and what the new author brings to it.

Will do some more later on as I have catching up to do, fortunately I got plenty of books read, and plenty more in the to read pile.

tessiegirl · 21/03/2015 15:41

Still reading We Were Liars but getting through it quick due to the small easy to read chapters. I honestly haven't a clue where is it going or what the twist will be. Am I just being a bit slow?!!!!

thelittlebooktroll · 21/03/2015 15:55

Welcome FanSmile

Tessiegirl, I loved We were liars and didn't see the twist coming either....I know I am a bit slow thoughGrin

EleanorRugby · 21/03/2015 16:03

mumslife I loved Fingersmith, it would be in my top 5 all time favourite reads! It is definitely my favourite Sarah Waters book, I've read them all except The Paying Guests which I have on my Kindle. I read Fingersmith over ten years ago so I think I will re-read it this year.
I have just whizzed through The Apple: Crimson White stories by Michael Faber. I really enjoyed it but it was very short. I'm glad I only paid 99p for it as a Kindle daily deal as at least a quarter of the book was a sneak preview of another of his books The Book of Strange New Things (which I didn't read).

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2015 16:10

Thanks for the love, everyone Smile

Meanwhile, I am plodding through John Dies At The End. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but it might make it to the first 20 worst books I've ever read, which is no small honour.

I'm 54% in and can barely stand the Ghostbusters vibe and the nonsense on every page. I like the author's writing style, but the 'story' (to the extent that there is one, which is debatable) is just so dumb and boring that I'm beginning to lose the will to live read further.

Remus - How on earth did you like this after calling The Martian 'juvenile'?

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 21/03/2015 16:12

Ha! :) I liked the voice of the narrator, and I liked the lunacy of John. There isn't actually much story though tbh. I'd stop now if I were you - it gets much worse.

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2015 16:22

How is 'much worse' even possible? Shock

I like lunacy in books but this is more silliness than lunacy.

Try Umbrella by Will Self of The Atrocity Exhibition by J G Ballard for some proper lunacy.

ClashCityRocker · 21/03/2015 16:35

I liked JDATE too mostly, although the ending was terrible. I thought it was good fun, through agree with cotes two recommendations...in fact have just started 'how the dead live' by will self for my bath book.

Anyways, no 25 my fault - billy childish. This purports to be an autobiography, although in the introduction the author is vague about the crossover between fact and perception. Nonetheless, it is a brutally honest account of a childhood and adolescence. I love Childish's writing, and the book is all written from the perspective of his younger self. Much of it makes uncomfortable reading - both because of the subject matter and the author's view of the world around him.

This book is both dark and troubling, but also very funny in parts. I really enjoyed reading it.

I'm still on with Norrell and Strange on the kindle - 78% through, in fact. I am enjoying it, however I don't feel like I 'know' the two main characters very well. A quite significant event seems to have been 'skipped' over, although I'm sure more will come to light. Hoping to finish it by midweek.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 21/03/2015 17:20

I honestly cannot abide Will Self. I would rather read nothing but Enid Blyton ever again than attempt to read something else by him.

And the two Ballards I've attempted were absolute tripe imvho. I'd rather read something shamelessly stupid tbh.

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2015 17:25

... whereas I can't stand stupid and I can't stand kiddie books.

Remus, we are possibly going to accept that we have diametrically opposing literary tastes. I've only ever felt this with vegan friends staring in horror at my plate full of meat shavings covered in melted cheese, with an egg on the side Grin

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 21/03/2015 17:27

:) :) :)

I am a vegetarian too btw. Grin

ClashCityRocker · 21/03/2015 17:28

I just think I need to be more discerning with my book choices

Ill read anything! Grin

Apart from wolf hall. Never again.

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2015 17:32

I'm with you on Wolf Hall, and so is Remus, I believe. One of the few books we have ever agreed on Grin

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 21/03/2015 17:33

'Wolf Hall' - a good story and great characters ruined by appalling writing.

Southeastdweller · 21/03/2015 17:36

New thread coming in ten minutes Smile

OP posts:
MegBusset · 21/03/2015 17:37

See now I love Wolf Hall... and Will Self... and JG Ballard! Not sure where that puts me...

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2015 17:39

That puts you right next to me, Meg Grin

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2015 17:39

I'll just chalk up your love for Wolf Hall to a momentary lapse of reason Grin

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2015 17:41

Meanwhile, I just realised that John Dies At The End has a sequel called
This Book Is Full Of Spiders: Seriously Dude Don’t Touch It.

Between my utter hatred of spiders and somewhat less but still quite strong distaste for JDATE, I expect to read this sequel... umm... never Smile

Southeastdweller · 21/03/2015 17:47

New thread here.

OP posts:
ClashCityRocker · 21/03/2015 17:48

I'm sure much will be explained in the sexual..

ClashCityRocker · 21/03/2015 17:48

Erm, sequel. Not sexual.

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2015 17:50

Freudian slip Grin

mumslife · 21/03/2015 18:32

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