50 Book Challenge 2015 Part Five

[southeastdweller]

Thread five of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2015, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. It's still not too late to join, any type of book can count, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

First thread of the year here, second thread here, third thread here, and fourth thread here.

Happy reading

Yes, J.D played his wife - I've also seen the film but not read the book - will do so soon, I think.

I Let you Go did pick up a bit as it went on. I thought the parts about the police investigation were a lot more lively than the parts about Jenna. I guessed half the twist but not all of it and obviously don't want to give away any spoilers.

79. A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale. He's one of my favourite writers so I was really looking forward to this and it was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. It's the story of Harry Cane who starts out very conventionally in Edwardian England but ends up farming in Canada after he is forced flee when his illicit affair is discovered. It's loosely based on a true story from the author's family. Parts of the book are totally tragic but there is a lot of humour in it as well and it's very life-affirming.

75. Treason's Harbour by Patrick O'Brian

Largely based in Malta, the main focus of this novel is the intrigues, intelligence and counter-intelligence work of the Napoleonic Wars. Stephen Maturin realises there is a French network active in the island and endeavours to identify the means of bringing the spies to light. Meanwhile, Jack Aubrey is sent on a mission which has been betrayed to the enemy.

Really fancy "5 children on the Weston Front" and "84 Charing Cross Road" now Rebus BUT trying to read what I have and not purchase anything new

Book 53:Cutting For Stone by Abraham VergheseLoved it! Set in Addis Ababa of the 1960s,'70s and '80s. The story is riveting and I was really drawn to the main characters and came to care about them a great deal. It is described as an epic love story, medical story and family saga and it is all of those things and more. His writing brought Ethiopia alive – I could see, feel and smell it. One of the best books I have read this year.

Book 54 Bricks & Mortality – Ann Granger - another audio read. As I have said before easy to listen to while pottering. Getting bored of them now though!

Does anyone have any Audio suggestions – must be easy listening of I get too drawn into the story and forget what I am doing…

Book 55 - The Taxidermists Daughter by Kate Moss - My book group read this month. I read her trilogy a few years ago loving the first 2 books but not enjoying the third. I loved her book Winter Ghosts and this one is reminiscent of this rather than the Languedoc Trilogy.

posted too soon - about a third of the way in so will see how it goes.

Some great recommendations on here! Lots of people reading things they have enjoyed

84. Tenth of December – George Saunders
    I love short stories and I thought these were excellent. One of my favourite books of the year so far. Some of them reminded me of War Fever by J.G Ballard which I rate highly.
    In my opinion this was a really good collection of stories, some with interesting science fiction elements, such as ‘Semplica Girls’ which was my personal favourite. They’re all very American it has to be said, and some of the stories are tragic, but he manages to find something essentially human and sympathetic which you can relate to in every character however flawed they are.
    I read these on my Macbook and it’s the first ebook I have borrowed from the public library. I’m happy to have read something I have loved. When you read a good book it’s such a great feeling and I feel my choices have been a bit off this year – so relief.

85. Metamorphosis and Other Stories – Franz Kafka
    To say I didn’t enjoy this collection would be an understatement but I don’t think the above collection would have been as good without the (at the time) ground-breaking stories of Kafka who did rather break the mould by writing from the point of view of animals, such as in The Burrow (an un-named borrowing animal) or Metamorphosis (a beetle) and using surreal events. I am glad I have read them but I am glad that I don’t have to read them again –-ever--.

I have just started Lovely, Dark, Deep by Joyce Carol Oates and I am hooked (more stories). I am also still reading City of Djinns which is interesting.

Bring on the reading!

Whew, 46) Armageddon, The Battle for Germany 1944 - 1945 by Max Hastings. This is not for the fainthearted. It records from the perspective of the ordinary soldier and civilian, from all sides, the experience on the ground, of the final push for victory in Europe. It is an excellent book and exposed my ignorance terribly. I have to say I had no real idea that the USSR had borne the brunt of the fighting and causalities. For every Anglo American solider who died, 30 Russians perished. I had no idea that the suffering of German civilians was quite so terrible. I had no idea of the refugee crisis. I suspected but never particularly inquired into the savagery of the fighting. Extremely educational, deeply disturbing, very vivid and accessible, if you have any interest in the Second World War this is one to read.

Not sure what to read next. Might just watch gogglebox for a few nights!

Yay - have reached 50! The last 2 have been recommendations from here, both of which I wouldn't have picked up myself, so thank you so much!

49. Snow Blind - Ragnar Jonasson
50. Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch

• both have been reviewed by others here very well already, but I think both are very good, although in places it was annoyingly clear Snow Blind wasn't written in English orginally and the translation was a little clunky, but still a good and atmospheric read. Rivers of London is just a fun, silly book which I enjoyed far more than I would have expected to!

15. American Gods - Neil Gaiman. Wow! It was a big read, but really compelling and engrossing. Interesting how Gaiman, Adams and Pratchett all deal with human (or near human) interactions with Gods (or gods, with the emphasis on lack of capitalisation) in similar ways, but each pull something very different out of the hat.

Off to the library on Weds to find some more exciting reads.

Oh dear, re the Kafka, Whippet.

1. Station Eleven -Emily St John Mandel
2. The Silver Sword - Ian Seraillier
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change - Stephen R Covey
4. I Can Make You Hate - Charlie Brooker
5. Chocky - John Wyndham
6. Zeitoun -Dave Eggers
7. Kensuke's Kingdom - Michael Morpurgo
8. Elizabeth is Missing - Emma Healey
9. Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

10. H is for Hawk -Helen McDonald 11. Love, Aubrey - Suzanne LaFleur 12. Five Go Off in a Caravan - Enid Blyton 13. The Vagenda -Rhiannon Lucy Coslett 14. Apple Tree Yard - Louise Doughty 15. Prayers For The Stolen -Jennifer Clement 16 Vertigo - WG Sebald 17. Life After Life - Kate Atkinson 18. The Bone Clocks - Davis Mitchell 19. House of Leaves - Mark Z Danielewski 20. Do No Harm - Henry Marsh 21. The Grunts In Trouble - Philp Ardagh 22. Far From The Tree - Andrew Solomon 23. When Mr Dog Bites - Brian Conaghan 24. All My Puny Sorrows - Miriam Toews 25. Reasons To Stay Alive - Matf Haig 26. Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor E Frankl 27. The Year of Reading Dangerously - Andy Miller 28. The Outcast - Sadie Jones 29. Shackleton's Epic: Recreating the World's Greatest Journey of Survival - Tim Jarvis 30. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins 31. When Will There Be Good News?- Kate Atkinson 32. The Light Between Oceans - M L Stedman 33. Pink Mist - Owen Sheers 34. Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris 35. Rip It Up and Start Again - Simon Reynolds 36. Ingo - Helen Dunmore 37. Sweetland - Michael Crummey 38. Corrag - Susan Fletcher 39. The Mind's Eye - Oliver Sacks 40. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

Any of those you recommend, crap? I loved Reasons to Stay Alive, my favourite book of the year so far.

I loved Gentlemen & Players form your list crap

No 77 The Versions of Us Laura Barnett

I found it okay , a little confusing but overall enjoyable, I think a film of it would be better, a bit like Sliding Doors one of my favourite films!

Does anyone else find themselves, when presented with a list of books on this thread, googling them or looking them up on Amazon?

Well Sweeetlands looks great - really want to read that now but have promised myself (and DH) I will reduce both my kindle "to read" books and the book shelf full of my "to read" books before I purchase any more !

Yes, Sonnet, as well as looking at online library catalogues. Already have a huge tbr pile but the raves above for 84 Charing Cross Road were too much for me to resist so I've just taken out a library copy.

The Sarah Waters webchat is tonight at 9, if anyone's interested.

Oh yes - 84 Charing Cross Road was another South
I am a sucker for charity and second hand bookstalls too

It's beautiful. I do hope that you enjoy it.

I've also just invested in 84 Charing Cross Road!

I recommend Sweetland definitely. It is the best book I have read in such long time. I'd never even heard of Michael Crummey but I want to read everything by him now. I picked it for our reading group and everyone loved it.

I also loved The Bone Clocks, Gentlemen and Players, All My Puny Sorrows and Do No Harm.

I recommend having a look at Pink Mist. It's very short. It's a radio play (it was on Radio 4) about the war in Afghanistan. Excellent writing.

Thanks crap - will look at Pink Mist.

67. The Ice Twins - S K Tremayne. Gloomy book set on a Scottish Island about family dysfunction following the death of a twin. Quite spooky but I got bored about two thirds of the way through.

68. I Let you go - Claire Mackintosh. I think this has been reviewed a few times up thread. I quite enjoyed it but was driven mad by trying to figure out the geography since it's located in my part of the world.

Disappointingly 84 Charing Cross Road doesn't seem to be available on Kindle although I have a feeling I read it years ago. Might see if the library has it.

I got a pile of up beat light reading books from the library last week but gloomy thrillers suit my mood at the moment.

I'm back in the UK now so have had a busy few days getting settled. I started reading The Ladykiller by Martina Cole. I have never read any of her books before and I'm enjoying it although there is quite a lot of detail getting into the mind of the serial killer character, which may not be for some...

I am absolutely loving 84 Charing Cross Road. Review to follow at the weekend

49. Afterparty - Daryl Gregory

Whoa, this was interesting! A drug called Numinous has the effect of opening lines of communication to your personal God. Or are they going mad? Its inventors have overdosed on it together, resulting in one dying, one going to prison, and one ending up in a mental institution. They agreed never to synthesize it again. But now a church seems to be distributing this drug to its ever-growing congregation, and this mentally-impaired ex-chemist must leave the mental institution with her ex-Special Forces lesbian lover and recruit her old lab assistant to go on a quest to find who is producing Numinous and put things right.

Much happens, truth about the past is revealed, and some interesting questions are asked. I thought this was a great little book, a cross between Philip K Dick and William Gibson as he used to be 20 years ago.