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

South - aside from Holy as racist and homophobic, I really rate, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' I think it's exquisitely tender and sad.

Holly - lost an l!

No 83

Burnt Paper Sky by Gilly Macmillan

Every mothers nightmare , Rachel is walking in the woods with her son Ben when he runs ahead & goes missing

I was gripped throughout and read it very quickly to find out what happened to him but I did think the ending was a bit rushed

It was interesting to read the media & social media hounding of the poor parents , reminded me of the McCanns

114. Capital by John Lanchester. Really enjoyed this and am sorry to have finished it. Loved the short chapters interweaving all the stories from the many residents of Pepys Road. Fascinating. Will definitely look out for more by him.

I've had Capital on my Kindle for a while but never read it - I think I will soon. The TV series is on the BBC later this month. How're you feeling at the moment, Duchess?

85. The Strangler Vine by MJ Carter

Ensign of the East India Company William Avery sets out from 1837 Caulcutta in the company of dissolute, errant genius Jeremiah Blake, in search of famed poet and disgraced agent Xavier Mountstuart, who has gone missing in the jungle. Their searches seem fruitless and eventually take them into Kali-worshipping Thugee territory. As the danger mounts, Avery and Blake come to realise there is another agenda at work.

Not being terribly knowledgeable about the subject, I can only assume that the historical detail of life in 19th century India is reasonably accurate. It's certainly interesting, although largely from the point of view of Avery, who at least starts out with the contemptuous attitudes of the British in India to the natives at that time. The search seems largely frustrating, mainly because it's in the first person so we have a lot about Avery's own thoughts and attitudes. But it's a decent read with a fair amount of adventure.

Hello, I'm just joining the thread as I always enjoy discovering new books. I have lost count how many books I've read this year, but more than 40. So I won't number my books for the remaining part of 2015 and will start a proper count in the new year. Hope you don't mind!

I enjoy an eclectic mix of fiction (mainly fiction) including modern and contemporary classics, thrillers...

I've just begun Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White. I thought, as I like Dickens and live in London, I'd particularly enjoy the descriptions. My book-loving DH recommended this too.

Haven't posted on this year's thread (did post on last year's) but since I rely heavily on this thread for reading inspiration I thought I'd share my reads:
Listellany: A Miscellany of Very British Top Tens, From Politics to Pop -John Rentoul
Watership Down - Richard Adams
Hickory, Dickory Dock- Agatha Christie
Murder Must Advertise -Dorothy L Sayers
One,Two Buckle My Shoe - Agatha Christie
Do No Harm - Henry Marsh
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit - Judith Kerr
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (audiobook)
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote (audio)
Unreliable Memoirs - Clive James
The Owl Service - Alan Garner
Forensics - Val McDermid
Life On Air -David Attenborough (audio)
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (audio)
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier (audio)
The Book of You - Claire Kendal
A is for Alibi - Sue Grafton (audio)
B is for Burglar - Sue Grafton (audio)
Lost At Sea - Jon Ronson
The Reason I Jump -Naoki Higashida
I Am Legend - Richard Matheson (audio)
Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls - David Sedaris
The Last Hero - Terry Pratchett
C is for Corpse - Sue Grafton (audio)
The Hour I First Believed - Wally Lamb
The Essential Letters from America: The 1990s - Alistair Cooke (audio)
Coming Up Trumps - Jean Trumpington
The Skeleton Cupboard - Tanya Byron
My Dear I wanted To Tell You - Louisa Young
G is for Gumshoe - Sue Grafton (audio)
A History of Britain 3000BC - AD1603 - Simon Schama (audio)
Carrie - Stephen King
The Lawnmower Man Stories from Night shift - Stephen King (audio)
Five Children and It - E Nesbit
Inside the O'Brien's - Lisa Genova (audio)
A Man Called Ove - Frederik Backman
Ultimate David Sedaris Audio Collection
Lake of Darkness - Ruth Rendell
Still Alice - Lisa Genova (audio)
A Cold-Blooded Business -Dana Stabenow
William's Treasure Trove -Richmal Crompton
Peter Pan - JM Barrie
The Third Man and The Fallen Idol - Graham Greene
In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile - Dan Davies
The Year of Reading Dangerously - Andy Miller
Rock Stars Stole My Life - Mark Ellen
Flirting with French - William Alexander
My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell (audio)
The Examined Life - Stephen Grosz
The Breaking Point - Daphne du Maurier
Blessings - Anna Quindlen
Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond (audio)
The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh (audio)
The Troop - Nick Cutter
What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Richard Feynman (audio)
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Bold are books I especially enjoyed and italicised ones are books which disappointed

southeast - I'm looking forward to the tv version of Capital. Hope they do it justice. I had some favourite characters, which will be interesting to see how well they are portrayed.

It's been a bit of a strange day today - we had the funeral this morning, still waiting to hear whether there's to be an inquest. Odd feeling, really.

Sorry to hear your news, Duchess...

Welcome to the thread ptero, Gerty and Verona!

51. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I saw this reviewed on another thread and it got a mixed response - I think it's a bit of a marmite book - but I'm coming down on the positive side. I found it gripping and thought-provoking, with an interesting cast of characters. It is very dark and uncomfortable to read at times (as it deals with the topic of child abuse).

Hope you're ok today, Duchess.

Duchess, I hope you're ok too. Go easy on yourself at this difficult time.

I am currently trying to get through The Orchardist. I have been reading it FOR EVER. I do not recommend it.

"I've just begun Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White. I thought, as I like Dickens and live in London, I'd particularly enjoy the descriptions. "

Let us know what you think when you have finished it. I thought it was great in the beginning, then plodded on an incredibly long time, and suddenly ended. Hugely disappointed but YMMV, of course.

Duchess - May your father rest in peace and light

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes :)

I'm so glad that I love reading. It's a wonderful distraction from the stressful times. I can't concentrate on anything too heavy or literary atm, but have just picked up A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, which seems to be flowing along quite easily.

for Duchess. I still can't believe my Dad is gone, it's now been almost 5 months...he would have enjoyed the new Galbraith

43. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - YA fantasy that I really wanted to like as there is a big, long series. I think a 15 year old me would have enjoyed it but it's just a big mash up of Harry Potter and most vampire books you can think of. I forced myself to finish it as it's our book club book. The rest of the series won't be weighing down my bookshelves....

Moving on to the Gift of Rain which I am enjoying so far.

Gertyboo - I loved the Crimson Petal and the White all the way through, hope you do too.

I read, 'City of Bones' after some of my students were raving about it a couple of years ago. I felt exactly as you describe, LadyDepp/

I'm still plodding on with Merrily (stupid name) Whatsherface. Am not liking it much but will finish it as the next book in the pile is, 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' and the first 40 pages have not inspired me yet. It's making me grumpy.

Duchess - adding my love to the other messages. Glad to hear that a bit of light reading is a bit of a support through a v difficult time.

whippet I think life's too short to trudge through books you're not enjoying. Or have you reached the point when you'd feel guilty or something for giving up now?

Duchess thinking of you

I've just read the new Sophie Hannah
A Game For All The Family no 84

Another psychological thriller , Justine escapes her demanding London career to rural Devon with husband Alex and daughter Ellen
The story intertwines with Ellen's fictional story she's writing .
Justine starts getting anonymous calls telling her to leave

Really enjoyed it in a creepy eerie way !

I agree with southeast I've given up on so many books I couldn't take to now I'm older
In my twenties i made myself read them , the number of books o trudged through because I thought I should Joyce's Ulysses being my favourite example !

I almost never give up on a book - literally about two or three times in my life (although actually that includes Ulysses!). Logically I agree with you that life's too short, but for some reason I have to carry on till the bitter end!

I'm with tumble. I even read the pile of nonsense that was John Dies At The End to its moronic end. I also finished The Master And Margarita which was also rubbish.

Among the very few books that have defeated me are Catcher In The Rye and more recently, William Gibson's latest book The Peripheral - I came to about 20% and realised that I had no idea what was going on, who the characters were, and WTF they were on about. That was a clear sign that I really needed to stop reading it A shame, really. I used to really like William Gibson's books back in the '80s and early '90s. I think he just got old.

Sympathies to you too, ladydepp

88. Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes. Very solid thriller about Catherine, a woman suffering from OCD after surviving horrific domestic violence. The story is quite predictable but the author really builds the suspense. I was reading this on Hallowe'en night and it made me feel a bit jumpy.

89. Us by David Nicholls. The story of a man trying to save his marriage and reconnect with his son on a holiday through Europe. My problem with this book was that both the wife and son were such spoiled brats that I just didn't really care what happened. Some parts are funny though and it's an undemanding read.

I rarely give up on books but I was completely defeated by Cloud Atlas. I got it in hardback as a present so I really must give it another go next year.

I give up on more books than I complete. Recently anyway. I blame this on books being so accessible on the kindle.