50 Book Challenge 2015 Part Six

[southeastdweller]

Thread six 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. 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, fourth thread here and fifth thread here.

How did you get on this year?

Good one. I'm sure that you will both enjoy it, Best.

Happy Christmas fellow readers!

Very sorry to hear about your mum Wine - hope she is better soon

Not sure if I'll finish any more books before 2016 but I might have to buy the Hadfield (astronaut) book before my self-imposed ban on buying books.....yikes

I've just bought Michael Faber's, 'Book of Strange New Things' on Kindle. Can't remember if anyone on here has read it.

Um, no, thank you. I watched the pointless nonsense that was Under The Skin, and I read the utter disappointment that was Crimson Petal And The White. I have a funny feeling that Michel Faber's "sci-fi" will be whiny & non-scientific - just like Never Let Me Go.

Read it and let me know if I'm wrong, Remus

I didn't get on with 'Crimson Petal' at all, but have heard a couple of people raving about this one, so will give it a go. It's wonderful to have lots and lots to read again! :)

Sorry to hear about your mum, whitewine. It's rubbish being stuck in hospital at Christmas. My dad was in hospital a couple of years ago and I kept him going with carrier bags full of books. He was one of the fastest readers I know and could get through a couple of books a day with nothing else to do.

Hope your Mum gets on okay Whitewine

Happy Christmas everyone! No books for Christmas but loads of Amazon vouchers so looking forward to spending them 😄

Happy Christmas everyone, and fingers crossed for your mum, Whitewine.

I'm very happy right now - big pile of books for Christmas, plus a £25 book token too :)

Still got 2/3 of Perdido Street Station (900 odd pages total) to go before I start them though!

Apple Tree Yard is 99p again. Do I want to read it?

No Cote, you don't.

I'm going to join the new thread in 2016... Looking forward to it.

Thank you, Best

I've read Book of New Things. It will be interesting to hear your take on it, Remus! I thought it tried terribly terribly hard with the allegory. In a somewhat earnest and peculiar way.

Just finished re-reading Appassionata for the umpty-millionth time. It was a bit of a slog because I got some new books for Christmas but I was determined to finish it before starting something new. I love Jilly (but I think Abby's a bitch, don't see the appeal of Lothario Viking and think the story should focus more on Marcus).

I've got an anthology of Roald Dahl's short stories for adults; The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters; the Earthsea Quartet; Wyrd Sisters (TP); and Queen of the Tearling by Erik Johansen to read next. Hurray!

Book no 100 - Viv Albertine - Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. Autobiography of the former guitarist of the punk group The Slits. A book of two halves. The first half covers her teenage years and her time with The Slits and her memories of the other bands, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, etc, Maclaren and Westwood. I was a teenager during the punk years and buying the records (though I was always a bit intimidated by The Slits) so it was interesting to me because I knew who these people were but I don't know how I'd have found it otherwise. The second half covers her life post Slits.

Book 101 - The Checklist Manifesto - Atul Gawande. Bought this as it was cheap on Kindle and wish I hadn't bothered. How checklists could prevent mishaps in surgery. Thankfully very short.

Book 102 - Graham Norton - The life and Loves of A He Devil. Lighthearted and another quick read.

Had a lovely Boxing Day with feet up on the sofa just reading. Bliss.

Ruth Ozeki's book A Tale For The Time Being is £1.09 on the Kindle. I don't know if it was on this thread that it was recommended to me, but it is not the kind of book I would normally read so must have been highly recommended by someone whose literary views I respect for it to have made it onto my watch list on eReaderIQ

Hello, I'd love to join in too please. I found this thread after it was mentioned on another thread about wanting to read more in 2016 instead of mindless internet browsing.

I particularly enjoy the historical fiction and high-fantasy genres. I've just started reading Philippa Gregory's The Other Queen, and I also have The King's Curse on my 'to read' pile amongst many many others

Welcome Grey. I've really enjoyed these threads.

Cheddar I love Jilly too but never warmed to Abby in Appassionata either.

welcome to Scarlett too and anyone else I've missed.

Thank you best looking forward to it.

Welcome to the thread Grey, Scarlett, and others I may have missed

Hi all. I was on the thread for the first half of last year under a different name then dropped off the earth mumsnet due to some health problems. I managed 20 books though, which was an improvement on the previous year and put that mainly down to all the good recommendations and encouragement on this thread, so thanks

Hoping to keep up again this year and make 50.

I've got lots stacked up I'm looking forward to reading, and have picked up Tale for the Time Being, The Versions of Us, All the Light We Cannot See, Gilead and Neuromancer from the kindle sale to give me some others to be getting on with. The first 3 are not what I'd normally have chosen, but going to give them a try anyway.

61. We - Yevgeny Zamyatin

WTF did I just read?

Written in 1921 during Soviet Russia times and promptly banned, this is the dystopian book that supposedly inspired 1984. Well, it has aged very badly, unlike 1984. The writing is truly awful and the narrator is a pussywhipped idiot (I'm not exaggerating). Loads of sentences are unfinished. What the characters are talking about and even their motivation for doing what they do (which is not much) is impenetrable. Nonsense dialogues, completely unrealistic plot, rubbish "science" - I hated this book.

In case you are wondering, I'm not recommending it

52. Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch

Lovely easy read. I'm enjoying this series and will continue onto the fourth.

This will probably be my last book of the year and would just like to say how much I have enjoyed this thread this year. Welcome to all the newbies and hopefully next year it will attract even more book lovers to come share their reads and inspiration.

Remus, I really liked The Book of Strange New Things but I like Michael Faber. The Crimson Petal is one of my favourite books and I found Under the Skin creepy and thought provoking (the film, though, was not very good). In fact, all of his novels have made me think about how I perceive the world and The Book prompted many discussions with my DH. DH had some objections with it and I wonder if you will feel the same. Time will tell!