50 Book Challenge 2016 Part One

[southeastdweller]

Thread one of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2016, 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.

Who's in for this year?

I'm one of those who typically has 2-3 books on the go... All dusty and often unfinished!

I just can't do it. I have a very intimidating Goodreads friend who, in the last week, has finished and written reviews for six books. And not a lightweight read amongst them. It just boggles my brain.

But who says you should? Better to focus on enjoying one at a time. Maybe your friend has more free time than you.

It was science fiction Côte. Cyber punk and contemporary urban stuff in particular. I was mostly focused on the idea of the city. It was super fun. I am determined to go back and finish my PhD when I retire

I agree with you on Bone Clocks. Some really interesting ideas but not quite up to cloud atlas standard.

"It was science fiction Côte. Cyber punk and contemporary urban stuff in particular. I was mostly focused on the idea of the city. "

I love cyberpunk - William Gibson's earlier stuff (not his more recent braindead garbage books) and Neal Stephenson, of course. I have also studied a bit of city planning and would love to hear your thoughts Snow Crash and The Diamond Age, in particular. I'm overdue for a re-read of these two books, too

Can you recommend me a cyberpunk author in the same vein?

The Hollow Crown was great, I am going backwards in time as I bought The Plantagenets yesterday, looking forward to it.
Bone Clocks was excellent.
I've just finished Martyr by Rory Clements, not brilliant and I won't be rushing off to read the rest of them.

Quogwinkle loving Hollow Crown so far, I've even managed not to get mixed up with all the people with the same names!

TheCrow I'm intending to go backwards to The Plantagenets too, waited until it was cheapo in the Kindle sale!

Have just set up Goodreads challenge and "to read" list, have got 79 books on there and they're only unread ones I have on my shelves or Kindle, oops! not even counting all the free classics I have on the Kindle

Moving You're quite right and generally I'm quite happy bumbling along at my own (slow) pace. But every so often I encounter one of these types and I'm in awe.

Hi all and happy new year!

I've set my Goodreads challenge but, and I'm probably being thick here, I don't know what else you do once you've set it. All it's showing me is a list of the number of books other people want to read. Where/how do you log when you've read a book, or comment on them or anything?

I wrote about slightly random aspect of William Gibson books for my degree. Ah, it takes me back! I read snow crash years ago and remember really enjoying in.

Have you read Distraction by Bruce Sterling. I actually think he is a better writer then Gibson. Gibson's vision and world building is amazing but his dialogue can be rather clunky I think. Distraction has some really interesting stuff on alternative housing and communal living from what I remember (again it's been a while since I read it!).

I also liked Maul by Tricia Sullivan. Always nice to have a good female writer in SF who goes for it with some gender politics. My only real issue is that there is almost too much going on, but it's good fun.

There's a slightly pre-cyber punk book called City Come a Walkin. It was written 1980 I think so feels somewhat dated but has some really fascinating predictions of the growth of the internet and the effect it will have on the cityscape due to changes in working practices.

Gosh, that's quite a lot isn't it! I think I love this thread

OnlyLovers When you start reading a book add it to My Books. You can either search for the book by title or author or if on a device with a camera you can scan the barcode and it will find the book for you.
Once you have finished reading the book update your progress to show that you have finished it and it will be added to your reading challenge total for this year.

tumbletumble STEM here. However I nearly applied to study Literature&Language!
Could you please link the version of W&P you bought?

I'd love to do this! Really fell behind with reading due to very busy lifestyle but things are quieter now. Will start today!

Hello! I would like to join please. I am currently reading a virago modern classic, Not So Quiet by Helen Zenna Smith, set in world war 1,the experiences of a female ambulance driver. Rather grim!

Having a wakeful three year old means I have been able to read the Kindle at night so I have read my first book of the year.

1. An American Nomad: A Road Trip in Search of America by Stephen Braxton Thompson

This had the potential to be interesting, as Thompson was a well-renowned journalist who covered the Vietnam war, amongst other major events and has obviously seen a lot of amazing things in his life.
In this book, retired now from journalism, he decides to drive around America avoiding the interstate and taking back-roads, eating in diners and staying in motels in run-down forgotten towns whilst seeing the sights. I've done a road-trip in America and some of this seemed familiar, but it wasn't that detailed or insightful a book and there was too much of his musings (and too many 'deeply attractive' 50 year old women who wanted to get to know him, erm, quite well...).

Now on to The Hours by Michael Cunningham which was a charity shop find, and something else on the Kindle, not sure what yet!

You are a bad influence all of you. After reading this I have bought the hollow crown,the plantagenet one and the men who stare at goats. Keep me away from the kindle sales please.

I'm in. I seem to read fewer books each year although my reading list grows ever longer. I managed 48 last year but felt I rushed through many. I'm aiming for 25 this year and the classic I want to tick off is Middlemarch. First though is A Strangeness in my Mind by Orhan Pamuk.

I'm in.

Finished my first book of the year:

1. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Just not my kind of book at all. It was well written, the descriptions were incredibly rich and there were some comic moments I nearly smiled at.

I do realise it is a parody, but it just didn't work for me. Beginning to wonder if I've lost my sense of humour as I've got older.

I'm now reading the second of Peter May's Lewis trilogy - The Lewis Man. Really enjoyed the first: The Black House.

Thanks snozzle.

I've just finished The Watchmaker of Filigree Street: good but I didn't understand all of it.

Will probably start All My Puny Sorrows next.

I'm in. My book reading has really dropped off. Stressful year and wasting time mindlessly surfing on my iPad. Last year I read 20 books which is woeful for me.

I have a huge amount of unread books, so I'm going to work my way through them. Currently reading American Gods by Gaiman and loving it.

I usually genre hop, so after this I'll be reading Caxton by Mark Cocker.

Hi antimatter, this is the version I chose.

My understanding from the information I linked to upthread, plus the article you linked to, was that reading War and Peace involves choosing to some extent between the faithfulness of the text to Tolstoy's original (eg Volokhonsky & Pevear) and the accessibility of the writing to an English reader (eg Garnett). The reviews implied to me that Maude is a good compromise between the two.

Also it was 99p on kindle

Id like to join please. Used to read a lot and in the past few years phone and iPad have taken over . I would like to get back on track with reading again

Thanks tumbletumble!

I can also read it in Polish (my mother tongue), and was wondering if that may be the best as both languages structure and grammar is very similar.
I ma trying to find out from my friends how many translations in Polish there were but I bet much fewer than into English.

I'm joining in (though might get lost if the thread moves this fast all the time!)

Aiming for 50 books and 25 on Audible

Currently listening to Americanah on Audible which I am really enjoying, and the second Shardlake (Dark Fire) on Kindle (just started it, but good so far)

Count me in

I would like 2016 to be a year of less wasting time on the internet and watching crap TV, and more reading!

So far I've read The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett (not seen the film and don't want to, as worried it would spoil the book for me) and The Other Son by Nick Alexander.

Oh yes, that might well be a good option if there is a translation available. I have some Russian blood (my grandmother was Russian) but sadly no knowledge of the language at all (except that she taught me how to say 'I love you' ).