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?

Cedar I tried and failed miserably with Shirley so much so if I had come across it before reading Jane Eyre I would never have read it. I find it hard to believe the two books were written by the same woman. This has given me food for thought am I brave enough to try again

Crikey, this thread has filled up fast!

I'm in, but not got one to my name yet.

Those recommending Brave New World / Animal Farm - have you read George Orwell's collected essays? Although many of them were written as journalism, they still stand up incredibly well, IMO.

Shirley is one of my favourite Bronte novels, I like it much more than Jane Eyre, but I'd agree it's very different. (Villette OTOH I found almost unreadable.)

And my favourite non-fiction Orwell: Homage to Catalonia (although it's a good few years since I last read) - it's reportage so obviously of its time, but captures a great many absurdities of the Spanish Civil War.

"I don't think the plants are sentient. It's more herd behaviour I think"

But herd animals are sentient

"1984 is timeless imho, a very worthy read... Brave new World also excellent and deserves much more attention"

I read both as a teenager, and then again in recent years (decades later). As I teenager, I had thought Brave New World was the superior novel, because of its moral ambiguity: If everyone is happy, is it even a dystopia? However, reading both in my 40s, I was surprised to see that 1984 now stands out an incredibly well-constructed novel that has stood the test of time not only on its ideas, moral attitude and judgements, but also its dialogue and prose. On the other hand, Brave New World now looks like a superficial and badly written novel, although hugely influential in its day.

1. Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

Finished my first book of the year after giving up on Burial Rites. I read it on the Kindle as I got it on special offer for a few pence. I'm not a big fan of the Kindle, much prefer to read a proper book. I'm sure it affects my enjoyment.

I would describe this book as a 'brooding thriller'. It is set on the Falkland Islands with a back story of a tragedy (plus guilt, revenge...) and subsequent missing children and is told from the perspective of 3 different characters. It was an ok read, kept me guessing and I liked the structure but I didn't feel that the characters each had their own voice. First book I've read from this author.

Next up is Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay which was a Xmas pressie

In some ways Shirley reminded me of Barchester Towers and also a bit of Cranford. It's not as straightforward as Jane Eyre and the structure is a bit rambling in places. These days an editor would probably make her restructure some of it. It's more a picture of a community and has multiple view points rather than the first person narrative of Jane Eyre.

I don't think I would have enjoyed it as a teenager when I read and loved Jane Eyre. I tried Villette at the time and didn't get very far.

Day of the Triffids is well worth a read. It is very much a product of the cold war generations. Midwich Cuckoos is also good.

Muskey if you like fact based tudor novels try the novels by Alison Weir who first and foremost is a historian. I can recommend Innocent Traitor about Lady Jane Grey, her early years, elevation to the throne and her death. Beautifully written. There is also The Lady Elizabeth which is on my shelf waiting to be read so can't comment on that one.

I could be wrong, and I'm now determined to re-read this, but I don't think DotTriffids really works at all without the menace of the idea that these plants possess some kind of intelligence and are predatory. It is not meant to be the same as human intelligence and isn't contained in a 'brain', but it works on some level to fulfil their need as a species, and the book discusses the possible nature of this, and the ramifications of ignoring this and harvesting stuff from them. Humans are complex and have complex needs that are more difficult to meet, so another idea is that the plants are better adapted than we are to survive when the playing field is levelled somewhat by the mass loss of sight, as their requirements are fewer than ours.

I think if you take away the possibility of sentience, you are just left with plants.

I know what you mean about not feeling like The Invisible Library really delivered, Stokey, but I thought I would go easy on the first one as a debut novel. Hopefully the writing will continue to improve.

wilting I will plod on a bit more then!

I loved John Wyndham as a teen- iirc my favourite was lichen- dos anyone else think that thr martian had a feel of those earlier scifi novels?

Thank you grey. I do like Alison Weir both factual and fiction. I also like the story of lady Jane grey.

1. Skellig by David Almond.

This is a quirky tale about a young boy called Michael. He's just moved house, his parents are worried about his sick baby sister, the girl next door seems unusual and there is something extraordinary living among the junk in the garage. I enjoyed this, and think it would appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman.

Tumble, Skellig is beautiful imho - far better than Gaiman, for me at least. You might also enjoy Almond's Heaven Eyes which I think has a similar charm. I don't think his more recent novels have come anywhere close though, sadly - he just seems to use the same kind of characters and themes over and over again.

I'm reading The Book of Strange New Things and finding it pretty dull but not quite dull enough to give up on. The letters between the preacher and his wife are sooooo worthy and boring, but now he's living with the 'aliens' maybe there will be fewer letters!

Finished my first just now!

1. The Hollow Crown - Dan Jones

Really gripping history of the Wars of the Roses and the rise of the Tudors. I found it a real pageturner as the writing's so novelistic and really enables you to visualise the things that are happening. It was such a confusing period with people swapping sides, titles passing down generations or changing hands etc so I'm glad to have found a narrative that nmhas sent me a way with a clear version of events! Would highly recommend (though I do love a Roses/Tudors history).

Fiction next I think. Shirley is on my list for the year, having been unread on the shelf since I bought it at the Bronte house in 2010 (oops), but I'm going to go for something more contemporary first I think. A Life In Ruins arrived the other day so perhaps that - will see what mood grabs me later this evening.

Glad I'm on target so far!

Skellig is £1.99 on kindle at the moment if anyone is interested.

I may have just bought it.

I bought a copy of Skellig from a library sale a few years ago. Thought DS might like it, but he hasn't touched it. Maybe I should read it.

Id like to join just finished Mark Billingham's Buried. And have just started Dan Brown's Inferno

thunderbird - I read Sarah's Key last year.

I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil it for you, but I found it utterly gripping, although a very hard read in places (due to the subject matter, not the writing). It's one book that's really stuck with me long after I've finished reading it.

I loved hollw crown ash. I am also trying to read the summer of blood which I have to say isn't as good as Magna carta, the hollow crown and The Plantagenets

1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. It is set in World War 2 and tells the story of a girl living with her foster parents. Some of the pictures painted by the author will really stay with me. The book is narrated by death which was both unsettling and interesting.

I have a somewhat strange relationship with this book as it took me over a year to read it So I can't really say whether a bit in the middle did go slowly or it was my bad reading habit last year. A page a week doesn't do any book justice.

My struggle with this book really made me feel I wouldn't manage this thread. But today I remembered that I forgot to take it on holiday last year and instead I read A Walk in the woods by Bill Bryson (which I enjoyed as a holiday read as it was funny and interesting and about being middle aged, friendship, walking and the natural history of North America),Light on snow by Anita Shreeve and The Great Gatsby

So now I'm going to stick with you and see how it goes

Waawo I can't recommend enough the fabulous Paperwhite -it feels great to hold in one hand.

Productive reading day due to being confined to bed for having done stupid things (ie thrown my back out) Started with Children's based books last night due to low concentration.

Mr Nobbody and The wreck of the Zanzibar both by Michael Morpurgo. Both nice well rounded stories. However his other books The long way home and Why the whales came home felt like he ran out of word count and or got bored and just had to finish up. Nice stories and would have loved to have seen an extra chapter to more organically finish of the story as the rest is well written.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare the second book of the prequel series infernal devices. Slower paced than the Mortal instruments series and deals with slightly more grown up themes but the series is best approached in quick succession. Speaking of which I have the third book in my hand and I am going to try to stop before the end for sleep. I am hoping for the answers I seek that were raised in the Mortal instruments books and for a well written rounded ending to the series.

1. The Great Gatsby beautiful