50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Two

[southeastdweller]

Thread two 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, it's not too late to join, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

Previous 2016 thread here

Hah Remus, I remember how boring you thought 2001 was

Has there ever been a fiction book we both liked? Aside from This Thing Of Darkness which is not really fiction, that is.

Remus - Who is the author of the Victorian Workhouse book? I can't find it on Amazon.

FiveGoMad I have already downloaded the sequel Edward Adrift

I have enjoyed everything I've read this year, whereas I can remember reading some real turkeys, and ploughing through worthy stuff I just wasn't enjoying when younger.

I was trying to decide whether I've become indiscriminately easily pleased, or better at choosing what to read. I decided the latter. With a demanding job, child, life in general, and no academic reading obligations to fulfil, I don't beat myself up about how far along the sliding scale of brainhurtiness my reading matter is. I know my own mind and tastes better. I also think Amazon / kindle, with its reviews and suggestions, has made it easier to identify books that are likely to appeal. This thread is helping too! (Maybe a bit too much - I've never had so much on my Amazon wishlist that it's gone to 2 pages before!)

Anyone else feel they have a higher ratio of reading hits to misses than they used to?

Yes, cote I've seen bits of it of course but I have a thing about reading a book before watching the film version, so have never made it a thing to sit and watch all the way through, looking forward to it now.

Ha remus I think cote was quite restrained

9. A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson

This is a book about war, and, centrally the impact of WWII and its effect on those who lived through it, and those who came after. It is as playful as you might expect from KA, darkly humourous, with deft deployments of emotion. Her writing is terrific; especially in the sections detailing Teddy's time as a fighter pilot. The descriptions of the battle sequences are extremely absorbing and well done. Other parts, for me, were less successful, but overall thought-provoking and an involving read, with many beautiful moments.

I've tried to read and gave up on Martin Millar. I had Lonely werewolf girl, I got about halfway and just couldn't continue. . It's maybe too YA for my taste but if I'm honest it's just really badly written and loads of YA is well written just for a younger audience. He explains everything, and repeats and repeats in case you've missed it first or second time around. Life's too short, sorry.

1. Because I was all geared up for some monsters. . World war Z by Max Brooks. Not bad, the bits where he plays with politics and international relations, how it could work if such a big calamity strikes. Not great, where is a bit too testosterone driven military acronyms macho stuff and all the stories of the different people get a bit boring. Still, amused me.

You wouldn't like it, Cote. It's just a slim Shire volume - not much depth.

Fiction we've both liked (iirc):
Red Rising and Golden Son (thanks to your rec)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Fahrenheit 451
Brave New World
And you ended up quite liking 'Triffids' recently, yep?

Do you like, 'A Clockwork Orange'? I have a feeling you'd love it, if you haven't read it already.

Rhu Not read his werewolf ones. I do think 'The Good Fairies' is fun, and don't have a prob with the quality of writing in it. And I'm usually pretty intolerant!

Ok maybe I'll give that one a go, after another palate cleanser! It was dire!

1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A YA fantasy novel about an American teenager who visits an isolated Welsh island to find out about his grandfather's past. The story is fun and original and always taking unexpected turns.

ulysses I actually found a really good read. A long read, for sure, but good once you find the rhythm of it. You have to leave any preconception of it being 'difficult' at the door, and try not to overthink it. It is (largely) one man, one day, and what he's thinking as he goes about it. It is funny, vulgar, with some great imagery in it. Whenever I retrieve the cheese from the fridge I'm reminded it's the 'corpse of milk', though that's a weird recommendation, I'll admit

I think I would like Triffids if it didn't have any Triffids in it. I thought the book was a pretty good post-apocalypse story based solely on the sudden blindness of nearly the world's entire population and what would happen when such a disaster strikes. What ends people would go to, in order to survive. How difficult it would be to actually find food if you can't see it. What kind of new order people will try to create.

Triffids added nothing except hilarity to that book imho.

But yes, we do seem to agree (somewhat) on dystopian sci-fi

One day you will properly read Cloud Atlas, love it, and kick yourself for not reading it sooner. I'll be here to accept your grovelling apologies for calling it unreadable and boring

I quite liked World War Z. It works very well as both a war strategy & contagion control manual. How to fight the enemy as well as control the spread of the infection. Very well done, imho.

Sadik - thanks for the other perspective on Mother of Eden.

I'm holding off on buying it for now anyway after seeing the price on kindle (£7.47), I can't justify that at the minute given the mountain of unread books staring reproachfully at me...

I really enjoyed World War Z too. Blimey, Cote - it'll be a dozen shared fiction-likes before we know it!

LookingForMe many thanks for the encouragement to get the Pomerantsev book. I think the negative reviewers perhaps were in political disagreement with him, rather than literary!

Cote/Remus - I think you both liked Ready Player One, IIRC?

Ooh yes - we did! Another Cote rec.

Stop it Remus. Our reputation for diametrically opposed literary tastes is at stake here

Sadik Ah, political disagreement would make sense! I read it having been to Russia 2 years ago and found Moscow to be a city that didn't seem to know what it wants to be. In some respects, it's very Western; in many others, it still seems Communist (almost frighteningly so). I read the Pomerantsev to try and get some insight into why modern Russia is the way is - and it was fascinating.

Satsuki - glad to hear you recommend Ulysses. I love Joyce generally so am hoping I will enjoy it.

Anne 87 hours left?! Wow...

I've have just finished my 2nd book of 2016. valley of the dolls by jaquelin Suzann (prob spelt wrong). I loved it- pretty trashy but an interesting insight into sleeping pill addiction and the price of fame. Also full of utter bastards!

Had to give up on miss peregrine. I have lived in Wales and the authors complete inability to capture any element of Wales, the welsh people or their accents started to drive me spare. The whole "building a book around random pictures" thing didn't work for me either.

On to number 3- a Helen dunmore, I think. I need to up my speed as winter bugs and sick children have meant a slow January.

I'm so enjoying reading about everyone's book choices!

5. The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, by Anna North This novel examines the life and films of Sophie Stark, a young, indie filmmaker. The narration is split among five significant people in Sophie's life, and each person narrates at least one section in the book. Sophie, however, never narrates. Sophie's not an easy character: she's brilliant and unapologetic in how she creates her art, which often comes at price to both her and the narrators. I surprised at how very much I like this book.

Next up will probably be either All The Light We Cannot See, The Improbability of Love, or How To Tell Toledo From The Night Sky.

Another couple to add:

6. The Affair of the Blood Stained Egg Cosy - James Anderson - well, this is a wonderfully light read book - set in 1930s (written in 70s), it's in the Christie style of a group of posh people in a country house where there's a cast of 'usual' characters, including a couple of foreign diplomats trying to have secret talks with the Earl (house owner)'s younger brother (a politician), some rich Americans visiting to look at the Earl's gun collection, bringing a famous diamond necklace with them, lots of guns, a mysterious French Baroness who's clearly up to no good (being female, gorgeous and foreign), and a spy. Necklace gets stolen, guns get used, there's a couple of murders and a bumbling local policeman who turns out to be a bit sharper than he first seems (naturally). A good 'whodoneit'. Great if you don't want to tax your brain too much.

7. The House on the Strand - Daphne du Maurier -this wasn't the sort of book I expected to enjoy. The book is narrated by Richard/Dick Young, who has borrowed a house in Cornwall for the summer from an old uni friend, Magnus Lane, and agreed to be a ginea pig for a drug Magnus has developed, which seems to transport Richard back to the 14th century, able to witness what is happening. Young becomes rather obsessed with the lives of the people he sees, and begins to get confused with real life. His wife and step sons join him in Cornwall, becoming increasingly worried as his behaviour becomes increasingly odd. I'm not sure I can say more without giving away the plot, but it's very well written (as you'd expect from du Maurier), and the ending left me a bit confused as to what's happening.

So I'm going to take today off reading, as there's no way I could concentrate on a new book, and I'm a bit short on 'light books that I don't need to think about' on my 'to read' list!

12. The Cornish Coast Murder, John Bude.
1930s "Golden Era" crime fiction, republished recently. I can't really recommend it. Mildly interesting as a period piece, but the characters/setting/plot aren't particularly memorable.

13. A Game for all the Family, Sophie Hannah
After ranting about this author's disappointing endings, I've adjusted my expectations. She does create intriguing set-ups and has some interesting female narrators, so on balance, there's enough there to keep me reading.

Nearly finished 14. Seedless in Seattle, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
This is one for existing fans rather than those new to the series, as it helps to be familiar with the back-story. Set among the rugby-playing private school classes of South Dublin. The real attraction is the narrator's voice, which reminds me a bit of Bertie Wooster - aware he's not the brightest, but so irrepressibly chipper that disaster piled on disaster just gets funnier and funnier.

I realised this morning that I haven't updated for ages. I am still ploughing my way through War and Peace. It is taking me forever but that's mainly because I have a lot on at the moment and my time for reading is limited. Thankfully, things are calming down now, so I should be able to crack on a bit.

To vary things, I'm slowly working my way through Louis MacNeice: Collected Poems. I love MacNeice, particularly Autumn Journal, and I'm enjoying reading some of his lesser known poems.

I bought The Good Fairies of New York for my Kindle on Remus's recommendation and I have another recommendation from someone on here: Shadow of the Serpent by David Ashton ready to go. Oh, and I'm hoping to see As You Like It which is the NTLive performance next month, so I want to fit in reading that over the next couple of weeks.

Have to finish War and Peace first, though. I really am not keen on this translation (P&V) - I may try Anthony Briggs for a re-read!