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

arcadia I'm suitably intrigued by Vegetarian it's on the express shelf of my library might try and pick it up this week.

Anyone thinking about the Hunger Games they are very easy and quick to read, being YA they take no time at all. I found the first one quite good, it tailed off as the series went on, like she had enough stuff for two books but everything has to be stretched into a trilogy these days.

Cote - no, I've not read Red Rising. I've heard good things about it on this thread so it's on my wish list, but not got round to buying it yet. Trying to clear more of the unread ones first!

Rhu - I really enjoyed reading PopCo.

But I read The End of Mr Y a few years ago and I did not like it one little bit. It was a massive disappointment. Far too much rambling on, and far too much ridiculousness about homeopathy. Perhaps I would have liked it more if I didn't think homeopathy is all nonsense.

I thought The End Of Mr Y was alright for the most part, until the fluffy nonsense it degenerated into towards the end.

Suffering through Reading Rivers Of London now reminded me of The End Of Mr Y, actually, and the comparison has not been in favour of Rivers Of London.

6 The New House ,by Lettice Cooper, Persephone

Adored this book! Written and set in 1936 ,it,s set over 24hoursand is about a family and their forced circumstances into a much smaller home and it tells it from each individual,s perspective.

Next is Mr Mac andMe by Esther Freud

Finished 9. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George last night, for book group today. I enjoyed some parts of this - some nice description in places. It just didn't seem to fit together as a coherent whole and I can't quite put my finger on why. I've had a lot on at work this week so have been reading it in bits around that, which might be why. I also couldn't get away from the impression that it was chick-lit-trying-hard-not-to-be-but-not-managing-it. I didn't hate it but I'm not sure I'll remember much about it in a year's time.

Need to get back to War and Peace now (have been on 81% for ages, since I abandoned it for work and book group reads).

I thought the problem with Mr Y was that it took itself much, much too seriously, whereas Rivers of London doesn't pretend to be anything other than amusing fluff.

Another one who loved Watership Down as a child (and couldn't bear the cartoon). I'd agree with the pp that it's a bit like LoTR, you have to read it when you're young enough to just fall into the world, rather than judging it more dispassionately.

Mr Y - could have been good, but turned into a rambling and silly old mess. I finished it but wished I hadn't bothered.

Hunger Games The first one is worth reading, providing you realise that it's basically a massive rip off of Battle Royale and King's Long Walk and Running Man. The other two are preposterous.

14. Another re-read (sorting through my bookshelves) - The First Casualty by Philip Knightly.

The full title is "In war, Truth is the First Casualty: The war correspondent as hero, propagandist and mythmaker from the Crimea to the Gulf War II", and the book definitely does what it says on the tin. The first edition of the book dates from 1975, this edition is from 2003, updated to cover wars up and including the second Iraq war.

After reading this, you're unlikely to believe any war reporting at all (if you did to start with) - or at least, realise that while there might be some truth out there, it's pretty much impossible to disentangle it from propaganda and blatant falsehood until well after a war is over.

I'd be interested to read the author's take on the impact of social media in conflict reporting - although I suspect the same problem stands - some first hand reports may be true, but there will be so many false ones that it's impossible to take anything at face value.

My thoughts exactly on Mr Y, Remus.

*6. Expo 58 by Jonathan Coe. I loved 'What a Carve Up' and 'The Rotters Club' years ago but hadn't read any Coe for a while. This novel tells the story of Thomas Foley, a suburban civil servant gets posted to The Worlds Fair in Belgium 1958. His official role is to oversee the British pub, part of the GB pavilion display but ends up getting caught up both in international espionage and a romantic relationship. An enjoyable read with some good descriptions of the exhibition.

Now to decide what next to read....

10. The Making of a Clinical Psychologist - Dr Tanya Byron - anecdotal coverage of some cases she dealt with during her training. Really interesting read if slightly irritating in parts. Piqued my interest though and will be looking for more books on psychology as I know nothing about it.

Have given up on A God In Ruins for the moment. Might go back to it during the week when I'm stuck for something to read on my commute.

She's in my wishlist, along with Do No Harm.

Finished 14. Heartburn which I chose purely because it was narrated (brilliantly, of course) by Meryl Streep. It was typical Nora Ephron (When Harry met Sally etc) witty, poignant at times and well observed. But not high literature. And somewhat of its time. It was fairly entertaining mainly due to the narration, don't think I would have persisted without Streep to bring it alive. An easy enough read which is all I had time/energy then.

And having (eventually) really enjoyed Life after life, I bought God in Ruins as a companion piece , hoping for more of the same. Will see then, based on mixed reviews on here!

Thanks for your thoughts on Mr Y all, I'll definitely skip that one then but might give PopCo a go, at some point.
I'm also one who lived Watership Down as a child but didn't get on with the movie much. I'm must have read the book about 5 times. I think I tried another one of the same writer .. about a bear?
And about the rivers of London I agree it's not serious, just for fun, but the story does get better! I didn't much like the underground one but he builds the story and characters nicely. I almost dropped them after the first book which I thought was a bit meh but picked up the next and got hooked.

I've gotten intrigued about the Han Kang book and am just about to start it now.

I love Watership Down - it's in my top five favourite books ever and I reread it every few years, in fact it must be due an outing soon! I have an old paperback copy that's one of my oldest possessions. Love the film too.

Remus - I have reserved The Birthday Boys and Into The Silence from the library - thank you!

Meg If you don't love Into the Silence I will eat my entire Stephen King collection AND my hat!

Still looking for recs, please, oh lovely ones. Well written classic crime/spy/mystery books, maybe?

Remus- have you tried anything by Elly Griffiths? Crime novels, well-written and pacy, good characterisation. I read The Ghost Fields recently and really enjoyed it.

Sorry - should have said that I only really like stuff set in the past.

Thanks though - will investigate.

You read any Anna Katherine Green remus? American writer of early detective novels, pre Conan Doyle and an influence for agatha Christie and so on.

I have the Leavenworth Case, her first, on my Kindle tbr but haven't got round to it yet, if you get there first let me know how it is. It's £1.68 on there at the moment. My dad loves detective mysteries, but has to be well written, so I'm always trying to find 'new' writers for him!

Have read a few of hers. The Leavenworth Case was the best of them.

I'm still plodding through my second and third reads of the year, which are Life After Life and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, the latter is non-fic but I have been wanting to read it for a while. They are both v good so far, I've been so busy I've mostly only been listening to the unabridged audiobook of Shantaram which is flipping amazing. I don't think I'd have the patience to read it but having it told to you, especially by such a glorious narrator, is a blissful experience. I listen in the bath or before bed while colouring. I've seen from reviews that people say he's used a bit of artistic license or fibbed about some events but I don't even care, it's so engaging a book.

Pretty sure there were quite a few of hers for free on Kindle - I don't think I paid for them.