50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Three

[southeastdweller]

Thread three 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.

First thread of 2016 is here and second thread here.

How're you getting on so far?

Useful list of short novels in case we need to catch up! flavorwire.com/451825/50-incredible-novels-under-200-pages/view-all/

*book 11 behind closed doors by A B Paris absolute rubbish, laughably bad domestic thriller. Terrible characterisation, weak plot, predictable. I need to stop getting drawn in by these Amazon 99p thrillers!

9. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. (Audiobook)
I'm sure everyone knows what this book is about- just by the title and recent well publicised film.
Impressive narration and eloquently written story. I found it difficult and emotional to listen to, but what an important story to tell. My favourite book so far this year and highly recommended to anyone who has not read it.

10. Monsters of Men (Bk 3 of Chaos Walking Trilogy) by Patrick Ness.
Book 3 of a Trilogy of YA Sci-fi. Really liked the first two books set on another planet where the thoughts of all men (but not women) are involuntarily broadcast aloud in pictures and words causing problems and divisions. The main characters are The Mayor (the villain - or is he?) and a young pair called Todd and Viola. Wars, battles and politics. And then there are the indigenous people 'The Spackle' who become a main part of the third. I didn't get on so well with this third book. I'm not sure why, I found it all a bit boring. Maybe I couldn't engage with the characters and I do think it could have been shorter. Overall even with the 'buts' I'm glad I read them, some interesting ideas and world building.

And now my up-to-date list with highlights in bold:

1. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.

2. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

1. Instrumental by James Rhodes.
2. Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
3. City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett.
4. Written in Fire (Book 3 of the Brilliance trilogy) by Markus Sakey.
5. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell.

8. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler. 9. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. 10. Monsters of Men (Bk 3 of Chaos Walking Trilogy) by Patrick Ness.

Sadik, can you remember which other Peter Hessler book it was you read and liked? When looking on Amazon I saw he has written a few other books and am quite tempted to read another..

Happy to hear all the Kingsolver love

I've looked, and realised I've actually read two others - Country Driving, and Oracle Bones - both were good.

1. The Master by Colm Toibin. This book focuses on approximately 5 years of Henry James' life, 1895-1900, beginning with failure of his play Guy Domville and ending right at the commencement of the third period of his career. Toibin references James' works, but the novel is about James, his uneasy relationships with nearly everyone with whom he has some closeness, his perceptions, his mind, his self-imposed exile from Boston. I admire James' writing deeply, so I was a bit wary of reading this book. I was wrong to have felt so. Toibin's portrayal of James is, well, masterful. Highly, highly recommended.

Book 10 will be Francine Prose's Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932.

Sad news about Harper Lee and coincidentally I started reading To Kill a Mockingbird this week.

16. Prince by Rory Clements

Intelligencer John Shakespeare has his suspicions about the death of Christopher Marlowe, officially recorded as an accidental death in a fight in Deptford. But as a wave of bombing rocks London, targeted at the newly arrived Dutch refugees, he instead finds himself ordered by Cecil to persuade a Spanish nobleman to share the secret he claims Philip of Spain will have him murdered to conceal.

Lots of convoluted plotting and plenty of historical detail. Clements is a decent writer, maybe not quite in Sansom's league, but certainly better than a lot.

I have just read that Umberto Eco has died. He is one of my favourite authors. Coincidentally I am currently about 100 pages into Baudolino which has been sitting in my tbr pile for years.

Posted before adding - may he rest in peace

Oh crap. Foucault's Pendulum was one of the talismanic books of my teenage years. RIP

I just heard this as well. Sad news. Foucault's Pendulum is one of my favourite books, and I've enjoyed everything of his I have read.

8. The Lords of the North, Bernard Cornwell

Uhtred settles some old scores and continues to build his reputation as a formidable warrior; in the process he is betrayed by a friend, loses everything and becomes a slave. Following his rescue he seeks bloody revenge (and is is bloody) on old enemies. At first glance these stories seem to be about the cultural clash between Saxons and the invading Danes, but it is also about religious and political differences. This period of history is about the making of England as a nation.

This is the third book in Cornwell's Saxon Stories and my favourite so far. The characters are very well developed, the plot is moving along nicely with some parts of the bigger story wrapped up and finished. New plot lines are opening up and I am looking forward to carrying on with the series.

So next up: Sword Song, Bernard Cornwell

Grey I'm on the fith book of this series and im loving them. You are correct about the forging of England although I do wish Cornwall had made king Alfred a bit more likeable rather than being a pious zealot with a very sneaky streak.

Posted on the end of the previous thread and will update shortly on here.

Shake I thought the last of the Ness trilogy was horribly disappointing, considering how good the other two were. I think he probably rushed it out too quickly. I also don't think that anything else he's done has been a patch on 'The Knife of Never Letting Go'.

Book 22 Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
A YA book, the first in a series, which I’ve often seen recommended on MN. This was…okay only, and certainly didn’t leave me rushing to read the next in the series. I like the concept – once people turn 16 they are given plastic surgery and turned ‘pretty’ therefore, ostensibly, giving everyone an even playing field and making society fairer. Unfortunately the execution isn’t great – it’s extremely ‘adolescent’ if you’ll excuse that as a criticism of a YA book, and I found the central character a bit irritating.

Book 23 Max Carrados Detective Stories
A detective finds an old friend, who has lost his sight, and who wants to assist the detective in his work. Needless to say, the blind man turns out to be far more ‘seeing’ than anybody else. I enjoyed these - thank you to whoever recommended them (going to do a search now to see if I can find out who it was!).

Arcadia Thanks for that link about short books. One book that should be on the list is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. I've just reserved the new Graham Swift book (136 pages) at the library.

It was Quog - thank you. :)

Tea Planter's Wife anyone? Special today on audible, mixed reviews...

14. Just Kids - Patti Smith

A beautiful, inspiring and very moving book - the story of Smith's relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, from their first meeting in New York, through their struggles to become artists, living in the Chelsea Hotel, and all their adventures in the art and rock'n'roll world of seventies New York. If this book doesn't make you want to run away to the East Village and become an artist living in a filthy loft and eating stale bread and lettuce sandwiches, you have no romance in your soul.

10 Virago,s On the Side of the Angels by Betty Miller(playwright Johnathan Miller,s mother!).Originally published in 1945,this tells the story of a young married couple and their 2 small children, he is a doctor, called up for medical duties in a uk military hospital and tells all their struggles to adapt to military life with the added stress of falling German bombs.
There is the added romantic complication of her sister Claudia living with them! A beautiful read, insightful and compelling. Have you read it?

     Book 11 is to be another virago classics:Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge. Happy reading to you all this weekend!

Today 15:47 Matilda2013

1. Disclaimer - Renee Knight

Have just finished the sixth book. It took me a while to get through as I was really busy but I actually really enjoyed this. Good twist! I'd been wary due to the "next gone girl" comparisons but I liked this one.

Just got:

Flight Behaviour
Black Swan Green
Strange Weather in Tokyo (this is 175 pages btw)

from the library. Just hope I get time to read them; find it harder to read non Kindle stuff these days as most of my reading happens in snatched time whilst I'm doing something else/waiting/hiding from the kids in the bathroom which the Kindle lends itself to.

Also surprised by how massive books seem in real life after having read them on the Kindle. Was genuinely surprised to see The Bone Clocks was such a big book, didn't feel it as I read it. Does anyone else find this?!

Also, have Name of the Rose on my tbr - was to finally get round to reading it this year. I am more familiar with Eco's essays and criticism but haven't read any of his novels. What a year it has been so far for losing great artists.