50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Seven

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the final thread 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, please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read, and to anyone who hasn't posted, feel free to de-lurk and share with us what you've read so far this year.

The first thread of 2016 is here, second thread here, third thread here, fourth thread here, fifth thread here and sixth thread here.

Haven't updated in ages, not been reading much tbh, real life interference

First old list! Hope ye don't mind my cluttering up the thread with it!!!

1. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
2. The meaning of everything; the story of the OED by Simon Winchester;
3. An astronauts guide to the universe by Chris Hadfield and
4. The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro;
5. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
6. The Skeleton Cupboard : The Making of a Clinical Psychologist by Tanya Byron
7. Golden Son by Pierce Brown
8. The Hot Zone: The terrifying true story of the origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston
9. The Day Without Yesterday by Stuart Clark ;
10. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan ;
11. Overlord, D-Day and the Battle for Normandy by Max Hastings;
12. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson;
13. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym;
14. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood;
15. Brilliance by Marcus Sakey;
16. Agent Zigzag by Ben MacIntyre;
17. Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull.
18. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
19. Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
20. A French Affair by Katie Fforde
21. After Me Comes the Flood by Sarah Perry;
22. Dark Eden by Chris Beckett;
23. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennet;
24. The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell;
25. A Female Genius: How Ada Lovelace started the Computer Age by James Essinger;
26. The Settlers by Jason Gurley
27. Where'd you go Bernadettte by Maria Semple
28. Rilla of Ingleside by LM Montgomery
29. The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
30. Genghis Khan & the making of the modern world by Jack Weatherford
31. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
32. Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys by Viv Albertine;
33. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
34. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
35. The Bees by Laline Paull;
36. Hitler by Ian Kershaw
37. The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carey.
38. High Rise, JG Ballard
39. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
40. Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
41. It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fitt
42. Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas
43. Afterparty by Daryl Gregory
44. Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova
45. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
46. Death's End by Liu Cixin
47. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
48. My Grape Year by Laura Bradury

new reads

49. Sweet Caress by William Boyd; really enjoyed this. Story about an unusual woman and her life path. It's related as a memoir really, includes photos etc, really excellently done. Amory is a compelling character and the clarity of detail gave the book real substance and depth. Absorbing good read.
50. Anne of the Island by LM Montgomery - nostalgia read. Enjoyed it.
51. Anne's House of Dreams by LM Montgomery - ditto
52. The Almost Perfect People by Michael Booth - This is another book about Scandinavians, it was ok. He visits all the Scandinavian countries and offers commentary with varying degrees of insight and interest. It was all a bit pedestrian. The section on Sweden was the most interesting.

Whew. Work done for the year

I forgot to start a list this year, so am busy going back through my Amazon Kindle purchases to see what I have read. I think it's about 60 books, mostly crime fiction, thrillers or urban fantasy/ paranormal. ChillieJeanie your list looks interesting. have been meaning to get into Jim Butcher.

This thread has motivated me to do my 2016 list properly and make sure I keep one as I go along in 2017.

Thanks for the welcome everyone, hello!

bibliomania I thought one thousand white woman was an interesting read, I never knew the American government agreed to provide native Americans with white brides but apparently it's true. Worth a read I think. I've also read his book apache girl. Both are written in a diary format.

Alteredimages. Yes I've read both of those books. And see what you mean. I think the invention of wings is less of a cliché. Although there's a friendship between rich white lady and slave, Sue monk kid doesn't gloss over the awful lives these slaves had to endure. The main character is also based on a real woman who went on to campaign against slavery, as she does in the story. I thought it could have been longer as I was enjoying so much. I liked the format of one chapter was Sarah Grimke and one chapter was the slave Hetty.

A shirt update from me:
51 - The Woman in Blue - Elly Griffiths
Finishing off the Ruth Galloway series before the latest comes out in Feb. Still an enjoyable, easy read.

52 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Briggs
Enjoyed this despite the creepy photos. A solid YA read which an interesting premise and good plotting.

53 - The Golem and the Djinni - Helen Wecker
Read this on the recommendation on previous thread. Loved this! The location was fascinating as were the cultural snippets relating to the principal characters. This is one I'll be buying for other people.

That should be 'short update' - not keeping you all informed re my wardrobe!

I did laugh at shirt update...The Woman in Blue

alteredimages I bought Dynasty in The Works for £3 if you've got one of them near you.

Congratulations stitches!

I didn't like the ending of His Blody Project altered, so will Ben interested to know what you think.

68)The Etymologicon

Recommended upthread aways, I enjoyed dipping in and out of this but it wasn't as entertaining as the similar Bill Bryson.

72. Occupy Me by Tricia Sullivan I had no idea what was going on for the first third of this bonkersly inventive SF novel. Then I had some idea. I enjoyed the ride anyway, as I knew I would as soon as I scanned through the quirky chapter titles. It's about, um, an angel and a briefcase, and lots of other stuff, and manages to combine some pretty profound ideas with a sprinkling of humour, some great characters, and lots of 'I was so not expecting that' moments.

Agree that the kindle monthly deals aren't all that, but I have taken a chance on the one by the teenager who escaped from North Korea, and also GB Stern's Ten Days of Christmas. The latter for my 1930s comfort binge over Christmas (except it's set in the 40s, but details).

Yes, I looked at the North Korea one, but I still haven't got round to Nothing to Envy , and didn't want to overestimate my enthusiasm for the subject.

I've been finding reading very difficult at the moment - I'm 20% into All the Light and I'm enjoying it now, but feel a bit second world war-weary so not been picking it up very often. I'm also 15% into an 800 page biography of Alexander Hamilton (I got this and the soundtrack to the musical for my birthday in the summer) and I'm preferring that at the moment. Well written and fascinating about his rise from illegitimate immigrant to military strategist, founding father, and prolific writer. It's still war, Jim, but not as I know it.

Welcome Debs and congratulations Stitches!

I loved Nothing to Envy, Satsuki. It's one of my favourite non-fiction books.

52. Coffin Road by Peter May. Predictable crime thriller. Using the old losing memory trick, a bit of double-crossing, nothing new in this book. But I haven't been feeling like reading and skimming reading this book has helped me get back into the mood, even if it wasn't particularly good.

I got North Water for 99p as well. Sorry Remus!

Thanks Debbs. I might give The Invention of Wings a go then. I did like a lot of things about The Secret Life of Bees, but it just annoyed me that all these great characters pretty much only existed to improve the life of the white protagonist and teach her important life lessons. I didn't really see how they grew as characters throughout the novel, with one exception.

Is your Alexander Hamilton biography the Ron Chernow one Satsuki? I am quite tempted by it. Hamilton was my high school crush.

No Works near me Chillie, but I will be back in the UK for Christmas so I will keep a look out. Thanks for the tip.

Once I finally finish A Little Life, I will get to His Bloody Project. I am quite enjoying A Little Life but it is very slow reading!

Congratulations, Stitches! How are you both doing?

I have nothing intelligent to add to the conversation, but I'm going to an interview with Zadie Smith on Tuesday, after which she'll answer questions. Anything you'd like me to ask if I can, 50 Book friends?

Hmmm. Lots of you rubbing it in about North Water. Thanks for that, guys!

I loved His Bloody Project except for the ending. Poor endings seems to be a bit of a theme for my reading this year.

I got Nod in the monthly deals (will probably be crap but it's short and dystopian, by the look of it) and the first in Conn Iggulden's War of the Roses series.

Geek Love is 1.99 on the Kindle.

I stroked a copy of the North Water in a shop today remus

Thanks, shake, I will get round to it.

Yes altered it's the Chernow. He was a very charismatic character, I think.

vanderley I have just downloaded a Penguin podcast with Zadie Smith and haven't had a chance to moisten it yet, so I'll see if I anything comes to mind.

moisten it ?!! listen to it. Apple hates me

106 Imprudence by Gail Carriger
Lighthearted comedy steampunk - having a stressful week and wanted something easy reading.

54. Quartet in Autumn - Barbara Pym. Short novel about the unfulfilled lives of a group of elderly colleagues in London. I found this horribly depressing, mostly dull and the 70's setting unconvincing. Was glad to dump it in a charity shop yesterday.

You stroked a book but haven't had the chance to moisten another? DH will be glad to hear that my passion for reading could get much MUCH worse

@ cote Rereading that post, I realise I sound like a lunatic.

Satsuki, I admire your.....enthusiasm.

119. Jane Austen: The Secret Radical, Helena Kelly
Subtext in Jane Austen's novels - how she is secretly signalling to us about the horrors of primogeniture, slavery, enclosure etc. The author needs to (a) stop insulting her audience by insisting that before she came along to enlighten us, we all viewed JA as a pretext for looking at Colin Firth in a wet shirt and (b) stop implying that she alone has seen the truth, when many of her ideas have been well-rehearsed by previous authors. But if you can set that aside, plenty of it was new-ish to me. I may not agree with all of it (Edward Ferrars fiddles nervously with a pair of sewing scissors in a sheath and reveals himself as a sexual deviant?), but it's thought-provoking.

Currently on *120. A brief history of everyone who ever lived : the stories in our genes by Adam Rutherford". Up-to-date account of human evolution based on genetic research. Intriguing, accessible and funny - science writing at its most enjoyable.

53. Flood by Stephen Baxter; this was a slow burner for me. It opens on a desperate group of hostages. The weather is filthy and although they don't know it yet, it's all about to get much worse . Turns out subterranean oceans have cracked open and the sea level is inexorably rising and will continue to do so until every scrap of land is submerged. The book continues to follow the hostages over the next 50 years (although mostly 1 really) as humanity scrambles and dies. Apparently, there is science to back up the flood idea. I found the science end of this book extremely compelling. The idea that the water would just keep coming, drowning your house, your street, your country, the mountains was eerily fascinating. Now it is not a perfect book. The ideas and science are great, however characterisation is not this guy's strong point. Mostly he TELLS you what people are feeling/their motivation rather than letting their actions form your views of them for you. The politics of the billionaire rescuer could have been much better done. The desperate suffering that must have gone on is not that credibly depicted either. But I'd still recommend it, you might roll your eyes at being told (out of the total blue) of the "love" of one character for another but the fundamental story is fascinating

I'm tempted to run out know snd but the sequel. Has anyone read Ark?