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.

70. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - sequel to The Shadow of the Wind but is actually set before the events of Shadow. This tells the story of an aspiring writer, David Martin, who lives in Barcelona in an old, semi-ruined tower house he always wanted to live in as a child. He is commissioned to write an epic tale by a mysterious man, who wears a brooch in the shape of an angel. I enjoyed this, not quite as much as Shadow, but it was good. I liked the gothic elements and the parallels to Dickens.

71. Agatha Raisin: Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M C Beaton - Read for book group. I would never normally pick something like this up but read it in the hope of a light, fluffy Christmassy read. I quite enjoyed the first couple of chapters, as I thought there was a bit of an ironic, humorous tone to the fluffiness. Unfortunately, that seemed to disappear after a while and the rest of it was just bland and not particularly well-written, in my opinion. I know these books sell loads, so completely accept they're just not my thing. The one thing that did annoy me was the fact that most of the book isn't even set in December, so I couldn't even get a sense of festiveness to compensate for the rest of it. Christmas is mentioned quite a bit, as a random aside during completely irrelevant conversation in October, but only about 30 of the 300 plus pages actually deal with anything vaguely Christmassy.

In need of proper literature, I'm now reading Hot Milk, the third in my read-through of the Booker shortlist. Wondering if I might possibly get to 75 this year, although I really doubt I'm going to be able to read 4 books in the next 2 weeks with everything that's going on.

Moriarty was pretty mediocre for me as well!

52. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey - beautiful book about an older couple struggling to create a life in early 20th c. Alaska. They are visited by a "snow child", but is she real or not? Gorgeous writing and very moving descriptions of the wilderness and hardship present there. I really enjoyed this rather magical book. Still 99p on kindle.

Remus - I liked all 4 stories but loved most #2 (woman author taking justice into her own hands) and #4 (serial killer's wife). Brilliant stuff.

#4 my favourite and #2 my second favourite. Great minds!

108. Villa Triste - Patrick Modiano
A coming of age story set in a French holiday resort near the Alps in the early 1960s. No-one is really who they say they are in this short novel which lends it an intriguing air. Bought the Kindle sale a couple of weeks ago, I didn't know anything about the French author who won the Nobel Prize in 2014. I quite enjoyed this and will seek out more of his books in future.

109. A Box of Alan Bennett - Alan Bennett
This consisted of The Lady in the Van, The Clothes They Stood Up In and Father, Father Burning Bright. Loved the Lady in the Van but wasn't so keen on the other two.

Now trying to see what I can squeeze in before the end of the year!

A few of you have read 11.22.63 - Stephen King how long did it take you?? I'm currently reading it but every time I get a spare half hour/hour it feels like I'm getting nowhere

Matilda - I "read" 11.22.63 as an audiobook. Even so, it took me just over 2 weeks. But it was a wonderful story. My very first Stephen King novel, but definitely not my last :)

It's my first as well got it from the library and since I can see the "progress" I'm making it's a bit off putting

47. Oh! You Pretty Things by Shanna Mahin. Jess, a third-generation Hollywoodite, has just scored a PA for a quirky composer when a more alluring opportunity to PA for a starlet presents itself. Things seem to be on the on upswing for Jess when her best friend moved out of their shared apartment, making room for Jess's estranged mother to move in, bringing with her literal and figurative baggage. Jess must navigate both the professional and personal, which she does with varying degrees of success.

I found this book fairly predictable and the characterization a bit eye-rolly at times, but it was $1 at the library sale, so.

53. The Green Mile - Stephen King

Continuing a strong run of books to close the year, this is a serialised novel about a man called John Coffey who ends up on Death Row in 1932 for the rape and murder of two young girls and seems to possess some mysterious powers.

I've not seen the film but thought this was a great story, if a little predictable and corny in places.

Now to see if I can squeeze in another decent read before the end of the month!

Does anyone know where to find the Kindle Christmas Sale? Is it not on this year? I've been looking forward to it for a long time.

I'd have thought it would be this week Cote or is it Boxing Day?

Don't they normally do the 12 days of Kindle?

81. Wolf Winter - Cecilia Ekback. This is set in 1700s in Swedish Lapalnd. Maija, her husband and two daughters have moved form Finland to settle on an inhospitable mountain. One of the other settlers is found dead by the daughters Frederika and Dorotea just after they arrive and Maija thinks he has been murdered. It's told from three perspectives, Maija, Frederika who is a bit woo and the local priest. I found it quite slow-moving but very evocative of time and place. A good one to hunker down with if you want to feel wintery.

I've finally bought the third Red Rising book so am deep into that now - feel like I should have reread book 2 before starting as am struggling to remember who all the Golds are.

Meg - The film is very, very long but worth a watch. I can even just about cope with Tom Hanks in it (can't stand him usually). The guy playing John Coffey was perfectly cast.

I also enjoyed the film The Green Mile (haven't read the book) and agree that Tom Hanks is less irritating than usual in it!

The Kindle Christmas sales have always started on Boxing Day, I think.

I shall be v disappointed if there's no kindle sale but previous years it has started either Christmas Day or Boxing Day and gone on for 12 days iirc.

There has been a 12 days of Audible sale running, but not much of interest except today's The Muse by Jessie Burton which I had used a credit for a few weeks ago :)

Matilda I have been listening to 11.22.63 on audio since the end of November and am less than half way through. I am loving it though. It's just very long and I only have little snippets of commuting time to listen.

I've read about 80 pages out of 700 taking that plus four other books from the library was probably not smartest move

I am currently reading Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory and really enjoying it. This is the guy who wrote Afterparty ("take a pill, find God") which some of us read and liked last year, and he has won the IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award in 2009 for this novel.

It is 99p on the Kindle at the moment

Amazon blurb:

It is a world like our own in every respect . . . save one. In the 1950s, random acts of possession begin to occur. Ordinary men, women, and children are the targets of entities that seem to spring from the depths of the collective unconscious, pop-cultural avatars some call demons....
As a boy, Del Pierce is possessed by the Hellion, an entity whose mischief-making can be deadly. With the help of Del’s family and a caring psychiatrist, the demon is exorcised . . . or is it? Years later, following a car accident, the Hellion is back, trapped inside Del’s head and clamoring to get out.
Del’s quest for help leads him to Valis, an entity possessing the science fiction writer formerly known as Philip K. Dick; to Mother Mariette, a nun who inspires decidedly unchaste feelings; and to the Human League, a secret society devoted to the extermination of demons. All believe that Del holds the key to the plague of possession–and its solution. But for Del, the cure may be worse than the disease.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I think you might like the book above.

(Just needed an excuse to use the new tag function )

Thanks, Cote.

I read the sample earlier, after you'd posted. It's not for me, I don't think. Too many short sentences and lazily chosen adjectives. 'I picked up my blue nylon bag' was the one that put me right off iirc.

I just bought it Cote, thanks for the recommendation

But.. but... what's wrong with 'I picked up my blue nylon bag'?

It starts out with a rather juvenile feel but later got quite serious (about 58% in). The story is original and interesting, though. Nobody seems to know what these "demons" are, but there are a limited number of them, each of whom likes to act certain rituals/plots. "Little Angel" possesses only young girls with long hair, then visits hospitals to give terminal patients the kiss of death, for example. "The Truth" possesses people to kill liars. There is a quite brilliant little chapter where The Truth goes on a rampage inside a courtroom and kills O.J Simpson just as he is acquitted. (Yes, it is an Alternate History story)

I'm quite enjoying the cameo by Valis in this book, too. I had read Philip K Dick's book by the same name over 10 years ago and remember really liking it and wishing I had whatever PKD had been smoking/ingesting .

If it matters that the bag is blue and/or nylon, nothing is wrong with the sentence. If it doesn't mater, don't waste my time, you silly writer.

Having read The Man in the High Castle now, Philip K Dick and I are no longer friends.