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.

I've never heard of The Essex Serpent but reading the reviews on Amazon....

A book to make you want to be a better person.’ Justine Jordan, The Guardian

(To... what??? )

‘A sinuous historical novel by the genius that is Sarah Perry’ Lucy Mangan, Stylist

(The Stylist? That great literary resource? )

I was seduced by the many charms of The Essex Serpent.’ Laline Paull, author of The Bees

(Seduced by its many charms, no less )

‘I was completely enthralled - Tracy Chevalier, Good Housekeeping

(Good Housekeeping??? )

I would hate it, wouldn't I

My feeling is it's likely to be a bit like The Luminaries - there must be something in it if so many rate it, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be brilliant, or that I will love it. I'm going to need lots of new things to try in 2017 though, as always.

Yeah, well, I don't remember so many women from Stylist and Good Housekeeping coming out of the woodwork to write soppy sentimental reviews about The Luminaries

Ahem

Ahem ahem

62. The Mongoliad #2 by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Erik Bear, + a few more authors

This was crap. I bought & read the 1st book in this series some years ago because (1) Neal Stephenson is God, and (2) I'm interested in Turkic history including Mongols & Genghis Khan. And both points are still valid, but the book was still crap.

Too many characters going about doing all sorts of insignificant stuff that doesn't add up to anything. And it just ends, to be continued in the next book. Gah. I don't care to know what happens enough to read its Wiki page, let alone read the next book in the series. I'm very disappointed in you, Mr Stephenson

You got me, Remus

Still, I would argue that "it was astonishingly experimental and complex" (The Luminaries) isn't quite the same kind of "soppy sentimental" review as "‘I was completely enthralled" (The Essex Serpent). And the Stylist page just says The Luminaries was announced as the Booker winner. They clearly haven't read it (surprise ).

Well, we'll see what I think. I'm not going to be put off a book just because some people liked it, just as I wouldn't expect to automatically like a book just because some people liked it. I love Stephen King, as you all well know, but he doesn't half recommend some crap, for example.

You know who Stephen King recommends?

Check out #7

I told you his recommendations were rubbish. He also recommends The Haunting of Hill House which I thought was ridiculous. Gone Girl too, iirc. In the link you posted, he also recs Revolutionary Road which I didn't rate either.

I can't even remember what it was, but I read something utterly mediocre a couple of years ago which had 'This is the Real Deal: Stephen King' emblazoned on the cover. It wasn't.

I just bought Neil Gaiman's American Gods for 99p.

So have totalled up my books for the year at 26. Pretty impressed as I have had a really difficult year (some may remember me from earlier year posts where i lost my dad) which has meant my reading game hasn't been great at late.

Was going to pose the questions about whether books we start now but don't finish until 2017 count towards 2017, glad to see they do.

Also realise I forgot to add my other books I was given for Christmas.

Precious and Grace - Alexander McCall Smith
The Bone Collector - Kathy Reich's

Have also bought from Kindle sale(despite having A number of books unread on my kindle)
A year of living Danishly (for a book club I'm part of)
Moriarty - Anthony Horowitz

I liked Revolutionary Road

I couldn't see what the Essex Serpent was about and only skimmed the reader reviews which didn't look great. However, cote sent me back to the description and the paper reviews and now I've bought it You rather cherry picked the lighter weight ones, there are lots of others praising its prose, characterisation, intelligence, its kinship with Wilkie Collins and Bram Stoker etc. Enough balance to hope it might be interesting. All award winning or nominated books are going to be reviewed in GH etc, but they're going to have a different spin according to their readership. I'm looking forward to it now, but hope the Sunday Times has nailed its review rather than the Stylist

Now this is what I've missed - the book banter!

I have really struggled with finding good books last year and became very fed up in the process. My standout books in 2016 where A Little Life, Americanah and Year of the Runaways. But I read many that were just 'meh'! Maybe it's my age.

Currently reading Mount as I have always loved Jilly romp but not enjoying it at all and wondering whether to just throw the towel in!

On a positive I have some good books on a wish list and bought 3 for 99p over the last couple of days. Hoping the discussions on here prompt me to read a book I may not have bothered with otherwise. Bought American Gods as the only Gaiman I have read is Neverwhere and the Ocean at the end of the lane.

Have just downloaded the Essex serpent. It was book of the month in waterstones the other day and I read the blurb and thought meh but for 99p I'll give it a go. Any book that mentions 'mythical beasts' is never likely to be my cup of tea!

109. The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman

Third in the Invisible Library series, and I think that Cogman is showing signs of improvement in her writing, plotting and pacing. The Library is under threat from Alberich, a former Librarian gone rogue. Irene and her assistant Kai (who is also a dragon) are sent to St Petersburg in one of the many worlds to retrieve a book that the senior Librarians consider might be important, but encounters Alberich himself. There are assassination attempts, world jumping, fae, dragons, and werewolves, and it's quite fun really.

I should finish one more book tomorrow but don't think I'll get another full book in before Sunday so it's looking like my total for the year will come out as 110.

Another one who hasn’t updated for a good long while, not since the end of thread six. I’ve followed this thread though and made note of lots of recommendations.

45. We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson. I liked this once I got past the initial weirdness of it all. The narrative voice was hard for me to identify with for a while, but once I got into it I was glad to have read it.
46. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs. Enjoyed this but found it slow-going to start with. It didn’t help that I listened to it as an audiobook which meant that I missed out on the photos. It also had a terrible narrator who should be banned from all accents and children’s voices.
47. Life Stories, David Attenborough. Lots of Attenborough loveliness, read by him as an audiobook. Very soothing and interesting.
48. New Life Stories, David Attenborough. More of the same.
49. Eragon, Christopher Paolini. Dragons, villains, elves, young peasant boy who is not quite what he seems – standard old-school fantasy stuff. Very typical of how fantasy was written at the time. Good vs. Evil, black and white characters, young boy goes on a quest with old man showing the way...every fantasy trope in there essentially. Exactly what I needed at the time.
50. The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde. Loved this. Laughed all the way through it.
51. The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson. I didn’t like this much. I didn’t find any of the characters interesting or engaging, and didn’t think their decisions or reactions rang true. I couldn’t really see their motivations either. It’s almost like the author was so intent on creating a creepy house that she didn’t put enough into her characters. Perhaps that’s how she wanted it though.
52. On Writing, Stephen King. An interesting look into how and why he became a writer, and his advice for aspiring authors.
53. The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper. Recently reviewed upthread. I saw on here that some people were planning on reading this around Christmas, and I knew nothing about it and didn’t have any Christmas-themed reading planned, so thought I’d give it a go. I’m glad I did! It might become a Christmas tradition for me too.
54. My Man Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse. My first Jeeves book: I loved it. Really very funny. I’ll keep an eye out for some of the others in 2017.

I’m currently listening to Anna Karenina on audiobook and reading Cloud Atlas. I’m loving Anna Karenina, but not finding the time to listen to it at the moment, and am in two minds about Cloud Atlas. Something’s not quite working for me, but I’m not sure what. I want to drop it and move on to one of the books I got for Christmas, but I think I’ll stick with it and try not to be so impatient.

185. Christmas with the Chrystals and other stories by Noel Streatfeild

Another festive read. One of the short stories follows up on Ballet Shoes, explaining what happened next for the girls. Enjoyed it.

186. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year by Joanna Bolouri

Chick lit- woman is dumped by her boyfriend just before Christmas, so pays her neighbour to pretend to be her boyfriend so she doesn't have to admit to her family that yet another relationship has failed. Very predictable, but good fun.

187. The History of Us by Jonathan Harvey

A story of three friends, told from when they were at school through to 30 years later, when two attend the funeral of the third. I really enjoyed this.

Monty - So glad to finally see somebody else who didn't care for The Haunting of Hill House.

Eitak Good to see you back.

montyfox I think Cloud Atlas comes together a bit more when you get past the half wAy mark and the stories begun in the first half play out. It's not an easy read but worth persevering with.

I fell off this thread in the past six months or so but didn't stop reading. I was hoping to read 40 books this year (read 31 in 2015), but when I passed 40 books I was hoping for 50. But I don't think I'll quite make it despite working by way through all the Adrian Mole books and the whole Harry Potter series. But I've nearly finished Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie for number 49.

48. Watership Down - Richard Adams. I finished this on Christmas Eve and if anyone out there remembers the tv version or not being allowed to watch the tv version, PLEASE don't let this put you off reading it. What a completely brilliant and beautiful book. A group of rabbits leave their warren behind to start their own life/warren and they come to Watership Down. From here they realise (as a group of male rabbits) that they need does and it's about their attempt to get them for their warren. The characters in this book are so strong and well thought out, which is odd to say considering they are rabbits.

It's probably one of the best books I have read this year, in fact if I'd not re-read Catch 22 this year then it'd be in the top spot!

55. Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible - Peter Pomerantsev

Fascinating and disturbing account of the madness and corruption of modern-day Russia.

Pterobore Watership Down is one of my favourite books from childhood, the writing is so evocative.

112. Four Futures: Life after Capitalism by Peter Frase

An exploration of possible futures in the light of climate change/resource scarcity and also increasing automation / AI. A nice thought-provoking little book - shorter, easier to read, and much, much better than PostCapitalism, Paul Mason's take on the same issue. (It's also currently available as a kindle format or epub e-book for 90p direct from the publishers - Verso - up til end Dec.)

I suspect no-one is going to agree with all (maybe even most) of his conclusions, but the author does an excellent job of laying out a range of possible scenarios and exploring how material conditions /politics could take us there.