50 Book Challenge 2017 Part One

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the first thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2017, 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.

Who's in for this year?

Cote - the book "Positron" is the one now called The Heart Goes Last and yes there is a whole load of utter guff involving Elvis impersonators, he doesn't come back as Elvis no. It's more convoluted

I like convoluted and brainhurty. I don't like stupid, though.

I found American Gods so boring. Same as above I want to like his stuff more than I actually do. He seems nice and interesting and the ideas are good, but AG was just longwinded and felt like it was for teenagers, all that "girl Sam" business.

It must have been 10 years ago I read it so not sure what version that was. I charity shopped it.

I LOVED Oryx and Crake! It will probably be a re-read at some point. I also have The heart goes last in my wishlist but it refuses to drop in price.

I've just started book 3.
My pitiful list so far is:

1. The invisible library by Genevieve Cogman
2. Blackout by Marc Elsberg
3. Touch by Claire North (currently reading).

I'm only a few chapters into Touch but I'm already hooked. I really loved The first fifteen lives of Harry August last year so I had/have high hopes for this one.

Yes, Neil Gaiman does go on a bit. As I mentioned, I really liked The Graveyard Book - written as a children's book, so not overdone, and I enjoyed most of Good Omens. I can't remember what else I have read of his. Sometimes it does feel a bit like wading through treacle.
I have a couple of his on my mammoth list of unread audiobooks.

I also want to like Neil Gaiman but just don't, on the whole. (Childrens books the exception, I loved Fortunately the Milk, though perhaps largely because of Chris Riddell's illustrations.)

It's a bit like Will Self - if I ever hear him speak, he sounds like a nice bloke with interesting ideas (loved the idea behind Book of Dave) but his writing, jesus wept.

I got really put off Will Self after I read a column of his in which he talked about physically abusing his son, and seemed almost proud that he had done so and had this marvellous material for his writing

I quite like Much Ado, but ye God, A Midsummer Nights Dream. It just makes me angry and want to throw things. I have no idea why. It isn't rational, it just is. I do love Shakespeare though but I like the tragedies, although the Globe had a great production of The Taming of the Shrew over the summer, that play us tragic in its own way.

Anyway I have 20 mins left of book 2 so posting early. I have to write an essay by Monday so forcing myself to abstain from reading for pleasure for the next couple of days.

1. The Universe vs Alex Woods
2. The Romanovs by Virginia Cowles

VC was a journalist who wrote lots of Royal biographies. This was a good overview, nothing I didn't already know or that I was particularly surprised by. Her style was ok, it kept me reading but it was not very colourful. Given the subject I felt she really could have brought the Russian Court to life and she just didn't.

Loving this so much. I could discuss books all day. Have scribbled down lots of recommendations. wilting, thanks for reminding me about The Life Project. Read a review a while ago and thought it sounded really interesting. I have enjoyed all of Kate Atkinson except Emotionally Weird and Human Croquet, but agree that the crime novels do get under your skin. I love all of Barbara Kingsolver - The Lacuna maybe isn't my favourite, but I still enjoyed it. Flight Behaviour is amazing. I also found NW disappointing, but that might be because I don't know London that well. Haven't got round to the TV version yet. On Beauty is my favourite of hers.

I love how the dead live by will self, but some of his other books are pretty piss poor. Don't know anything about him other than reading. He sounds like an arsehole.

Mind you, I like neil Gaiman (or what vie read so far).

Just finished "The Blind Assassin". It was amazing - I didn't think I would read it so quickly but it was engrossing and I was getting up at daft o'clock to read before taking the dogs out (at 6.00am).

It's a book that dots between the present and the past, but is done with huge skill - and the storyline is easy to follow and so well-written I both didn't want it to end and wanted to finish it - frustrating!

I won't put any spoilers out, though.

Shakeit

Penelopiad is good except the "chorus" can get a bit irritating - but perhaps it's intended to.

Gosh! That sure out the Atwood cat amongst the pigeons. Why does she insist on nkt being a sci fi writer. Just makes her sound pretentious and daft. I did very much enjoy cote's review however!

Who was it mentioned CSYS? I did mine on the representation of sadness and loss of female characters in the writing of Atwood, Kennedy and Galloway. I was a bit . . . intense

Midsummer Nights Dream irritates me too. Hamlet is timeless. MND very much the sort of thing you might enjoy watching whilst wearing a doublet. Or if you're trying to impress Robin Williams in a movie.

Having said that, my kids loved the recent CeeBeebies version and made me watch it 3 times, so I have to concede it's a good gateway Shakespeare. But they enjoy any Bottom-related jokes at the moment tbh.

Just finished book four Holding by Graham Norton. Nothing like I was expecting. Very Cozy Mystery which is not really my bag. It was well written with some great turns of phrase and pithy observations but very light reading. The plot twists were predictable and the characters affectionately but not very deeply drawn. The ending was satisfying and could possibly lead to more in a series. I feel he's got a much better book in him and would be interested to see what he's working on next. I was intrigued by the title Holding but got to the end and still wasn't sure of what it meant. Perhaps it refers to the lives of the main characters which all seemed to be on hold? Not sure.
Next read will be Those who leave and those who stay by Elsa Ferrante, the third of the Neapolitan Novels. Have read the first two and have been waiting for this one for ages on order at the library. Loved the first two. Am fascinated how two girls from similar backgrounds and both with a fierce intelligence can develop such different paths in life.

Making slow progress as I seem to be reading 4 or 5 books simultaneously, but nearly at the end of:

4. The Brontes, by Brian Wilks Enjoyable summary of their lives. Nothing startling new, given that last year I read the new Charlotte Bronte bio and I'd previously read the (very enjoyable) The Bronte Myth, by Lucasta Miller. I'm reading this in between watching To Walk Invisible, the recent BBC biopic on the family, and it's an enjoyable combination. It's like when Wolf Hall was on tv and I was simultaneously reading Bringing up the Bodies - when you strike it lucky, the adaptation can bring added joy. (The film Miss Austen Regrets is also a wonderful accompaniment to any Jane Austen biography).

1. Miss You by Kate Eberlen

Similar idea on One Day - Tess and Gus catch each other's eye in Italy aged 18, but don't get chance to meet properly and go their separate ways. The book then follows their separate lives and all the occasions they nearly but don't quite meet again. I read this while travelling and enjoyed it, although I thought the Tess character was a bit wet, and the ending was too predictable and cheesy. It was a nice easy read though and would recommend if you liked One Day.

Biblio I think I have that Brian Wilks biography on my Kindle so will have to read that soon, as I still have To Walk Invisible recorded to watch at some point. I also have some Austen related books to read so will look out Miss Austen Regrets.

3.Under the Skin by Michael Faber
Picked up for 50p second hand with no expectations. Was a slightly sinister, sci-fi ish thriller with reflection on what it is to be human. Can't really say more as the best part of reading it was having the central premise unfold bit by bit. Enjoyed - Shite ending though.

Have started "The Dalai Lama's Cat" (well - it had a picture of a Himalayan cat on the cover - how could anything go wrong?)

It seems to be a sweet and gentle way of getting the principles pf Buddhism across.

Devil

I didn't like the ending either - and I thought it wasn't just what it means to be human, but also the significance of life - any and every life, particularly for the creature involved, and our moral obligations towards other species.

We clearly have similar tastes, Chessie!

BlackIsTheNewBlack I bought The Heart Goes Last, Stone Mattress and The Blind Assassin on cheap kindle deals last year so hopefully it will be on offer again. I am waiting for Oryx and Crake and A Handmaid'sTale to come down in price. The Heart Goes Last is really good but very unsettling. I think I enjoyed The Blind Assassin more, but perhaps The Heart Goes Last impressed me more. I can't remember anything about The Stone Mattress.

Sorry for not contributing to the thread. I am still reading A Brief History of Seven Killings, so have revised my 2017 target down to one book. I will finish this!

Glad you enjoyed Prisoners of Geography, ShakeItOff. I thought it was really good too. Did you have a favourite chapter? I really liked the one about Russia. Perhaps it was obvious to everyone else but there were a lot of things that hadn't at all occurred to me.

Very intense Passmethecrisps. I loved the AL Kennedy book about the alcoholic, Can't remember what it is called but the writing is amazing.

Sheri Tepper wrote a very dark version of Sleeping Beauty called Beauty, Shakeit. It's slightly heavy-handed in its themes, destructiono of the earth and nature, evil of man etc. but worth a read. Definitely not YA.

1. Pandemonium - Daryl Gregory. Easy but fun fantasy novel set in a parallel world where demons possess people. There's quite a bit about Jungian Archetypes but it all fits nicely in with the story. I think Cote recommended this so thanks. Was nice to have a quick satisfying read after Swing Time & It.

I'm moving on to The Essex Serpent if i can get my Kindle to work. It kept restarting itself this morning. I've tried deleting some of the 180 books I had on there in the hope this will sort it out.

Sweetpea - I hated Americanah but it gets mixed reviews from others, if you're not liking it yet then stop, it doesn't get any better!

Margaret Atwood - she leaves me cold and I find her writing very sterile. I haven't read the Blind Assassin though, sounds like it might be ok.

I'm still reading The Essex Serpent and really enjoying it.