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?

Thanks Remus and Tanaqui will give it a go.

I've had a poor start to the year...

1. Even Dogs in the Wild - Ian Rankin. Crime story set in modern day Edinburgh featuring Rankin's famous Rebus character who's now retired and asked by the police to help out with a murder investigation.The plot became increasingly convoluted and the case wasn't really engaging. This is the 20th Rebus book and the first I've read - if anyone has recommendations of better books in the series I'd love to know.

I'm nearly a third of the way through the Bruce Springsteen 500 page memoir and it's taken me a week to get to 150 pages. Usually I race through autobiographies but he rambles on and on and I've lost patience so I'm temporarily putting it aside for now. Some reviewers on Goodreads say it gets interesting later on when he becomes famous so I'll continue reading it later in the year, I think.

1. How to live Danishly - nice little book about a couple relocating to Denmark for a year and taking a look at what makes the Danes such a happy nation of people.

Is that a different book than The Year Of Living Danishly, Best?

1. Exposure - Helen Dunmore

An espionage thriller set in the Cold War. A wife tries to protect her husband when he unwittingly gets caught up the fallout after a file goes missing. Not bad, although not that thrilling - more of a slow burn but engaging and built up an element of suspense.

1. Agatha Raisin and the Curious Curate - M.C.Beaton

An audio book and daftly enjoyable. Although Agatha Raisin was played by Penelope Keith, which if you've seen the Sky adaptations was just wrong - she's meant to be Scottish! I don't generally do audio books and I'm not sure this convinced me - I prefer to imagine the characters and it was a bit weird having someone do it for me

No it's not Cote, it's me being too lazy to check the name of the book and getting it wrong.

I'll try again

No 6. The year of Living Danishly - Helen Russell

PS Cote, have you read The Emperor of All Maladies? I think you might like it, it's quite brainhurty.

No worries, Best I was just wondering if there is another book out there that I might like to read, as I quite enjoyed The Year Of Living Danishly.

Thanks for brainhurty recommendation. I'll check it out.

That's interesting southeast. I am a massive fan of Ian Rankin and have read them all. I am waiting on his latest to become cheaper before buying it. I think the problem with starting here is that you have really come in to the series which Rankin tried to move on from. He started writing about Malcom Fox instead, a sober man working in the Complainants. Despite Malcolm being an interesting character (in my opinion) all people wanted was Rebus so Rankin meshed the two and essentially brought Rebus back from retirement. I am surmising - that may have always been Rankin's intention but it didn't feel like that.

I think the mid series books are the best. Rebus as a character is well set up as is his nemesis Cafferty. I think those books focussed much more on the crime and solving it. A good example is Fleshmarket Close.

1. The Snowden Files: Inside Story Of The World's Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding

This was very interesting. I knew (vaguely) of the Snowden affair, but not the details. And wow, those details are scary

The book starts out slowly and gets slightly turgid at times, but it is an important story that needs to be told and it picks up rather quickly and becomes a true page turner.

I liked this book and would recommend it.

Clash love that you describe "horror stories" as "something light" Have never been able for any kind of horror

Interesting comments on Atwood. I have read loads. The Heart goes Last was unbelievably terrible. But I love The Handmaid's Tale. Her regular fiction, The Blind Assassin was probably the best, the rest of her SF is only so so. I keep reading because it's Atwood, but she's never matched THT imo. I find I can recall nothing of oryx &crake for example. Nothing.

And yeH cote think you might like the Emperor book.

Can't believe you all like that Danish book. It annoyed me tremendously

I am so glad you've said Heart Goes Last terrible wilting I thought it was just me

I quite liked the Danish books she a light read and enjoyed learning bits about the culture mainly Lego but it did annoy me in places at times as it was a bit magaziney and wittery. So I'm on the border. Near Schleswig-Holstein.

Halfway through 22.11.63. I'm getting frustrated with it here and and but SK is a master at just pulling you into a one-sided conversation and not letting you go.

Thanks Passme, I've added Fleshmarket Close to my TBR list.

Cote I went to hear Luke Harding talk at our local bookshop last year. He's a brave man who doesn't shy away from challenging some scary people. Not everyone would write Alexander Litvinenko's story and bring the wrath of Putin down on themselves, but he seemed a robust character who could cope with the fallout.

I remember him describing his time in Moscow as the Guardian's Russian correspondent and how unnerving it was to get home in the evening and find that someone had been looking through his flat. He said that they always left a tiny bit of evidence so that he would know they'd been there .. just enough to make him feel uneasy.

The almost nearly perfect people by Michael Booth is another light read on Scandinavian culture. I still wasn't wild about it but it was a good bit better than living Danishly imo. Might be worth checking.

Thanks for the Snowden book recommendation, Cote. Have you seen the CitizenFour (documentary film following the leaks)? If not, I'd thorougly recommend it - incredibly gripping given it takes place essentially in one hotel room.

Another yes to Vile Bodies as well - though I think Scoop has to be my favourite Waugh book (and I like it even more having since read about the actual experiences he based it on).

2. Viral by Helen Fitzgerald

A cautionary tale about falling foul of social media.

2 sisters, Leah (the wild one) and Su (the good sensible one), go on a holiday to Magaluf with some friends to celebrate finishing their exams. There's lots of drink, drugs and boys, and the holiday culminates with Su getting very intoxicated and, as she says in the opening line of the book "I sucked twelve cocks in Magaluf."

Unfortunately for Su, one of the onlookers in the bar where this happens films it on his phone, puts the video online, and it immediately starts going viral. Thousands and thousands of people watch it, it makes the national news, and there's a whole life destroying cascade of consequences for Su.
Su goes on the run from Magaluf rather than return home to face everyone, and Su's mum, court judge Ruth, embarks on a mission to try and bring justice to the men involved.

It's quite a short book, and starts off well enough, but it got increasingly far fetched towards the end of the story. I also found it hard to really care all that much about what happened to the characters. If it had been a longer book I don't think I'd have managed to keep my interest up long enough to bother reading to the end (which was a rather ambiguous let's leave it up to the reader's imagination ending, for anyone bothered by that sort of thing).

6. Midwinter of the Spirit - Phil Rickman

Second book in the Merrily Watkins series. Enjoyable, easy read even if the subject matter was a little far-fetched. Will have a break from the series now and try to figure out what to read next.

The new thread is here 📚

Just checked and this has been the fastest-moving 50 book thread since they began on here a few years ago

Highland - That's interesting. He does come across well in the book. I didn't know about Guardian's pivotal role in the whole Snowden affair so that was interesting for me, too.

Sadik, I'll check out that film. Thank you for the recommendation.

Bpok 5
American Gods
Ugh. I enjoyed this on first reading but hadn’t realised that Gaiman now insists on publishing it in its’ truly intended’ original, bloated, pre-edited version. Clearly the man is an idiot because this has changed a half-decent read into something so ridiculously over-long and padded that it loses track of itself. This felt like hard work. A shame, as there’s a decent central character and some good ideas hidden inside. Not quite as annoying as The Fifth Heart but almost.

Looks like my 2017 reading is getting progressively worse. Started with two 5 star books, then a 3 and a 4 with reservations, and now a 2.

Thanks for the heads up on Americano Ladydepp.