50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Two

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second 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, it's not too late to join, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

The previous thread is here.

How're you getting on so far?

Sort of. I don't think Remus would consider me a SK fan after the fiasco that was Dark Tower

I liked The Luminaries apart from that a) lots of stupid padding and b) the end was stupid.

Yes to some Stephen King (and I'm glad Cote doesn't like Roland, as it means i get to keep him for myself).

A Venn diagram is a brilliant idea, MuseumofHam.We'll need to put Dark Tower v on my side and the monstrosity that was Dune v firmly on Cote's.

And I was about to ask you both for some SK recommendations.

1. Misery - Stephen King I've only read 3 or 4 of King's books - male American writers and horror generally not being my thing really. The ones I've read (The Stand , 11.22.63, and Mr Mercedes ) I certainly wouldn't class as horror but Misery falls into that category for me.

I'd seen the film so I knew the storyline and I won't go into it here. I'm still not sure whether or not I like him as a writer but he certainly tells a good tale.

So is there one book you'd recommend as being the ultimate and best SK?

Apart from The Dark Tower and Dune .

So I've finally spent my Christmas amazon vouchers and this is what I've bought. I'm very excited, hence the utterly pointless post. Sorry not sorry.

A god in ruins
Life after Life
Ready Player one
The Haunting of hill house and...
Wool.

My tbr pile has just increased by quite a bit.
I better crack on!

Best I don't think you can go far wrong with The stand, IT, The shining and Doctor sleep.

The ones that really shit me up and had to sleep with a light on were Bag of bones, Pet cemetery and Duma Key.

I've re-read nearly all S K over the years and I'd love to experience them for the first time again. Happy reading!

For somebody fairly new to King, my recs would be:
Misery
Bag of Bones
The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon
The Green Mile

Book 3 was another Karen Rose book, it was a good story can't remember the title and it's upstairs I will add it later.
Book 4 Poison Study by Maria V Snyder enjoyed it, I am reading all the books I have bought over the years so there may be some very old and odd choices. I desperately want to read His Bloody Project but I have decided not to buy any more books until I read what is here first

I run hot and cold on King. There's something about his prose tone I dislike and I'm not one for horror.

Have read :

Different Seasons
Dolores Claiborne
The Gunslinger
The Drawing Of The Three
The Waste Lands
The Green Mile
The Stand

Gave up on :

Wizards And Glass

Left unfinished, but might finish :

Under The Dome

Would recommend :

I think The Gunslinger is a bloody brilliant extremely well written book, and it's just a shame the Dark Tower series nosedives for me from there

I would also recommend The Stand most apocalypse type stories, end of civilisation type ones, are basically just copying The Stand it's the blueprint for all the others.

Dolores Claiborne is something a bit different from King's oeuvre as well, so if you don't like his stuff, you might like that. Older woman is questioned by police in connection with a murder and it's written like a monologue.

Thanks for the thread - need some motivation to keep reading after having my son last year...

So far in 2017:

In The Kingdom Of Ice by Hampton Sides. About a Victorian polar expedition that (spoiler) doesn't end well. Loved it but then I'll read anything involving polar exploration for some reason.
Ian McEwan - The Children Act. Don't know why I keep bothering with IMcE as I rarely enjoy them (except Atonement). I liked the courtroom/legal bits but not the rest and couldn't quite shake the feeling it was basically a Jodi Picoult novel it was OK to like.

This thread also reminds me how much I like Stephen King. I like his short novels best, especially the ones written as Richard Bachman - The Long Walk, The Running Man etc. Good dystopian stuff.

Yes, I read The Stand a couple of years ago. It took me the whole of January.

I'm going to look up all these recs on Amazon and see how I feel. I do fancepy The Green Mile but that may be because I've seen the film.

I have a couple of half read things to finish and then see how I feel.

In the Kingdom of Ice looks right up my street, but I'll have to wait until it comes down in price.

I hated The Children Act MsLucy, I just felt manipulated and I know exactly what you mean about Jodi Picoult, it made me furious.

Hmm, looks like you're confirming my views on 11.22.63 and it's heading for the charity shop. Although that's sort ofagainst my principles and I feel I should re-read it first. Decisions!

Oh god this moves too quickly for me even to join the discussion!

1. Transmission, by Hari Kunzru

Listened on audiobook to and from work whilst directing one of his other books. I don't know if it was because it was audiobook but I wasn't as into it as the oneI'm working on. Only the main character really touched me in any way and it became more of an interesting read than the crazy journey White Tears took me on. But was interesting hearing the author read it

I read Pet Sematary years ago, pre-DC, and while I agree it's properly creepy, I'd also add that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with small DC.

I don't think I could handle even re-reading it right now, with my DC the ages they are. Some of the things in that are a parent's nightmare (and DS2 is 3.5 yrs now, so not that much older than the little boy in Pet Semetary).

Can't believe you're on the second thread already, but my resolution was to be a regular on this thread, so I hope I haven't missed the boat so to speak.
I'm aiming for 100 (ambitious I know)

I have done 2 so far:

1. The Wolf and the Raven (Book 2 in a Robin Hood series) on Kindle - very readable and quite gritty (no green tights, lots of swearing and some shagging). Will get around to the rest-another two to go in that series.

2. The Hobbit (on Audible) - classic re- "Read"

3. Greenwitch - children's book- Book 3 of the Dark is Rising series. Quite good but the second one was better.

Have now started Fellowship of the Ring on Audible, I'm allowed to class LOTR as three books, right?
Am well into Child 44 on Kindle- it's distracting me from work, so it shouldn't take me long.

It's interesting to hear views on 11-22-63- It would out that as one of my top reads last year.

I mean 3 (eyeroll- can't count)

5. The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Book I) by Ben H.Winters.

Excellent crime novel set in small town America with newly promoted Detective Henry Palace investigating a suspicious death. The background story is that an asteroid will hit Earth within the next 6 months or so and as well as attempting to solve the crime, there is the fallout to society of this impending event. Looking forward to reading the second in the series, my DH says it is just as good.

6. Red Rising by Pierce Brown.

I realise there is a lot of love for this series on here but it wasn't for me. Not entirely sure why not. I didn't like some of the writing ("Well I do believe I am the lightening", Cassius declares. And you, my brooding friend are the thunder. "Then what am I?" Roque asks. "The wind?"
"You're full enough of it," I snort. "The hot sort."). Then there was too much violence for me, back-stabbing (actual and political), double-dealing. It was all a bit over the top - Game of Thrones with The Hunger Games thrown in. Nothing against those, I quite liked the Game of Thrones (that is until I got fed up waiting for George R Martin to write anything). Got through 60% before Christmas, gave up and came back to finish it off last week. Ah, well.

altered images - I was going to say in my review which one I found the most interesting but I couldn't decide!

I listened to 11.22.63 on audiobook after DS2 was born and remember it being too long. I think I preferred Under the Dome except for its silly ending. Read The Shining for the first time at the end of last year and though that was great. And re-read The Stand, also good.

I've just finished 11.22.63last night, can't think straight at the moment will review later. I enjoyed it, overall.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is £1.29 on the Kindlr just for today

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is on Kindle daily deal. It would feature on opposite sides of the cote/remus Venn diagram, I believe.

I've read a couple of hundred pages each time and found it boring. I'm still tempted by it being a deal though

Ha ha cote, cross post

Re Stephen King books: I loved The Stand as a teenager but doubt I would find it as good now, with its "good vs evil" storyline. It might be worth a try, though.

Otherwise, my favorite SK books are never mentioned on these threads:
The Dead Zone (especially pertinent these days with Trump as US President)
Firestarter
The Shining
Duma Key

Needful Things, Pet Semetary, Carrie, It, Misery etc were not terribly special, although teenage me gobbled them up.

The Cell was fucking awful and I suspect SK should never write about technology again.

1. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Armin. A between-the-wars story of four women, not known to each other beforehand, spending the month of April in Italy and doing a bit of self discovery. This is a gentle, charming book with some lovely evocative descriptions of the Italian countryside. At times it almost made me feel like I was wearing sandals and basking in the sunshine!

That it is, Satsuki JS & Mr N is a great story, very well plotted and told. You must read the footnotes, because that is where much of the story happens and The Raven King comes alive.

I'm not a magic reader but loved the Gothic atmosphere, "realistic" feel, and even the humor in this book. I was reading slowly towards the end so that it wouldn't end.

Hugely recommended especially to those who thought The Night Circus was something special.