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50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Two

992 replies

southeastdweller · 14/01/2017 11:26

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?

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6
EverySongbirdSays · 15/01/2017 16:25

Satsuki

I realised I only had a couple of pages to go, and was like, BUT this isn't the end, it isn't even close to the end, there's a final act missing!

RemusLupinsChristmasMovie · 15/01/2017 16:28

I didn't like The Marriage Plot. Didn't seem to know what it wanted to do/be.

VanderlyleGeek · 15/01/2017 16:36

Stokey, I felt the same about S & N and The Night Circus.

The Marriage Plot, I think I read a chapter or two before I stopped. The title does make the plot rather obvious.

Stokey · 15/01/2017 16:37

Had a very lazy day reading

  1. The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side - Agatha Christie. One of her newer ones set in the 60s. Change has come to St Mary's Mead. There's a new housing estate where once there lay meadows, vacuum cleaners and washing machines have replaced parlourmaids, and an actress has moved in to the old hall. There are some almost mocking moments in this, people keep asking Miss Marple who the modern characters remind her of, and past stories are referred to, but in the end human nature is as it always is, and the crime is satisfyingly solved.
SatsukiKusakabe · 15/01/2017 16:56

the title does make the plot rather obvious

The plot isn't that obvious even after reading the whole thing!

KeithLeMonde · 15/01/2017 17:01

I'm still going with number 4, Did You Ever Have a Family

Read 11.22.63 last year, it's the only Stephen King I've ever read (because I'm a wuss and I think they are all scary). I thought it was an extremely silly book, but thought the descriptions of time and place were well done and enjoyed the middle of the book once I'd bought into the silly premise.

Lady McNet, Eileen has been on my TBR for a while. Thanks for the review - still intend to read it some time this year so will let you know what I think.

FiveShelties · 15/01/2017 17:41

Still on Number 2 Michael Robotham Shatter, which is an excellent read. Also trying to keep up to date with this thread and not ordering any of the recommendations.

SatsukiKusakabe · 15/01/2017 17:50

remus I looked up The American Boy on Amazon after you recommended it on the other thread and there is one by the same author for £1.99 The Second Midnight, you've probably read it but thought I'd give you a heads up anyway.

wiltingfast · 15/01/2017 17:53

The Stand would be my favourite SK swiftly followed by The Dead Zone

But I have read none of the horror. And I have not been able to get into 11.22.63 despite trying twice!

I might brave The Shining this year! It's a great movie.

RemusLupinsChristmasMovie · 15/01/2017 17:56

Thanks, Satsuki. Don't think I've read that one but must admit I haven't liked any of his others that I remember!

RemusLupinsChristmasMovie · 15/01/2017 18:00

Just noticed that Ranulph Fiennes' Captain Scott is only £1.99 on Kindle. It's a decent read, for anybody interested in polar exploration.

MegBusset · 15/01/2017 18:01
  1. The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry

I won't give too much away plotwise as I think a few of us might have picked this up in the Kindle Christmas sale! But I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Set in the Victoria era, it centres around a widow who moves with her young son to a tiny village in Essex where there are rumours of an ancient monster on the loose. It takes in various subplots and side characters, with themes including friendship, reason vs superstition / faith, and social conscience. Some of the stories/characters are more believable than others and the plot verges a little on soap opera at times - Cote, I don't think you'd approve of all the feeeeelingz - but what rescues it and makes it a great read is the quality of her prose - she is simply a tremendous writer especially in her invocations of place.

Will be interested to see what others thought of it.

SatsukiKusakabe · 15/01/2017 18:09

I thought the Essex Serpent was more feelings than feeeeelllliiings, and that was secondary to the other stuff. It was unsentimental I thought and dealt with various forms of love - platonic, marital, sexual, same sex, as part of the general exploration of ideas rather than as a focus. I really loved it.

VanderlyleGeek · 15/01/2017 18:10

Satsuki: Ivy Leaguers and the permutations of their couplings, with a side of deep thoughts? Wink

Iwantacampervan · 15/01/2017 18:29

I have finished my first book of the year American gods which I enjoyed but I'll need to read it again with a list of the Gods as my knowledge is limited. I am half way through my second book so making progress. No new books have been purchased this year but I did peruse the charity shelf in our local coffee shop on Saturday and nearly picked up a couple.

RemusLupinsChristmasMovie · 15/01/2017 18:30

Yes, I also didn't think there were lots of feeeeeeelings. I thought it was more sort of scientific/dispassionate observation than histrionics and emotions.

SatsukiKusakabe · 15/01/2017 18:30

Spot on, but I don't call that a plot Grin

SatsukiKusakabe · 15/01/2017 18:31

That was to vanderly

VanderlyleGeek · 15/01/2017 18:43

So. Satsuki, as I was saying about The Marriage Plot...Grin

To be fair, I'm quite sure that the deficiencies in this case are mine, neither the book's nor the author's.

SatsukiKusakabe · 15/01/2017 18:57

No, I didn't like it. He is a very good writer, but it was dull. He got too caught up in the idea of cleverly updating and subverting the traditional "marriage plot" that he forgot to give it an actual plot and make it interesting.

EmGee · 15/01/2017 19:42

Evening all
Book no 4: Natural flights of the human mind by Clare Morall

InvisibleKittenAttack · 15/01/2017 20:03

My goodness, we're on page 6 of the 2nd thread and it's only 2 weeks into the year!

My latest updates:

2. The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry - reviewed several times. The writing is good, and it is a bit more feelings than ffffeeeeelllliiinnnngggsss - but main characters were a bit too annoying for me to care all that much about them. Felt a bit too much like she'd tried to get every possible type of person in the book. Ended up being a very slow read.

3. House of Cards - Michael Dobbs - the original book from '89. It should be very 'of it's time' but either politics hasn't moved on all that much or it is more a testiment to the quality of the characters he wrote, but it feels very 'now' and still works. The scheming and plotting of Francis Urquhart (the Tory Chief whip with his eye on the top job) seems very realistic, and worth a read.

CoteDAzur · 15/01/2017 20:38

"I also didn't think there were lots of feeeeeeelings. I thought it was more sort of scientific/dispassionate observation than histrionics and emotions."

Was this comment about American Gods, Remus? It might be my kind of book Smile

CoteDAzur · 15/01/2017 20:40

"Cote, I don't think you'd approve of all the feeeeelingz "

Oh, got it. So that was about Essex Serpent. I wasn't planning on reading it but thanks for the warning, Meg. Grin

RemusLupinsChristmasMovie · 15/01/2017 20:56

Cote

Honestly, I think you might just like Serpent. It really isn't feelings-y.

You won't like American Gods. It's not quite as stupid and over-written as The Fifth Heart but it's heading that way.