50 Book Challenge Part Five

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fifth 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 first thread of the year is here, the second one here, the third thread here and the fourth one here.

What are you reading?

Understandable, Remus

24. Good Kings Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum Read this because the reading challenge I'm doing over at goodreads has a prompt for a book with a main character with a disability. I wanted in that case to read something by a disabled author, and some googling led me to this. In some ways a tough read as some incredibly sad, rage making, unfair and heartbreaking things happen, but in others an easy read as it zips along at quite a pace, is well written and has enough humour and just enough hope in there. I started it a week ago, put it down for most of the week as thought it was going to be too depressing and with a more American/YA tone to it than I was in the mood for. Picked it up again today and zipped right through almost in one sitting. Definitely one I'd recommend.

I'm a bit that The Goldfinch is on the MN marmite book list. I know these things are subjective but I struggle to understand how anyone could not enjoy at least some of it.

Agreed, Southeast. How anyone can call The Goldfinch "pretentious drivel" and say they were "bored, bored, bored" is beyond me

I dunno...I loved the beginning but it went downhill for me when he met Boris and I did get bored. Perked up again towards the end.

Congratulations Monty. I remember DD enjoying The Snow Spider when she was 9 or 10 - I think it's definitely a book for quite young children, rather than one like Dark Materials that crosses over well for adult readers.

I liked The City and The City a lot, Remus. (That's probably a bad sign . . . )

Just bought the first St Mary's book for 99p on the back of the thread about them. Will have to wait though until I've finished my previous Kindle bargain (a Mercedes Lackey trilogy - got my titles mixed up so sadly not the one I thought I was buying but readable enough). Also got a cold war set spy thriller on the go in real-book form which is alarmingly timely with all the stuff happening atm out there.

25. The Escape - C L Taylor

Another library book. Started and finished on a lovely bank holiday.

Jo is asked to by a stranger to give her a lift. But everything is not as it seems as the stranger knows her name, husband, her daughter and where she lives and is threatening it all. Aware of the danger and with everyone turning against her Jo knows there's only one way to keep her daughter safe - To run.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me reading all day. Perfect way to spend a bank holiday.

Well, on The Goldfinch - she can write brilliantly, but she didn't for large swathes of it. Most of the middle was mind-numbingly dull and the ending all got a bit silly so I can see why a lot of people couldn't get past that tbh. It didn't have as much depth as you might expect for 700 pages.

I was disappointed by The Goldfinch, as I loved The Secret History and quite liked the second one. I really enjoyed the beginning of the novel - the childhood New York experiences - but began to lose interest in the Las Vegas section. And I agree with Satsuki that the plot gets rather silly and convoluted.

Can't check what number this is on my phone, but have just finished Spies by Michael Frayn, which is my son's GCSE set text and which he encouraged me to read so that I could agree with him that it was terrible. Actually, I thought it was OK - a classic coming-of-age story mixed with a detective plot. I can see why it's a set text as it's full of ishoos.

Best oh dear Pompeii is not looking promising after all. I think I will give up all thoughts of it for the moment and come back to it at some other point in the future. I wonder if the audiobook is more engaging!

MaxmillianNero i agree regarding Mortal Coil - so far it is my least favourtie but I am looking forward to the rest. DS is hooked as well and we read together so there is huge pleasure in that too - it has become our thing! I love the dedications in his books - Derek Landy cracks me up. I met him at a signing with the small ones a few years ago and he was an absolute delight. Have you read the Demon Road trilogy? My teenager loves them and has put them on my reading list for this year.

Yes, yes EmGee! In the past I would always have a break between books as I couldn't go straight from one novel to another. Now I'm trying to read more I tend to deliberately select a different genre and if I have an audiobook on the go at the same time as a 'real' book, one will often be non-fiction and one will be fiction.

Congratulations Monty

19. Why I Write - George Orwell

A short but perfectly formed collection of four essays. The Lion And The Unicorn I found particularly fascinating, as a kind of state-of-the-nation survey of wartime Britain ; so much has changed since then with the collapse of the British Empire, the Cold War, the end of a rigidly defined class system, that it could almost be seen as a period piece, but it's still incredibly insightful and of course the writing is just perfect.

I'm also battling through The Woman In White, but finding it rather hard going...

Sadik - I detested the St Mary's book. Honestly, I thought it was abominable and really couldn't understand why it gets so much love on here.

The City and the City I'm finding weird but okay, but am only twenty or so pages in.

Meg - I adore The Woman in White. I do hope it picks up for you - have you met the Count yet? He's wonderful!

Book 45
Murder in Stained Glass – Margaret Armstrong
Similar to a ‘Golden Age’ crime novel but this time written by a New Yorker and set in America. The solver of the mystery is an old lady, but she’s far less irritating than Miss Marple! I’d guessed a few of the twists, and it did all get a bit ridiculous at the end, but I rather enjoyed this.

27. Roseanna (A Martin Beck novel) by Sjöwall and Wahlöö.

This was apparently (according to DH) the book that started Scandi Noir. Written and set in 1960's Sweden, it is very evocative of that time. There is a lot of traipsing around, waiting for phone calls etc, pre-internet and mobile phones. It was okay but a bit too bleak for me and the story has been copied in various books and TV series so I guessed fairly early where the plot was going.

28. The Sellout by Paul Beatty.

Listened to the audiobook which has an excellent narrator. This was a thought provoking satire of race in America. I wasn't sure I was going to like it at the beginning but the characters and probably the narrator won me over (with a few laugh out loud moments in there too). I liked the modern references and the raw honesty, anger and confusion that came through. No sitting on the fence here! It's great to read books that keep me thinking, questioning my beliefs and ways of thinking and perhaps invoking a change for the better.

EmGee - I also need a break between books particularly if they have been thought provoking. Or like Clueless I switch genres..

Welcome to all the new posters! 😄

I agree with Remus. I couldn't even finish the first St Mary's book. It was terrible.

No 51. The Monster in The Box - Ruth Rendell. Wexford again, and I am now reading another, Not In The Flesh

Congratulations Monty.

I didint enjoy the St Mary book I read either Remus, I didn't find it funny- on that subject: Does anyone have any books that really do make them laugh? Some Georgette Heyers are really funny (imo); The Land Of Greeen Ginger is probably my favourite laugh out load read; Howls Moving Castle another favourite!

I went to a lovely second hand bookshop in Margate and I now have Cloud Atlas in the tbr pile!

Sorry terrible spelling and punctuation am on crappy phone!

Bill Bryson best for proper belly laughs.

Just dug out my review of One Damned Thing after Another
Great concept – secret historians backed by teams of researchers, tech-people etc etc do lots of time travelling for the worthy cause of historical research. In reality though, this was absolute tosh. It didn’t help that it’s narrated by the most irritating female driveling idiot known to literature since Emma Bovary. It also didn’t help that it was dreadfully written, so that even when it was about potentially seriously exciting stuff like being chased by a tyrannosaurus rex, or threatened by a time lord-esque psychopath, it was all just mind-blowingly, excruciatingly boring. Just awful – I’m astonished that it was ever published.

Lucky Jim is funny. James Herriot. My dh gets in hysterics at the Flashman Papers but they are perhaps something of an acquired taste. Wodehouse.

Wilt by Tom Sharpe makes me laugh. There's 4 or 5 of them but the first one is the best.

I really like the St Mary's books! I agree that they're not great literature but I think they're funny and easy to read and I enjoy finding out about historical events from them.

Yes to Bryson- although I found the Road to Little Dribbling much sadder and less funny. Maybe Britain is sadder! Have never clicked with Wodehouse or Sharpe. There should be more classifications for humour so it is easier to find the right thing for you!

I read the first St Marys book, but didn't really think it was very good, there was a good idea in there, but just not done very well. Didn't feel the need to read any others.

I remembered the reviews were quite mixed (to say the least), but figured at 99p it was a good time to try the St Marys books. I have quite a high tolerance for trashy-but-amusing if something happens to catch my fancy. (Your description of the heroine isn't making me that optimistic though Remus)

Agree Georgette Heyer at her best can be very, very funny.

Right now I'm in full-on planting out mode at work, so I'm working my way through an umpteenth re-'read' of the Mortal Instruments books on library audio - plenty of laugh-out-loud lines there amongst the teenage angst.