50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Seven

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the seventh 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, the fourth one here, the fifth one here, and the sixth one here.

What are you reading?

[ChessieFL]

Commonwealth and White Teeth both on Kindle Daily Deal if anyone's interested

[stilllovingmysleep]

Moving my list over

1. Bee Wilson, 'this is not a diet book'
   
2. Harry Potter & the chamber of secrets (with DC)
   
3. Jennifer Weiner, 'all fall down'
   
4. Lauren Sandler, 'one and only'
   
5. Rene and Goscinny, the Nicholas Book (children's book)
   
6. Katja Rowell, fussy eating book
   
7. Nicola Yoon, 'everything everything' (YA book)
   
8. JD Robb, 'echoes in death'
   
9. JD Vance, 'Hillbilly elegy'
   
10. Jonathan Kellerman, Heartbreak Hotel
    
11. Haemin Sunim, The things you can see only when you slow down
    
12. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie We should all be feminists
    
13. Sarah A. Denzil Silent Child
    
14. Anna Bell The bucket list to mend a broken heart
    
15. Elin Hilderbrand The Rumor
    
16. William Styron Sophie's choice
    
17. Diane Ackerman the Zookeeper's wife
    
18. Leap in: A woman, some waves and the will to swim by Alexandra Heminsley
    
19. Αύγουστος Κορτώ Μικρό χρονικό τρέλλας
    
20. The breakdown B. A. Paris
    
21. Floating: A life regained by Joe Minihane
    
22. Here's to us Elin Hilderbrand
    
23. Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks
    
24. Hidden nature by Alys Fowler
    
25. Running like a girl by Alexandra Heminsley
    
26. paper hearts and summer kisses by Carole Matthews
    
27. Rosemary: The hidden Kennedy daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
    
28. Margaret Davidson Helen Keller's teacher
    
    number 27 Rosemary: The hidden Kennedy daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
    This is a very moving book, if you enjoy biographies / memoirs. It is a biography of the Kennedy family (JFK, his brothers & sisters, and parents), putting at the centre JFK's sister Rosemary who was developmentally delayed. Her very driven parents, Rose and Joe, spent all of Rosemary's early years moving her from school to school in a futile attempt to address her disabilities & help her 'fulfill her potential' (as they saw it), but all these moves hardly helped, and made Rosemary more unsettled, leading to mental health problems in addition to the developmental delay. After many failed attempts at 'helping' her, Rosemary's father decided on his own for her to undertake a lobotomy, the 'modern' neurosurgical treatment of the time, whichhorrendouslyled to Rosemary's almost total incapacitation and her her being eventually sent to an institution for the rest of her life.
    
    This is a fascinating look into the understanding of developmental delay at the time, and is a very moving portrayal of this young woman who lived in the context of a family full of high achievers, with parents with such high expectations.
    
    Number 28 Helen Keller's teacher a biography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher and the magical way she managed to teach deaf & blind Helen Keller to read and write. Read this children's biography with DC who loved it, really fascinating.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Hi. Marking place, ready to catch up on it all. Haven't read much at all, and what I have read hasn't been great - will report back later.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Only two read because have been v busy. Oh for the days of holidays where we lay by a pool and did nothing for a fortnight.

Book 73 - Thin Ice by Michelle Paver
Another ghost story, on a par with her ‘Dark Matter’ but this time set on a mountaineering expedition. Like ‘Dark Matter’ this is right up my street in terms of idea and setting. Unfortunately this was also like matter in the fact that it wasn’t at all scary and actually a bit silly. Disappointing.

Book 74 - Martyr by Rory Clements
Recommended by my dad, whose previous two recs were both brilliant. This one was less so. It’s the first in a series featuring John Shakespeare (brother of William) and is basically an attempt at Shardlake, in Elizabethan England. It was okay – the next two were cheap on Kindle, so have bought them, but it’s definitely not Shardlake.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

114. Gaudy Night, Dorothy L Sayers. So so good. I think this time around I managed to let go of my personal issues re fucking up university and enjoyed it much more as a result. I used to feel uncomfortably as though I had one of those shallow summery brains that flower early and go to seed, like Harriet's friend Mary. With previous knowledge of the criminal it's really easy to see from the beginning who it is, but on my first reading I totally missed all the hints, so they must not be as obvious as they now seem!

[ChillieJeanie]

58. The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales by Kate Mosse
    
    A sort story collection, two of which are based around the legend of the bride who dies after getting trapped in a trunk whilst playing hide and seek on her wedding day and is not found for years - in this case centuries. They are largely inspired by English and French folk tales and are quite atmospheric.

[Sadik]

69 Sporting Chance by Elizabeth Moon (Book 2 in the Serrano Legacy sequence)
Easy reading soft sci-fi - nothing special to recommend it, but harmless enough.

[Passmethecrisps]

Quickly flying in to say what I thought I never would.

The Ian Rankin book I have been looking forward to for MONTHS is just so very dull. I was bang on for making it to 50 books and this has ground me to a halt. I carry the kindle around like an obedient puppy and then spend hours BFing guiltily MNing and on FB rather than reading.

Same old characters doing the same old dance. When Rebus retired he should have stayed retired. Siobhan was strong enough on her own - as was Malcolm fox with some time. He even feels like he is running out of Edinburgh. Standing outside the Sainsbury's at the Quartermile development made me smile and grimace at the same time.

Flogging a dead horse sadly.

[Matilda2013]

48. The Power - Naomi Alderman

So I interrupted Needful Things to read this before it needed to go back to the library. Much reviewed already on this thread I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a perspective on life where women had all the power and men were scared. I also enjoyed the context of the book as a historical study where they couldn't believe that it was possible for men to have ever been in control or to have killed girl babies etc previous to the world depicted in the book.

The hints to Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale with "praise be" type phrases in a completely different setting were interesting and overall I'm glad I read this while I had the chance!

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Needful Things is rubbish. I adore King and would happily read his shopping lists, but I hate NF.

[Matilda2013]

I'm 200ish pages in and it's okay so far... was recommended by a colleague who loved it. Hope it's not too bad for 1000 pages of my time!

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Lots of people on here like it too, to be fair (but they are wrong - it's dreadful!.

[Matilda2013]

I shall let you know how I feel it's only my third ever King book so what's your favourite?

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Too many favourites to list! If I have to reduce it down, I'll go for It, The Stand and the entire Dark Tower series!

For somebody fairly new to King, I'd recommend The Green Mile, The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon and Bag of Bones.

[Matilda2013]

How scary is It in book form? I've got it sitting on my kindle for when I've got rid of my never ending library reservations. I haven't actually read any of these but inherited some of the dark tower books a few weeks ago.

[Cedar03]

DH is a big Stephen King fan and raves about the Dark Tower books.

[CoteDAzur]

I enjoyed the old SK novels (The Stand, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, The Shining) way more than the more recent ones. The Cell was especially crappy.

Dark Tower might not be your thing if you're not into cowboy stories.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Dead Zone v good. I like The Shining too - the film is dreadful in comparison.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

It is petrifying. So is 'Salem's Lot and I can't read Pet Semetary any more after having a DS who likes to bolt. Oh, and I can't read Cujo either any more. Love The Shining, It, the collection with Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon etc etc. I quite like The Tommyknockers too. The Dark Tower - didn't massively rate The Gunslinger, loved the next 3, but Wolves of the Calla was shite and I haven't read the others. I was intending to read the whole lot soon, though, and see what I think now.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I found It v scary on first reading, when I was about 16. Now, I find it far more sad than scary.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Wolves one of my favourites of the series, after The Drawing of the Three and the final one. Hated The Wind through the Keyhole and, although Wizard and Glass is good, I don;t love it because it's nearly all back story.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Can't stand Pet Sematary - I find it more comedy than horror. Shawshank is superb. Apt Pupil one of the scariest things he's written imvho.

[Cedar03]

DH hated Under the Dome. He actually stopped reading it altogether. He said that the violence just became unpleasant. I can't comment as I am too much of a wimp to read Stephen King

[Matilda2013]

This always varies I'll keep trying and let you know how I feel

[RMC123]

Years since I read any Stephen King. Titles I remember are Carrie, IT, Tommy knockers, Misery.
Sure I read more but was so long ago.