50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Eight

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the eighth and final 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 and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read. To anyone who hasn't posted, feel free to de-lurk and share with us what you've read this year.

The first thread of the year is here, the second one here, the third thread here, the fourth one here, the fifth one here, the sixth one here, and the seventh one here.

How have you got on so far this year?

Is anyone else reading several books at once to time the endings for a head start on the 2018 thread

Thanks slightly have downloaded the Chris Packham.
126. Vinegar Girl - Anne Tyler Have read a lot of Anne Tyler. This was ok, certainly not her best. This has featured heavily on the worse book of the year thread. It wasn't that bad in my opinion but I suspect it is going to be quite forgettable. Story of youngish woman whose scientist and eccentric father tries to persuade her to marry his lab assistant so he can maintain his visa.
127. The Music Shop - Rachel Joyce Story of a man who only sells vinyl and has the gift to match people with their perfect music. Quite twee, very gentle and sometime humorous. Inoffensive and quite soothing read.

Probably my last post is the year. Wanted to say how much I have enjoyed my first year on this thread. I love to read and I also love to talked about books and pick up recommendations. The reviews on here are often inspired and will try to up my game when I join next year's thread in terms of witticisms! Having a DH who works away and 4 DC's to keep me busy this thread has literally been a life saver. Thank you one and all.
Will be back next year, hopefully with a new, more exciting user name!
And I am delighted to be visiting my favourite book tomorrow, Barter Books In Alnwick. A fitting way to end a great year of reading.
Happy New Year !

43. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Read for work, I suppose technically a re-read but probably 25 years since I last read it and realised this time around that a lot of my memories of it were actually from the films.
44. If I Could Tell You Just One Thing by Richard Reed
Listened to this on Audible and have been dipping into it for months between other books. The author basically asked 60+ successful individuals for one piece of advice, and this book is a series of very short chapters sharing their answers. I found it inspiring, just wish I could remember more of it.
45. Dangerous Games by Danielle Steel
My Christmas present from my Mum, who clearly knows I enjoy reading but not what I like! There's a good story in here but the writing was annoyingly repetitive. My first Danielle Steel book and I won't rush to read another.

MegBusset Haven't been thinking about head start on 2018 thread, but would you think me vain if I confessed to having finished that Danielle Steel book in a hurry because I didn't want it as no 1 on my 2018 list?! Couldn't face looking at it topping the list for a whole year, but not sure which of my massive to read pile will have that honour.

45 books probably puts me in the slow readers club on here, but it's a huge jump from 20 last year and 12 the year before so a it's been a big reading year for me. I've loved keeping up with the threads and getting so many great recommendations on here, look forward to joining in again in the new year :)

clueless your post made me laugh - I read tons of Danielle Steel as a child/teen as my mum had loads and I read whatever I could get my hands on. I had a party piece of making up DS style plots when given a setting or character involving divorce/adoption/missing person/life changing accident/usually all the above. I have never read one as an adult, but I think of them with fondness. Where else would you find Cleveland Donovan, the dashing war correspondent, but by the pool in the South of France in a Danielle Steel novel?

I’m trying to finish the books I started before my eye troubles, so unless I get a hurry on in the next 24 hours m, I Love Dick will be standing proud at the top of my list for the new year

Looking forward to another year of books with you all

57. A Gentleman’s Position by KJ Charles. Last of this regency gay romance trilogy, an entertaining read (oddly, the main character from the first book was the least engaging for me, so I am glad I persisted with the others). I reckon that is me done for the year unless I curl up somewhere this afternoon! Happy new year everyone!

70. One Shot by Lee Child Jack Reacher. What a guy. Rolls into town, gets to the bottom of a can of worms orchestrated by some extremely bad baddies (but no match for Reacher), still manages to be irresistible to women despite the at best basic hygiene and sartorial regime dictated by his self imposed off grid lifestyle. I'm really enjoying these books.

Back soon with my list.

1. This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson (kindle)
2. Where the Bodies are Buried by Chris Brookmyre (kindle)
3. Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (kindle)
4. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy (hard copy)
5. Thank Heaven Fasting by EM Delafield (kindle)
6. 11.22.63 by Stephen King (audible)
7. Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves (Dad's kindle)
8. The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson (Dad's kindle)
9. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (kindle)

10. Only the Innocent by Rachel Abbot (Dad's kindle) 11. The Hit by David Baldacci (Dad's kindle) 12. Weavers by Aric Davis (kindle) 13. Coffin Road by Peter May (audible) 14. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (Dad's kindle) 15. A History of Scotland by Neil Oliver (hard copy) 16. In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park (kindle) 17. The Loney by Michael Andrew Hurley (kindle) 18. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (hard copy) 19. Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor (audible) 20. Maul by Tricia Sullivan (kindle) 21. The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida with an introduction by David Mitchell (kindle) 22. Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham (dad's kindle) 23. The Mangle Street Murders by MRC Kasasian (audible) 24. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (kindle) 25. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (audible) 26. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (kindle) 27. Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham (Dad's kindle) 28. Allegiant by Veronica Roth (kindle) 29. The Mountain in my Shoe by Louise Beech (kindle) 30. Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr (hard copy) 31. The City and the City by China Mieville (audible) 32. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood (hard copy) 33. The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves (kindle) 34. Lifeless by Mark Billingham (dad's kindle) 35. Lexicon by Max Barry (kindle) 36. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (audible) 37. Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (dad's kindle) 38. No Wonder I Take A Drink by Laura Marney (kindle) 39. The Commando Pocket Manual 1940-1945 edited by Christopher Westhorp (dad's kindle) 40. The Curious Affair of the Somnambulist and the Psychic Thief by Lisa Tuttle (hard copy) 41. The Power by Naomi Alderman (kindle) 42. The North Water by Ian McGuire (kindle) 43. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (kindle) 44. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (audible) 45. The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black (dad's kindle) 46. Death's End by Cixin Liu (kindle) 47. Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (library) 48. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb (library) 49. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (kindle) 50. Frost in May by Antonia White (library) 51. Rush Oh! by Shirley Barrett (library) 52. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb (kindle) 53. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (library) 54. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (audible) 55. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (kindle) 56. The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan (kindle) 57. Miracles of Life by JG Ballard (library) 58. The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths (kindle) 59. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (hard copy) 60. The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (dad's kindle) 61. Exposure by Helen Dunmore (library) 62. Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt (audible) 63. Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey (dad's kindle) 64. The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins by Antonia Hodgson (library) 65. The Visitor by Lee Child (dad's kindle) 66. Echo Burning by Lee Child (dad's kindle) 67. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (audible) 68. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (kindle) 69. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (library) 70. One Shot by Lee Child (dad's kindle)

Happy New Year everyone!

Last two books completed this morning, bringing my total for the year to 92. Down 18 on last year but I have been reading more non-fiction which always takes me longer. Full list is:

1. Paul Cartledge - The Spartans
2. Rae Beth - The Hedge Witch's Way
3. Terry Pratchett - Mort
4. Phil Rickman - Mean Spirit
5. MJ Carter - The Printer's Coffin
6. Karen Maitland - The Raven's Head
7. Bernard Knight - The Sanctuary Seeker
8. Rachael Weiss - The Thing About Prague
9. Neil Oliver - Master of Shadows

10. James Bennett - Chasing Embers 11. SJ Parris - Conspiracy 12. Ian Rankin - Even Dogs in the Wild 13. Terry Pratchett - Night Watch 14. Mary Beard - Pompeii 15. Sarah Lotz - The Three 16. Phil Rickman - The Cold Calling 17. Robert Graves - The White Goddess 18. Phil Rickman - December 19. Kate Mosse - The Taxidermist's Daughter 20. Matt Haig - Reasons to Stay Alive 21. Jasper Fforde - Shades of Grey 22. Wilke Collins - The Woman in White 23. Benedict Jacka - Bound 24. Lee Child - Night School 25. Ed Halliwell - Into the Heart of Mindfulness 26. Bernard Cornwell - The Winter King 27. Sarah Perry - The Essex Serpent 28. Ruth Whippman - The Pursuit of Happiness 29. Bernard Cornwell - Enemy of God 30. Nina George - The Little Paris Bookshop 31. Michael Howard - Mysteries of the Runes 32. Bernard Cornwell - Excalibur 33. Saroo Brierley - Lion 34. Kate Morton - The Secret Keeper 35. HP Lovecraft - The Whisperer in Darkness 36. George RR Martin - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 37. Alfred Watkins - The Old Straight Track 38. Richard Matheson - I Am Legend 39. Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 40. Daphne Du Maurier - Jamaica Inn 41. Llewellyn's 2017 Witches' Companion 42. Deborah Rodriguez - The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul 43. Samuel Richardson - Clarissa or, The History of a Young Lady 44. Sophie Hannah - The Monogram Murders 45. Naomi Novik - Black Powder War 46. Ian Rankin - Rather Be The Devil 47. Frances Hardinge - The Lie Tree 48. Naomi Novik - Empire of Ivory 49. Ben Aaronovitch - The Hanging Tree 50. Naomi Novik - Victory of Eagles 51. Jonathan Haidt - The Happiness Hypothesis 52. David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas 53. Charlaine Harris - Shakespeare's Landlord 54. Kate Summerscale - The Wicked Boy 55. Lars Kepler - Stalker 56. Charlaine Harris - Shakespeare’s Trollop 57. Jo Nesbo - Midnight Sun 58. Kate Mosse - The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales 59. Lucy Tobin - Ausperity 60. Sophie Hannah - Closed Casket 61. Derren Brown - Happy 62. Alice Roberts - The Celts 63. Karen Maitland - The Vanishing Witch 64. Michael Wood - In The Footsteps of Alexander the Great 65. Lucinda Riley - The Seven Sisters 66. MJ Carter - The Devil’s Feast 67. Naomi Novik - Tongues of Serpents 68. Jim Butcher - The Aeronaut’s Windlass 69. Lord Dunsany - Two Bottles of Relish 70. Jostein Gaarder - The Castle in the Pyrenees 71. Robert Holdstock - Merlin’s Wood 72. Phil Rickman - All of a Winter’s Night 73. David Rankine & Sorita D’Este - The Isles of the Many Gods 74. VE Schwab - A Darker Shade of Magic 75. Ronald Hutton - The Witch 76. Pierce Brown - Red Rising 77. Kim Newman - Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D’Urbervilles 78. Charlaine Harris - Shakespeare’s Counselor 79. Charles Moore - Margaret Thatcher the Authorised Biography vol. 1: Not For Turning 80. Pierce Brown - Golden Son 81. Adrian Tchaikovsky - The Tiger and the Wolf 82. Pierce Brown - Morning Star 83. Adrian Tchaikovsky - The Bear and the Serpent 84. Tom Holland - Herodotus – The Histories 85. Tim Shipman - Fall Out 86. Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited 87. Michael Kurland - Death By Gaslight 88. Terry Pratchett - Hogfather 89. Terry Pratchett - The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents 90. Phil Rickman - Night After Night

91. Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman - The Daily Stoic
    A short sentence or two from one of the classical Stoics, then a paragraph about the lessons to learn from it. Quite interesting and I've been using it as a morning reading all through the year.

92. Suzy Reading - The Self-care Revolution
    Picked up on a whim earlier this week and I think it might be quite useful. It's that time of year, after all, so I'll be sitting down with it again to work through some thoughts and strategies for 2018.

sigh All the lengthy lists of books is making me wish I'd joined the thread earlier in the year. As it is, I feel very unproductive reading wise this year. Onwards and upwards to 2018.

And just in time for this year...

4.) Red Seas under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch -- Second in the Gentleman Bastards Sequence, and sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora. Thieves and con-artists, Locke and Jean have plans to rob the Sinspire, the celebrated gambling house on Tal Verrar's Golden Steps, but once again it seems other forces cannot resist attempting to manipulate them to their own ends.

Fantasy series so far set in a quasi-fantastical version of Europe (mainly Italy so far). This one involved quite a bit of piratical derring do, although not until towards the last third. I love the depth of detail and inventiveness to the world, although it could perhaps have been trimmed down a little bit. But still, it was a damn fun read. This was a reread, it ends on a cliffhanger, and I haven't read the next in the sequence. I'm kind of itching to, but I prefer to space out my chunky fantasy reads a little, so will read a couple of other books in between.

And that will very likely be my last book of 2017. I wish I'd read more, or that I'd kept a list, but eh. Too late now.

Next up is Gossip from the Forest, by Sara Maitland, a non-fiction work drawing parallels between woodland and fairy tales. Not sure whether I'll start it now or wait until tomorrow to start fresh in the New Year. To be honest, I'll probably start it now.

I agree Tanaqui - the first of the KJ Charles book was definitely the least interesting. A Seditious Affair was my favourite - Silas is such a great character.

Here's my final list for 2017, with highlights starred (cba to do so many bolds ). Not sure what I'll start 2018 with, perhaps the Mervyn King book.

1 - The Hacienda: How Not To Run a Club
2 - The Thriling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage **
3 - A Closed and Common Orbit **
4 - How to be a Heroine
5 - Breakfast at Tiffany's
6 - Forty Autumns
7 - The Dark Net **
8 - The Dream Thieves
9 - How to be a Victorian
10 - Europe in Winter **
11 - The Skeleton Cupboard
12 - Poor Economics
13 - Mutton (India Knight)
14 - Development as Freedom
15 - Blue Lily Lily Blue
16 - A Very Expensive Poison
17 - The Year of Living Danishly
18 - The Raven King
19 - What We Cannot Know **
20 - Bitch in a Bonnet
21 - Faulks on Fiction
22 - The Complete Guide to Beekeeping
23 - On Liberty
24 - Wishful Drinking
25 - Being Mortal **
26 - Death's End
27 - Emergency Admissions
28 - Romancing the Inventor
29 - The Signal and the Noise **
30 - Lion
31 - The Envoy
32 - Bad Pharma
33 - Fermat's Last Theorem **
34 - The Descent of Man
35 - The Murdstone Trilogy
36 - The Power
37 - No Way But Gentleness
38 - Prisonomics
39 - The Midnight Swimmer
40 - The Black Gryphon
41 - Just One Damned Thing After Another
42 - Imperial Life in the Emerald City
43 - Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field
44 - Another Day in the Death of America **
45 - Lady Midnight
46 - Red Love
47 - Running Blind
48 - The History Thieves
49 - Two Cheers for Anarchism
50 - The Code Book **
51 - The Underground Girls of Kabul
52 - Wicked Lovely
53 - Reality is not what it seems
54 - Lord of Shadows **
55 - The Demon's Lexicon
56 - Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed **
57 - Do Not Say We Have Nothing **
58 - Snowcrash
59 - Children of Time **
60 - Release
61 - And The Weak Suffer What They Must **
62 - The Ruby in the Smoke
63 - Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing
64 - The shadow in the North
65 - Weapons of Math Destruction **
66 - Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are **
67 - The Lost City of Z
68 - The Many Selves of Katherine North
69 - Sporting Chance (Serrano Legacy 2)
70 - Winning Colours (Serrano Legacy 3)
71 - Narconomics
72 - The Sumage Solution (Gail Carriger)
73 - The Tragical History of Dr Faustus
74 - Captive Prince
75 - Prince's Gambit **
76 - Kings Rising
77 - The Hate U Give **
78 - Eggs or Anarchy
79 - The Box
80 - A Mind of Its Own
81 - The Marshmallow Test
82 - The Curse of Chalion
83 - Paladin of Souls
84 - Algorithms to Live By
85 - Not Thomas
86 - The Hallowed Hunt **
87 - The Threat Level Remains Severe
88 - Things can only get worse
89 - Living NonViolent Communication **
90 - Spectred Isle **
91 - Occupy Me
92 - Rivers of London
93 - NonViolent Communication: A Language of Life **
94 - Penric's Demon
95 - Romancing the Werewolf
96 - Acadie
97 - The Magpie Lord **
98 - Testosterone Rex
99 - A Case of Possession **
100 - Flight of Magpies
101 - The Reluctant Fundamentalist **
102 - Pattern Recognition
103 - The Mother of All Questions **
104 - A Fashionable Indulgence
105 - A Seditious Affair
106 - A Gentleman's Position
107 - I Contain Multitudes
108 - Gang Leader For a Day **

187. The Book Lovers’ Miscellany by Claire Cock-Starkey

A collection of random facts about books and reading. Lots of interesting stuff but it is short!

188. Scribbles In The Margin by Daniel Gray

Another short one, this is a collection of 50 short pieces about the joys of reading with titles like ‘Reading in pubs’ and ‘Waiting for the next book in a series’. I loved this and would recommend to those on this thread!!

189. The Importance Of Being Trivial by Mark Mason

The author investigates love of trivia and what makes the perfect fact. If you like trivia this is a good read and full of random facts, but it is from 2008 so some of the facts are now out of date.

190. Ex Libris by Ann Fadiman

Last one of the year and sadly I didn’t like it. It’s another one that is a collection of essays about books and reading, but while I agreed with some of her points I found the writing style hard work and I didn’t get some of her references.

Looking forward to next year! Will be starting with either Jacob’s Room Is Full Of Books by Susan Hill, or Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller, as they’re both due back at the library on Saturday!

Satsuki I hadn't realised that Dangerous Games covered some common Danielle Steel themes...the correspondent in this book is called Alix Phillips, and yes, there's multiple holidays to France!
Laughing at I Love Dick as your first book of the year, that's a title that's hard to beat!

Finished book 72 today for my first full year on the thread. List below.

1. The One We Fell in Love With - Paige Toon
2. This Is Where It Ends - Marieke Nijkamp
3. The Girl Who Lied - Sue Fortin
4. Girls on Fire - Robin Wasserman

5. The Heat of Betrayal - Douglas Kennedy

1. Forget You Had a Daughter: Doing Time in the Bangkok Hilton - Sandra Gregory
2. Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
3. Trust in Me - Sophie McKenzie

9. Close Enough to Kill - Beverly Barton 10. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl 11. How I Lost You - Jenny Blackhurst 12. The Girls - Lisa Jewell 13. The Breakdown - B A Paris 14. 206 Bones - Kathy Reichs 15. Daisy in Chains - Sharon Bolton 16. Off Sides - Sawyer Bennett 17. The Loving Husband - Christobel Kent 18. Do No Harm - Henry Marsh 19. Silent Child - Sarah A Denzil 20. The Escape Artist - Diane Chamberlain 21. Holding - Graham Norton 22. The Things We Have in Common - Tasha Kavanagh 23. You Can't Have My Daughter - Elizabeth McDonnnell 24. Truly Madly Guilty - Liane Moriarty 25. The Escape - C L Taylor 26. The Butterfly Garden - Dot Hutchison 27. Obsession - Amanda Robson 28. Cut - Hibo Wardere 29. The Mistake I Made - Paula Daly 30. Little Black Lies - Sharon Bolton 31. Dear Amy - Helen Callaghan 32. Don't Let Go - Michael Bussi 33. The Cry - Helen Fitzgerald 34. I Let You Go - Clare MacKintosh 35. Sisterland - Curtis Sittenfeld 36. Misery - Stephen King 37. A Year of Being Single - Fiona Collins 38. Emma's Baby - Abbie Taylor 39. Ragdoll - Daniel Cole 40. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood 41. The Girl Before - J P Delaney 42. The Wicked Girls - Alex Marwood 43. You Will Know Me - Megan Abbott 44. Pretty Girls - Karin Slaughter 45. Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell 46. Brand New Me - Charlotte Crosby 47. All is Not Forgotten - Wendy Walker 48. The Power - Naomi Alderman 49. Needful Things - Stephen King 50. The Friend - Dorothy Koomson 51. The Perfect Girl - Gilly MacMillan 52. Into the Water - Paula Hawkins 53. You - Caroline Kepnes 54. After the Storm - Jane Lythell 55. Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng 56. When She was Bad - Tammy Cohen 57. The Lullaby Girl - Aly Sidgwick 58. When it’s Real - Erin Watt 59. The Thousandth Floor - Katharine McGee 60. Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard 61. Pet Sematary - Stephen King 62. The Good Daughter - Karin Slaughter 63. Friend Request - Laura Marshall 64. After You Die - Eva Dolan 65. Missing Pieces - Heather Gundenkauf 66. The Other Wives Club - Shari Low 67. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer 68. Before He Finds Her - Michael Kardos 69. The Lucky Ones - Mark Edwards 70. I Am Watching You - Teresa Driscoll 71. The Lying Game - Ruth Ware

72. A Christmas Wish - Erin Green

Flora was left on a doorstep as a baby. This Christmas she goes back to the village to try and discover who she is.

Nice happy easy Christmas read to finish off the year.

Anyone have any kindle unlimited books they would recommend while I have my free trial?

Final book of the year:
75) The Epigenetics Revolution: Nessa Carey. Suggested by someone on here. Far too much detail about methylation and acetylation for a general reader of popular science books, and probably not enough for someone with a knowledge of the subject. I found it mostly very dull, which was a shame, because every chapter started off with an interesting premise or case study, but quickly descended into pages of turgid detail.

I'm 150 pages into Marcia Clark's book Without A Doubt (Christmas present) and more than two-thirds of the way through listening to William Gaddis's JR on Audible but I've still got 11 hours to go so am unlikely to finish that by the end of the year!

Well done to everyone on all their reading this year.

57. Murder on the Orient Express. Saw the film last week (disappointing!) so thought I would reread the book to see quite where (and how badly) they had mangled the film. An excellent choice for a rainy Sunday (with Christmas cake and a cup of tea!).

So to finish off the year, I've got nowhere near 50 books. However I have thoroughly enjoyed all the reading I have got done (far more and more varied than in over a decade), I have really enjoyed the conversation/reviews/occasional squabbling, I managed to grab the perfect Christmas gift book for my father at a bargain price (Pax Romana which made the awkward sod very happy) and I have a stack of books all ready and waiting for next year! It's also helped get through some really crappy times.

1 Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
2 Stark by Ben Elton
3 Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
4 Capricorn One by Ron Goulart
5 Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
6 The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov
7 The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams
8 Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett
9 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie
10 The Sherlock Chronicles
11 A Passage to India by EM Forster
12 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
13 The Queen of Distraction by Terry Matlen
14 The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
15 Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
16 The Truth by Terry Pratchett
17 The Present by Spencer Johnson
18 Age of Ultron
19 The Life of a Scilly Sergeant by Colin Taylor
20 Hiding an Elephant by Kim A Gay
21 Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett
22 The Hobbit by JR Tolkien

23 The Science of Game of Thrones by Helen Keen

Light, fun, funny and full of weird and wonderful facts.
"Researchers observing the Komodos over a period of eight years found plenty of malrs leading active lives, fighting and mating into their 60s. The researchers also found, or rather couldn't find, any females older than 33, (sort of like a Hollywood Rom-Com casting, but with lizards)."

Look forward to doing this again with you lot next year!

Not been on this thread this year and missed you all, the banter and the book recommendations.
Had a mixed reading year and somewhat lost my reading mojo at one point. My notes show I read 72 so an average year for me.

Looking forward to joining you all on the new thread tomorrow and have my first book of 2018 all lined up to start tomorrow (book group read and got to be done by the end of the week )

Thank you for a brilliant thread - you are all so clever and funny and have given me excellent ideas about what to read next (and what to avoid).

I've not quite made it to 50, nor have I finished my Goodreads/Pop Sugar challenge, but I've read more, and more widely than in previous years so I'm very happy.

The last few of the year:

43. The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson. Excellent antidote to the cold - lovely short stories set on the family's small island, mainly about a small child and her grandmother. Utterly charming.

44. Inside Vogue, by Alexandra Shulman. I loved this. I'm a huge fan of diaries, and pretty interested in the fashion world, so I expected to like this, but it was so candid, biting and funny that I liked it even more than I thought I would. Probably a future comfort re-read I think.

45. The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper. I often re-read this at this time of year, and it was a great help in getting me in a Christmassy mood.

Looking forward to next year's thread already!

128. A life like other people - Alan Bennet Squeezed in a cheeky one to finish the year. And a lovely one it was too. Thank you Mr Bennett

at I Love Dick standing proud on Satsuki's list.
It's been my first year on this thread, thankyou for making me welcome and giving me such fantastic ideas for what to read next, I would never have discovered many reads I very much enjoyed without it: This Thing of Darkness and Helen Dunmore for starters!

My final 2017 list:

1. Frog Music by Emma Donaghue
2. After the Crash Michel Bussi

3.Work Like Any Other Virginia Reeves

1. The Kept Woman Karin Slaughter
2. American Gods Neil Gaiman
3. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven Chris Cleave
4. Detour from Normal Ken Dickson
5. The Comfort of Strangers Ian McEwan
6. Our Endless Numbered Days Claire Fuller

10. The Lewis Man Peter May 11. The Testament of Mary Colm Toibin 12. Deceived Wisdom David Bradley 13. Silent Child Sarah A. Denzil 14. This Thing of Darkness Harry Thompson 15. The Detectives Daughter Lesley Thomson 16. Burning Bright Tracy Chevalier 17. One Little Mistake Emma Curtis 18. Lie With Me Sabine Durrant 19. Golden Hill Francis Spufford 20. Them Jon Jonson 21. Raven Black Ann Cleeves 22. The Tidal Zone Sarah Moss 23. Bodies of Water V.H.Leslie 24. Do No Harm Henry Marsh 25. White Nights Ann Cleeves 26.Nora Webster Colm Toibin 27. The Men Who Stare At Goats Jon Ronson 28. Kill Someone Luke Smitherd 29. The Lie Helen Dunmore 30. Red Bones Ann Cleeves 31. The Psychopath Test Jon Ronson 32. The Power Naomi Alderman 33. Night Waking Sarah Moss 34. The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared Jonas Jonasson 35. Remember Me This Way Sabine Durrant 36. The Good People Hannah Kent 37. Island of Wings Karin Altenburg 38. Good Me, Bad Me Ali Land 39. The Crow Trap Ann Cleeves 40. The Siege Helen Dunmore 41. The Dark Circle Linda Grant 42. Capital John Lanchester 43. Commonwealth Ann Patchett 44. The Radium Girls Kate Moore 45. Dead Certain Adam Mitzner 46. The Return Hisham Matar 47. Apple Tree Yard Louise Doughty 48. Burial Rites Hannah Kent 49. First Love Gwendoline Riley 50. The Woman In Cabin 10 Ruth Ware 51. Stay With Me Ayobami Adebayo 52. I'm Travelling Alone Samuel Bjork 53. The Good Neighbour AJBanner 54.Black Water Louise Doughty 55. Lincoln In The Bardo George Saunders 56.The Book Collector Alice Thompson 57. A Girl Is a Half Formed Thing Eimear McBride 58. Birdcage Walk Helen Dunmore 59. A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman 60. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone JKRowling 61. Still house Lake Rachel Caine 62. No is Not Enough Naomi Klein 63. Telling Tales Anne Cleeves 64. The Dry Jane Harper 65. See What I Have Done Sarah Schmidt 66. New Boy Tracy Chevalier 67. Leaving Time Jodi Picoult 68. The Farm Tom Rob Smith 69. The Owl Always Hunts At Night Samuel Bjork 70. The Sport of Kings C.E. Morgan 71. What Belongs to You Garth Greenwell 72. Dark Places Gillian Flynn 73.Restoration Rose Tremain 74. The Gustav Sonata Rose Tremain 75.Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen 76.The Underground Railroad Colson Whitehead 77.Hidden Depths Ann Cleeves 78.Silent Voices Ann Cleeves 79. Home Fire Kamila Shamsie 80.The Glass Room Ann Cleeves 81.Days Without End Sebastian Barry 82. Harbour Street Ann Cleeves 83. Swing Time Zadie Smith 84.The Moth Catcher Ann Cleeves 85.Into the Water Paula Hawkins 86. Two Stories Mark Haddon and Virginia Woolf 87. The Pier Falls Mark Haddon 88.Exit West Mohsin Hamid 89. You Don't Know Me Imran Mahmood 90. Elmet Fiona Mozley 91. These Dividing Walls Fran Cooper 92.Masque Bethany M Pope 93. The Snowman Jo Nesbo 94.My Absolute Darling Gabriel Tallent 95. Offshore Ann Cleeves 96. Eleanor Oliphant Gail Honeyman 97.A Pocketful of Crows Joanne Harris 98. History of Wolves Emily Fridlund 99. Under Your Skin Sabine Durrant 100. Swimming Lessons Claire Fuller 101. The Bat Jo Nesbo 102.A Cat, A Hat and a Piece of String Joanne Harris 103. So You've Been Publicly Shamed Jon Ronson 104. The Keeper of Lost Things Ruth Hogan 105. Mind hunter John E. Douglas 106. I Am Watching You Teresa Driscoll 107. Murder on Christmas Eve ed. Cecily Gayford 108. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness Arundhati Roy

Phew! Happy new year everybody

I feel like I'm doing my homework on the bus at the last minute I can't figure out from my Kindle what order I read them in, so have grouped into rough categories. Looks like I read a lot of series this year! And not as much non-fiction as I intended to.

Non-fiction
The Skeleton Cupboard, Tanya Byron
Misbehaving, Richard Thaler
A Slip of the Keyboard, Terry Pratchett
The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg (totally forgot I'd read this)
Peak, J Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool
Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly

Space opera, sci fi, mil-sf
Vatta's War series, Elizabeth Moon

• Trading in Danger, Marque and Reprisal, Engaging the Enemy, Command Decision, and Victory Conditions, and Cold Welcome. Serrano Legacy, Elizabeth Moon
• Hunting Party, Sporting Change, Winning Colors, Once A Hero, Rules of Engagement, Change of Command, Against the Odds. Frontlines series, Marko Kloos
• Terms of Enlistment, Lines of Departue, Angles of Attack, Chains of Command, Fields of Fire Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson Provenance Ann Leckie Sunbolt, Memories of Ash Intisar Khana Artemis, Andy Weir Aristoi, Walter Jon Williams Ninefox Gambit, Raven Stratagem, Yoon Ha Lee The Stars are Legion, Kameron Hurley Gods War, Kameron Hurley The Merchant Princes series, Charles Stross
• The Family Trade, The Hidden Family, The Clan Corporate, The Merchants' War, The Revolution Business, The Trade of Queens Empire Games, Charles Stross

Fantasy
Memoirs of Lady Trent, Marie Brennan
- A Natural History of Dragons, The Tropic of Serpents, Voyage of the Basilisk, In the Labyrinth of Drakes, Within the Sanctuary of Wings
Nation Terry Pratchett (loved this)
Goldenhand, Garth Nix
Closer to the Chest, Mercedes Lackey
The Laundry Files series, Charles Stross:

• The Atrocity Archives, The Jennifer Morgue, The Fuller Memorandum, The Apocalypse Codex, The Rhesus Chart, The Annihilation Score, The Nightmare Stacks London Falling series, Paul Cornell
• London Falling, Who Killed Sherlock Holmes, The Severed Streets Tooth and Claw Jo Walton The Lost Plot, Genevieve Cogman (last in The Invisible Library series) The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper

Other stuff
The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
Whose Body, Dorothy Sayers
Georgette Heyer regencies:

• Friday's Child, The Convenient Marriage, The Unknown Ajax, Venetia, The Grand Sophy, The Talisman Ring

Favourites in bold.

Happy New Year everyone

I fell off the thread last year but will be back and more organised for 2018!

In the middle of Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear - very readable crime and an ideal holiday book.

Next up are A Room with a View and North Water for two different book groups.. looking forward to both.

Happy new year to all! Looking forward to the 2018 thread

Happy New Year and looking forward to the 2018 thread.

I was particularly rubbish at updating on here but I did manage 66 books this year so quite pleased with myself.