50 Book Challenge 2018 Part One

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the first thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2018, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

Who's in for this year?

LEMtheoriginal - DH has just read The Silent Companions. He thoroughly enjoyed it but agrees the ending wasn't great.

Having just re-read My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, I'm starting this year with The Durrells of Corfu by Michael Haag. I love My Family and Other Animals, but it is a romanticized version of his family life and this biography is filling in the blanks and telling their story more honestly.

Happy New Year all !!

I'm in for another year. Setting myself a target of 50 books this year and looking forward to more book chat and recommendations.

Whippet I read Our Man in Havana last year and I really enjoyed it and it did make me laugh out loud in places.

Starting this year with The Hate U Give which I actually started a few days ago. Mum I will be interested to read your review.

1. Would They Lie To You? by Robert Hutton

I must have snapped this up in a Kindle Deal as it had been sitting in my Kindle for ages, probably because its cover says "How to spin friends and manipulate people" which I just have thought funny.

Well, it turned out to be quite the text book for politicians and corporate executives who need to speak to the public on a regular basis, especially after their failures. I especially enjoyed the examples it gives from UK politics.

I have finished when Hitler stole pinl rabbit.

I am starting generation A.

I feel like Frances Hardinge ought to be right up my street, but somehow her books don't quite work for me. Not sure why.

I was underwhelmed by The Book Thief, maybe because of all the hype. Currently reading The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which I started in a last-ditch attempt to get to 50 last year when the crime novel I was reading got to 1/3 of the way through with no murder and I was beginning to lose the will to live. Previous 50-bookers will be amused to know that Pollyanna has been raped by The Invisible Man, but is still determinedly putting a cheerful face on things. Also The Victorian Christmas which is a bit light for my taste, but an easy read.

I'm in! My first book is Here Comes The Sun which I'm a few chapters into and enjoying.
I've also got The Power and The Dry lined up

Joining! I keep track on good reads but will do here too. Aiming for a minimum of 100 books.

1\100

I read David Thornes - The ducks in The bathroom aren't mine. It's a comedy about replying to emails and is generally quite silly but its my sort of humor.

I'm now reading Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller. It's her memoirs of growing up with hoarder parents.

Would newcomers to the 50-Book Challlenge remember to write a few sentences about the book they read? What it's about, what you liked/didn't like about it, whether you would recommend it etc.

To start with I will try and finish Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close which I have really enjoyed so far but read in a very disjointed way, and also want to read A God in Ruins

Some books I have read and enjoyed were The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Girl Friend Michelle Francis, The Keeper of Lost Things Ruth Hogan, Let's Pretend this Never Happened Jenny Lawson, and The Secret Life of Bees

1 The Long Midnight of Barney Thompson - Douglas Lindsay

Very funny. i think I will probably read the others in the series now, though I suspect it may get a bit same-y

Happy New Year everyone! I’m in too. Read 61 books last year and aiming for 40-50 this year.

I’m with you Cote, I wasn’t impressed with The Book Thief. Too sentimental with obvious plots to try and pull those heart strings.

I’ve also not bought anything in the Kindle sale. Although that’s not a bad thing- I’ve got my and DH’s Christmas books, loads on my Kindle, an Audiobook and library options to keep me going! 😊

May i join? I'm reading All The Light, I Cannot See and struggling with it. This, I hope will give me a push on.

1. The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths 3rd in a series of archaeology / crime mysteries featuring the likeable lecturer and part time police secondee Dr Ruth Galloway, who is now juggling new motherhood with her crime solving activities. Set on the bleak Norfolk coast, this one involves the discovery of WW2 human remains. Best of the series so far, with the characters developing nicely, and the archaeology shoehorned in slightly less clunkily than previously. I see that the 10th of this series is about to be published, so it feels good to have started the year on a good one, from a series that hopefully has lots more to give.

Oooh I'm going to have a go at this. Was given The Sparsholt Affair for christmas so I'm ploughing through that. Not one I would have chosen and finding it a bit awkward and uncomfortable but that's maybe intentional. 1/50 underway!

Another one underwhelmed by the Book Thief, relieved to find I'm not alone.

Oh dear, another book for the already ridiculous TBR pile - GRRM’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in a charity shop for 50p. God help me. If you don’t hear from me for a while chances are I’ve been crushed

1. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.

Was pleased to find this being released after being inspired to learn the basic stories of Norse Mythology after watching the great American Gods adaptation and due to a very enthusiastic storyteller at a castle I visited in Sept. The book is very short and simply written, suitable for teens and adults. Very enjoyable and easy read.

Next up North and South for the mumsnet book club. Reading on kindle which I'm not sure about as I've not really managed to finish a book on kindle, don't know why but find it much harder to get into but running out of space for books in the house.

I couldn't get into the Guernsey potato society book, I've had it on the kindle for ages and it just didn't get going enough to keep on trying. It's a shame because the description looked really good.

CheerfulMuddler - can i recommend you add some novellas and poetry books? They are much quicker to read than full lenth novels and biographies but so rewarding. I read a load of GCSE novellas last year - Jeckyl and Hyde; Of Mice & Men; Gatsby - such brilliant books.

Jane - it took me a long time to learn it's ok to give up on a book you aren't enjoying, regardless of how long you've already invested in it. (This is presuming it's a book read for pleasure, not work/study!)

Reading should be a joy/entertainment, if you are finding that one hard work, abandon it for now. You don't owe author a second more of your time if you don't want to read it !

Ps last year I kept going with more than 10 books I didn't really enjoy, of those, I'm only glad I finished 2 of them.

Finished the handmaids tale.

I didn't particularly enjoy it tbh. I get the whole survive any way you can aspect and, indeed, how almost all of the themes are ever present in today's society. I understand all feminist aspects etc.

I just didn't enjoy reading it. Was too bitty for my liking. It felt like a chore to read it.
If I hadn't committed myself to this 50 books in a year I wouldnt have bothered finishing it.

Anyway, onwards and upwards to book two. Have an agatha Christie book from library that I will tackle next. Can't remember it's name at the moment but it's a Hercules Poirot one

Shocked at not liking Handmaids Tale. Not sure I know anyone who hasn't enjoyed it. I just reread it recently after watching the series. Did you watch the series comeagain? I've got an Atwood on the shelf that I haven't got into so that's on the list for this year. Trying to read the unread pile in the house before buying new books. It's Surfacing, anyone read it?

Atwood can be a bit worthy, I find. I loved the Handmaids Tale but read the Blind Assassin for book club and it was not for me at all. However currently reading The Penelopiad, also for book club, and it's a really quick and enjoyable read. She's varied, for sure.

Re Surfacing: I read it several years ago and liked it. It's certainly a very Canadian novel in its setting and themes.

Haven't read the penelopiad, I really liked Blind Assassin though and Alias Grace.
All completely different though you could almost believe they were written by different people.