50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Four

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth 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, 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 and the third one here.

How're you getting on so far?

10. Dying fall by Elly Griffiths. Book 5 in the Ruth Galloway series about an archaeologist who helps the police solve murders. This time the series moves from Norfolk to Blackpool where both Ruth and Nelson are on holiday, separately. A university friend of Ruth’s dies in suspicious circumstances. King Arthur, druids and bones are involved. I quite enjoyed this one and the next in the series is at the library. Surprised these haven’t been turned into a Sunday night ITV drama yet.

Best, The Common Years is one of my absolute favourite comfort reads as well. Rivals is another one, at least partly because there's tons of descriptions of nature in it too.

Just finished The rivers of London by Peter Aaronaavitch. This is full of ghosts, vampires, Molly the Maid, the metropolitan police and random violence. Quite the barmiest book I have read for a long while but also very enjoyable.

Moving on to frenchman's creek by Daphne du Maurier

Terpsichore
The Cherry book is excellent, isn't it? You might also enjoy Captain Scott's Wonder about the marvelous Birdie Bowers.

38, 39, 40 Jeeves Omnibus Volume 2
41: The Reluctant Widow – Georgette Heyer
42: Died in the Wool – Ngaio Marsh
None of the above would set the world on fire, but all were enjoyable, light holiday reading. Particularly enjoyed Right Ho Jeeves which made me snort indecorously on the train a couple of times. Oh for a world in which the colour of one's socks and inadvertently ending up engaged to people you don't wish to be engaged to are one's biggest problems. I do like Wooster - he's basically a younger Whimsey without the wittering and angst.

Rivals is definitely the best of her bonkbusters Noodle. She’s good on Gardens and interior design too.

I've only just finished book 12... I'm rather behind.
I read Uprooted by Naomi Novik which I highly recommend for any Fantasy Ficton readers.
It's about a girl called Agneizska who has been abducted by a wizard called the Dragon. Lots of Polish mythology in there and an enchanted Wood. I thoroughly enjoyed it as it was beautifully written.

El 12 is more or less on target to do 50 in 2018, though! Nil desperandum!

On a different subject DS2(13) is a reader. He reads in bed every night for half an hour which is pretty good for a boy his age. he's not a raging intellect but is open to most types of books. Frustrated that all the good teen fiction features female protagonists (he's not that bothered by this but it stops him perhaps form reading in public) or the 'boys' stuff' is fantasy or full of violence and stuff (not to my taste or his) I decided to try to get him reading easy grown up books (he did really like some children's classics a while back) and also have my mind on the fact hat he will be doing Frankenstein relatively soon.

I gave him The Chrysalids which he obediently read ( it's a speciaI book for me was born with 6 toes !! ) but said 'it wasn't his favourite ever' . Can anyone recommend something at about that level of accessibility for a 13 yo who will read, but not voraciously and likes a good story ( he loved Hill Of the Red Fox so it would seem adventure yarns perhaps)

Not a stealth boast I promise! (although eh is the best DS ever!)

Oh no another one added to the TBR pile - thanks Terps for the review of Cherry. I know next to nothing about the expeditions to discover the Poles. I have a feeling I will become obsessed in the same way I have with Everest/Mallory thanks to this thread

YA stuff that has a mixture of male and female protagonists:
The Mortal Engines series - male/female leads
The Gone series by Michael Grant, though it does have some violence in it
The Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearne - set in ancient Japan, so quite a lot of violence and also some sex (including homosexuality) but v good - my dd1 read them aged about 10 and wasn't freaked out by them

Grown up books that are simple enough to read - maybe some Steinbeck? The Pearl and The Red Pony perhaps? Save 'Of Mice and Men' for another 6 months or so.

The Hound of the Baskervilles? The language takes a little bit of getting used to, but it's short and quite exciting.

Maybe something like 20000 Leagues Under the Sea? I am Legend?

What about the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell they are engaging and fairly easy to read. He might enjoy those? I remember Chris Ryan did YA series called Alpha Force it's teenagers who are trained in survival

Or the Young Bond books by Charlie Higson.

He's doing OMAM at school remus and loves it. He also loved Animal Farm and came home and cried about Boxer! Bless him.

He tried some Young Bond. He likes Roger Moore Bond films. (yes, he is quite old fashioned!)

He would hate Chris Ryan , I think : he just isn't macho at all. He is quite sentimental. He would like football books but bemoans the 'issues' that are always thrown in. He loved The Glory Gardens cricket series and How To Tame Your Dragon , and Paddington but pretends he has outgrown them. Wimpy Kid, too, obviously...

I'll google some of these suggestions. Thanks!

Actually, thinking of my user name, I might try Lord Of The Flies, but it is a book that needs a teacher , I think. Maybe To Kill A Mockingbird??

Just checking in.

I am on The Toy Makers and I am not convinced at the moment.

I love the sound of Into Thin Air. I read The White Spider and Touching the Void some years ago and really enjoyed them. I think this might need to be added to me TBR pile.

Save LOTF a while. It's too good to be rushed into when perhaps not entirely emotionally ready for it.

True remus . Good point.

piggy what about Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy? My DS 14, enjoyed Ready Player One. To Kill a Mockingbird is a good shout. He also enjoyed The Great Gatsby surprisingly and Jekyll and Hyde.

Ooh yes to Ready Player One. Great fun.

Thanks splother. I thought Hitchhikers might have dated a bit but might give it a go. I think he likes books where he can feel sad (takes after me!) or emote over someone's fate!

Your DS sounds quite advanced!

Mine liked A Monster Calls. And Mrs Peregrine.

He may be going off reading. He mooched about in Waterstones rather unenthusiastically last week. But bookshops often don't display things all that helpfully.

Might try Ready Player One.

Sorry for hijacking thread but I knew you lot would have ideas!!

What about the Time Travellers Wife? A mainly male protagonist and has an element of fantasy. If he likes sad?
I second Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.

What about Count of Monte Cristo or the Three Muskateers. They are good fun but interesting themes.

ooh yes, maybe Three Musketeers!!

Anyone read The 39 Steps? What's that like? Hill of The Red Fox is a bit like a young person's spy thriller (with Gaelic thrown in for good measure)

19. The Abbess of Crewe - Muriel Spark

Short book, based on the political manouverings in the abbey once the old Abbess died for the election of the replacement, and the fall out from that. Well written. (Althuogh feels dated).

Has anyone read Perdido Street Station by China Mieville ? I read his The City and The City after a discussion on last year's thread and enjoyed it/found it interesting. I'm about 240 pages into this one and I'm struggling, it feels waffling and like not much has happened yet. I don't mind bigger books (It's over 700 pages), but if it's just a 400 page story with over-explaination and waffle to pad it out, life is too short... Does it get gripping?!