50 Book Challenge 2019 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 2019, 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.

Who's in for this year?

The Five People you meet in Heaven was quite good from what I remember, maybe I should re-read it to see if it's actually utter tripe - but given the polarised comments on here I think I'l pass

I've finished my first book of 2019. It was Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore. It's set in Bristol when people are starting to make money out of house building. The heroine, Lizzy, is from a Reform background but has married a builder, who will shortly lose his money due to the effects of the French Revolution. There's also a murder mystery. I really enjoyed this, and I'm sorry there won't be any more from this author.

Scribbly! I'm out eating lunch alone, so people were already side-eyeing me. My big guffaw at your review hasn't helped.

I surprised myself by really liking The Five People and Tuesdays with Morrie by the same writer. They must have caught me at a sentimental moment!

A slow start to the year because I'm out of my routine. Loving Erebus so far, but finding it a bit heavy for bath time reading!

1: Unnatural Death – Dorothy L Sayers – HV-less but still not her greatest. Wimsey wittered a lot and it all seemed to take a very long time. A couple of great moments though – excellent old lady friend of Wimsey’s in mortal danger was one, and Wimsey not really being semi-seduced by crazy lady another.

2: The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck – recommended by my daughter. I liked the sentiment of this – basically, give fewer fucks about things whilst remaining a polite and largely pleasant person, but it was very repetitive and the things it mostly banged on about giving fewer fucks about – weddings, party invitations you don’t really want to go to, and other people’s children – don’t really feature much in my life anyway. I definitely intend to give fewer fucks about work this term though!

I haven't read any Harry Potter books, either, and can't imagine why I ever would.

Great review scribbly!

I only read the Harry Potters to begin with as one was on a course I was taking; I’m now rereading them to ds. I don’t think I would have read them otherwise as I’m the wrong age really and just missed them as a child.

I’m so tempted by the St Aubyn books but also hate anything involving child abuse, and heard it contains references. Sorry that sounds silly - I’m sure everyone hates it, I mean I actively avoid it.

I've only read 26 of the books from the BBC list, and I'd consider myself to be well-read (as mentioned in my other post, I'm a literature student for a start!). The issue with the list, in my opinion, is with the groupings: I've read Othello, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, but not "The Complete Works".

Have read 77 on that list and given up without finishing about another dozen. I'm a Lit graduate and haven't read all of Shakespeare's plays (and have no intention of doing so, either).

I've read 73 of that list. It's definitely ''of an era''. Around 2000 makes sense.

The BBC list was on last year's thread at some point and the website has remembered my list (58) . Since then I have read 4 more so am now on 62 (and I have read all of Shakespeare...!)

I actually have no huge desire to read too many more of them, to be honest!

I’ve read 67 of the BBC list and frankly wouldn’t touch most of the others with a barge pole. It’s a very odd selection, but I suppose they tried to find something to tempt all tastes. Dan Brown? Really?!

This year I’ve just finished “Jeeves and the King of Clubs” by Ben Schott, which I got for Christmas.
Delightful read, and he’s captured the PGWodehouse style perfectly.

Anyone who liked the originals would enjoy this affectionate homage to “Plum”, with many of the well known characters making an appearance. A gentle, funny, feel good book perfect for cheering a dull January day.

Satsuki, child abuse is a hard pass for me too, but I managed the St. Aubyn books. The scene at the end of the first book was horrific. You could skip it, though.

St. Aubyn's send up of literary awards, Lost For Words, is snarky, witty fun that I think you'd enjoy.

I have just finished book 1 of the year, Erebus by Michael Palin. I do enjoy anything about polar exploration and sea voyages and so this was fascinating. A little nugget that captured me was that in the dna analysis of some of the remains of the sailors there was no Y chromosome found, suggesting that there may have been women in disguise on the ship which was not unheard of.....I'd be fascinated to read anything else about that if anyone knows of anything!

66 on the list for me. I have started and abandoned quite a few of the others and some I have no desire what so ever to read.
Satsuki off to Google Savage.
Scribbly great review

Back again - Satsuki - do you have the author of Savage? Struggling to find it.

Savage is Nick Hazlewood I believe.

toomuchsplother It’s Nick Hazlewood - I tracked down a copy on Abe books.

The subtitle is The Life and Times of Jemmy Button. Thanks vanderley I will have a look for that, and maybe I’ll take a peek at the Melrose.

2. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

I was skeptical about these books as I read the first chapter and thought it wasn’t for me at all, but then I persevered and actually it was quite good fun, when you’re in the right frame of mind for it, and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. Rachel and Nick are university professors in New York who have been dating for a couple of years. Nick invites Rachel to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore to give her the opportunity to meet his friends and family. She finds out they are crazy rich and also possibly just plain crazy, and lots of gossipy nonsense ensues in sumptuous surroundings as his relations pin her as a social climber and work to try and scare her off. It’s like Eliza Bennett vs Lady Catherine and the Bingley sisters, if the former had hired a private investigator to look into her background, and the latter used phrases like “gold-digging c*”. As I got to 95% I realised it wasn’t wrapping up neatly and the second one is five quid on the Kindle, so probably won’t get it for a while at least, though I’d have kept reading if it was there.

I think it was probably me who recommended Savage, alongside This Thing of Darkness. Both superb.

My instinct was “probably Remus” - should’ve gone with it!

I'll also be team Infinite Jest at some point this year as it's in my top 50 books. It's definitely worth it but I might treat myself to the Kindle version this time round

My list for this year, if anyone's interested. It's based on the books I've given a five-star Goodreads rating to, but focusing on books I haven't read in the last couple of years.

Glad to see Absolute Beginners on your list Meg - it's one of my favourite books and a regular re-read (I tend not to count multi-re-reads on my list on here). Unlike most people I even like the 1980s film :)