50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Three

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third 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, 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 and the second one here.

What are you reading?

Thanks for the new thread, Southeastdweller.

Parking my list so far:
1. We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

1. The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
2. Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi

4. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

1. The Wicked King - Holly Black
2. Turning the Tide on Plastic - Lucy Siegle
3. Birdbox - Josh Malerman
4. The Circadian Code - Satchidananda Panda
5. Between Worlds: Folktales of Great Britain and Ireland - Kevin Crossley-Holland

10. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood

Thank you for the new thread southeast :) Nicely timed as I've just finished:
13. Help!: How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done by Oliver Burkeman
This is one of my re-reads, mainly because I just bought a 2nd hand paper copy for dd, having previously read it as a library e-book. It's a series of very short essays inspired by different self-help books, roughly grouped into themes (happiness, productivity etc). Very enjoyable - the essays manage to be both very funny, and yet serious and often genuinely helpful.

Next up is the 2nd Viv Albertine book which I've just got from the library.

Thanks @southeast

My list so far...

1. Of mice and men by John Steinbeck
2. The sisters by Claire Douglas
3. Animal farm by George Orwell

4. The sense of an ending by Julian Barnes

1. A very British Christmas by Rhodri Marsden
2. Liverpool Daisy by Helen Forrester
3. The secrets of married women by Carol Mason
4. The secret garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

9. The secret life of bees by Sue Monk Kids 10. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult 11. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald by JK Rowling 12. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 13. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 14. The Children Act by Ian McEwan 15. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris 16. The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan 17. The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman 18. The Hospital by Barbara O’Hare 19. The Birthday by Carol Wyer

*1.The Travelling Cat Chronicles - Hiro Arikawa
2.Perfume - Patrick Suskind

1. Tangerine - Christine Mangan
2. The Last - Hanna Jameson
3. The Star of the North - DB John
4. Anna - Niccolo Amanitti*

Romesh's autobiog is taunting me despite his public schooling. I've dipped into it a little but not feeling the love

Up next one of:
The Wimbledon Poisoner
The Chimes
Everything I Never Told You

Hello!

My list so far:

1) Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
2) The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle
3) Islam and the Future of Tolerance - Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz
4) Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
5) Fuck Anxiety - Robert Duff
6) Food Politics - Marion Nestle
7) Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
8) The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - Claire North
9) The Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle

And just finished

10. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis. This isn't as good as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It does, however, explain how Narnia was created, and the story was exciting enough to keep my six-year-old entertained (and he's a tough crowd). 3/5

Thank you, southeast for all the work you put in to making this such a good thread(s).

My list so far: (* are for the good ones)

1.The Tenderness of Wolves by Steph Penney.

2.Watching You by Lisa Jewell

3.Comforts of Home by Susan Hill **

4.Day of the Dead by Nicci French

5.How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson**

6.Ony the Dead Can Tell by Alex Gray.

1. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George.

1. Arabia by Levison Wood.

1. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.*

11 Black Widow by Chris Brookmyre

12. Shadow Man by Margaret Kirk

11 The Wife by Meg Wolitzer.

12. Night Heron by Adam Brookes.

13. The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman.

14 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - a re-read but best book of the year so far.

I just don't seem to have read anything amazing so far this year, apart from The Song of Achilles, which was a re-read. I've had flu + a colonoscopy since early January & blame it all on that. Just can't seem to find/settle on a good book.

But I am really enjoying the discipline of tracking my reading & give thanks to this thread for that.

southeast

Shiny new thread!

Thanks southeast

My list, standouts in bold:

1. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
2. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
3. Normal People by Sally Rooney
4. Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig
5. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

6. Old Baggage by Lissa Evans

1. Brittle Star by Davina Langdale

8. The Fortnight in September by RC Sheriff

Thanks for the new thread.

Thanks for the new thread! Bringing my list over:

1.	Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
2.	Animal - Sara Pascoe

3. The Bull from the Sea - Mary Renault
4. Women and Power - Mary Beard
5. Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue - John McWhorter
6. The Winter Isles - Antonia Senior
7. Dynasties: the Rise and Fall of Animal Families - Stephen Moss
8. A History of the World In 21 Women - Jenni Murray
9. The Monogram Murders - Sophie Hannah
10. This is Going to Hurt - Adam Kay
11. Adventures of a Young Naturalist - David Attenborough
12. In Your Defence - Sarah Langford

Now reading Did You See Melody? by Sophie Hannah, All That Remains by Sue Black, and listening to History of Britain in 21 Women (Jenni Murray).

Thanks for the new thread Southeast

Bringing my list over

1. The Odyssey by Homer (trans. By Emily Wilson)
2. Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan
3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
4. Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God, Queen of England by Alison Weir
5. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
6. Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
7. The Last Hours by Minette Walters
8. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
9. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

10. A Killer of Pilgrims by Susanna Gregory 11. Beloved by Toni Morrison 12. Lullaby by Leila Slimani 13. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 14. A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron 15. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett 16. Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier 17. Mutiny on the Bounty by John Boyne 18. The Secret History by Donna Tartt 19. Lamentation by CJ Sansom 20. Mystery in the Minster by Susanna Gregory

Hi gang, and thanks South for the new thread :)

Interrupting my year of rereads for this, as my library reservation arrived:

10. Erebus - Michael Palin

I've read a few books previously about the doomed Franklin expedition to find the North West Passage, which ended with the loss of all lives aboard the ships Erebus and Terror in a grim ending of starvation and suspected cannibalism. What I enjoyed most about this potted history of the Erebus was the well-researched description of the Polar voyages it undertook before the Franklin expedition, as I didn't know as much about those years. Palin's chatty style is entertaining and easy to read, but I wish he (or his editors) had resisted the urge to keep interrupting the historical narrative with anecdotes of his own, modern-day travels - I really don't care what he had for dinner at a particular hotel in the Falkland Islands.

thank you southeast

Thanks southeast for the new thread - can't believe we're onto thread three already!

My list so far - standouts in bold and thankfully no stinkers so far this year, so no need for italics.

1. Diary of a Bookseller, by Shaun Bythell

1. Dark Sacred Night, by Michael Connolly
2. Fear: Trump in the White House, by Bob Woodward

4. Transcription, by Kate Atkinson

1. Reading Allowed, by Chris Paling

I'm currently reading The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley, which is about Hurricane Katrina. It's an absolute doorstop by a history professor, but it's so good (and heartbreaking) that it reads like a thriller. Might be a while before I finish; quite apart from the subject matter it's literally very heavy and so I can only read it when safely ensconced on the sofa at home.

Thank you southeast for the new thread. Highlights in bold. No stinkers as yet, although Snap came pretty close!
1*. The Salt Path - Raynor Winn

1. Everything Under - Daisy Johnson*
2. An almond for a parrot- Wray Delaney
3. Courage calls to courage everywhere- Jeanette Winterson
4. Admissions: A life in brain surgery- Henry Marsh

6. Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss

1. Snap - Belinda Bauer

8. Chronicle of Youth : Vera Brittain’s War Diary, 1913 - 17 - Vera Brittain

1. Transcription - Kate Atkinson**

10. Votes for Women - Jenni Murray 11. Henry VIII and the man who made him - Tracy Borman 12. The Woman in the Window - A J Finn 13. The Tudor Crown - Joanna Hickson 14. How to build a girl - Caitlin Moran 15. The silence of the girls - Pat Barker 16. The Song of Achilles- Madeleine Miller 17. A long way from home - Peter Carey 18. The Binding - Bridget Collins 19.The Glass Woman - Caroline Lea

My list so far:

1. Bird Box- Josh Malerman
2. Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool- Peter Turner

3. The Road- Cormac McCarthy

1. The Tattooist of Auschwitz- Heather Morris
2. Why Mummy Drinks- Gill Sims
3. Memory Songs- James Cook
4. Read All About It- Paul Cuddihy
5. The Boys are Back- Simon Carr
6. How to Make Great Radio- David Lloyd

10. The Revenant- Michael Punke 11. Every Song Ever- Ben Ratliff 12. Why Mummy Swears- Gill Sims 13. In the Days of Rain- Rebecca Stott 14. Trilby- George de Maurier 15. Not Your Average Nurse- Maggie Groff

I am now half way through The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland from the Kindle sale: I'm enjoying it.

Thanks southeast for the new thread! Here's my list so far:

1. The Crossing Places - Elly Griffiths
2. Things I Don't Want to Know - Deborah Levy
3. The History of Wolves - Emily Fridlund
4. Black Hole Blues and Other Songs From Outer Space - Janna Levin
5. Smile - Roddy Doyle
6. Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted - Andrew Wilson
7. The Story of a Marriage - Andrew Seer Green

Thanks as ever for the new thread, southeast

My list so far:

1. The West Pier - Patrick Hamilton

2: The Last Resort - Pamela Hansford Johnson 3: The Child That Books Built - Francis Spufford 4: Dark Sacred Night - Michael Connelly 5: American Bloomsbury - Susan Cheever 6: A Party in San Niccolò - Christobel Kent

1. Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary - Ruby Ferguson
2. The Dark Room at Longwood - Jean-Paul Kauffmann
3. Brother of the More Famous Jack - Barbara Trapido

10: Barrow's Boys - Fergus Fleming 11. The Harpole Report - J. L. Carr 12. Their Finest Hour and a Half - Lissa Evans

Currently reading Paul Theroux's Deep South. Review to follow.

Hello everyone!

Can't find my list but here are the latest additions:

10. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. This is a very readable and informative book about different species of trees and how they communicate with each other, depend on each other and other organisms (fungi for example), cope with threats from other trees/pests, how they procreate etc. It is written in lay man's language so it's really easy to follow. I read it in small chunks eg a few chapters a day. Not sure I could have just read it in one go!

11. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nyguyen. Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. This is a well-written account of a Communist double agent who has infiltrated a Southern Vietnamese General's entourage as aide-de-camp. Following the fall of Saigon, in 1975, they are airlifted out of Vietnam and become refugees in the US. It's not only a good yarn but looks at all sorts of themes (loyalty, what it means to be eurasian, how you fit in, guilt, love). There are some shocking parts, some heart-breaking parts and some rather amusing parts.

Thank you very much for the new thred southeast

My books so far are:

1. A Spell of Winter - Helen Dunmore
2. Timon of Athens - William Shakespeare

3. The Water Cure - Sophie Mackintosh 4. My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshfegh

1. The Sun and Her Flowers - Rupi Kaur
2. On the Black Hill - Bruce Chatwin
3. The Blackwater Lightship - Colm Toibin
4. Florida - Lauren Groff

9. A Death in the Family - Karl Ove Knausgaard 10. At Last - Edward St Aubyn 11. Less - Andrew Sean Greer 12. Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt 13. Tomorrow - Elisabeth Russel Taylor 14. Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss

And to review:
15. From the Land of the Moon - Milena Agus - a novella written by a Sardinian author in which a young woman recounts the tumultuous and passionate life of her beautiful grandma, who was shunned by her family for her outrageous poetry and conducts a love affair in a sanatorium. This was unusual and interesting but I found it hard to follow in places.

16. The Nature of Winter - Jim Crumley I thought this was going to be a nature writing book that discussed nature and winter in general, but this Scottish author focuses in on one winter in Scotland and it was rather disappointing in its narrow scope, aggravated by the fact he keeps banging on about how he is a nature writer all the time. I get it! I know you're a nature writer, I'm reading your book. However, he makes some astute points about global warming and is pro the reintroduction of wolves in Scotland - so I liked him for this. Plus there is an excellent story about an aggressive swan.

17. Insomniac City: New York, Oliver Sacks and Me - Bill Hayes I loved this. The author, Bill Hayes, moves to New York from San Francisco following the unexpected death of his partner. In New York he becomes the lover of Oliver Sacks and this book is about his love for both the city and Sacks and his relationship with them. Bill Hayes is also a photographer and there are both pictures and anecdotes here aplenty. He comes across as a very sweet man and this book is rather lovely.

Opps, I mean thread

20. The Curipus Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I’m a bit late to the party with this one. I found it really interesting, particularly as I work with children with autism. It is a story about Christopher who has ASD and discovers his neighbour’s dog has been murdered. He goes on a mission to solve the crime. The thought patterns and details were interesting. One of my children at school who has ASD is also reading it so I will be interested to hear his thoughts.

*curious

tara what did you think of Story of a Marriage? I just finished it too