50 Book Challenge 2020 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 2020, 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?

Very well said Satsuki, I agree about Kate Atkinson. Her prose is so sparkling and her characterisation is always excellent - I think amongst the best I've read. I will always make time to read her books, even if she doesn't quite pull it off sometimes.

@StitchesInTime... That would really amuse me too

I am currently being slowed down by

a) return to work, exhaustion and usual back to work migraines
b) how really very shit Number One Chinese Restaurant is. Yawn.

1. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. This was reviewed by a few people on last year's thread, and I believe the general consensus was that it's an incredible true story but not very well written. I would agree with that. It's a shame, as this could have been something amazing, but I just couldn't connect emotionally with the characters.

bibliomania I am keeping going for now with The Hunting Party but I may yet stop and need to politely request a PM to tell me who, who and why

I'm in! Managed to get through a paltry 14 books last year but that included a few that were 500+ pages plus and I don't get a lot of time to read... I've just finished S.J Parris' Treachery which I think is the 4th in the series. Moving on to Harriet Lane's Always, Alys which has been on my list for a while as I loved Her. My New Year's resolution is to stop buying so many books on Amazon and make more use of my local libraries (my borough has about a dozen) so I've trawled through the library catalouges and compiled a list of books I want to read that were previously on my Amazon Shopping List and are now lined up to be borrowed instead.

@bibliomania, I can imagine. Michael Greger is pretty scathing about LCHF and has done a few podcasts about keto.

In Ruins sounds great, will note it down.

Yes, betty, I am prepared to reveal all on request....

Joe, he's making me have a rethink. I was quite persuaded by some recent books on LCHF, but Greger has linked to a blog by Seth Yoder (The Science of Nutrition) which pulls them apart.

I loved Alys, Always @Eastie77 very female Talented Mr Ripley.

Im joining in, read 55 books last year so a target of 52 for 2020.

Another fan of warlight, left me with more questions than answers by the end which really suited the dream- like atmosphere of the book.

1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Book by Yuval Noah Harari. Really enjoyed this, trying to fit a history of our entire species into 500 pages is not going to make an in depth read, but it did a good job and gave me alot of different things to think about.

Sounds good @EineReiseDurchDieZeit as I really liked The Talented Mr Ripley (and absolutely love Patricia Highsmith's work generally).

Wasn't so keen on the film but then I find many excellent books fail to successfully transition to the big screen.

Betty if it helps, I read The Hunting Party last year and can't remember who did it or why so it obviously wasn't all that memorable 😂

I've decided that it must have been Colonel Julien in the glass monstrosity with a Moet cork but happy to be proved wrong.

Still going with it, I think it's the unpleasantness of the characters I am struggling with - there are several who I'd happily see written off. I've got an idea of who the culprit was now so I've got to keep going.

betty That's how I felt about The Hunting Party as well - they were a bunch of idiots, but at about the halfway point I just thought I might as well read to the end. It didn't get any better, or any worse, to be fair.

Just popping in to say I loved Life after Life and God in Ruins. Completely agree about Kate Atkinson- doesn't always pull it off but even in her weaker books there is some stunning writing .
the Hunting Party I found flimsy, all the characters were pretty vile and I really didn't care who did what by the end

Hello all, is it ok to join at this later stage?
I'm a long term lurker on these threads, I always seem to miss out when they first start but I enjoy reading them.
My goal for 2020 is'at least 100 books. I'm on book no 4 so off to a good start.

I'm off now to read the thread from start to finish to catch up with where you're all all.

2. It's your Time You're Wasting" by Frank Chalk

An amusing anecdotal account of life as a supply teacher. I can identify with a lot of it having done several stints doing supply myself, like the trepidation waiting to find out if work has been left, Mr Chalk does seem fairly settled in one (terrible) school where he covers just about everything from French to PE.
Several funny stories, as well as some sad ones, mostly about the reasons why some kids behave so appallingly. Also an insight into the realities of working within a broken, underfunded system such as UK state education has been over the last few decades.
Probably not as good as "This is Going to Hurt" by Adam Kay on working within the NHS, virtual identical format though.

Hi dee people join throughout the year, never too late

Finished number 3. The Carer by Deborah Moggach
A very enjoyable novel that I listened to on BorrowBox. Phoebe and Robert find a new carer for their elderly father, James. Mandy is a godsend, but perhaps she is not all she seems.
Light and comic, tackling the theme of growing old in a respectful, touching way. The humour was enhanced by the actor, Patience Tomlinson who read the audio book. Her voices for the characters were good.
The novel changed completely halfway through. I preferred the first half to the second, but it held my interest throughout.
I find Moggach’s writing really entertaining. It’s useful if you want something well written with a good story but don’t want to have to think too hard. It’s intelligent writing, but it’s not taxing.

This thread is so useful.
I’m definitely going to read Warlight soon, which I have on my shelf.
I’m never going to read The Hunting Party.

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
2. The Girls by Lisa Jewell
3. I am, I am, I am by Maggie O'Farrell
4. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
6. I found you by Lisa Jewell

My reading will slow down now, but I'm off to a good start and I've enjoyed all these books. I'm still reading from my TBR pile and I haven't purchased any new books this year, not sure how much longer I can resist checking out my amazon basket though.

Oh dear. I have The Hunting party on my tbr pile...

I have The Hunting party on my tbr pile...

You might enjoy it, I just find the obnoxious characters annoying and feel like slapping them across the face. It's not badly written or anything like that, I just have a very low tolerance for dicks especially when driving

I am now imagining you reading and driving....

They are all twats in Number One Chinese Restaurant and I am hating that.

I am now imagining you reading and driving....

Don't report me, I don't want to lose my licence

I can't even listen to audio books when driving, they make me want to go to sleep!