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?

Happy New Year all. Looking forward to another year of bookish conversation :)

I'm currently reading Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky, & on audible I'm alternating between Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling and The Ministry of Truth depending on mood.

Good luck @Hellohah! I had to read that at school half a lifetime ago, and I detested it! I remember thinking 'just get on with it, stop navel-gazing and just do it!'

Happy new year all and thank you southeast for the new thread. I am reading The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman

I managed 70 last year which was my second year on the thread having read 50 in 2018. I will be very pleased if I manage 70 again this year.

I need to stop buying books and work through my kindle and bedside stocks!

@PegHughes I used to be the same with audio but then I read (possibly here) a suggestion to speed up the audio to match your reading pace so I do 1.25 / 1.5 speed and no longer struggle to concentrate. Sounds a bit weird at first.

Happy New Year! I would love to join this thread again- I had lapsed in 2019 but used to post in previous years.

Currently reading From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan and Friday Black by N Adjei-Brenyah
I’m due to download Becoming by M Obama from the library today.
And I’m halfway through All Creatures Great and Small by J Herriot on my kindle, which I am enjoying very much so far.

Target is 75 books this year and to read from my shelves of books- no buying! Or at least, no buying books until I’ve read at least 10 of my own... we shall see. I have a few books saved aside for years, why?!?, it’s like I’m worried I won’t enjoy them as much as I anticipate so I put them aside for ages.

Anyway, I’m excited to be part of this thread again, so many amazing books discovered through all of your lists and reviews.

Happy New Year everyone!

Thank you southeast for the new thread

@Palegreenstars Oh thank you, I will give it a go. It never occurred to me to do that.

I'm in. Lurked last year and set myself a challenge to read 30 books, actually read 41 (last one snuck in just before midnight last night!)

I'm enjoying the Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir - just finished Anne Boleyn and have Jane Seymour lined up for the next substantial read. However we're away for the next few days so only taking Kindle - so starting with the e-shorts accompanying the series, up until the point I've got to. Not sure if I'll be cheeky enough to count each as a book though!

I’m in, my too read pile currently consists of 34 books so I best get started.

book 1 the star outside my window - although as I am halfway through does it count?

waawo

Happy New Year fellow 50 bookers old and new! Thank you for the new thread southeast.

I started reading Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan yesterday. So far, it's not too bad, although I spotted the big twist a mile off...

Happy New Year to all and thanks so much to Southeast for continuing to host this lovely thread. Marvellous to see so many new joiners.

My first, very enjoyable, book of 2020 is The Sale of the Late King’s Goods by Jerry Brotton. It’s about Charles I’s art collection, which was sold at knockdown prices after his execution and, much later, largely reassembled - I saw the exhibition of much of it (many stunning works included) at the Royal Academy last year. It also ties in with the Laura Cumming Velazquez book I read just before Christmas so I feel I’m joining up some dots.

Piggy I’ve also just bought a reasonable Kindle edition of David Copperfield for 49p

(I do envy Waawo starting on Autumn Term . Hope you love it.)

I'd love to join in, I'm making a real concerted effort this year to spend less time scrolling and more time page turning.

I'm starting off with Back in the Frame by Jools Walker, I have about 12 books on my want to read list and hoping to stumble across some good recommendations for a few more.

Sorry, that should be Welshwabbit and Antonia Forest. I was going to say to Waawo that Under the Net is great.

I promise not a drop of alcohol passed my lips last night (I don’t drink) so the confusion’s just down to my usual incompetence

Lovely new thread - thank you Southeast

I am starting off the year with Beware of Pity by Stefan Zwieg which has been on my Kindle forever, and Whose Story Is This?: Old Conflicts, New Chapters: Essays at the Intersection by Rebecca Solnit. I am trying to read books I already have rather than buy new ones as I have A LOT of unread books at home at the moment.

I hit 131 last year but I want to read longer books so will aim for 100 with some longer ones in there. I am aiming for The Odyssey and Moby Dick this year. Fingers crossed...

I'd like to join too.
I am going to try and do my 50 as part of the Pop Sugar Challenge if I can make the prompts work. But need to focus on finishing books rather than planning and buying more!
Currently reading Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie - series of easy to read short stories and also Ready Player One on my Kindle

I would love to hit 50 but feel 25 is more realistic. I'm kicking off 2020 with The next person you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom. Looking forward to sharing lots of recommendations. I really want to spend less time on social media and more time reading this year.

I'm in, though I won't be following many recommendations as my NYR is to only get the 12 free books I get with Amazon prime and so clear the masses of unread books on my Kindle at least in part. 2020 is the year of frugality (necessity not wiah)

First up is The Guilty Mother by Diane Jeffries which is a novel about a woman who had twins, she was in prison for murder and the book follows the story of her appeal. I won't say more as it's all too easy to post a spoiler even a short way into the book.

I'm in. I did 28 last year, my 14yo did 62 - loser has to buy the winner a new book. I'm not buying another new book this year, I intend to read the huge number of unread ones first.
Starting with Lady sings the blues by Billie Holliday.

Happy New Year everyone.

I have two books on the go, Me by Elton John and Little Women.

Hello everyone, new and old!

I’m actually aiming to read fewer books than last year, but better ones! I’m a sucker for the psychological thrillers you see in supermarkets or for 99p on Amazon so I need to read fewer of them and more classics/literary stuff. Like others though I need to clear my massive TBR pile first.

I finished a book late last night so started my first one this morning - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. I almost never buy hardback fiction but this is such a beautiful copy I had to - it’s got blue willow print all down the pages. I hope I like it because it’s too pretty to send to charity! It’s good so far (about 10% in).

Happy new year.....I'm aiming for 100 this year.
Currently reading Strangers on a Train it's my book club pick and so far I'm really enjoying it.

Joining!

I’m a lapsed reader but I work in a library so really have no excuse!

Currently reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I let myself be put off this one by some bad reviews but I’m loving it so far!

I’d like to read more classics this year as most seem to have passed me by. I’m planning to start with Why Read the Classics? by Italo Calvino as an introduction.

I’m in. Reading “The Darkest Hour” by Barbara Erskine. It’s the first time I’ve read one of her books. Aiming for a book a week this year and also aiming to widen the type of books I read.

Happy new reading year! I'm currently slogging my way through Wild swans by Jung Chang for bookclub. I'm reading a chapter a day. I'm also reading Conviction by Denise Mina, Sorry I'm late, I didn't want to come by Jessica Pan and listening to Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb.

My bookish resolutions include reading 100 books, writing brief reviews on here, tracking my reading on goodreads and the portal in the pages spreadsheet. I'm also going to try and not buy any books for as long as possible and get through some of my tbr. I'm going to delete some books off my kindle that I'll never read. I'm going to try and limit myself to just reading four books at a time and give up on ones I'm not enjoying (that aren't for bookclub) more easily. That really helped me last year.