26-ish books in 2020

[drspouse]

A thread for those too busy or otherwise not able to aim for 50 books in a year!
I'm aiming for 12 from my shelves and 12 from a reading challenge

thebrokenspinedotnet.wordpress.com/2019/12/14/reading-classic-books-challenge/

There are loads of reading challenges here too

www.girlxoxo.com/the-master-list-of-2020-reading-challenges/

We are very laid back here, join any time, I imagine this thread will be open till Dec as it doesn't move too fast!

Book 2 was Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling, it's a bit of an Irish Bridget Jones. Quite funny with some serious emotional elements. I needed something lighter after Say Nothing.

Book 3 is Forget me Not by Claire Allan I'm not too far into this yet, but already intrigued.

Finished my second and third books (though one was a listen, but I'm going to count those too). List so far:

1. Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne.
2. Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill. This is part of a series of books following the same detective, Simon Serralier (sp). It's not the first book, but you didn't really need to know the storylines from the previous ones to follow. This was about a killer targeting young prostitutes. It was fine, an easy listen - all these books are the same I think. Tortured detective, traumatic past, dead women. This was better written than most.

1. Akin by Emma Donoghue. This is about Noah, an older man living in New York, who ends up taking in his young great-nephew Michael to avoid him being sent to foster care. He brings Michael along with him on his 'finding his roots' trip to France, and together they try to piece together a family mystery involving the French Resistance, and the smuggling of Jewish children to safety during the war. I quite liked this - it was slow to start, and a bit of an unlikely plot device with the foster care thing, but once they got to France it picked up, and the historical material was interesting. Both main characters were annoying, and I don't think Emma Donoghue is great at writing children (felt the same about Room).

@copperstrike76 I only listen to audiobooks when I’m commuting by car (which always tends to be when I’m also directing audiobooks as the studio is an hour each away away!)

I'm sticking with this challenge and have made a pact to leave my phone downstairs in the eves and only takes books to bed with me. Half way through The Third Wife now (Lisa Jewell)

Can I join please?
I read a shameful 9?last year!
My target this year is 20. I must put my phone down and pick my book up!
I’m starting this year with Little fires everywhere by Celeste Ng which I’m loving so far!

Im in for sure. Last time I managed only 18 and a half, this year it should be more. I created the stricter rule for myself and made a 2020 calendar with some personal calendar maker I got from <a class="break-all" href="http://photo-calendar-software.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. In each month I highlighted 2 days (15th and 30th mostly) as be maximum deadlines for the books. So Im planning to read at least 24 books this year and started with Gone Girl‎ by ‎Gillian Flynn. It is almost over which means I will have time to start another book even before my first deadline.

I finished the Hunting Party - kept me occupied for an evening but probably won't reread it

Forgot that I actually have two books on the go! Little fires everywhere plus who’s that girl by Mhairi McFarlane.

Can I join. I've always kept a book diary and my reading is going down and down thanks to my bloody phone so I'm going to try and read more this year. Good start so far with two books so far as I read through my Christmas books.

1 The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
This is a retelling of the Iliad from the view point of Achilles' concubine Briseis. I love Pat Barker's writing and this was beautiful retelling. Loved it.

2 Normal People
Thought this was a mixed bag. The prose is like liquid gold and it was a compulsive read that I finished in a couple of nights despite the lack of punctuation. But I found it annoying just quite how consistently academically brilliant they were both suppose to be considering how bad their mental health was as well. I wasn't sure if we were suppose to be happy they were together or not at the end, and it seemed to end rather suddenly, I could easily imagine another chapter in another six months with them broken up again over a minor issue. Was it a love story or just a glimpse into the life of 2 very damaged people? And there's 101 questions about some of the people surrounding them. Reminded me of Ed Sheeran's Castle on the Hill and it might be that I'm just too old for a love story about teenagers, I'm older than Connell's mother.

I'm in. On book no 2 now.

1. Normal People by Sally Roony
2. Currently reading The Man Who Didn't Call by Rosie Walsh

@CountFosco that makes me want to read it!

Sally Rooney is without doubt a very talented young writer so it's definitely worth reading. Haven't read Conversations with Friends yet but I probably will now.

Now reading The Testaments, read THT years and years ago and have read most of her more recent novels so looking forward to it despite it not having as high praise as THT (Booker not withstanding!).

Don't know about Normal People but I tried Conversations with Friends and just couldn't get on with it. But as you say, maybe I'm just too old for it - I felt like a bit of an old fogey as I just couldn't understand why people would behave in that way!

I have added both to my never ending list!

I felt like a bit of an old fogey as I just couldn't understand why people would behave in that way!

My FIL use to complain about how badly written books by the latest young superstar writer was and in my 20s and 30s I'd roll my eyes at him. But my tolerance is going down as I get older I think. And following Silence of the Girls was a tough call, Pat Barker is a much more experienced writer.

I've read such mixed reviews of Normal People that I haven't tried it. However if it's a compulsive read despite being "annoying" then I might tackle it. The problem I have is that one awful book can end up putting me off my reading stride - I drift to other things rather than picking up a book!

I've finished my third book of the year so far though Lies Lies Lies by Adele Parks. This was definitely typical of the current trend for "family thrillers" but was an interesting premise - amongst other things it deals with alcoholism, paternity, friendship and what makes a family. It didn't so much have a shocking twist as a few sharp turns but they kept the interest up. I was disappointed in what happened towards the end though as it felt both rushed and a bit unbelievable.

I'm skimming through a non-fiction book now Why Social Media is Ruining Your Life Although I dip in and out of forums like Mumsnet, I'm not really a social media user now, but I do find the phenomenon and what it is doing to people - particularly women - quite fascinating!

Coming back in to gloat that I've finished 3 books and am onto my 4th although this week I've read far less as the kids have gone back to school and I've been much busier. I'm finding it's taking me around 24hrs after finishing one to decide on another...I wish I could stack them up in order ready! I've taken to turning the TV sound off and reading instead of watching tv when I get into bed. However, all the call the midwife series being on iPlayer is going to curtail this I fear as I went to watch the new series and then realised I'd watched episode one of series one and decided to watch them all....

2. The Little Snake by A. L. Kennedy - a beautifully written bittersweet magical tale of humanity - highly recommended!
3. Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain - the 6th book I've read by this author and I recommend all of them.
I'm still deciding what to read next..

I'm still (!) on book 1! Kind of wish I hadn't picked The Goldfinch as my first read as it's such a beast. I'll probably finish it within the next couple of days though then I was thinking of reading Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land - has anyone read this?

I have finished my second book Where the crawdads sing. I wasn't sure at first - it isn't a book I would normally choose and I thought it was a bit slow to start with lots of descriptive language. But I really cared about the characters and what happened to them and was keen to get to the end. I would definitely recommend it.

I've just finished book 2 - He said, she said by Erin Kelly, who I've just found out wrote Broadchurch. I started it before Christmas and went back to it, so a bit of a cheat. It was OK - a thriller with a few unexpected twists and turns, but not brilliant.

Finished book number 1 for 2020. ‘Who’s that girl?’. By Mhairi McFarlane.
It wasn’t something that I would have normally have picked up but I’m glad that I did. It was an easy read love story but I couldn’t help but fall in love with Edie.

I'll join!

Have kicked off the year with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. I haven't checked the list but i'm sure it's on most 'classics' lists these days. Can't quite believe i'd got to 38 and never read it. Her writing is astonishing, seemingly effortlessly so. It just flows like water.

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou is fab, think I read all of her autobiographies within a few months. Need to consult lots with google for the later ones so you know who is who in the civil rights movement but fascinating and very easy to read. Probably one of my favourite autobiographies.

Just finished my first, La Belle Sauvage and feeling bereft as I probably won't enjoy anything else as much this year!! Plus I can't read The Secret Commonwealth til it's out in paperback as I picked up the hardback in a shop the other day and realised how hefty it is.