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!

Gosh you are all way ahead. Finished my first book, Sunny Side Up by Susan Calman. Nice but slightly irritating as it did seem to be glorifying "women - be nice!".
And it was a library book so I can't count it for either of my lists!

@Keepsmiling1crawdads was my last book of last year - have to say I hated the ending, I thought the whole latter third was superfluous to the evocative world and life she was growing up in and wish we’d spent more time there to be honest. It was our bookclub book - I’m hosting tomorrow night and trying out collard greens, black eyed peas and cornbread for food for them all..have made a cobbler to woo them with if the savoury stuff ends being disgusting

Cornbread is lovely and not too hard.

I quite enjoyed Book 3 Forget me Not by Claire Allan. It's a psychological thriller and I did predict the killer before I was half way through, but I still found it an enjoyable read.

I've started Book 4 and 5!

Book 4 is The Testaments, but I'm reading the hardback and can't read it during the night without waking my DH and my DS with the light on, so I'm also reading

Book 5 Pollyanna I'm determined to read a couple of classics again this year and have picked this as I still have my childhood copy for my Dd to read, but quite a few of the classics give away the story of Christmas, so I'm making sure this one doesn't before I pass it to her....

Can I join? I joined last year and posted a few times but only managed 22 books in the end.

I'm going on to book 3, blood orange.
1st was The Cows
2nd was The Hunting Party. In reall enjoyed it read it in three days

Book 2 just finished Emerald Boy and Gold Girl a collection of short stories by Yiyun Li, is just directed another collection of her short stories and loved them so I sought this out, she writes very intimate beautiful tales all set in China that deal with cross cultural cross generational issues, all with an interesting twist and/or conclusion with dynamic characters, highly
Recommended

I've finished The Third Wife and am definitely keen to read more Lisa Jewell books, any recommendations?

I'm now reading The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and finding it pretty confusing but sticking with it for the moment.

3 The Testaments
Kind of wish I'd reread THT before reading this, Margaret Atwood says this is a sequel to the book but not the TV series. Didn't really notice any major anomalies with the TV series though. Don't want to say any more since there are other people on the thread reading it right now!

Tryingvto decide what to read next, it's between Girl, Woman, Other or The Bell Jar which I was reading last year then stopped when I got something more exciting to read for Christmas so should finish that.

The Bell Jar is one of all time favourites (alongside THT) and I’m reading Girl, Woman, Other for next months book club so you’re in good company!

Love this. I am joining! I'm reading cider house rules.

I have chosen book 4: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt as so many of you on here recommend it. I will hopefully get stuck in this evening, looking forward to it!

Finished book 2 The Subtle Knife and now moving onto book 3 The Amber Spyglass. Although I've read these before, it must have been at least ten years/fifteen ago,, and I'm really enjoying re-reading them.

DS has also shown an interest in them, so may pass them on to him once I'm done. I think it was the armoured bear and the idea of a daemon which have convinced him to try them!

I feel my literary choices may be less erudite than some of you though - there's a run of classics over the last few posts, and then my selection of children's books. Oh well!

Kicking off my year with a book of short stories:

1. Help the Witch by Tom Cox

I really enjoyed these lovely modern folklore tales. The stories are all quite different to each other but a love of the countryside and landscape comes through in them all. There is a thread of humour running through them all too. I will definitely be searching out more Tom Cox to read in the future.

Finished my first book last night starting second tonight.

1/ The Whisper Man
I really enjoyed this book a good thriller and very emotional at times, made me cry. Really felt for some of the characters (especially one but don’t want to give too much away).

2/ The Silent Patient.
Have heard mixed reviews.

@BookSkark you are in good company, I've just finished Pollyanna, classic children's book

I found The Bell Jar a bit boring
I really wanted to like it just couldn't. I have concluded that my tastes are pretty low-brow because I feel this way about most classics unless they are things I have studied (ie someone has explained to me why they are good )

I read The Bell Jar last year and thought it was an incredible book and beautifully written. A true insight into the workings of a troubled mind.

Her thoughts were so descriptive and personal I felt like a bit of an intruder. I will definitely read it again in the future.

I've decided I need to get back into reading... decided on going for 26 books this year. This thread has given me some great suggestions - thank you!

1- Gone - Michael Grant - might have a go at the rest of the series.
2 - The Last - Hanna Jameson - fab read about a group of people trying to survive in a hotel after nuclear bombs have been set off. Really good!

Next is the Hand Maid's Tale. Doing well so far x

Joining in again: I managed 31 last year, which I was delighted with – some way off 50 for the other thread though!

1. The Dry by Jane Harper – book club book. It was a good crime novel; a decent page-turner for the holiday period when you don't want anything too heavy. A good sense of place (stiflingly hot farming community in Australia). Enjoyed it and it made a nice change from the devastating literary books we usually read for our book club!

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - I see above others have read this recently too! I thought it was largely great, very evocative and you really cared about the characters. It wasn't quite convincing in places and there was a bit too much quoting of poetry (no one actually does this IRL), but I think it was excellent for a first novel.

Now reading Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. Not enjoying it much so far as the characters are all insufferable, but it is short (only a novella), so I think I will stick with it and hope it'll come together.

I'm looking forward to reading The Secret Commonwealth soon; I am envious of those of you re-reading His Dark Materials. I can't quite justify it as I have so much else to read at present, but I just adore that world and loved the TV series despite its flaws.

Just reading my third book. The Corset by Laura Purcell. Started off slow but loving it now. Anyone read any others of hers?
My second book was Claire douglas. Then she vanishes which was easy reading.

there's a run of classics over the last few posts, and then my selection of children's books. Oh well!

If the year had started on 26 Dec my first book would have been 'The Secret Commonwealth' . The last three words of which made me very grumpy. Hope Philip Pullman doesn't take too long to write the third book.

4 The Bell Jar
Quite annoyed at myself with this, I was close to the end and stopped reading when Esther was at her worse last year. Was reminding me of The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway (obviously The Bell Jar predates it) and as a PP said it's distressing reading because it feels so true and honest. So then starting it again felt quite disjointed and then basically read it in a single session. Then wanted to go back and read it all again to do it justice.

I'm doing very well right now but to put that in context, the last time I finished 4 books in January was 1997 so this rate cannot be maintained! Girl, Woman, Other next.

So I've finally finished The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and I'm now reading Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith.

I almost gave up on the John ale Carre although when I checked how long the book was I was in chapter 21 and it was only 26 chapters long. So glad I persevered.

Can I join too? Don't think can get to 50, but hoping to achieve 25. Have lurked on both threads for a couple of years and have got some great inspiration of things to read! Have just finished re reading "The Power" by Naomi Alderman. I suggested it for our book club after reading it last year, and it seems to have gone down well. I enjoyed the flip on the head idea of what might happen if women possessed this power, and how men may react. Now reading "Little fires everywhere" by Celeste Ng. Enjoying it so far (about 100 pages in).