50 Book Challenge 2021 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?

Me!!!
And looking forward to it

Me please!

Thanks as always for keeping things going Southeast

Shiny new thread, shiny new year.

Looking forward to spending the reading year with you all.

Hi I'm in.
Happy new year to all the 50 bookers old and new!

I have a brand new user name for 2021- I was BookWitch last year.

Currently reading The Girl with the Louding Voice, which I should finish today if I get some peace, so that will be my #1 of the year

I'm in, thanks for the new thread southeast

Forgot to add (how many years have MNers been asking for an edit function?) for newcomers please can you embolden your titles and maybe authors as well of books you've read or going to read? It makes it much easier to keep track, especially when the threads move quickly.

I’m in, thanks for new thread southeast. I finished a book last night, so am starting the new year afresh with a book about books - Ex Libris. I hope it’s as lovely to read as it is to look at!

It looks like Amazon have finally scrapped their Kindle Monthly Deal, or do they never do it in January?

Hello all. I am a long time lurker and finally being brave enough to join! I managed 48 books in 2020 and would really like to do 50 this year! Going to try and focus on female authors this year and I’m hoping to make inroads in my tbr backlog so I’m starting with Sexing the Cherry - Jeanette Winterson

I’m in!
No January deal would not be a bad thing. I am going to try very hard - this month at least - only to read books I own already or borrow.

Thanks for the new thread Southeast and welcome to 50 Bookers new and old :)

Determined to get the 50 this year!

And kicking it off with one finished around 1.30am having just got the kids to bed...

1. Broken Greek - Pete Paphides

Enjoyable enough account of the music writer (and Caitlin Moran's husband)'s childhood in Birmingham. Went over somewhat overfamiliar 70s / 80s nostalgia ground in places; more interesting when talking about his parents' upbringings and experiences as first generation immigrants.

They are still doing new kindle deals each month, they’re just not calling it the monthly deal. If you go to the main kindle book deals page you can see what’s on offer (sorry, don’t know how to link on my phone).

I'm in 😊!
Started reading, "The Secret of Happy Ever After", at about 12.30 this morning 😊.

Me please, do audible books count?

@PepeLePew

I’m in! No January deal would not be a bad thing. I am going to try very hard - this month at least - only to read books I own already or borrow.

I'm doing the same Pepe. My only book purchases will be the free monthly prime book. This year I'm cutting back my Amazon habit and if I want something I will add it to my wish list and see if I still want it a month later, most likely I won't.

First up is how to be a woman by caitlin Moran who isn't an author that I have high expectations of but I thought I'd give it a go with an open mind. So far they stand.

@Cassie71

Me please, do audible books count?

They do, and welcome!

Me please.

Thanks @southeastdweller for being such a cracking host. Can’t wait to see what this year which brings.

I start a new job Tuesday which seems insane at this stage with the threat of homeschool looming so January will be full of easy absorbing reads I think. Starting with The Silent Patient by Alexis Michaelides which is fast paced.

@Chocolateandamaretto looking forward to hearing what you think of this one as I have it on my tbr.

@Cassie71

Me please, do audible books count?

I certainly hope so! At least a third of my books will be Audible. I have just paused my membership though until I get through my backlog

Palegreen I enjoyed The Silent Patient, certainly fast paced. You need to suspend belief a bit for the end, but a good page turner

I'd love to try for 50 this year. I have a lot of non fiction, neurosciencey type books that I need to read for a course I am on but want to make sure to keep up my 'leisure reading' too. I'm kicking off the year trying to finish The Brain - A Users Guide' by John Ratey

Thanks southeast. I’m in - still reading A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel and will be for some time...

Happy New Year 50 Bookers! A fond hello to the regulars, and a warm welcome to new joiners. And thanks as ever South for the shiny new thread.

No reading resolutions other than to read a little more, after last year's sub-par efforts.

In the wee small hours I finished:

1. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Roy and Celestial are a young married couple living in Atlanta. There are already a few fault lines in their relationship, but it is shattered when Roy is imprisoned following a miscarriage of justice.

I thought at the start I would like this, and the story arc of what happened to Roy was fascinating and well done. I loved the character of Ghetto Yoda (Walter/Othaniel), with whom Roy shares a cell. However, focus of the book drifted from failures of the justice system for black men into a slightly cliched love triangle, ultimately becoming about which man (father/husband/lover) "owns" Celestial. Half a good book.

Me please I want to try and rediscover my love of reading

Can I join? I used to read a book a week but I now have a 18 month DD so I don’t do much reading now! DH got me two books for Christmas (it’s tradition, he always puts a book in my stocking) so currently I’m reading One More Croissant For The Road by Felicity Cloake. It’s an account of her cycling around France with stops based around food, it’s part funny memoir, part travel guide and part recipe book.

I would love to join southeast

I have just started From the Shadows by Lisa Hartley which is the third novel in her series about D S Catherine Bishop, set in Lincoln. I really enjoyed the first two, so have high hopes for number three.

I’m in! I read 57 books last year.

Can’t remember the name of what I’m reading now, but will finish it today/tomorrow and update then.