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?

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie

Sorry, Eine. This is a journey you must embark on alone. Clue - not Heyer.

TTOD?

I have read it. Am I being dense?

Oh yes, I was being dense

Please count me in this year, as not anticipating many action packed activities and just ordered a collection of new paperbacks online as charity shops still closed (Tier 4).

Hello and Happy New Year all, may 2021 be peaceful and non-alarming :)

Starting the year with Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (the 3rd Murderbot novella, & a Christmas present from dd), and The Junior Officers Reading Club from the online library (found when I was looking to see if they had Reading Lolita in Tehran & caught my fancy).

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit

Ignoramus Question :

Fitzroy, who he?

Well it was nice knowing you Eine. So long.

Or shall" I just say 'bugger off'

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit

Oh yes, I was being dense

And I thought you were being funny

Name change here too, I was going to change from bett but couldn't think if one for this morning so here's my combination of two things I like.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit

Oh yes, I was being dense

Bett

I've just finished my first book of the year and unfortunately it was a bit of a slog.

1. Eleanor the Secret Queen: The Woman Who put Richard III on the Throne by John Ashdown-Hill

This book explores the claim that the Yorkist King, Edward IV was married to Eleanor Talbot prior to his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. This is an interesting idea and I understand the author's fascination with this as the implications for English history, were this to be true, would be significant. A prior marriage to Eleanor, who was still living at this point, would make Edward's subsequent marriage to Elizabeth Woodville bigamous and would mean that the children from this marriage, including Edward V (one of the Princes in the Tower) and Elizabeth of York (wife of Henry VII and mother of Henry VIII were illegitimate. The author has clearly done a LOT of research - which can be seen in the interminable early chapters on the family history of Eleanor and her first (only?) husband - and sketches out a plausible scenario for the marriage. The problem is that the evidence is scant and the author stretches the material that would have been barely sufficient for an undergrad dissertation across a full book. It is an interesting idea but for me the evidence is too slight for the author to draw the conclusions he does.

I would love to join but I fear I am too low brow for you bookworms.

Found it under a ball of yarn

My first book of the year is "Born Survivors" by Wendy Holden. Its the true stories of 3 pregnant Jewish women in the Nazi camps. It seems to have mixed reviews on Goodyear so I'm keen to see where my opinion will fall.

Everything allowed from

Ulysses to Fifty Shades

No judgement!

(At least not outright )

Hello and happy new year to all 50 bookers, old and new! (I'm back to my non-Christmas name and will be very confused by all the name-changers ). I still haven't read TTOD, but please don't kick me out...

Thank you for your stewardship of the threads as ever, southeast!

PinkPurpleOrangeBrown I read One More Croissant last year and it was brilliant escapism during the first lockdown .

I also read An American Marriage last year and thought it was decidedly patchy, so I'm relieved to see Turn and Fortuna agreeing - I felt a bit bad about thinking that, as everyone else seemed to be raving about it. I'm nearly at the end of Queenie, which I also think is decidedly ho-hum, despite all the breathless reviews (but I'm very definitely not the right age group for this one!)

Keith, it was me who recommended Good Habits, Bad Habits last night. I've just bought my own 99p copy, thanks to your shameless enabling ! I feel very conflicted about this: on the one hand, I said less than 24 hours ago that I was going to stop buying 99p Kindle books, and on the other hand, I did say that I'd enjoyed it so much (library book) that I wanted to buy my own copy. Maybe those two things cancel each other out?

I think one of the most widely read books on last year's threads was Me by Elton John, so we're definitely not literary snobs! (And it was one of my favourite books of the year - it was real fun to read.)

@MyfanwyMontez no such thing as lowbrow here. I read all kinds of stuff.

I would love to join but I fear I am too low brow for you bookworms

Not at all Mfanwy; everyone is welcome

@Piggywaspushed what's the OMF thread??

@MyfanwyMontez

I would love to join but I fear I am too low brow for you bookworms.

Nonsense! Have a look on the previous thread at the rubbish I've read (I was bettbattenburg on there).

Honestly, we tolerate all kinds of readers and all kinds of books - even Eine when she's being silly

Yes! Good one, bookish people. In the end I only managed about 30 last year so I have to do better. I'm about to finish The Origin of Species after it being a toilet book for about 4 years (don't judge me), so I'll be having that as the first on my list 😂

Otherwise, I'm reading We're All Completely Beside Ourselves and the Met Office's new book.

I must read The Midnight Library this year as it seems to have so many recommendations. It sounds like an uplifting read, too which goodness knows, we could all do with.

Also, I like that people on this thread have wide and varied reading interests.

@MyfanwyMontez I read any old shit so please don't worry!

I'm in. Never managed it before but I have a shiny new Kindle for Christmas and lots on it.

Just started The Midnight Library - Matt Haigh.

Right then, book 1 finished. I’m counting this as first one of the year as I read the last half of it today.

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

Will Stanton is the 7th son of a 7th son. He wakes on his 11th birthday, Winter Solstice, to find himself transported back to his own village in an ancient time. Dark and Light, Good and Evil have begun an epic battle and Will finds out that he is one of the Old Ones, tasked with bringing together the 6 sacred signs and of overcoming the Dark.

Full of folklore, myth and magic the story weaves the present and past times together. Will as the unwitting bearer of the most powerful magic of the Old Ones moves through different worlds, to bring peace once and for all.

Loved the dreamlike feeling of the imagery and all the ancient pagan traditions and meanings of Christmas threaded through. It reminded me of The Box of Delights.

A lovely seasonal tale.

Happy New Year 50-bookers! Thanks so much for keeping this going South, and welcome to all the newbies.

I have also name changed (used to be Sir Lancelot hacking my way into a wedding party in my own particular... style).

Today finished 1. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13&3/4 which required very little brain as I hid in the bath nursing my hangover this morning. (I swung it so that it was DP's turn to get up with DD this morning, haha!)

Another lurker delurking to join in the fun! I read over 100 books last year but want to read more non-fiction so setting my sights at 50 for this year.

Currently reading (and loving) Old Baggage by Lissa Evans

#Team Fitzroy