50 Book Challenge 2022 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 2022, 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.

If possible, 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 at this time of the year.

Who's in for this year?

I am in for this year and aiming to read sixty books. I ‘normally’ read a lot but haven’t been able to concentrate over the past couple of years!
I’m currently reading The Photograph by Penelope Lively which is absolutely brilliant in her characteristically understated way.
I have a large TBR pile so will be trying to get through (and get rid!) of that as well as reading my book club books and picking up on the odd recommendation here.

Happy new year everyone. I lurk on this thread but I shall try and post more this year. Just bought Sorrow and bliss from the Kindle monthly sale which I've fancied for a while and wasn't available at the library. Really want to read more this year and have put my library app where my email normally is on my phone. Also deleted some social networking apps.

Thanks for the fresh shiny 2022 thread @southeastdweller.

Like @MamaNewtNewt and @Terpsichore, I managed 108 books last year but this year am going to try not to read as many cheap Kindle thrillers as they're never my 5 star reads. I also feel like I've lost my liking of chunky fantasy/SF tomes. The last few I attempted really dragged so I'm going to be very selective there. I only managed 15% of non-white authors too so am aiming for a more racially diverse selection.

Does anyone have a good method for keeping track of what they've read on their phone? I used Google Keep last year which worked OK but then I got massive FOMO at everyone doing their stats and transferred it all to a spreadsheet which took ages. Maybe spreadsheet on phone is the way to go.

I used to manage 50 a year, but not for a while now. I probably did 15 last year.

I want to read and knit more this year.

Off to look at my to-be-read pile. I finished my last book of the year on the 30th and haven't picked my next one.

Happy New Year all. Thanks southeast for the thread.

I’ve just finished off the two Hazel Holts kindly sent to me by Bibliomania.
Lilies That Fester and Delay of Execution. Mrs Malory solves another two murders. Cosy mysteries set in a small town in Devon, perfect for undemanding reading over The last few days. Must say she’s very unfortunate in her circle of friends.

This thread remains for me the best part of the Internet aiming for 75 this year

Have a couple on the go, the best catholics in the world by Derek Scally and the dark is rising

Starting this evening with The Therapist, heard good things about it so hoping to get my reading mojo back!

Plus we're isolating anyway. Not that I get extra time to read with an 8 and 4 year old!! Anyone else struggle to read when there's any distractions? I couldn't sit and read with music or tv in the background for example

Morning everyone and thanks for starting the thread @southeastdweller. I’m aiming for 40 books this year after an awful tally last year. I’m currently reading Weird Woods, which is a collection of short stories. Enjoying it so far.

Depends what I’m reading - some things I can happily read with noise in the background but things like Dickens I need quiet so I can concentrate.

Afternoon! So glad I have found this thread. Can I join in this year. Have lost my reading mojo so not sure I will make 50. Was chatting to DD about needing to read more so she got me a book for Christmas
The Mitford murders by Jessica fellowes.
I enjoy a bit of fictional crime!

Happy New Year everyone. I was on the thread early last year but I fell off it at some point. I was really enjoying the books chat and got some very good recommendations. Special thanks to the poster who recommended 'The Sealwoman's Gift' by Sally Magnusson. I loved that book so much and I probably wouldn't have discovered it if it wasn't for this thread.

I'm currently reading 'Still Life' by Sarah Winman. Then it will be something lighter - one of the Aisling books. I got some book tokens for Christmas and I'd like to spend them on the new Fintan O'Toole book 'We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958'. Also Lara Marlowe's book 'Love in a Time of War'.

Mostly I read fiction but I like a good non-fiction from time to time. I also like a gentle detective book (not stalker/slasher/thriller books) and cold war style spy novels. An eclectic mix .

Like a lot of other posters, I waste too much time on social media (I know, I know). I've discovered that I read better in the morning than in the evening. It's probably an age thing but my eyes get tired in the evening and the light isn't so good. And my concentration is better in the morning. So I put my phone out of reach, switch it to silent so there are no distractions and then read solidly for an hour. By the time I've done an hour's reading, I'm well into the story and more likely to keep going.

Yes StColumbofNavron I have a similar spreadsheet!

Happy New Year everyone! I’ve been following these threads for a few years but never joined as I never manage to read fifty but I’m going to give it a proper go this year

Thank you southeastdweller for organising us all, and Happy New Year to 50bookers old and new!

I fell off the thread halfway through last year but plan to do better in 2022.

I've polished off two books yesterday to get to a total of 70 in 2021 - so they don't really count for this year's tally, but just a quick description:

A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. Set in the 30s, this is the story of Violet, a 38-year-old woman whose fiancé died in WW1, making Violet a spinster and "surplus woman" .. as attitudes had it at the time.
Violet finally escapes her demanding and difficult mother to try to forge a new life for herself, and her loneliness and brave efforts to combat it and create a meaningful future for herself are compassionately described.
From previous TC books, it seems she is interested in cathedrals and also in patchwork/embroidery/traditional crafts, and these come together in this book. However, you don't need to be either religious or interested in needlework (well, there's quite a lot of embroidering prayer stools so it would probably help) to enjoy the book.
Tracy Chevalier describes so well the everyday sort of courage needed to face up to prejudice and unspoken disapproval - the strength of the book for me. On the surface it's quite a light read but I think that the character of Violet will stay with me for some time.

My second book was Diary of a Nobody absolutely classic and a fun end-of-the-year read. It's been ages since I read it and discovered inside the cover that my dad gave it to me at Christmas 1979. He always wrote a message inside the cover of books he bought me. I have him to thank for introducing me to Jerome K Jerome, Molesworth and James Thurber. I may revisit some of them this year.

I am in (again) reading was hampered last year by a very busy first three months and then struggled to get back into it, feeling much more positive this year.

Taytocrisps it might have been me recommending The Sealwoman's Gift - I thought it was fascinating that it was based on a real-life historical event. There was just a very short section where she ventured into M&B territory I felt; otherwise a very well-written and gripping tale.

I'm planning to read her latest book The Ninth Child this year. It sounds good too.

Nuffaluff I love The Photograph - I think it's her best book.

Also, thank you southeastdweller for the new thread. I forgot about putting my titles/authors in bold but will do so going forward.

Thank you for the new thread @southeastdweller. Just marking my place!

I'd like to join too please

I read 44 books last year and they were a mix of fiction, non fiction and the children's chapter books I read to the kids at night.

This year I'm hoping for 50 excluding the kid's books.

Starting today with The Fell by Sarah Moss.

Thanks for the new thread @southeastdweller. Hello to old friends and welcome to the new joiners! I would like to get to 75 books this year. And as usual read more male and racially diverse authors. I usually fail on both fronts, but now's the time for resolutions!

Does anyone else use Storygraph for tracking their reading? I had been using Goodreads but thought I'd give Storygraph a try for a change. Goodreads gets too busy at times, and I only want to track my reading, not collect friends or followers etc.

Thanks for the thread! I dipped in and out last year but did make it to 73 books for the year. Hoping to read a little more in 2022 and be a little more engaged on these threads.

Happy new year to all

I stopped using Storygraph about 18 months ago and have just downloaded the app again and updated it.

I find I get much better recommendations from it. I like that you can give half and quarter stars for books. However I prefer the interface on Goodreads and find it easier to navigate.

I'm going to try using both in parallel for a few weeks to see how I feel.

Must say she's very unlucky in her circle of friends. Ha, Best, I want a final book where she is revealed to be the real serial killer all along, who is very good at pinning the murders on other people.