Alexi Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) Hello! Only five days late, here is my official reading log. Please accept no substitutes. AIMS FOR 2015 To read at least 60 books To read 10 from the 1001 list Progress with English Counties and World Challenges To decrease my TBR by one (gulp) Edited January 5, 2015 by Alexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) BOOKS READ 2015 JANUARY Game of Thrones by George R R Martin 5/5 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 4/5 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald 3/5 The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie 3/5 Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier 5/5 First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton Second Form at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton Third Year at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton Upper Fourth at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton In the fifth at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton Last Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton FEBRUARY The Jewish Candidate by David Crossland 4/5 If I Stay by Gayle Forman 2/5 The Time Machine by H G Wells 4/5 The Year of the Rat by Claire Furniss 3.5/5 MARCH The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 4.5/5 Endless Night by Agatha Christie 3/5 Shooting Elvis by R M Eversz 2/5 APRIL The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L Shirer 5/5 The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 5/5 The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion 4/5 The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K Dick 2/5 The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 4/5 MAY The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer 4/5 Letters from Alcatraz by Michael Esslinger 3/5 The Mangle Street Murders by M R C Kasasian 4.5/5 The Twins at St Clare's by Enid Blyton The Absolutist by John Boyne 3.5/5 The O'Sullivan Twins by Enid Blyton Summer Term at St Clare's by Enid Blyton Second Form at Clare's by Enid Blyton Claudine at St Clare's by Enid Blyton Fifth Formers of St Clare's by Enid Blyton JUNE Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 3/5 The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi 3/5 Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich 3.5/5 Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor 4/5 Super Casino by Pete Earley 4/5 JULY Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre 2/5 The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud by Ben Sherwood 3/5 A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor 4/5 Middlemarch by George Eliot 4/5 The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle 3/5 When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde 4/5 AUGUST The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud 2/5 The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith 3.5/5 New York by Edward Ruthurfurd 5/5 When A Child is Born by Jodi Taylor 3/5 SEPTEMBER Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore by Robin Sloan 3/5 Inside the Divide by Richard Wilson 3.5/5 The Curse of the House of Foskett by MRC Kasasian 4/5 Different Seasons by Stephen King 4/5 Bad Mothers United by Kate Long 3.5/5 OCTOBER Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 3/5 Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey 4/5 Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich 3/5 South Riding by Winifred Holtby 5/5 Paper Towns by John Green 2/5 NOVEMBER Wild Swans by Jung Chang 5/5 Moneyball by Michael Lewis 4/5 Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks 3/5 The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers 4/5 They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie 4/5 (a) The Year After by Martin Davies 3/5 DECEMBER A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor 4/5 Leading by Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Michael Moritz 3.5/5 (a) Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson 4/5 Edited December 24, 2015 by Alexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) TBR A -K Ben Aaronovitch - Rivers of London Douglas Adams - Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun Mitch Albom - The Five People You Meet in Heaven Tahmima Anam - A Golden Age Maria Angels Anglada - The Auschwitz Violin David Baldacci - Absolute Power Sam Baldwin - For Fukui's Sake JG Ballard - Empire of the Sun Nonna Bannister - The Holocaust Diaries Dennis Bergkamp - Stillness and Speed Arnold Bennett - The Old Wives Tale Tracy Bloom - No one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday Judy Blume - Tiger Eyes Judy Blume - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Attilio Bolzoni - White Shotgun Kathryn Bonella- Hotel K Anthony Bourdain - Kitchen Confidential Anthony Bourdain - A Cook's Tour Mark Bowden - Killing Pablo Tom Bower - No Angel: The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone Ray Bradbury - Farenheit 451 Rodric Braithwaite - Moscow 1941: A City and it's People at War Anne Bronte - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Max Brooks - World War Z Helen Bryan - War Brides Edward Bunker - Mr Blue: Memoirs of a Renegade Jimmy Burns - La Roja Luca Caioli - Messi Michael Calvin - Family Mark Cappell - Run Run Run Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Noel Cawthorne - Witch Hunt: History of a Persecution Jung Chang - Wild Swans David Charter - Au Revoir, Europe Tracy Chevalier - Falling Angels Lee Child - Killing Floor Lee Child - The Affair Noam Chomsky - Occupy David Cohen - Bringing them up Royal Agatha Christie – The Seven Dials Mystery Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins - Catching Fire Suzanne Collins - Mockingjay David Conn - Richer Than God Thomas H Cook - The Last Talk with Lola Faye Susan Coolidge - What Katy Did George Cooper - The Origin of Financial Crises David Crossland - The Jewish Candidate Robert Dallek - John F Kennedy: An Unfinished Life Robert Davies - The Man Who Lived at the End of the World John Deering - Bradley Wiggins: Tour de Force Diana Dempsey - Falling Star Becky Dennington - Me and the Ugly C Arthur Conan Doyle - The Sign of the Four Arthur Conan Doyle - The Valley of Fear Arthur Conan Doyle - The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes Daphne Du Maurier – Rebecca Mark Dunn - Ella Minnow Pea Steven Dunne - The Reaper Pete Earley - Super Casino Sam Eastland - Siberian Red Damien Echols - Life After Death: Eighteen years on Death Row Helen Edwards and Jenny Lee Smith - My Secret Sister Nick Edwards - In Stitches Ben Elton - Two Brothers Tan Twan Eng - The Gift of Rain Eskimo Folk Tales Michael Esslinger - Letters from Alcatraz Jeffrey Eugenidies - The Virgin Suicides Joseph Finder - Paranoia Jack Finney - Time and Again Helen FitzGerald - The Cry Penelope Fitzgerald - The Bookshop Jonathan Safran Foer - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Ken Follett - Pillars of the Earth Eric Foner - Give Me Liberty John Foot - Calcio Gayle Forman – If I Stay Michael Frayn - Skios Barbara Freethy - Ryan's Return Dawn French - A Tiny Bit Marvellous Neil Gaiman - Stardust Alex Garland - The Beach Antonio Garrido - The Corpse Reader Lisa Genova - Still Alice Tess Gerritsen - The Silent Girl Tess Gerritsen - Bloodstream George Gissing - The Unclassed Alex Grecian - The Black Country Graham Greene – Brighton Rock Phillippa Gregory - The Kingmaker's Daughter George Grossmith - Diary of a Nobody Richard Guard - Lost London Heather Gudenkauf - These Things Hidden Carla Guelfenbein - The Rest Is Silence Romesh Gunesekera - Reef Duncan Hamilton - Provided You Don't Kiss Me Dashiell Hammett - The Maltese Falcon Chad Harbach - The Art of Fielding Daniel Harris - The Promised Land Robert Harris - Imperium Thomas Harris - Red Dragon Nadia Hashimi - The Pearl that Broke its Shell Ben Hatch - The P45 Diaries Noah Hawley - The Good Father Terry Hayes - I am Pilgrim Richard Herley - The Penal Colony Howard Hockin - High Stakes Steena Holmes - Finding Emma Ninni Holmqvist - The Unit A M Homes – May We Be Forgiven Mary Hooper - At the Sign of the Sugared Plum John Hoskison - Inside Victor Hugo - Notre Dame de Paris Victor Hugo - Les Miserables Graham Hunter - Barca Catherine Ryan Hyde - When I Found You Walter Isaacson - Steve Jobs Eowyn Ivey - The Snow Child Quintin Jardine - Lethal Intent Liz Jensen - War Crimes for the Home Lisa Jewell - The House We Grew Up In Graham Johnson - Football and Gangsters Jonas Jonasson - The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared Owen Jones - The Establishment Rachel Joyce - Perfect Andrew Kaufman – Born Weird Carolyn Keene - The Secret of the Old Clock Lindsey Kelk - I Heart Hollywood Lindsey Kelk - I Heart London Simon Kernick - The Business of Dying Simon Kernick - Relentless Barbara Kingsolver - Flight Behaviour Ayse Kulin - Last Train to Istanbul Simon Kuper – The Football Men Edited December 24, 2015 by Alexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) TBR L-ZCamilla Lackberg - The Ice PrincessPaul Lake - I'm Not Really HereEric Lamet - A Child Al ConfinoDoreen Lawrence - And Still I RiseValerie Lawson - Mary Poppins, She WroteDebra Lee - TakenSheri Leigh - Graveyard GamesMark Logue and Peter Conradi - The King's SpeechEric Lomax - The Railway ManKate Long - Bad Mothers UnitedKaren Lord - Redemption in Indigo Sid Lowe - Fear and Loathing in La LigaSamantha Mackintosh - Kisses for LulaKevin Maher - The Fields Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to FreedomHilary Mantel - Wolf HallScott Mariani - The Alchemist's SecretHoward Marks - Mr NiceAndrew Marr - History of Modern BritainAndrew Marr - My TradeIan Marshall - The Class of 92Ann M Martin - Kristy's Great IdeaDaniel Martin - Black Tie, White NoiseGeorge R R Martin - Game of ThronesRobert K Massie - Nicholas and AlexandraKimberly McCreight - Reconstructing AmeliaBob McElwain - Free to DieKatie McGarry - Pushing the LimitsBrian McGilloway - Little Girl LostReg McKay - The Last GodfatherChristina McKenna - The Disenchanted Widow Claire Messud - The Emperor's ChildrenPhilipp Meyer - American RustCandy Miller - Kalahari PassageKimberley Rae Miller - Coming CleanBrian Moore - Beware of the DogLiane Moriarty - What Alice ForgotRoger Mortimer and Charlie Mortimer - Dear Lupin: Letters to a Wayward SonHaruki Murakami - 1Q84Urzula Muskus - Long Bridge out of the GulagsJo Nesbo - The BatJo Nesbo - NemesisJo Nesbo - The RedeemerJo Nesbo - PhantomJo Nesbo - The SnowmanJo nesbo - The Devil's StarJo Nesbo - The LeopardPatrick Ness - A Monster CallsPatrick Ness - The Crane WifeDavid Nicholls - Starter for TenClaire North - The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August Solomon Northup - 12 Years A SlaveSean O’Connor - Handsome BruteJoseph O'Neill - Crime CityMichael Ondaatje - The English PatientS J Parris - HeresyS J Parris - Treachery James Patterson - Kiss the GirlsJames Patterson - Cat and MouseChris Pavone - The ExpatsJohn Pearson - Learn Me GoodStef Penney - The Tenderness of WolvesOliver Potzsch - The Hangman's DaughterJeff Ragsdale, David Shields and Michael Logan - Jeff, One Lonely GuyIan Rankin - Fleshmarket Close Louise Rennison - Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal SnoggingLexi Revellian - ReplicaDavid Revill - London by TubeTom Reynolds - Blood Sweat and TeaGraham Robb - Parisians: An Adventure History of ParisTrevor Roberts – Caught by Cameras Angus Roxburgh - Strongman: Vladimir Putin and the struggle for RussiaEdward Rutherford – New YorkC J Sansom - Winter in MadridPhil Scraton - Hillsborough the TruthTina Seskis - One Step Too FarAnna Sewell - Black BeautyWilliam L Shirer - The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich[/size]Graeme Simsion - The Rosie ProjectMartin Sixsmith - PhilomenaKarin Slaughter - IndelibleChristopher Smith - Fifth Avenue[/size]Tom Rob Smith - Child 44 Diana Souhami - Murder at Wrotham HillAli Sparkes - Frozen in TimeDana Stabenow - A Cold Day for MurderGarth Stein - The Art of Racing in the RainKathryn Stockett - The HelpMari Strachan - The Earth Hums in B FlatWilliam Styron - Sophie's ChoiceAntal Szerb - Journey by MoonlightDonna Tartt - The GoldfinchHunter S Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Georgie Thompson and Imogen Lloyd Webber - The Twitter DiariesLesley Thomson - The Detective's DaughterRosy Thornton - NinepinsPeter Thurgood - The Stories behind London's StreetsScott Turow - Reversible ErrorsKurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse FiveDavid Wailing - Fake KateKaren Thompson Walker - The Age of MiraclesDavid Walsh - Seven Deadly SinsSam Warburton - Refuse to be DeniedMark Ward - HammeredMike Ward - GullhangerHeather Wardell - Seven Exes is Eight too ManySarah Waters - Tipping the VelvetKatherine Webb - The MisbegottenH G Wells - The Time MachineIrvine Welsh - TrainspottingIrvine Welsh - SkagboysScott Westerfeld - UgliesJacqueline Wilson - The Story of Tracy BeakerJacqueline Wilson - The Bed and Breakfast Star[/size]Richard Wilson - Inside the Divide]Sarah Winman - When God was a RabbitDavid Winner - Brilliant OrangeScott Wittenberg - The May Day MurdersChristian Wolmar - The Great Railway RevolutionJennifer Worth - Call the MidwifeMona Yahia - When the Grey Beetles Took Over BaghdadNathan Yates - Beyond Evil A B Yehoshua - Friendly FireCarlos Ruiz Zafon - The Angel's GameStefan Zweig - The Post Office GirlAnonymous - Tales from the Secret Footballer Edited September 22, 2015 by Alexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) BOOKS ACQUIRED 2015 A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin Four Seasons by Stephen King Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick Middlemarch by George Eliot The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak The Accident by Chris Pavone American Sniper by Chris Kyle The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt Early Years at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr Joyland by Stephen King The Boy That Never Was by Karen Perry Alan Turing:The Enigma by Andrew Hodges The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey The Hundred and Ninety Nine Steps by Michel Faber Glory For Sale by Jon Morgan The Maze Runner by James Dashner Storms of War by Kate Williams The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins The Giver by Lois Lowry Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor The Dirt by Motley Crüe The Humans by Matt Haig In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsen A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow by George R R Martin A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold by George R R Martin A Feast for Crows by George R R Martin The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon Paper Towns by John Green Red Notice by Bill Browder The Curse of the House of Foskett by M R C Kasasian 1946: The Making of the Modern World by Victor Sebestyen The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Up There by Michael Walker Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor Mr Holmes by Mitch Cullin The Two of Us by Andy Jones Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood Divergent by Veronica Roth Death Descends on Saturn Villa by MRC Kasasian Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes Time and Time Again by Ben Elton The Secrets We Keep by Jonathan Harvey South Riding by Winifred Holtby Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee The Martian by Andy Weir On the Clock by Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd Look who's Back by Tim Vermes Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Kill Your Friends by John Niven Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith El Narco by Ioan Grillo A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton Mr Mercedes by Stephen King Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neil Watership Down by Richard Adams A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman The Nowhere Men by Michael Calvin Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd Edited December 27, 2015 by Alexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) THE ENGLISH COUNTIES CHALLENGE - ALEX'S VERSIONTwo substitutions for books I had already read before the challenge started (Greater London and Leicestershire)Books in RED are ones I've read.1. Bedfordshire - My Uncle Silas by H. E. Bates2. Berkshire - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame3. Bristol - The Misses Mallett by E. H. Young4. Buckinghamshire - The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper5. Cambridgeshire - The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers6. Cheshire - Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell7. City of London - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens8. Cornwall - Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier9. Cumbria - Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome10. Derbyshire - Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks11. Devon - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie12. Dorset - Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy13. County Durham - Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens14. East Riding of Yorkshire - South Riding by Winifred Holtby15. East Sussex - Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne16. Essex - The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James17. Gloucestershire - Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee18. Greater London* - Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf19. Greater Manchester - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell20. Hampshire - Watership Down by Richard Adams21. Herefordshire - On The Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin22. Hertfordshire - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen23. Isle of Wight - England, England by Julian Barnes24. Kent - The Darling Buds of May by H. E. Bates25. Lancashire - Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson26. Leicestershire - The Right to an Answer by Anthony Burgess27. Lincolnshire - The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot28. Merseyside - An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge29. Norfolk - The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley30. North Yorkshire - Dracula by Bram Stoker31. Northamptonshire - Mansfield Park by Jane Austen32. Northumberland - The Stars Look Down by A. J. Cronin33. Nottinghamshire - Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence34. Oxfordshire - The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford35. Rutland - Set In Stone by Robert Goddard36. Shropshire - Summer Lightning by P. G. Wodehouse37. Somerset - Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore38. South Yorkshire - A Kestral For A Knave by Barry Hines39. Staffordshire - The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett40. Suffolk - The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald41. Surrey - Emma by Jane Austen or The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells42. Tyne and Wear - Another World by Pat Barker43. Warwickshire - Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes44. West Midlands - Middlemarch by George Eliot45. West Sussex - Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons46. West Yorkshire - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë47. Wiltshire - Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope48. Worcestershire - The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall16/48 completed Edited November 23, 2015 by Alexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) A LOOK BACK AND A LOOK AHEAD I am shamelessly stealing this idea from Willoyd, but it is nice to begin with a brief look back to 2014's progress. On the whole, it was a really good reading year. I read 61 books in total, including a few very long 'uns, and I tackled a few classics - including Nicholas Nickleby, which fell into both of those camps! I also met my target of 11 books off the 1001 list, which I'm pleased about and enjoyed the vast majority of my reads with a couple of notable exceptions! Best of the Year - 11.22.63 by Stephen King, if only because I discovered Mr King! Duffer of the Year - easily The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster Where I miserably failed was to decrease my TBR by one book over the year. In fact, it grew by *cough* 36 books and so as of 1 January 2015 it stood at 277 books. I shall therefore attempt the challenge again, and hope for 276 by 1 January 2016. Unfortunately, I have already acquired four books compared to two read, but it's all plain sailing from here, right? RIGHT?? I'd also like to read another 10 from the 1001 list (to get to 60 from the combined list) and make some progress in my English Counties and World challenges, and get to another 6o total if possible - but I won't be that bothered if I don't hit it given the amount of classics the ECC is making me attempt Basically, I just want to enjoy my reading and chat to you fine people. Happy 2015 one and all! Edited January 5, 2015 by Alexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 And with that I do declare this thread open! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 You have got some great titles on your TBR. I particularly enjoyed Empire of the Sun, World War Z, The Beach and all the Jo Nesbo books I've read so far. Happy reading year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I wish you a great reading year in 2015, Alexi ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I hope you have a really wonderful reading year in 2015, Alexi! Only five days late, here is my official reading log. Please accept no substitutes. That cracked me up! TBR L-Z Stef Penney - The Tenderness of Wolves Garth Stein - The Art of Racing in the Rain Kathryn Stockett - The Help Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five These are all very different in style and genre-wise, but I loved them all. I hope you will, too, and I'll be keeping me eyes open for your thoughts on them! A LOOK BACK AND A LOOK AHEAD Where I miserably failed was to decrease my TBR by one book over the year. In fact, it grew by *cough* 36 books and so as of 1 January 2015 it stood at 277 books. I shall therefore attempt the challenge again, and hope for 276 by 1 January 2016. Unfortunately, I have already acquired four books compared to two read, but it's all plain sailing from here, right? RIGHT?? Oh for sure! Plain sailing, smooth as sh*t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) Good start Alex! Your blog is one that I learned to keep an eye on last year... what did you think of The Five People You Meet In Heaven? I am half way through GOT book 1 by the way.... Edited January 6, 2015 by vodkafan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I got an idea for your TBR pile....do what the government does with unpleasant figures it wants to ignore...you can hide them like so: Look through your pile and separate them into ones that have been on there only 1 year (jan 2014) and the rest from before 2014 don't count! Another way is to look through nominate the ones you are really itching to get to (urgent must-read list) and relegate the others to "when I get to them" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 You have got some great titles on your TBR. I particularly enjoyed Empire of the Sun, World War Z, The Beach and all the Jo Nesbo books I've read so far. Happy reading year. Thanks Brian! I actually downloaded Empire of the Sun following your review of it. I've only read one Nesbo so far - must change that in 2015 given the backlog on my TBR. I wish you a great reading year in 2015, Alexi ! Thanks Gaia, you too Oh for sure! Plain sailing, smooth as sh*t Another book fell into my shopping trolley today, but only £2 who am I to refuse? Maybe next year I should ask Santa for willpower.... Good start Alex! Your blog is one that I learned to keep an eye on last year... what did you think of The Five People You Meet In Heaven? I am half way through GOT book 1 by the way.... Thanks VF - honoured! I really liked it, my only real criticism would be a slightly abrupt ending, but it's quite thought provoking, despite being a short and simple read. The main character, Eddie, is one you can really root for which always helps I think - as well as a colourful life in contrast to his own impression that it's been dull. I loved Game of Thrones but it did take me a while to get into it. Taking a break before book two though. I got an idea for your TBR pile....do what the government does with unpleasant figures it wants to ignore...you can hide them like so: Look through your pile and separate them into ones that have been on there only 1 year (jan 2014) and the rest from before 2014 don't count! Another way is to look through nominate the ones you are really itching to get to (urgent must-read list) and relegate the others to "when I get to them" I snorted (most attractive) at your comment at the government! How sadly true. I think I do need an urgent TBR as it were, if only to focus the mind a bit. I do so enjoy acquiring books but it's getting out of hand now. At 60 books a year, my current stack should last well into 2020. Having just worked that out I think I need a lie down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Ben Aaronovitch - Rivers of London Douglas Adams - Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Anne Bronte - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderlands Daphne Du Maurier – Rebecca Mark Dunn - Ella Minnow Pea Helen FitzGerald - The Cry George Grossmith - Diary of a Nobody Mary Hooper - At the Sign of the Sugared Plum Jonas Jonasson - The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared Patrick Ness - A Monster Calls Diana Souhami - Murder at Wrotham Hill Garth Stein - The Art of Racing in the Rain Kathryn Stockett - The Help Mari Strachan - The Earth Hums in B Flat H G Wells - The Time Machine I have read all of these and with the exception of the Jonas Jonasson one I thought they were great. You have an excellent year of reading ahead of you. I have a few of yours on my wish list. Good luck with reducing your to read pile by one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 You have some great titles! Agree with Brian re the Nesbo books, and WWZ. All excellent choices. I also want to read the Kennedy/Dallek book. I've read one by Steven Dunne, and loved it. One of the best of that type that I've read. I read Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich many years ago, excellent! Loved Wolf Hall, and you've got to read the next one as well. Gregory's The Kingmakers Daughter was about the best of that series, IMO. I've read one Lackberg, and liked it pretty well. I'm mad at Robert Harris...Imperium was good, but I want the last of Cicero's trilogy! It's been years! You have a great reading 2015 lined up, have fun with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Another book fell into my shopping trolley today, but only £2 who am I to refuse? Maybe next year I should ask Santa for willpower.... Oh but it was that Epiphany day. It's a day to celebrate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Please accept no substitutes. Should we be on the lookout for fraudsters posing as you? This is alarming! Don't worry, I'll use all of my modship powers to protect you! but it's all plain sailing from here, right? RIGHT?? You know that shouting it won't make it true, right? At 60 books a year, my current stack should last well into 2020. Having just worked that out I think I need a lie down. Wait until you acquire so many books that you realise you probably won't be able to read your current TBR pile in your ENTIRE LIFETIME. I'm also hoping to reduce my TBR pile by at least one. It sounds like such a simple goal doesn't it? But it's so deceptive. You have a lot of great books on your TBR pile, and many that I want to read myself. Happy reading in 2015! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Alexi Best of luck this year. It sounds like you have some very sensible goals that can be reached ,so you should do fine. I like the "Reduce your TBR by one " . That DOES sound easy ,until you stop to think that if you buy faster than you read ,it may be challenging . I bet you can do it though ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 You have some great titles! Agree with Brian re the Nesbo books, and WWZ. All excellent choices. I also want to read the Kennedy/Dallek book. I've read one by Steven Dunne, and loved it. One of the best of that type that I've read. I read Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich many years ago, excellent! Loved Wolf Hall, and you've got to read the next one as well. Gregory's The Kingmakers Daughter was about the best of that series, IMO. I've read one Lackberg, and liked it pretty well. I'm mad at Robert Harris...Imperium was good, but I want the last of Cicero's trilogy! It's been years! You have a great reading 2015 lined up, have fun with it! Thank you! I want to read everything at once I've read about four Harris books and loved them all so have high hopes for Imperium - but he needs to write faster! I have read all of these and with the exception of the Jonas Jonasson one I thought they were great. You have an excellent year of reading ahead of you. I have a few of yours on my wish list. Good luck with reducing your to read pile by one. Thanks J. I think a few on that list found their way onto my TBR thanks to your recommendations - with the obvious Jonasson exception I'm now reading the majority on my new paperwhite too which I love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Oh but it was that Epiphany day. It's a day to celebrate! Oh well in that case... You know that shouting it won't make it true, right? It was worth a go, no? Wait until you acquire so many books that you realise you probably won't be able to read your current TBR pile in your ENTIRE LIFETIME. I'm also hoping to reduce my TBR pile by at least one. It sounds like such a simple goal doesn't it? But it's so deceptive. You have a lot of great books on your TBR pile, and many that I want to read myself. Happy reading in 2015! I have a few books to go before that happens, but I joined BCF in October 2011 and before then my TBR was approximately 10, so it's growing at a fair rate.... Reducing by one is definitely much harder than it sounds. Thanks for the well wishes and right back at you! ,ay 2015 be super for us all. Alexi Best of luck this year. It sounds like you have some very sensible goals that can be reached ,so you should do fine. I like the "Reduce your TBR by one " . That DOES sound easy ,until you stop to think that if you buy faster than you read ,it may be challenging . I bet you can do it though ! Thanks Julie! I'm not sure I can do it and my OH is convinced - he has threatened to buy me more books if I look like I'm going to hit it the cheeky beggar. Still, more books, how is a girl to refuse that kind of offer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 #1 Game of Thrones by George R R Martin Synopsis: Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty. The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne. Thoughts: My OH has been on at me to read this for about 18 months, but I don't "do" fantasy, plus the sheer size of this volume - never mind the series - was putting me off. I finally picked it up at the end of 2014 but found it tough going. There are so many characters to try and get to know, and this is further complicated by the fact they all seem to be related and lords of various unfamiliar lands! However, I persevered and once I got to know them all I raced through it. What an epic. We begin life with the Starks, and as the book goes on it's clear these are the people we are supposed to have sympathy for. Eddard, the head of the family, is essentially a good man in a world where such a trait counts for little and leaves him disadvantaged. On the contrary, it is instantly obvious that the Lannisters are the "evil" family in this saga, or at least in this first installment! There's plenty of violence (I actually winced in some places), lots of sex, some incest to contend with and a lot of death, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Sure, there's a fantasy element, but there is more focus on the relationships between this vast cast of characters and the emotions that drive them - fear, revenge, greed and power. I've already bought the next book in the series, but given they average at 800 pages each I might leave it for a while to recover! 5/5 (I loved it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 #2 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom Synopsis: Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer. In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?" Thoughts: I can't remember why I acquired this, but it jumped out on me from my kindle when looking for my next read on holiday. I love reading people's interpretations of heaven, even if I don't really believe in an afterlife. This one is very different. Eddie grew up and died in at the same amusement park, fixing rides and thinking about his departed wife. Then he reaches heaven and discovers his life wasn't quite so meaningless after all. He's a fantastic character, one I could instantly root for. At the start he appears a simple, inherently decent personality. As we go on we discover his layers and his flaws, but I still rooted for him all the way through - nice job, Mitch Albom. I haven't read anything else by the author before, but I did wonder if any of his other works touch on war. Eddie has been profoundly affected by his experiences in the army in the Phillippines, but when men return they don't talk about it. I wondered if that's something the author has been affected by, whether directly or indirectly. The ending is a little abrupt, and the last few pages of the ending a little predictable, but this is a wonderful, feel good book. It left me wondering who my five people would be, and who I would end up speaking to as one of their five. A really good read for my second book of the year and I would recommend it. It's also on the Rory list - I wonder what she made of it?! 4/5 (I really liked it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Great reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed both books! A Game of Thrones isn't a typical fantasy book, like you say it's more about the people and the relationships between them. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I've added The Five People You Meet in Heaven to my Wishlist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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