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Cosychair's 2011 Reading List


cosychair

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My goal this year is to get back to my old reading habits of reading 2-3 books a week. I've taken a challenge up with my brother in law that we will try and read at least 1 book a month which the other has read or has in their book Collection he's given me Nightfall and Fatherland to start me off.

 

TBR

 

Titles in RED = Read

 

The Passage By Justin Corin

Room By Emma Donahuge

The Lace Reader by Brunia Barry

Fatherland by Robert harris

Nightfall by Stephen Leather

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Smoke and mirrors by Neil Gaiman

Woolf Hall by Hilary Mantle

The swan theives by Elizabeth kostova

The little stranger by Sarah waters

Angel by L.A Weatherly

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

The discovery of witches by Deborah Harkness.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

The Extinction club by Jeffrey Moore

Theodora by Stella Duffy

The war of the worlds by H.G Wells

The wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum

The last of the werewolfs by Glen Duncan

Edited by cosychair
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Hi Cosychair and nice list! I'll be interested in your thoughts on, well, a lot of those books (you have too many interesting ones for me to mention them all!)

 

(If my post is in the way, let me know and I'll delete it. :))

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Hi Cosychair and nice list! I'll be interested in your thoughts on, well, a lot of those books (you have too many interesting ones for me to mention them all!)

 

(If my post is in the way, let me know and I'll delete it. :))

 

Awe thanks Kylie nice of you to say so.

I'm about to return to my 4 hours a day train and bus commute so should start firing through them soon.

 

Currently I'm half way through The Passage, loved it so far but think I might be getting into a boring section of the book.

 

Also half way through Nightfall by Stephen Leather, I'm really enjoying it's a quick read, I will wait until I've finished to review it properly.

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My goal this year is to get back to my old reading habits of reading 2-3 books a week. I've taken a challenge up with my brother in law that we will try and read at least 1 book a month which the other has read or has in their book Collection he's given me Nightfall and Fatherland to start me off.

 

 

How nice that you have someone to share your love of reading with, the only people I know who love books as much as me are all on this forum that's why I like hanging out here so much :)

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How nice that you have someone to share your love of reading with, the only people I know who love books as much as me are all on this forum that's why I like hanging out here so much :)

 

I know I'm really lucky, he lives on the same street too so we can swap books back and fourth regularly. We are both reading The Passage at the moment and it's great to share opinions as we go along, like a mini book club. :D

My Husband reads too and usually joins in our discussions but he's a much slower reader so generally doesn't keep up and he is very narrow in what he likes to read compared to his brother and I who will read anything.

Edited by cosychair
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Cosychair, you are so lucky to have someone so close with the same enthusiasm of reading as you.

My husband doesn't read but my mum, sister, close aunt and cousins read but they only read chick-lits whereas I would read thrillers etc.

 

Nice reading list by the way. :wink:

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Some good books on that list Cosychair, I read Justin Cronin's The Passage at the end of last year and loved it, there were some long bits in it but overall well worth it. :D

 

I'm at one of those long bits right now, but still so worth it I've got a feeling this is going to be in my top 10 of all time.

 

 

Cosychair, you are so lucky to have someone so close with the same enthusiasm of reading as you. My husband doesn't read but my mum, sister, close aunt and cousins read but they only read chick-lits whereas I would read thrillers etc. Nice reading list by the way. :wink:

 

It's hard when you the only reader in your family lucky we all have this forum. :D

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I finished Nightfall by Stephen Leather Overall a good read, not great but good enough to get me hooked and interested in the sequel. The plot was fast paced and at times it felt rushed, I could have understood if it was a stand alone book but fairly annoying once I realised it's to be a series.

It's saving grace was the fantastic characterisation. The main characters in particular came across as real people even the glimpse into their past, interests and actions did not come across solely as plot devices to move along the story but actually how they would behave naturally.

Even the minor character were memorable and realistic.

Overall the believable character set within the usual thriller/mystery type style IMO helped the supernatural theme not come across as too outlandish and stopped the Satanism as over taking the book when in fact the book at it's heart is a good solid thriller/mystery just with a bit of a twist on the theme.

 

Now reading The Little Stranger, only 60 pages in, loving Sarah Waters writing style just wondering when it's going to start getting creepy.

Just wondering if I should leave it as my weekly commuting book and finish off The passage over the weekend.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Passage by Justin Corin. Amazing, right to the top of my Top 10 all time great books, can't wait for the next book.

I Can barely write a coherent review other than to say it was epic, I was reading and muttering WOW every other page. :D

I genuinely couldn't put it down even during my long evening commute, after a long day with 2 ill kids I still blazed through 150 pages it kept me gripped I honestly couldn't work out where the plot would go.

Even if you don't like apocalyptic type novels I would still give this a go because it's so much more, a fantastic adventure story but also what is at the heart of being human, what lengths we will go to survive either by good or evil means.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The little stranger by Sarah waters I loved how Waters captured the time period and characters, her writing was beautiful. Sadly I wasn't to keen on the plot it dragged on and then was so vague and woolly, such a sharp contrast from Waters detailed prose that it jared to much for my liking.

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  • 2 months later...

The Sothern Vampire mysteries by Charlaine Harris Books 1-10. Loved the series, I read them one after another. These books ae incredibly fast paced, packed full of interesting and complex characters.

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  • 1 month later...

6 weeks without my laptop meant I read loads, typically without access to my reading list I can't remember them all now!

Anyway, the ones I do remember:

 

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman, loved creepy strange unsettling short stories. I found the wedding gift one particularly creepy and tragic.

 

The bodies left behind by Jeffrey Deaver was a satisfying read but didn't grip me not really on par with the Lincoln Rhyme series.

 

Wait for me by Deborah Devonshire nee Mitford. I'm fascinated by the Mitford sisters, I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book where deborah gives more detailed account of her side of the family's pre-war history filling out the gaps from Letters between six sisters as that was just the start of their correspondence.

 

The Genesis code by John Case A bit Dan brownesqe (but written a decade before Dan Brown) but the action packed pace kept it enjoyable.

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Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I Saw the movie trailer for this novel and was intugied. I absolutely loved it, so atmopsheric and such an interesting subject, a rail road circus. I know some people think the ending was a bit twee but personally I thought it was great, very bitter sweet.

The pace of this novel was well done too, it's a short novel and packed with detail (not a word wasted and all of them beautiful) and action yet it never feels rushed, it's simply opening up the scenes and pushing you gentely into obesrving them.

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I'm about 40 pages into Woolf Hall, while I enjoy the writing style and the gritty portrayal of the time period, it just isn't hooking me in. I don't know if I should plough on or put it to one side for now. :(

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Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman, loved creepy strange unsettling short stories. I found the wedding gift one particularly creepy and tragic.

Yes, wasn't it .. really gave me the creeps

Wait for me by Deborah Devonshire nee Mitford. I'm fascinated by the Mitford sisters, I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book where deborah gives more detailed account of her side of the family's pre-war history filling out the gaps from Letters between six sisters as that was just the start of their correspondence.

I love anything Mitford but haven't read this book of Debo's yet .. I loved the letters between six sisters so this would be a good companion to it .. thanks for the recommendation cosy :)

I'm about 40 pages into Woolf Hall, while I enjoy the writing style and the gritty portrayal of the time period, it just isn't hooking me in. I don't know if I should plough on or put it to one side for now. :(

I enjoyed it but I heard it read rather than read it and, from what I've heard, that seems to be the better option as there was no confusion with the narrative. I imagine, if it's not gripping you yet, then it probably won't .. it doesn't really change much in style or pace. And it is an awfully large book to plough on with when you're not enjoying it.

 

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[/font]Yes, wasn't it .. really gave me the creeps

[/font]

I love anything Mitford but haven't read this book of Debo's yet .. I loved the letters between six sisters so this would be a good companion to it .. thanks for the recommendation cosy :)

I enjoyed it but I heard it read rather than read it and, from what I've heard, that seems to be the better option as there was no confusion with the narrative. I imagine, if it's not gripping you yet, then it probably won't .. it doesn't really change much in style or pace. And it is an awfully large book to plough on with when you're not enjoying it.

 

 

Your right it's a pretty long book to struggle along with, it's officially being set aside.

 

If you liked the letters you should love the book aswell, it goes into more detail on some things the letters. I really came to admire their mother in this book and actually felt pretty cross that Nancy and Jessica never really appreciated her. As a whole I really admired the fact that the family have never made any apoligies for their siblings but at the same time don't agree with them, Debo is very upfront and never tries to hide some of her siblings and parents believes, she's really frank about it all.

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