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General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: happypup on January 26, 2015, 06:53:24 AM

Title: 50 books
Post by: happypup on January 26, 2015, 06:53:24 AM
I read voraciously as a kid, and I miss it. The thing is, I've got no excuse for not reading -- I've got the time. It's just easier to plop down in front of the tv / internet in the evening, which is obviously a total waste of life.

But no more! This year I want to read 50 books. Would you like to join me?

I'm starting a little bit behind schedule, but here's what's in-progress right now:

1. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
2. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, David Sedaris (This one is little and quick, maybe it shouldn't count. Started yesterday, I'll finish it tonight.)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: CatchingFire on January 26, 2015, 07:05:59 AM
I'm in.  In fact, I already signed up for a 50-book challenge on Goodreads.  :)

So far,

1. Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
2. All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
3. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
4. The Martian by Andy Weir (excellent!)


Here's a friend link https://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDY3NTI2MjE6MzAx (https://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDY3NTI2MjE6MzAx) if anyone else is on Goodreads.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Irishtache on January 26, 2015, 07:08:30 AM
I, too, read voraciously as a child and adult. In recent years I have taken to buying books in discount stores or 3for2 offers, etc. Often, they are books I will probably never read. My bedroom is cluttered with dozens of books, some read and many never to be read. I have decided to de-clutter shortly and donate or give away most of the books, many of which are from my and my brothers' childhood.

Also, we keep the light in the sitting room low at night, as we are watching TV or looking at our tablets! I only read in bed, briefly or on holidays, infrequently unfortunately! Ken

PS: I will try to read 50 books but they will be from my already acquired stock!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Apples on January 26, 2015, 07:24:13 AM
Oh I'm all over this.  Idk if I'll quite read 50 books because I'm also trying to fully read all the industry magazines/newsletters I'm subscribed to, which adds probably 2-3 hrs/week of other reading.  But books so far:

1.  Four (from the Divergent series-I like fun reads every now and then)
2.  Dragonfly in Amber - Outlander series
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: kyanamerinas on January 26, 2015, 07:49:23 AM
I'm in!

I challenged myself to read 52 books in a year a while back and enjoyed it so much. I read some short, quick read, some classics, some non-fiction. loads. 64 books total in a year. I enjoyed it so much.

I'll just have to try remember what I've read already this year!

Here's mine:
1. Fahrenheit 451 (for the 3rd time)
2. One of Our Thursdays Is Missing - Jasper Fforde
3. I am Malala
4.

(going slow, o no!)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Bob W on January 26, 2015, 08:40:34 AM
(I'm secretly jealous of those who can actually read a fiction book all the way through)

Won't do the book thing as my ADD prevents me from dedicating more than 15 minutes to a task and I find fiction books just as mind numbing as TV shows.  But I will do this to prevent brain drain from the tube.   I actually started last night before I read this post and was excited about it.

TED talks -- It appears these are specifically designed for us ADD folks who have an interest in interesting stuff.   Most of them appear to be around 15 minutes in length and I just love them.   

So, while I can't do the books,  I will do my best to watch at least 1000 TED talks this year. 

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on January 26, 2015, 10:01:09 AM
If I were reading the books I read as a child, then I'd have no problem hitting 50 really quickly. Hmm, maybe I should re-read all of the Famous Five. I tried to re-read the Magic Faraway Tree a few years ago and just could not get into it. :) Need a kid around to read it to I think.

In 2011 I joined a Review of the Year in Books bloghop so now I actually do keep a list of all books that I read and it's very interesting to look over the list at see the times I was reading a lot or a little, connecting that up to what else was going on at the time. I set my self the challenge a few years ago of reading more non-fiction and more German books. I made a huge effort that first year but last year and the year before found that was slowing me right down. I just don't read non-fiction very quickly, will often stop to think about what I've read or look something up. And I really struggled the last couple of years with finishing books I started and just couldn't maintain interest it. So this year so far I've been trying to finish (and for some start again from the beginning) some of those books. I've finished Moab is my Washpot (the first edition of Stephen Fry's memoirs) and nearly finished Bring on the Apocalyspe (a collection of George Monbiot's newspaper articles) and have restarted We Need to Talk about Kevin. Liking that far more than I did the first time I started it but it's heavy going sometimes. So I'm interspersing it with My Berlin Kitchen, a new book that I got as a present. Would be great to have gottten four books finished in January but it's probably not going to happen.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on January 26, 2015, 10:18:46 AM
I'm in! I actually hit my goal of 52 books a year in both 2013 AND 2014. Will post my 2015 list tomorrow.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on January 26, 2015, 02:42:03 PM
(I'm secretly jealous of those who can actually read a fiction book all the way through)

Won't do the book thing as my ADD prevents me from dedicating more than 15 minutes to a task and I find fiction books just as mind numbing as TV shows.  But I will do this to prevent brain drain from the tube.   I actually started last night before I read this post and was excited about it.
The challenge is books - not fiction books. Also, many childrens books take less than 15 minutes to read. I recently borrowed Crow Call by Lois Lowry - it probably takes 5 minutes to read, and is a very good book. Also Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French is well worth reading.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on January 26, 2015, 02:46:10 PM
Should be interesting to see how long this takes:

1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Annamal on January 26, 2015, 02:58:43 PM
(I'm secretly jealous of those who can actually read a fiction book all the way through)

Won't do the book thing as my ADD prevents me from dedicating more than 15 minutes to a task and I find fiction books just as mind numbing as TV shows.  But I will do this to prevent brain drain from the tube.   I actually started last night before I read this post and was excited about it.

TED talks -- It appears these are specifically designed for us ADD folks who have an interest in interesting stuff.   Most of them appear to be around 15 minutes in length and I just love them.   

So, while I can't do the books,  I will do my best to watch at least 1000 TED talks this year.

Have you tried using audiobooks/podcasts while doing something else?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on January 26, 2015, 03:36:22 PM
I'm thinking no-freakin-way on 50, but I've set a goal for 2015 at 35 books I have not read before (10% of something/day, rounded down). Some short paperbacks I can cruise through 20%-30% in a typical day, but others, like the books in the ASOIAF series, are closer to 5% in a day (and I'm rereading that series right now, won't count towards the total). Good to have company in this reading quest.

The journey so far:

Rereads:
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on January 26, 2015, 04:06:39 PM
Enid Blyton - I read her books as a child.  When my DD was old enough to have longer books read to her, we revisited Narnia, went sailing with the Swallows and Amazons, and I generally took advantage of rereading many of my childhood favourites under the guise of reading to her.  She liked them too.  Of course she then went on to be a voracious reader herself- which meant I got to read all the Harry Potter books after she had read them, and Twilight, to see what the fuss was about (Bella is the blandest heroine I have ever seen, she makes tapioca pudding look exciting).

Fifty? In a year?  That is fine when you are working, I certainly read that number most years.  Now that I am retired (am I rubbing it in enough?) 50 is nothing.  For January I have returned 8 books to the library, have 12 out right now (some are already read) and have 48 on hold.  Plus the books I read from other sources.

I am a fast reader - a friend who was a fast reader and I agreed that this is a mixed blessing - you can read more, but it is an addiction, and then you have to find more books because you went through them so fast.  Nonfiction is better, it takes longer, and makes you think more.

Anyway, this is a fun challenge, good luck and good reading to all.


. Hmm, maybe I should re-read all of the Famous Five. I tried to re-read the Magic Faraway Tree a few years ago and just could not get into it. :) Need a kid around to read it to I think.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: minority_finance_mo on January 26, 2015, 04:15:06 PM
Yes!

#1: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff - About halfway through
#2: Lean in, for Graduates

Will update as I go forward.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: One Noisy Cat on January 26, 2015, 05:20:27 PM
Books read this year

1) Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
2) Call of the Wild- Jack London
3) The White Queen- Philippa Gregory
4) Katherine Swynford- Alison Weir
5) Lancaster and York- The War of the Roses- Alison Weir
6) A History of England Vol 2 Tudors- Peter Ackroyd

Currently reading
7)The Greatest Knight William Marshal-Thomas Asbridge
8) Life on the Mississippi-Mark Twain
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on January 26, 2015, 07:36:24 PM
Thanks for mentioning this - I had read all her Earth-Sea books years ago but didn't know she had another out.  It is now on hold at the library.


1. The Other Wind, by Ursula Le Guin
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on January 26, 2015, 08:07:52 PM
I always read more than 50 books a year, so am I still allowed to join or is it cheating if you're already doing it??

Great thread.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: daymare on January 26, 2015, 08:22:32 PM
I'm definitely joining, last year I read 47 books (while not aiming for any particular number, just tracking).  Reading is one of my favorite leisure activities, and a much more productive one that wasting time online, so I definitely want to try to redirect even more of my relaxation time towards reading.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: 1967mama on January 26, 2015, 11:50:51 PM
I would like to join! I always have 4-8 books on my nightstand, but I never seem to be able to actually FINISH a book! So, I'm wondering what it would be like to actually cut wayyyyy back on my online time, and rededicate my time to reading books like I used to do when I was younger? Perhaps joining this challenge will motivate me to read more, and read books right to the end. I'm a non-fiction gal and so not finishing a book never seems like the end of the world! :-)

On my nightstand right now:
"All Your Worth"
"Money: Master the Game"
"My Empire of Dirt"
"The Worst Hard Time"
"Bossypants"

One is due in 2 days, but the rest I have out for another few weeks. I look forward to checking back on my list at that time! Thanks for posting this cool challenge!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on January 27, 2015, 12:26:42 AM
Here's my 2015 list of books:

1.   Saga Volume 4 - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
2.   The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
3.   Pinocchio Vampire Slayer - Dustin Higgins and Van Jensen
4.   New Avengers Issues 27-28 (ongoing comics) - Jonathan Hickman
5.   Avengers Issues 39-40 (ongoing comics) - Jonathan Hickman
6.   American Vampire Volume 1 - Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King
7.   Shutter Volume 1: Wanderlost - Joe Keatinge, Leila Del Duca and Owen Gieni
8.   Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World    - Haruki Murakami
9.   Sophie's World    - Jostein Gaarder (in the middle of this one right now!)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MustacheMom on January 27, 2015, 12:44:50 AM
I'm up for this challenge!  I love reading, but lately have not been reading many books.  Just in the past week I've really made a point to get back to reading more. 

1 - The Magic of Tidying Up (in progress)
2 - Walden on Wheels (in progress)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: ToeInTheWater on January 27, 2015, 05:13:24 AM
this was one of my new year's resolutions.  tried this a few years ago, and ended up with >100.
so far in 2015 (all either Free Kindle Books, or borrowed from a friend)

1. Malicious, James Raven
2. The Grinning Dog, Ed Halliday
3. The Scorpion's Tale, Wayne Block
4. Sister Missing, Jeff Ambrose
5. Boys in Chicago Heights, Matthew Luzi
6. Trick Question. Tony Dunbar
7. When No One is looking, Joseph Hayes


i tend to "binge" for a couple weeks, then take a break...

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on January 27, 2015, 06:58:31 AM
Lots of readers -- awesome! The best part of this is seeing everyone's book lists. I've already added a few things to my to-read list...

I always read more than 50 books a year, so am I still allowed to join or is it cheating if you're already doing it??

The more the merrier, I say!

I don't think I can hit 50, at least not of the ones on my to-read list (which includes Infinite Jest)

You know, I was really surprised at how fast Infinite Jest went. For me that was one of those books that you just get totally engrossed in and read for hours without realizing it.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: ToughMother on January 27, 2015, 07:27:04 AM
With a FT position and a consulting gig as well, 50 books is too ambitious for my time. 

That said, I fritter away too much time at night winding down on those damn interwebtubes and on StupidBook. 

This is a good kick in the butt to use that time to read instead.  My goal is 24 books and I'd be happy to beat that.  I've read 3 so far already... a good sign.

Thanks for the encouragement.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on January 27, 2015, 08:57:47 AM
Doing work so far this year, though I've always been a reader.

1. Firefight, Brandon Sanderson
2. Fluency, Jennifer Wells
3. Terms of Enlistment, Marko Kloos
4. Lines of Departure, Marko Kloos
5. The Martian, Andy Weir
6. Locked On, Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney (in progress)

I'll probably finish the Jack Ryan Jr. series by Clancy, that'll be another few books, have also preordered Angles of Attack by Kloos and the Wheel of Time Companion.
Book 7 will be Starhold, by J. Alan Field.

Looking at a whole lot of Sci Fi this year. My goal is to actually start using the library... It's just been nice finding some books I've really enjoyed right off the bat, except for the fact I've been staying up late, lol.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on January 28, 2015, 12:51:21 PM
Something to help boost the numbers if you feel you're falling short:
http://electricliterature.com/17-brilliant-short-novels-you-can-read-in-a-sitting/
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on January 28, 2015, 08:34:50 PM
Something to help boost the numbers if you feel you're falling short:
http://electricliterature.com/17-brilliant-short-novels-you-can-read-in-a-sitting/
Awesome, thanks!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: jennifers on January 29, 2015, 06:36:27 AM
I'll join. I have trouble finding books to read, hopefully this thread gives me some inspiration.

Currently reading:
Lunatics - Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel (I don't like this book at all yet, but my dad got me it for Christmas so I'm reading it.)

Next:
Lean in - Sheryl Sandberg
The Martian - Andy Weir
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: CatchingFire on January 29, 2015, 07:36:10 AM
Next:
Lean in - Sheryl Sandberg
The Martian - Andy Weir

I just finished The Martian.  I loved it.  I read it in under 24 hours.  I love a good page turner.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: CatchingFire on January 29, 2015, 07:37:32 AM
Rereads:
  • (Currently Rereading) A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin

I really want to re-read this series, but I'm steering clear for now unless I get WAY ahead on my reading challenge.  So long! (but SO good!)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on January 29, 2015, 07:42:01 AM

4. The Martian by Andy Weir (excellent!)



5. The Martian, Andy Weir



Next:
The Martian - Andy Weir

Looks like the Martian is winning the thread so far!

Finished Locked On. Now debating between Starhold or the next Clancy book in the series...
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: FoundPeace on January 29, 2015, 09:10:08 AM
I'm in! Mostly because I want to know keep track of how many books I read this year. I doubt I'll have any trouble getting up to 50. My goal is to make sure that at least a quarter of them are classics or non-fiction.

1 Emerald Green: The ruby Red Trilogy-Kerstin Gier
2 The Maze Runner-James Dashner
3 Earth Awakens: The First Formic War-Orson S. Card
4 Visitors: Pathfinder Series, Book 3-Orson S. Card
5 The Final Empire: Mistborn Book 1-Brandon Sanderson
6 For Whom the Bell Tolls-Ernest Hemingway

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Noodle on January 29, 2015, 11:32:52 AM
For those with time or attention issues, graphic novels would also be an option. These days graphic novels can be found in all genres, even science (Jim Ottaviani's stuff is great history of science). The classic superhero comics are available, and also new series that use some of those tropes (Astro City, for instance) but don't require any knowledge of a particular set of superheroes and tend to emphasize character development as well as plot. And the art on a lot of them is just amazing.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: savedough on January 29, 2015, 11:57:11 AM
I'm in, but I have some catching up to do.  I'm going to aim for at least 20 to be non-fiction.

1.  Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (Book Club selection for Feb - completed 1/28/15)

Currently reading Passing by Nella Larsen, Tiger, Meet My Sister...  by Rick Reilly (compilation of essays, it's like reading a magazine article) and American Wasteland by Jonathan Bloom.   I can usually read two or more books at the same time as long as the plots aren't similar.

If we count reading to our kids, I've already hit 50, but Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, Playground Days and Caps for Sale probably aren't what the OP had in mind.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on January 29, 2015, 12:05:54 PM


For those with time or attention issues, graphic novels would also be an option. These days graphic novels can be found in all genres, even science (Jim Ottaviani's stuff is great history of science). The classic superhero comics are available, and also new series that use some of those tropes (Astro City, for instance) but don't require any knowledge of a particular set of superheroes and tend to emphasize character development as well as plot. And the art on a lot of them is just amazing.

+1. The following graphic novels are seriously good pieces of literature. I've found both the writing and art to be outstanding:

Blankets by Craig Thompson
Habibi, also by Craig Thompson
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Watchmen by Alan Moore
V for Vendetta, also by Alan Moore
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on January 29, 2015, 12:20:07 PM
Love this!

So far in 2015 I've read:
1. A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
3. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

And I'm currently working on:
The Name of the Wind
Four
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: One Noisy Cat on January 29, 2015, 02:35:12 PM
9) "Hard Driving The Wendell Scott Story"-Brian Donovan
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: rocksinmyhead on January 29, 2015, 03:31:22 PM
Ooh! Can I be in for a lesser challenge? I know I won't get 50, but I'd be impressed with myself if I got 20. Definitely not a person that can read two books at once.

1. Lamb by Christopher Moore
2. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (halfway through)
3. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (next up, this month's book club selection)

The Name of the Wind has been on my to-read list for a while. One time last year we were having our book club meeting in a coffee shop/bar/bookstore and this super drunk homeless guy came in and starting talking to us really incoherently, and he kept mentioning The Name of the Wind. He finally left and this guy who was there with another small group of people turned to us and said, "It really is a good book! I don't want you to be turned off of it because that guy sounded nuts. I definitely recommend it." LOL.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Annamal on January 29, 2015, 07:19:53 PM
I'm not sure that I can make 50 new books since I am kind of in comfort reading mode at the moment but here are the new books at the moment:

1) Neuromancer by William Gibson
2) Maplecroft by Cherie Priest
3) Miss Bradshaw's Handbook by Terry Pratchett (I have been comfort reading old Discworld books and this is the closest I am going to get to new DW for a while)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: fresh on January 29, 2015, 09:21:22 PM
Sounds like fun!  I'm trying to do the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list so most will be books off of that list with a few history & business books thrown in .  So far for the year I've got:

1. Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
2. Fast Food Nation- Eric Schlosser
3. Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy

I'm planning on starting Hunger by Knut Hamsun soon.

I love lists....
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: nanu on January 29, 2015, 11:20:35 PM
Trying to get in on this as well... (though 52 books, just because it makes more sense).

So far (9/2/15):
1. Rich Dad, Poor Dad
2. A Random Walk Down Wall Street
3. The Millionaire Next Door
4. The 7 habits of highly effective people - stopped halfway... didn't like it
5. John Scalzi - Fuzzy Nation
6. John Scalzi - Lock In
7. Starship Troopers
8. The Martian
9. Leviathan Wakes
10. Caliban's War
11. Abaddon's Gate
12. Cibola Burn
13. Nemesis Games
14. You're never weird on the internet (almost)
15. The end of all things
16. The girl with all the gifts
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on January 30, 2015, 06:17:50 AM
Ooh! Can I be in for a lesser challenge? I know I won't get 50, but I'd be impressed with myself if I got 20. Definitely not a person that can read two books at once.

1. Lamb by Christopher Moore
2. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (halfway through)
3. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (next up, this month's book club selection)

The Name of the Wind has been on my to-read list for a while. One time last year we were having our book club meeting in a coffee shop/bar/bookstore and this super drunk homeless guy came in and starting talking to us really incoherently, and he kept mentioning The Name of the Wind. He finally left and this guy who was there with another small group of people turned to us and said, "It really is a good book! I don't want you to be turned off of it because that guy sounded nuts. I definitely recommend it." LOL.

Hah! My local coffee shop drunky just rants about John the Baptist. It'd be nice to get some book recommendations instead! It's really good though. I'm almost done and will probably go on to the next book in the series right away. The third one is set to come out this year, I think, too.

Also if you like Christopher Moore, The Stupidest Angel is a fun one.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: rocksinmyhead on January 30, 2015, 06:46:15 AM
Ooh! Can I be in for a lesser challenge? I know I won't get 50, but I'd be impressed with myself if I got 20. Definitely not a person that can read two books at once.

1. Lamb by Christopher Moore
2. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (halfway through)
3. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (next up, this month's book club selection)

The Name of the Wind has been on my to-read list for a while. One time last year we were having our book club meeting in a coffee shop/bar/bookstore and this super drunk homeless guy came in and starting talking to us really incoherently, and he kept mentioning The Name of the Wind. He finally left and this guy who was there with another small group of people turned to us and said, "It really is a good book! I don't want you to be turned off of it because that guy sounded nuts. I definitely recommend it." LOL.

Hah! My local coffee shop drunky just rants about John the Baptist. It'd be nice to get some book recommendations instead! It's really good though. I'm almost done and will probably go on to the next book in the series right away. The third one is set to come out this year, I think, too.

Also if you like Christopher Moore, The Stupidest Angel is a fun one.

I definitely want to read more Christopher Moore after Lamb, it was awesome... I'll look for that one!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on January 30, 2015, 02:17:28 PM
You know what, I'll join y'all. I don't actually want to aim to read a certain number of books since it might influence my choice of books. But I'm usually pretty close to 50. And I do feel better from sustained reading rather than mindless websurfing so it's a good reminder.

Plus, I never know whether to add to the "What are you READING right now?" thread or if I'm adding too many posts. Here I'll just post once a month.

1) A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
2) The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre
3) From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming
4) Ms. Marvel, vol. 1 by Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
5) Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan
6) The Martian, Andy Weir
7) My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard
8) Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler
9) Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on January 30, 2015, 03:16:00 PM
Should be interesting to see how long this takes:

1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough
I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on January 30, 2015, 04:28:20 PM
I knew I read a lot but hadn't actually counted how many.  Of course winter is prime reading time, and a lot is planning for the summer.  Being retired helps too, no more putting a book down because I have to go to bed because I have to go to work (another reason to work at FIRE).  Fiction is "light", mysteries and SF.

I didn't keep track starting January 1, but from what I have returned to the library in January and what I have at home, I have read:

Non-fiction:  (do books that are mostly recipes or patterns count?

Free Range kids (good read for parents, I was a free range kid, my DD was one, I was appalled at the restrictions described here)
Wheat belly total health
Odd bits (how to cook the rest of the animal)
More money than brains ( my title = how to raise your blood pressure in one funny read)
The butcher's guide to well-raised meat
Hemp
Recipes from the root cellar
The outdoor shower
Barn heart
One woman farm
Knitting loves crochet
Honeybee democracy (really good if you find honey bees interesting)
Gene everlasting
Attracting Native pollinators (excellent)
The vegetable gardener's book of building projects
Lace One-Skein Wonders
How to save the world in your spare time
Sex on six legs
The Science of happily ever after
Pioneer naturalists
Oil and honey
How to add value to your home
Darwin's' Ghosts
Cubed
Buzz
The 7 most important equations for your retirement
Zero waste home

Fiction

Just re-read all the Mrs. Pollifax books I have at home (10) and have two on hold at the library
Cemetery Girl (and found I prefer regular books to graphic novels, my mind provides all the illustrations I need)
Beeline to trouble
Shaman rises
Death blows
Dog on it

I definitely need more fiction.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on January 30, 2015, 08:51:55 PM
I like this. I'm a little behind if I'm going to get to 50 this month,
But the challenge is to read 50 in a YEAR - not 50 in a MONTH!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on January 31, 2015, 03:16:29 PM
That's good since I managed 42.  But it is winter and cooold outside.  So what better to do than read/knit/read?  In July I will be doing well to read 10.

I like this. I'm a little behind if I'm going to get to 50 this month,
But the challenge is to read 50 in a YEAR - not 50 in a MONTH!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on February 01, 2015, 08:57:42 AM
I'll join too.  Just realized I barely read anything at all last year.

1. The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick by Gene Stone
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on February 01, 2015, 07:13:11 PM
That's because it IS good   ;-)    I just wish I had done it sooner!


Dang, RetiredAt63 -- you make retirement look good! Read on, sister.

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Sanne on February 02, 2015, 07:04:37 AM
Wow! 50 books!

I know I could do it, but right now I'm pretty happy if I read my goal of 25 books for this year. Last year my goal was 20 and I read 23 so this should not be a problem. For me it's not really a challenge this year, just to make sure I do read enough.

I like that you're posting the books, I already marked a few books to read in Goodreads! Like I don't have a lot of books to read already.. but hey!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: tracylayton on February 02, 2015, 07:15:41 AM
I'm in too! I already placed a hold on several books at the library...just waiting for my turn. My goal is to read 50 without paying for a single one.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Apples on February 02, 2015, 07:29:50 AM
I forgot a few books.

1.  The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen
2.  Four (Divergent series) - Veronica Roth
3.  Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander Series) - Diana Gabaldon
4.  Beagle Basics - Training Your Hunting Beagle (the things I do for my husband :p)
5.  Voyager (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon

And I'm using this thread to find out about new books to read!  I started a Goodreads account just so I could mark books that I want to read.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on February 02, 2015, 09:51:54 AM
For book suggestions, there is also the "What are you reading right now?" Thread on OFF-TOPIC. 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MrsGreenPear on February 03, 2015, 04:38:26 AM
I'm in. I also just placed a hold at our library for "The Martian" - can't wait to read it now!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on February 03, 2015, 08:25:29 AM
This morning I finished:

5. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
6. Four by Veronica Roth

Now I just have to push myself to keep reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters over the next few days. It's really slow at the beginning and I'm having a hard time keeping the characters' names straight, so we'll see if I make it through or give up on it in favor of another book.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on February 03, 2015, 02:12:04 PM
This morning I finished:

5. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
6. Four by Veronica Roth

Now I just have to push myself to keep reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters over the next few days. It's really slow at the beginning and I'm having a hard time keeping the characters names' straight, so we'll see if I make it through or give up on it in favor of another book.

I would recommend watching the movie first to help you keep track of the characters, but it doesn't have any sea monsters in it.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: CommonCents on February 04, 2015, 09:32:48 AM
Hmm, well the length of my list makes it seem like I'm retired.  Is it really a gauntlet when you will finish in 25% of the allotted time?  My husband considered himself a fast reader until he met me.  :) 

I discovered how to get library books on my kindle only about 3 months ago, which is beyond awesome and has contributed to higher than normal reading rates for me.  (I used to read the free crap on the top 100 free list on my kindle and check a lot out of the library but then have to deal with dropping it off/picking it up.)  My two issues with it are
1) my picker is off when I can't look at the book in person apparently - I get a lot more duds, even when sorting by "popularity" (or maybe that's the problem...) and
2) my library throttles how many you have out at a time to 10 (and only 7 holds) and once downloaded I can't return them early.  So I shortened my lending period to 7 days.

Not sure how I feel about revealing what I've read as it rather feels like I'm stripping in public, but here goes, as best as I can recreate back to Jan. 1:
Defending Jacob (good book)
The Orphan Train
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (good series!)
The Girl Who Played with Fire (good series!)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (good series!)
Talented (eh)
Eragon
Soul Screamers (eh)
Dead Witch Walking
Vampire Academy
The Burgess Boys: A Novel
All the Finest Girls: A Novel (eh)
The Beginner’s Goodbye (eh)
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales
The Invention of Wings: A Novel (good book!)

Total: 16
Currently reading: The Inheritance

Most eagerly awaiting getting off the hold list for: The Slow Regard of Silent Things (Patrick Rothfuss) and The Edge of Eternity (Ken Follett)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: CatchingFire on February 04, 2015, 10:02:25 AM
So far,

1. Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
2. All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
3. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
4. The Martian by Andy Weir (excellent!)

5. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
6. The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
7. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Ready2Go on February 04, 2015, 10:10:48 AM
Following so I can catch all the books everyone is reading.  Always looking for something new for my book club.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Write Thyme on February 04, 2015, 12:03:51 PM
I'm in! I've been reading free books for the Kindle. It's a challenge to find ones worth reading all the way through though.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on February 04, 2015, 02:27:30 PM
Should be interesting to see how long this takes:

1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough
I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
Don't know why I included A Splendid Exchange previously - it must have been another book. Anyway, have just finished reading A Splendid Exchange, and it was terrific. Really made me think about history in a different way.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: bigalsmith101 on February 05, 2015, 12:42:08 AM
I looooooove reading. Actually, I might be addicted to it. I purposefully go through stints of time when I do not borrow books from the library simply because it disrupts my daily productivity. I primarily read science fiction books but have dove into biographies and autobiographies lately. My desire to read is so intense that I will continue reading a book, even if it's terrible. Just can't stop.

In December of last year I read 9 books. In January this year I read 8 more. Over 7,000 pages.

I haven't turned on the Kindle this month as the last two months represents 115+hrs of reading at my pace of around a page a minute.

I often feel that I could apply that time to something more productive (at my age, I could get a part time job, get to FIRE faster).

If I keep up my normal pace, I'll read around 100 books this year. When I was a kid there were years my twin brother and I would read 150-200 100+page books a year, each. It was nuts!

I'll be digging through these posts for new books though!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: CommonCents on February 05, 2015, 12:14:26 PM
When I was a kid there were years my twin brother and I would read 150-200 100+page books a year, each. It was nuts!

In 2nd grade, I won the city-wide March of Dimes for my grade, reading 217 books in one month.  The next year, I came no where close to winning, because my mom would only let me count books at my current reading level of 2 years ahead of my grade (my sister's books basically) rather than those at my official grade level.  Took a lot longer to read 5th grade books than 2nd grade ones - I think I only did about 60 in the month.  (Meanwhile my classmates were all reading the level below our grade in order to read more.)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on February 05, 2015, 01:02:02 PM
Should be interesting to see how long this takes:

1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry - fantastic (but I always like her books)
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein - Really made me think about history in a different way.
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough - how to travel Australia - good
I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
4. Depletion and Abundance Sharon Astyk - very annoying book of not thought through goodie-goodie environmental stuff (using wood to combat climate change, local is best... which are both patently untrue)
5. Fabric Memory Books - Lesley Riley - basic
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: SouthernTransplant on February 05, 2015, 01:50:51 PM
Great idea - I'd love to join!

I'm also a little behind, but so far I've read:

The French Broad - Wilma Dykeman
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
1491 - Charles C. Mann
The Right Stuff - Tom Wolfe (currently reading)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on February 06, 2015, 07:23:06 AM

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: bigalsmith101 on February 06, 2015, 03:21:42 PM
When I was a kid there were years my twin brother and I would read 150-200 100+page books a year, each. It was nuts!

In 2nd grade, I won the city-wide March of Dimes for my grade, reading 217 books in one month.  The next year, I came no where close to winning, because my mom would only let me count books at my current reading level of 2 years ahead of my grade (my sister's books basically) rather than those at my official grade level.  Took a lot longer to read 5th grade books than 2nd grade ones - I think I only did about 60 in the month.  (Meanwhile my classmates were all reading the level below our grade in order to read more.)

I suppose a 2nd grade reading level book was 50pgs with 16pt font at the time eh? I can't imagine that that was 217 real, genuine, adult level books in one month. Either way, it seems that you might have spent every day reading for that entire month!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: kpd905 on February 06, 2015, 07:14:09 PM
I'm in! I've been reading free books for the Kindle. It's a challenge to find ones worth reading all the way through though.

You could try Project Gutenberg or a few other sites for some classic novels.

https://www.gutenberg.org/
http://www.feedbooks.com/publicdomain
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on February 07, 2015, 12:02:05 AM
Should be interesting to see how long this takes:

1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry - fantastic (but I always like her books)
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein - Really made me think about history in a different way.
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough - how to travel Australia - good
4. Depletion and Abundance Sharon Astyk - very annoying book of not thought through goodie-goodie environmental stuff (using wood to combat climate change, local is best... which are both patently untrue)
5. Fabric Memory Books - Lesley Riley - basic
I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
6. When Every Day is Saturday - Richard E Grace - Survey of retired people - pros and cons - good
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: KD on February 07, 2015, 07:09:17 AM
 I'm IN (an auto-didactic introvert - also a voracious childhood reader)
READ:
01) Wheat Belly by William Davis
02) Eat to Live by Joel Furhman
03) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
04) Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (re-read)
05) My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (re-read)
06) Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora T. Gedgaudas
07) Cholesterol Clarity by Jimmy Moore [husband's numbers way down & no pending diabetes either!! :) ]
08) Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore [my whole family is way down in weight loss! yehaw]
09) Grain Brain by David Perlmutter
10) The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall (children's book re-read - once a year whether I need it or not! - love the                   non-comformity message here so yes, I NEED it every year!)
11) 1984 by George Orwell (re-read)
12) Animal Farm by George Orwell (re-read)
13) Keto-Adapted by Maria Emmerich
14) Secrets to Controlling Your Weight, Cravings and Mood by Maria Emmerich
15) Living Without Electricity by Stephen Scott (not planning to go there, but in limiting our useage as much as possible)
16) When They Give You Lined Paper, Write Sideways by Daniel Quinn

IN PROGRESS:
17)Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
18)Tales of Adam by Daniel Quinn (is a re-read)



 Thinking of pulling Ayn Rand up from the archives to re-read as well this year...as well as all of Paul Erdman's(a really good inside look at the way the financial world works) books.  Last year I enjoyed rereading all of Tony Hillerman, Jean Auel, Louise Erdrich and Jean Hager's books.

Here's a few new that are waiting to be finished (I've read the first chapter & perused the rest of them!) before Feb 20th...the order above will be interrupted to include:

How To Retire the Cheapskate Way by Jeff Yeager(library checkout)
Debt Cures by Kevin Trudeau (library check-out)  You never know even being debt free where you'll pick up a tip!
The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers and the Self-Employed by Joseph D'Agnese (library check-out)

Excited to learn what's on everybody else's lists!  -KD

This is my first post, I've been lurking a while, an early retiree at 26 (eons ago), adventure traveller, venture capitalist, antique dealer as a joyful passionate side hustle, housewife and Mum who saved half or more of her allotted grocery dollars for years! I worked in high school as manager for a small town hospital credit union - appalled at those who saved by withdrawals on their checks only to come in the Monday after payday to only withdraw it!! :(  I then worked for a time during college at a mortgage company where my job was to figure and write out the checks for investors - I said after the first week that it (receiver of investment dividends) would be the life for me!! Before I retired I was a debt collector who also sometimes had to repo cars.  Pay your bills!  Don't buy what you can't afford! Learned investing thru self-study and a bit of practice with an investment club (why is it a foreign language to high school grads???), accounting major in college.  Hubs joined me in retirement at 62 a few years back when his employer closed down - he was one who WANTED to work til 70.  Fortunately we had been debt free including mortgage for a number of years so all is well.  Tax advantaged saver, paid ourselves first, bought used (auctions are a lovely place to entertain a Mustachian in NEED of buying something - know your prices, don't go and get carried away buying STUFF), pinch 'em till it screams, save the rest - this means I skim any 'leftover' at the end of the month to additional savings - YNAB software user, penny picker upper! 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on February 09, 2015, 04:41:08 AM
Not in order, but here's my list so far:
1. The Chimp Paradox - Steve Peters (meh)
2. The Family Law - Benjamin Law (very funny)
3. Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff - Dorothy Breininger (dreadful)
4. Yes Please - Amy Poehler (meh)
5. Divergent - Veronica Roth (fun)
6. Brain Rules - John Medina (well worth reading)
7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless and Timeless - Gail Carriger (silly, fun)
12. The Wife Drought - Annabel Crabb (very good)
13. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams (great)
14, 15, 16. Stormy Petrel, Rose Cottage and Thornyhold - Mary Stewart (I lurve her books)
17. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan

Currently reading:
18. More Fool Me - Stephen Fry (meh)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: ToeInTheWater on February 09, 2015, 04:59:24 AM
update:

1. Malicious, James Raven
2. The Grinning Dog, Ed Halliday
3. The Scorpion's Tale, Wayne Block
4. Sister Missing, Jeff Ambrose
5. Boys in Chicago Heights, Matthew Luzi
6. Trick Question. Tony Dunbar
7. When No One is looking, Joseph Hayes
8. Power Plays Ted Case
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on February 09, 2015, 06:13:40 AM
Update!

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on February 09, 2015, 06:47:29 AM
Here's my update! Still a bit behind but catching up.

Working on:
- In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
- Catherine the Great, Robert K Massie (this is a long one, will probably be in progress for a while!)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on February 09, 2015, 06:48:23 AM
Currently reading:
18. More Fool Me - Stephen Fry (meh)
Interesting. I read the second part of his memoirs (The Fry Chronicles) a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Hadn't realised there was a first part (Moab is my Washpot) until I'd finished so was delighted to find that last year on a second-hand stall. And then it took me nearly a year to get through it and was a hard slog till nearly the end. Have you read the other two parts and liked them? Curious now to see how I feel about More Fool Me but have so much on the to-read list already, it'll probably be a year or two before I get it.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on February 09, 2015, 02:40:24 PM
Currently reading:
18. More Fool Me - Stephen Fry (meh)
Interesting. I read the second part of his memoirs (The Fry Chronicles) a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Hadn't realised there was a first part (Moab is my Washpot) until I'd finished so was delighted to find that last year on a second-hand stall. And then it took me nearly a year to get through it and was a hard slog till nearly the end. Have you read the other two parts and liked them? Curious now to see how I feel about More Fool Me but have so much on the to-read list already, it'll probably be a year or two before I get it.

Yep, I'd read the earlier two and enjoyed them. More Fool Me is okay, it's just...meh. Not as good as the others, and not quite good enough for me to recommend it.

But you might think it's a masterpiece! So don't let me put you off :-)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on February 09, 2015, 03:24:46 PM
Oh don't worry, I'm way too perversely stubborn to be put off reading something I feel like I need to read just to continue with the set. :) Had a look at a few reviews on Amazon just now and the less enthusiastic ones (of which there are far more than I would have expected) all have more or less the same complaints, first third is a too-long recap of the other two, second third is a relatively short period of time and basically a list of places he did coke and people he partied with, while the final third is simply a reprint of bits of his actual diary at the time. Many "does he not have an editor" comments. Still, books like that are what the library is for. :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on February 09, 2015, 05:25:00 PM
Oh don't worry, I'm way too perversely stubborn to be put off reading something I feel like I need to read just to continue with the set. :) Had a look at a few reviews on Amazon just now and the less enthusiastic ones (of which there are far more than I would have expected) all have more or less the same complaints, first third is a too-long recap of the other two, second third is a relatively short period of time and basically a list of places he did coke and people he partied with, while the final third is simply a reprint of bits of his actual diary at the time. Many "does he not have an editor" comments. Still, books like that are what the library is for. :)

Indeed! Those reviews are fairly accurate, but it's good enough for me to finish it, so it can't be that all that bad :-P

Some of his anecdotes about the royals are laugh out loud funny.*

*Yep, it's one of those books where someone tells lots of stories that show how dreadfully famous and well-connected they are.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: wordnerd on February 09, 2015, 07:52:36 PM
Awesome! So far in 2015:

What If by Randall Munroe
The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin
Expecting Better by Emily Oster
Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
(in progress) Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
(in progress) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on February 10, 2015, 12:08:08 AM
I'm in! I've been reading free books for the Kindle. It's a challenge to find ones worth reading all the way through though.

You could try Project Gutenberg or a few other sites for some classic novels.

https://www.gutenberg.org/
http://www.feedbooks.com/publicdomain

Thanks for linking to feedbooks. Had a look after reading your post yesterday and OMG. I'm in heaven. Not just the usual (tired) selection of public domain classics, either!

My kindle is now plump with books for my reading pleasure.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on February 10, 2015, 01:10:14 PM
Doing work so far this year, though I've always been a reader.

1. Firefight, Brandon Sanderson
2. Fluency, Jennifer Wells
3. Terms of Enlistment, Marko Kloos
4. Lines of Departure, Marko Kloos
5. The Martian, Andy Weir
6. Locked On, Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney

Adding -
7. Threat Vector, Clancy/Greaney
8. Starhold, J. Alan Field (will read it's sequel when it comes out in fall)

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: lizzie on February 10, 2015, 07:40:51 PM
Hey, I'd like to join you all. Probably can't make it to 50, but I'm trying to read all new books this year with no re-reading--I need to give my favorites a little time to become new again. Also I have a lot of reading to do to help my DD choose a college, but I don't think those books will count since I won't really read them cover to cover.

Anyway, here's what I've got so far:

1.  Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
2.  Limonov by Emmanuel Carrere
3.  The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connolly
4.  The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (currently reading)
5. Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals by Patricia Lockwood (currently reading)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on February 11, 2015, 07:29:18 AM
This morning I finished:

5. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
6. Four by Veronica Roth

Now I just have to push myself to keep reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters over the next few days. It's really slow at the beginning and I'm having a hard time keeping the characters' names straight, so we'll see if I make it through or give up on it in favor of another book.

Success!
7. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
8. The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Autodidact on February 11, 2015, 04:14:50 PM
Can I play too...I know I'm late joining....

It's interesting to see so many patrick Rothers fans here. He is my daughters favorite author, yet I found it very hard to get started. Perhaps I will try again.

I cannot remember what I have read so far so will pitch in where I am


Currently reading
The year of reading Dangerously (honest, got it out the library last week)
Warrior Scarlett. Rosemary Sutcliff.
A History of Britain. Simon Schama
A History of the English-Speaking People's. Winston Churchill
The Genius of Dogs (Brian Hare et al)

On list
Aeneid (son is reading this for classics at school, and it is sooooo long since I read it I cannot discuss it with him)
Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothers )
Sun Horse Moon Horse (Rosemary Sutcliffe)
In Defence of Dogs (john Bradshaw)



Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Autodidact on February 11, 2015, 04:23:08 PM
I looooooove reading. Actually, I might be addicted to it. I purposefully go through stints of time when I do not borrow books from the library simply because it disrupts my daily productivity. I primarily read science fiction books but have dove into biographies and autobiographies lately. My desire to read is so intense that I will continue reading a book, even if it's terrible. Just can't stop.



I know how you feel. I was born in a bookshop ( well, not literally, in my parents bedroom which was over the shop....) antiquarian and secondhand, and I don't think I have ever got over it.......
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Carolina on My Mind on February 13, 2015, 08:40:09 PM
I'm going to give this challenge a shot!  I spend too much time putzing around on the Internet.  Here's what I've read so far this year:

1. Middlemarch - George Eliot (I was halfway through it when 2015 rolled around, but it's so darn long that I'm counting it this year)
2. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson (reread)
3. Home - Marilynne Robinson
4. The Colour of Memory - Geoff Dyer
5. On Writing - Stephen King
6. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore (midway through)

BTW, I was happy to see The Art of Fielding on someone's list above.  That is such a good book.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Lian on February 13, 2015, 09:54:57 PM
I'll join in! I spend way too much time on the internet - I used to love to read and don't do it as much anymore. Since early January I've read:

Assassin' Apprentice - Robin Hobb
Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
The Return - Michael Gruber
The Wicked - Douglas Nicholas (just started this one)

I just got the first book in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. It's huge, so if I start the series I may not make 50 books this year. I'll keep reading though. In any event, I'll enjoy learning about more good books to read from this thread.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Exhale on February 14, 2015, 08:31:12 PM
The following graphic novels are seriously good pieces of literature. I've found both the writing and art to be outstanding:

Blankets by Craig Thompson
Habibi, also by Craig Thompson
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Watchmen by Alan Moore
V for Vendetta, also by Alan Moore

Also great:
Vietnamerica by GB Tran
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Smile (and Drama) by Raina Telgemeier
The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders (and Alan's War) by Emmanuel Guibert
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: NICE! on February 15, 2015, 02:12:52 AM
Already completed these this year:
1. Early Retirement Extreme
2. Into the Wild

About to start:
1. East of Eden

Next in line:
1. The Abolition of Man
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on February 15, 2015, 05:48:04 PM
I was on vacation for a week, so most reading was before I left and on the plane (I love my tablet, library books (epub format) and Kindle, all in one).

Riddled with life   M. Zuk
Fallscaping; Extending your Garden Season Into Autumn     Nancy Ondra
Dead but not forgotten      Charlaine Harris
Bad Feminist          Roxane Gay
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax           Dorothy Gilman

And am reading
Irresponsible Government; The Decline of Parliamentary Democracy in Canada    Brent Rathgeber
Just in case: how to be self-sufficient when the unexpected happens   Kathy Harrison
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: KD on February 15, 2015, 06:41:07 PM
UPDATE:

FINISHED: 
17)Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
18)Tales of Adam by Daniel Quinn (twas a quick re-read)

IN PROCESS:
19)Debt Cures by Kevin Trudeau (nope, we're not in debt)
20)How To Retire the Cheapskate Way by Jeff Yeager (also like to learn anything about frugal living)
21)The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed by Joseph D'Agnese

NEXT UP:
22)Stop Living In This Land Go To The Everlasting World of Happiness Live There Forever by Woo Myung
23)To Sell is Human - The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink
24)whichever Outlander book is next
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on February 17, 2015, 06:15:00 AM
Update!

Here's my update! Still a bit behind but catching up.
  • The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
  • 1491, Charles Mann
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
  • Practical Demon-Keeping, Christopher Moore
  • The Simulacrum, Philip K Dick

6. In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
7. Guards, Guards! Terry Prachett
8. Orange is the New Black, Piper Kerman

Still working on Catherine the Great, and starting The Remains of the Day.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on February 17, 2015, 07:38:09 AM
Update!

Here's my update! Still a bit behind but catching up.
  • The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
  • 1491, Charles Mann
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
  • Practical Demon-Keeping, Christopher Moore
  • The Simulacrum, Philip K Dick

6. In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
7. Guards, Guards! Terry Prachett
8. Orange is the New Black, Piper Kerman

Still working on Catherine the Great, and starting The Remains of the Day.

The Remains of the Day is great!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on February 18, 2015, 11:20:05 PM
I'm in. when I first saw this thread at the beginning of the year, I thought it was unreasonable (for me). But, seeing as I've already read seven this year (plus another four from the library to go & two on hold) I have changed my mind. I tend to switch up my book types. currently ive been on a holywood trash binge. Ha! no shame in my game. I love to unwind to a mind-numbing book sometimes ;)
1. Yargo by Jacqueline Susann
2. Everynight Josephine! by Jacqueline Susann
3. The Power Trip by Jackie Collins
4. Hollywood Wives: The New Generation by Jackie Collins
5. Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins
6. Dataclysm by Christian Rudder
7. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley & William Danko
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on February 18, 2015, 11:29:47 PM
Knew I was forgetting something...
8. Love Letters by Kate Macleod
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: 1967mama on February 19, 2015, 12:40:41 AM
I'm struggling to even finish one book. I read part of every book I take out of the library. Does that count? haha

Partially read 5 books so far this year, and then returned them :-(

I'm still enjoying everyone's reports, and have ordered in a few titles based on your recommendations ... but I probably won't finish them.



Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: NICE! on February 19, 2015, 12:57:53 AM
Is anyone reading classic fiction?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: lizzie on February 19, 2015, 04:45:48 AM
I'm struggling to even finish one book. I read part of every book I take out of the library. Does that count? haha

Partially read 5 books so far this year, and then returned them :-(

I'm still enjoying everyone's reports, and have ordered in a few titles based on your recommendations ... but I probably won't finish them.

Reminds me of my SIL's Christmas newsletter one year. She did it in the style of the Onion with headlines like "Miracle Boy Eats Nothing, but Poops, Grows," and "Mom Finishes 1/3 of Book."
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on February 19, 2015, 09:08:14 AM

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on February 19, 2015, 11:32:18 AM
6. Dataclysm by Christian Rudder

I absolutely loved Dataclysm! I'm a bit of a data visualization geek and I loved the graphs and charts--so neat and clear! Plus reading about dating trends was fascinating to me. How did you like it?

Also I have an addition to my list:
9. Windhaven, by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle (liked this way better than Game of Thrones and highly recommend it)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on February 19, 2015, 11:38:49 AM
I also love data,statistics, graphs,charts! So of course it was VERY interesting. I have been a member on and off of OK cupid so was interesting also to read about that. Recommended Reading for everyone. Especially anyone who uses the internet ;)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: One Noisy Cat on February 20, 2015, 11:25:23 AM
10) Foundation: History of England from beginnings to Tudors- Peter Ackroyd
11) The Wives of Henry VIII-Antonia Fraser
12) A Man Most Driven: Captain John Smith, Pocahontas and the Founding of America- Peter Firstbrook
13) A Jew Among Romans Flavius Josephus-Frederic Raphael
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: NICE! on February 20, 2015, 11:39:13 AM
- Frankenstein (Shelley)

This book is so much better and deeper than most people realize. The song by Audioslave is also great.

I second Portrait of an Artist.

I don't know where to start with recommendations, so I will give the first two in my head. You may have already enjoyed:
- Heart of Darkness
- Native Son
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on February 20, 2015, 11:53:47 AM
9. Art of sleeping alone
Very quick read. But I wouldn't recommend it. Couldn't get into it . is random pieces , mundane. Reminded me a bit of "the lover" in composition, but less descriptive .
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: KD on February 21, 2015, 08:24:28 AM
UPDATE:

FINISHED: 
17)Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
18)Tales of Adam by Daniel Quinn (twas a quick re-read)

19)Debt Cures by Kevin Trudeau (nope, we're not in debt & haven't been for some years now)
20)How To Retire The Cheapskate Way by Jeff Yeager (also FIRE'd many years ago, just like to read about finances in any format)
21)The Money Book for Frelancers, Part-Timers and the Self Employed by Joseph D'Agnese  (If you're doing any of these things IT'S A BUSINESS treat it like one!)
22)To Sell is Human - The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink

STALLED OUT: 
Stop Living In This Land Go To The Everlasting World of Happiness Live There Forever by Woo Myung (Looked more interesting than it was - I let it go in order to get the books back to the library on time - impending winter storm, didn't bother to check it out again.  Rare that I don't finish a book that I start.)

IN PROCESS:
23)Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
24)Brain Droppings by George Carlin

NEXT my intentions are:
25)Lord John and The Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon
26)The Story of B by Daniel Quinn (another re-read)
27)Mao - The Unknown Story by Jung Chang (perhaps I'll read it here or wait to take on vacation as my one & only book)
27)Lord John and The Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
28)Civilization by Daniel Quinn (another re-read)
29)The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
30)The Holy by Daniel Quinn (new to me)


Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on February 22, 2015, 11:07:36 AM
- Frankenstein (Shelley)
This book is so much better and deeper than most people realize.

Agreed! Definitely one of my favourites.

I always love the quote from the preface:

"[The story,] however impossible as a physical fact, affords a point of view to the imagination for the delineating of human passions more comprehensive and commanding than any which the ordinary relations of existing events can yield."

It's like, yes! Yes, that is the point of science and speculative fiction!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on February 22, 2015, 05:49:30 PM
10. Hollywood Husbands by Jackie Collins
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: willow on February 22, 2015, 06:19:20 PM
I'm thinking no-freakin-way on 50, but I've set a goal for 2015 at 35 books I have not read before (10% of something/day, rounded down). Some short paperbacks I can cruise through 20%-30% in a typical day, but others, like the books in the ASOIAF series, are closer to 5% in a day (and I'm rereading that series right now, won't count towards the total). Good to have company in this reading quest.

The journey so far:
  • Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
  • Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
  • The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
  • Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
  • The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
  • (Currently Reading) Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal

Rereads:
  • (Currently Rereading) A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin

Hitchiker's guide is such a great read. I remember when I first read it I had wondered where this type of humor had been hiding my whole life.

Also, just to throw down my list. I'm a bit of a hopper when it comes to books. I finish them but I'm known to get halfway, put it down and start another, could be weeks, months or years before I finish. As of this year:

1. How Google Works - Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
2. J.R.R Tolkien, A biography - Humphrey Carpenter
3. The Hidden Tools of Comedy - Steve Kaplan
4. The Charisma Myth - Olivia Fox Cabane

Rereading(sort of, via audiobook)
1.The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Exhale on February 22, 2015, 07:27:09 PM
Finished:

Nonfiction
1) In-laws, Outlaws, and Granny Flats: Your Guide to Turning One House Into Two Homes - Michael Litchfield
2) My House Our House: Living Far Better for Far Less in A Cooperative Household - Karen Bush
3) Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small-scale Community in A Large-scale World - Ross Chapin
4) Racism without Racists - Eduard Bonilla-Silva
5) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain

Bio/Memoir
1) When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put - Vivian Swift
2) The Feast Nearby: How I Lost My Job, Buried A Marriage, and Found My Way by Keeping Chickens, Foraging, Preserving, Bartering, and Eating Locally (all on Forty Dollars A Week) - Robin Mather
3) Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged A President and Fueled His Greatness - Joshua Shenk
4) The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks - Jeanne Theoharis

Fiction
1) Amy Falls Down - Jincy Willett
2) House of Purple Cedar - Tim Tingle

Now reading:
1) Iran: A People Interrupted - Hamid Dabashi
2) A Naturalist Buys An Old Farm - Edwin Way Teale
3) Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness - Alexandra Fuller

Next:
1) The Garden Letters - Elspeth Bradbury
2) Across the Great Barrier - Patricia Wrede
3) The True Meaning of Smekday - Adam Rex
4) Pearl Buck in China: Journey to the Good Earth - Hilary Spurling
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on February 23, 2015, 07:06:36 AM
Finished:

9. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

Such a lovely book!

Continuing to slog along with Catherine the Great, and I just got The Lady in the Tower (which is about Anne Boleyn) off my hold list, so it's all long books about historical ladies for me for a little while.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on February 23, 2015, 01:44:18 PM
Finished:

9. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

Such a lovely book!

I just put this on hold--I'm excited to read it since so many people like it so much. I liked Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go but also thought it was a bit weird and couldn't get super involved in the story.

And update:
10. The Armchair Millionaire, by Schiff and Gerlach (meh)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on February 23, 2015, 05:50:31 PM
Should be interesting to see how long this takes:

1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry - fantastic (but I always like her books)
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein - Really made me think about history in a different way.
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough - how to travel Australia - good
4. Depletion and Abundance Sharon Astyk - very annoying book of not thought through goodie-goodie environmental stuff (using wood to combat climate change, local is best... which are both patently untrue)
5. Fabric Memory Books - Lesley Riley - basic
6. When Every Day is Saturday - Richard E Grace - Survey of retired people - pros and cons - good
I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
7. Hungry Campers Cookbook - Katy Holder - only really for barbeques or fires.
8. Gossamer - Lois Lowry - I always like her books
9. Retirement for Two - Maryanne Vandervelde - Good book on the dynamics of retirement
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on February 25, 2015, 01:07:08 PM
Yesterday and today I finished some more of Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles series. Still loving them.

11. The Wise Man's Fear, by Rothfuss
12. The Slow Regard of Silent Things, by Rothfuss
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on February 25, 2015, 01:22:28 PM
Allsummerlong - love "the beach", so much so that I have reread it a few times. Also loved " little women" . worth finishing I think.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on February 26, 2015, 06:00:29 AM
11. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott (still currently reading - finding it hard to get into... so much so, that i finished 2 whole other books in the interim)

I love Little Women! Though I wonder if it's one of those books that's a different experience when you first read it as a kid vs. as an adult. Ender's Game was like that for me. I read it a couple years ago for the first time and really liked it, but it didn't captivate me the way it did my husband (and a bunch of his friends) who read it as a pre-teen.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MLKnits on February 26, 2015, 06:22:05 AM
I read about 165 new-to-me books last year (I don't count rereads), so my goal for this year is actually to trim it to 100ish and try to read some longer books and more nonfiction.

I'm currently reading:

I try not to keep too many on the go at once, but I'm looking forward to a whoooole bunch of others once I finish these. These'll be 26 and 27 for the year, so I'm not doing so well at keeping my numbers down /o\
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: rocksinmyhead on February 26, 2015, 06:38:35 AM
OMG you people are unbelievably prolific! I FINALLY finished #3 (Stardust by Neil Gaiman). Next up,

4) Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Marukami
5) Your Money or Your Life, finally

probably both kinda at the same time although I don't usually do that.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on February 26, 2015, 08:55:54 AM
I read about 165 new-to-me books last year (I don't count rereads), so my goal for this year is actually to trim it to 100ish and try to read some longer books and more nonfiction.

Why are you trying to lower the number of books? Just so you know you've been reading longer books?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on February 26, 2015, 10:36:00 AM
11. The world is full of married men by Jackie Collins
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on February 26, 2015, 04:29:51 PM
I decided to eliminate rereads, and number books.  The number didn't go up much because I was away on holiday and then had a killer cold for two weeks (no brain, anoxic, not much reading).

1. Free Range kids (good read for parents, I was a free range kid, my DD was one, I was appalled at the restrictions described here)
2. Wheat belly total health                                    3. Odd bits (how to cook the rest of the animal)
4. More money than brains ( my title = how to raise your blood pressure in one funny read)
5. The butcher's guide to well-raised meat             6. Hemp (rather boring, actually)
7. Recipes from the root cellar                              8. The outdoor shower
9. Barn Heart                                                      10. One woman farm
11. Knitting loves crochet                             
12. Honeybee democracy (really good if you find honey bees interesting)
13. Gene everlasting (Gene Logsden's autobiography)
14. Attracting Native pollinators (excellent)           15. The vegetable gardener's book of building projects
16. Lace One-Skein Wonders
17. How to save the world in your spare time (Elizabeth May, very good)
18. Sex on six legs                                              19. The Science of happily ever after
20. Pioneer naturalists                                         21. Oil and honey
22. How to add value to your home                      23. Cubed
24. Buzz                                                            25. The 7 most important equations for your retirement
26. Zero waste home                                          27. Beeline to trouble
28. Shaman rises                                                29. Death blows
30. Dog on it                                                      31. Riddled with life   M. Zuk
32. Fallscaping; Extending your Garden Season Into Autumn     Nancy Ondra
33. Dead but not forgotten      Charlaine Harris      34. Bad Feminist          Roxane Gay


Since my last post:
35. The Life-changing Magic of Tidying up   Marie Kondo
36. Irresponsible Government, The Decline of Parliamentary Democracy in Canada   Brent Rathgeber (wow, killer book)
37.  Born to Bark, My Adventures With An Irrepressible and Unforgettable Dog    Stanley Coren
38. Just in case: how to be self-sufficient when the unexpected happens   Kathy Harrison 

   

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on February 26, 2015, 05:04:57 PM
Retiredat63: wow!! That's a lot of books.
I am not rereading anything this year . only new. I love this challenge!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on February 26, 2015, 05:58:07 PM
Retiredat63: wow!! That's a lot of books.
I am not rereading anything this year . only new. I love this challenge!

The joys of being retired - plus I am a fast reader and it is super cold out, so it is nice to stay cosy inside with a book.  When the garden gets going the reading will fall behind.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Latwell on February 26, 2015, 06:16:12 PM
@RetiredAt63 - holy moly. That's a lot of books. Only 57 days into the year and you're already at 38. Literally 1.5 books per day.



Do my CPA study books count? :-p
I don't think I'll hit 50 books this year while in the process of studying. But now I'm curious how many I'll happen to read. In the prior year I read approximately 25 books. I often have to stop myself from reading because I should be studying but it's so hard to put my book down! For the last year, I've been on this kick of reading books that have been turned in to movies.

1. The Giver
2. Gone Girl
3. If I stay
4. The DUFF
5. Eleanor & Park
6. Cinder

Currently reading: City of Heavenly Fire

My current book is going to take forever. I'm trying my best to stay away from reading so that I focus on studying!!



Additional thought: I like that companies like Goodreads are challenging people to read. But I almost want to force people to put total pages read instead of total books. The one book I have on my bookshelf to be read is a behemoth.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: jennifers on February 26, 2015, 07:45:17 PM
I'll join. I have trouble finding books to read, hopefully this thread gives me some inspiration.

Currently reading:
Lunatics - Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel (I don't like this book at all yet, but my dad got me it for Christmas so I'm reading it.)

Next:
Lean in - Sheryl Sandberg
The Martian - Andy Weir

Update:
Finished
1.  Kitten Clone - Douglas Coupland
2. Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg
3. Full Frontal Feminism - Jessica Valenti
4. The Martian - Andy Weir
5. El Futuro para la Gente Curiosa - Gregory Sherl

About to start:
Perdida - Gillian Flynn
Still working on:
Lunatics - Dave Barry
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on February 26, 2015, 08:57:50 PM
Not in order, but here's my list so far:
1. The Chimp Paradox - Steve Peters (meh)
2. The Family Law - Benjamin Law (very funny)
3. Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff - Dorothy Breininger (dreadful)
4. Yes Please - Amy Poehler (meh)
5. Divergent - Veronica Roth (fun)
6. Brain Rules - John Medina (well worth reading)
7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless and Timeless - Gail Carriger (silly, fun)
12. The Wife Drought - Annabel Crabb (very good)
13. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams (great)
14, 15, 16. Stormy Petrel, Rose Cottage and Thornyhold - Mary Stewart (I lurve her books)
17. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
18. More Fool Me - Stephen Fry (meh)

19. Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet
20. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
21. House of Lies - Martin Kihn (don't bother)
22. English: Stuff You Forgot From School - Patrick Scrivenor

Now reading:
23. The Girl who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson
24. Radical Homemakers - Shannon Hayes
25. World War Z- Max Brooks
26. So What's Your Proposal? - William A. Eddy
27. I am a Bacha Posh - Ukmina Manoori
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on February 27, 2015, 05:33:49 AM
Yes, but look at the titles.  The project books are more a case of turn the page, look at the picture, decide if I am interested, turn the page, look at the picture, etc. etc.  I did read them, there is always good information in the first few chapters where they do a general discussion, but after that it is pretty fast.  So think of them as mini-books.

Plus when it is super cold out, activities tend to be indoor ones.


@RetiredAt63 - holy moly. That's a lot of books. Only 57 days into the year and you're already at 38. Literally 1.5 books per day.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on February 27, 2015, 07:38:50 AM
Update: 13. Taking Sudoku Seriously, by Rosenhouse and Taalman
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MLKnits on February 28, 2015, 05:17:38 AM
I read about 165 new-to-me books last year (I don't count rereads), so my goal for this year is actually to trim it to 100ish and try to read some longer books and more nonfiction.

Why are you trying to lower the number of books? Just so you know you've been reading longer books?

Not exactly. I'm pretty competitive by nature, and each year I've been trying to beat the previous year's number (75, 100, 125--last year was supposed to be 150 but I overdid it). This has created a real focus on quantity over quality for me, at least for some percentage of them, so I want to tell myself I'm competing to read EXACTLY 100 instead of competing to read THE MOST, so that I'll be more likely to pause and smell the roses, book-wise.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Apples on February 28, 2015, 06:21:18 AM
I forgot a few books.

1.  The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen
2.  Four (Divergent series) - Veronica Roth
3.  Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander Series) - Diana Gabaldon
4.  Beagle Basics - Training Your Hunting Beagle (the things I do for my husband :p)
5.  Voyager (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon

6.  Drums of Autumn (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon
7.  Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan

Things should pick up speed once I get done reading all these 800-900 page Outlander books.  I love reading them, but they're certainly not helpful for this challenge.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on February 28, 2015, 07:50:36 AM
10) American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation by Eric Rutkow
11) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
12) The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers
13) Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
14) The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon


Additional thought: I like that companies like Goodreads are challenging people to read. But I almost want to force people to put total pages read instead of total books. The one book I have on my bookshelf to be read is a behemoth.

In goodreads, if you go to your stats on the left hand side, you can see the number of books you read last year but at the top you can also choose to list it by pages! It's not something your friends see, so doesn't answer your concern maybe, but helpful for ones self to know if the number of books this year is higher just because they were on average shorter and stuff like that.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on February 28, 2015, 02:10:55 PM
Now I'm curious, I just put a hold on it and her more recent book at the library

Mellow varies - in some way I am more radical/politicized than when I was younger.  I am getting closer to the Raging Grannies than the Red Hat Society.

I'd be curious to know what you think of this one. I read it a few years ago, and, at the time, I thought it was brilliant.... But I'm not sure what I would think of it now. I think I've mellowed out a bit! haha.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on March 01, 2015, 09:29:49 PM
12. Bar Flower : My decadently destructive days and nights as a Tokyo nightclub Hostess by Lea Jacobson
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on March 02, 2015, 09:53:11 AM

11) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

13) Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell


I also just read P&P early this year... I really enjoyed it, and I was surprised to find out that it was actually a little funny!

Would you recommend Homage to Catalonia? I read Burmese Days and The Clergyman's Daughter by Orwell last year, but haven't yet read this one....

I would also VERY highly recommend reading Animal Farm again as an adult - I had read it in high school and loved it, but when I re-read it recently, it blew me away. Such a seemingly simple story and yet, it is an excellent social critique. Even though it's specifically about the Russian Revolution, I think its message is universal. :)

Ha ha, I know, I loved the dry humor. I feel like that doesn't come across in the modern wanna-be Austen-esque romances or the movie adaptations.

Well the interesting thing is that Homage to Catalonia is non-fiction. Orwell did actually join the Spanish military in the course of their civil war. It does touch on how propaganda and misinformation worked in the war. But there's also a bunch of first-hand descriptions of how things felt on the front and in the cities. A very different war experience than we have now. And different from the dramatized impressions of war during that period too, of course, which I think is really valuable.

It reminded me more of Rory Stewart's writing, like The Prince of the Marshes, than Orwell's novels. A foreigner gets involved in a complicated war and tries to understand what's really happening, meanwhile it's obvious even locals find war to be confusing and a strange mixture of terror and boredom.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Latwell on March 03, 2015, 05:42:28 AM
Currently reading: Eleanor & Park

I really enjoyed that book! Read it in 2 days last year!
 

It was definitely a quick read for me also. I really liked the ending but at the same time I really disliked the ending. There were a few things at the end that were kind of left up to the reader's imagination/opinion so we could decide what happened, but I kind of wish she would've just told us what happened lol.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on March 03, 2015, 06:48:04 AM
Finished:

10. Catherine the Great, Robert K. Massie

Really enjoyed that one. I know pretty much nothing about Russian history so it was neat to learn a bit.

Working on:

The Lady in the Tower
Fall of Giants
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on March 04, 2015, 11:03:56 AM
I also just read P&P early this year... I really enjoyed it, and I was surprised to find out that it was actually a little funny!
A little funny? I think Pride and Prejudice is hilarious. Has the romance and anguish, too, but it's the humour that keeps it moving along, I feel.

I also just read P&P early this year... I really enjoyed it, and I was surprised to find out that it was actually a little funny!
Ha ha, I know, I loved the dry humor. I feel like that doesn't come across in the modern wanna-be Austen-esque romances or the movie adaptations.
Have you read any of the Georgette Heyer Regency romances? I really enjoy them - actually I re-read at least a few most years. But they've spoiled me for other wannabe-Austenesque (what a great way to put it) books.

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on March 04, 2015, 11:14:56 AM
I also just read P&P early this year... I really enjoyed it, and I was surprised to find out that it was actually a little funny!
Ha ha, I know, I loved the dry humor. I feel like that doesn't come across in the modern wanna-be Austen-esque romances or the movie adaptations.
Have you read any of the Georgette Heyer Regency romances? I really enjoy them - actually I re-read at least a few most years. But they've spoiled me for other wannabe-Austenesque (what a great way to put it) books.
[/quote]

Hand to god, I wrote in my review that Georgette Heyer might have ruined me for Jane Austen because Heyer really does do a great job.

Sometimes I caught myself being like, huh, this has a lot of social commentary for a romance novel.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: libertarian4321 on March 04, 2015, 02:50:36 PM
We used to practically live at Barnes and Noble.

Then we discovered the joy of rummage sales and the like.  Preferably the charity kind.  Buy a pile of cheap books, read them, donate them back to next year's rummage sale.

We also recently discovered something cool called a Library.  Holy Cow, a ton of books, everything you could want, and it's FREE.

Kind of weird.  The more money we have, the less we spend on books.

Also, while I'll occasionally read an e-book, I still prefer the old school paper kind.  Probably because I'm old (over 50).

Currently reading "Bunker Hill" (I read mostly non fiction) and a Lee Child "Jack Reacher" novel (can't read serious stuff all the time :).
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on March 05, 2015, 05:53:57 AM
Update:

14. Dune Messiah, by Frank Herbert
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on March 05, 2015, 06:36:12 AM
Hand to god, I wrote in my review that Georgette Heyer might have ruined me for Jane Austen because Heyer really does do a great job.

Sometimes I caught myself being like, huh, this has a lot of social commentary for a romance novel.
I love it as well when various Heyer heroines discover this amusing new writer called Jane Austen. Always makes me smile. I know Heyer was far more of a churn another book out every month kind of writer but the humour cracks me up every time. Cotillion is one of those few books that really can make me laugh out loud - even within the first few pages.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on March 05, 2015, 07:09:42 AM
Update!
1.   Saga Volume 4
2.   The Blind Assassin
3.   Pinocchio Vampire Slayer
4.   New Avengers Issues 27-29 (ongoing)
5.   Avengers Issues 39-40 (ongoing)
6.   American Vampire Volume 1
7.   Shutter Volume 1: Wanderlost
8.   Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
9.   Sophie's World (15%)
10.   The Art of Fielding
11.   Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
12.   You Have Too Much Shit
13.   Your Money or Your Life (11%)
14.   Happiness
15.   Relationships
16.   The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick) (10%)
17.   The King in Yellow
18.   Hunger
19.   Japanese Fairy Tales
20.   The Great Gatsby
21.   Underworld (ongoing)
22.   The First Law Book One: The Blade Itself (ongoing)
23.   Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on March 06, 2015, 12:40:52 AM
13. Butterflies of the night: Mama-sans, Geisha, strippers, and the Japanese men they serve by Lisa Louis
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on March 06, 2015, 02:45:03 AM
Should be interesting to see how long this takes:

1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry - fantastic (but I always like her books)
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein - Really made me think about history in a different way.
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough - how to travel Australia - good
4. Depletion and Abundance Sharon Astyk - very annoying book of not thought through goodie-goodie environmental stuff (using wood to combat climate change, local is best... which are both patently untrue)
5. Fabric Memory Books - Lesley Riley - basic
6. When Every Day is Saturday - Richard E Grace - Survey of retired people - pros and cons - good
7. Hungry Campers Cookbook - Katy Holder - only really for barbeques or fires.
8. Gossamer - Lois Lowry - I always like her books
9. Retirement for Two - Maryanne Vandervelde - Good book on the dynamics of retirement

I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
10. Work Less, Play More - Ron Bennetts and Andrew Foster - Well, If I wanted a book on the financial aspects of retirement in Australia, it would have been good - it goes into nitty-gritty that I had never seen before and it is current. But I didn't. It didn't have ANYTHING about playing more!

Georgette Heyer - yes Venetia, Frederica and The Grand Sophy are my favourites - especially where Sophy gives a ball at her Aunt's house and invites 500 guests, and where Frederica takes their dog for a walk.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: KD on March 06, 2015, 01:30:52 PM
UPDATE: 

I have a horrid cold and we've been snowed in so I've been hitting the books...

FINISHED: 
23)Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
24)Lord John and The Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon
25)Lord John and The Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon

IN PROCESS:

26) Brain Droppings by George Carlin

NEXT my intentions are:
27)The Story of B by Daniel Quinn (another re-read)
28)Mao - The Unknown Story by Jung Chang (perhaps I'll read it here or wait to take on vacation as my one & only book)
29)Civilization by Daniel Quinn (another re-read)
30)The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
31)The Holy by Daniel Quinn (new to me)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on March 09, 2015, 11:34:42 PM
14. Maps of ecstasy: teachings of an urban shaman by Gabrielle Roth
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on March 10, 2015, 06:09:30 AM
11. Fall of Giants, Ken Follett
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on March 10, 2015, 07:33:02 AM
11. Fall of Giants, Ken Follett

^ This was recommended to me by a nice lady on a plane recently, haha.

9. Support and Defend, Clancy/Greaney
10. Synchronicity War - Part 1
11. Synchronicity War - Part 2
12. Synchronicity War - Part 3
13. Synchronicity War - Part 4

Now working on:
14. Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on March 10, 2015, 08:16:52 PM

17.   The King in Yellow


Okay, this is a weird book, right?  And how did you happen to end up reading it? I heard about it from some article about references to it in True Detective, although I never got around to watching True Detective.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: mrshudson on March 10, 2015, 08:35:21 PM
Robert Galbraith

Him I like. Her, I mean.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on March 11, 2015, 01:48:38 AM

17.   The King in Yellow


Okay, this is a weird book, right?  And how did you happen to end up reading it? I heard about it from some article about references to it in True Detective, although I never got around to watching True Detective.

Yeah, it was pretty weird. I'm not sure I liked it. I found it by browsing Feedbooks.com. I normally like horror (used to read a lot of Stephen King) but The King in Yellow just wasn't that interesting.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on March 11, 2015, 05:40:55 AM
11. Fall of Giants, Ken Follett

^ This was recommended to me by a nice lady on a plane recently, haha.

It's very good! Not quite as good as Pillars of Earth, in my opinion, but very enjoyable. I'd like to read the rest of the trilogy but I just put a hold on the second one at the library and am 25th in line, so it'll be a while.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on March 12, 2015, 06:44:55 AM
Update!

15. The Warded Man, by Peter Brett
16. The Maze Runner, by James Dashner
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on March 13, 2015, 11:46:06 AM
Phew! I'm on a roll with these young adult books--new update:

17. The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: El Gringo on March 13, 2015, 12:19:01 PM
Thanks to audiobooks, I am plowing through books! Since the start of the New Year, I've "read" the following:

1.   Creativity, Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull
2.   Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
3.   All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
4.   Command and Control; Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser
5.   Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
6.   1984 by George Orwell
7.   Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood
8.   The Chidlist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
9.   The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty by Nina Munk
10.   The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity
11.   Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
12.   The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh
13.   The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
14.   The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
15.   A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre
16.   Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
17.   Discontent and its Civilizations: Dispatches from Lahore, New York, and London
18.   Future Crimes: Everything is Connected, Everyone is Vulnerable, and What We Can Do About It
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on March 15, 2015, 09:56:58 AM

17.   The King in Yellow


Okay, this is a weird book, right?  And how did you happen to end up reading it? I heard about it from some article about references to it in True Detective, although I never got around to watching True Detective.

Yeah, it was pretty weird. I'm not sure I liked it. I found it by browsing Feedbooks.com. I normally like horror (used to read a lot of Stephen King) but The King in Yellow just wasn't that interesting.

Yeah, I ended up liking it only for curiosity. I like Stephen King too but they definitely had different ideas about what was scary back in those days. It's more the suspenseful dread about, like, the unknown or just anything that isn't, like, respectable. It's like Turn of the Screw where the ghosts of two servants who had a, shall we say, unsanctified relationship of some sort, are hanging around the house and the climax and end is when the children see them. It's mere knowledge of the unsavory supernatural that destroys people, not even being, like, kidnapped or possessed or something, which doesn't always make for riveting reading.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on March 15, 2015, 08:12:15 PM
1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry - fantastic (but I always like her books)
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein - Really made me think about history in a different way.
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough - how to travel Australia - good
4. Depletion and Abundance Sharon Astyk - very annoying book of not thought through goodie-goodie environmental stuff (using wood to combat climate change, local is best... which are both patently untrue)
5. Fabric Memory Books - Lesley Riley - basic
6. When Every Day is Saturday - Richard E Grace - Survey of retired people - pros and cons - good
7. Hungry Campers Cookbook - Katy Holder - only really for barbeques or fires.
8. Gossamer - Lois Lowry - I always like her books
9. Retirement for Two - Maryanne Vandervelde - Good book on the dynamics of retirement

10. Work Less, Play More - Ron Bennetts and Andrew Foster - Well, If I wanted a book on the financial aspects of retirement in Australia, it would have been good - it goes into nitty-gritty that I had never seen before and it is current. But I didn't. It didn't have ANYTHING about playing more!
I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
11. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander McCall Smith
12. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built - Alexander McCall Smith
13. The Double Comfort Safari Club - Alexander McCall Smith
14. Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg - great book! worth waiting all these months to get it from the library.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on March 16, 2015, 06:34:36 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on March 17, 2015, 09:41:19 AM
Yes! Huge YA fan here - especially the 'classics' with female protagonists.

I love the "His Dark Materials" series!!

Pullman's other series, about a teenage girl detective in Victorian England, is also really great - Sally Lockhart.

I love to get book recommendations! Thanks--maybe I'll get some books from that series in my next library batch.

Also I just finished:
18. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
19. The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro (another recommendation from this thread)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on March 17, 2015, 10:08:23 AM

Now working on:
14. Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction

15. Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence
16. Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Almost finished!)

This series has been pretty good, in my opinion. Next up I think it's about time to go through and reread all of the Foundation books, including the extras by the three B's.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: One Noisy Cat on March 17, 2015, 06:00:31 PM
Update time

14) "Morgan: American Financier"  -  Jean Strouse
15) "Elvis Presley A Life in Music"   -  Ernest Jorgensen
16) "Founding Fathers"                 -   Joseph Eliis
17) "Montreal Maroons"                 -  William Brown
18) "Bishop's Boys-Wright Brothers" -Tom Crouch
19) "How we got to Now"               -  Steve Johnson
20) "Patton"                                  -  Michael Keane
21) "American Civil War"                -  Cole Kingseed
22) "Made in America"                   -  Chris Chelios
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on March 20, 2015, 07:56:33 AM
20. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

20/50 books for the year completed=8/20
3/12 months of the year completed=5/20 --> Woohoo I'm 3/20 ahead of where I need to be to finish 50 by the end of the year!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on March 20, 2015, 08:35:11 AM
1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry - fantastic (but I always like her books)
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein - Really made me think about history in a different way.
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough - how to travel Australia - good
4. Depletion and Abundance Sharon Astyk - very annoying book of not thought through goodie-goodie environmental stuff (using wood to combat climate change, local is best... which are both patently untrue)
5. Fabric Memory Books - Lesley Riley - basic
6. When Every Day is Saturday - Richard E Grace - Survey of retired people - pros and cons - good
7. Hungry Campers Cookbook - Katy Holder - only really for barbeques or fires.
8. Gossamer - Lois Lowry - I always like her books
9. Retirement for Two - Maryanne Vandervelde - Good book on the dynamics of retirement
10. Work Less, Play More - Ron Bennetts and Andrew Foster - Well, If I wanted a book on the financial aspects of retirement in Australia, it would have been good - it goes into nitty-gritty that I had never seen before and it is current. But I didn't. It didn't have ANYTHING about playing more!
11. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander McCall Smith
12. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built - Alexander McCall Smith
13. The Double Comfort Safari Club - Alexander McCall Smith
14. Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg - great book! worth waiting all these months to get it from the library.
I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
15. The Kalahari Mens Typing School - Alexander McCall Smith
16. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
17. The Great Cake Mystery - Alexander McCall Smith
18. Precious and the Mystery of the Missing Lion - Alexander McCall Smith
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Carolina on My Mind on March 20, 2015, 11:46:37 AM
I'm going to give this challenge a shot!  I spend too much time putzing around on the Internet.  Here's what I've read so far this year:

1. Middlemarch - George Eliot (I was halfway through it when 2015 rolled around, but it's so darn long that I'm counting it this year)
2. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson (reread)
3. Home - Marilynne Robinson
4. The Colour of Memory - Geoff Dyer
5. On Writing - Stephen King
6. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore


Update:

7. The Descendants – Kaui Hart Hemmings
8. The Red House – Mark Haddon
9. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn (vastly exceeded my expectations)
10. My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante
11. The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt
12. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
13. Lila – Marilynne Robinson
14. The Secret History – Donna Tartt (midway through)

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Carolina on My Mind on March 20, 2015, 11:55:19 AM
Is anyone reading classic fiction?

I read/reread classics pretty regularly, although lately I've been on a contemporary fiction kick.  I read Middlemarch a couple months ago and plan to reread Crime and Punishment once I get through my stack of contemporary stuff.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on March 20, 2015, 08:36:21 PM
15. Poor little bitch girl by Jackie Collins
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MrsGreenPear on March 21, 2015, 07:01:24 AM
I'm still a little behind, but hoping to catch up. This is what I've read so far this year.

1. Death by Food Pyramid - Denise Minger
2. A Table by the Window - Hillary Manton Lodge
3. The Martian - Andy Weir (thanks, everyone, for this recommendation)
4. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust: A Flavia de Luce Mystery - Alan Bradley (I love this series)
5. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History - Elizabeth Kolbert
6. Eat that Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time - Brian Tracy
7. Walking with the Great Apes: Sy Montgomery

Currently reading The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind America's Favorite Board Game - Mary Pilon
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on March 21, 2015, 04:29:09 PM
Love this challenge. Definitely has me reading more than I already do, and less time doing alot of random internet browsing.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Wanderlusting on March 21, 2015, 07:55:19 PM
I'm gonna hop onboard with this one as well. I got a couple books i'm reading, and i'm gonna keep a list of 5 books or so that I want to read over the next month, in order to keep myself motivated/accountable.

Read so far this year:

Boozehound
Swiss Watching
Rework
Towards a New architecture

Currently reading:

Early Retirement Extreme
The Apartment
Generation Kill

5 Books to read:

1Q84
The Big Short
Capital - PIketty
What Einstein Told His Barber
The German Genius
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Lian on March 22, 2015, 01:32:09 PM
Update:

5. The Wicked - Douglas Nicholas
6. City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
7. Assassin’s Quest (the 3rd in a trilogy) by Robin Hobb
8. Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
9. The Quick by Lauren Owen
10. Beijing Bastard by Val Wang

I have loads of free kindle books, which are pretty hit or miss – I’ll include those only if I finish the books. I took the suggestion of someone upthread, and got some classics and mythology from Project Gutenburg. I now have a growing list of books I want to read – many from this thread. May not make 50 books at the rate I’m going, but I’m spending less time on the internet.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on March 23, 2015, 06:23:36 AM
12. Gentlemen of the Road, Michael Chabon <- Did not like this. It was a struggle to get through, which was a surprise because usually I like his books.
13. Longbourn, Jo Baker <- This was kind of a fun one. A colleague recommended it. It's Pride and Prejudice, but focused on the lives of the house staff. Their stories intersect with those of the main characters in P&P here and there, but it mostly stands alone.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Apples on March 24, 2015, 02:33:54 PM
I forgot a few books.

1.  The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen
2.  Four (Divergent series) - Veronica Roth
3.  Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander Series) - Diana Gabaldon
4.  Beagle Basics - Training Your Hunting Beagle (the things I do for my husband :p)
5.  Voyager (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon
6.  Drums of Autumn (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon
7.  Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan

8.  Herland - Charlotte Gilman  I listened to this on the Craftlit podcast.  Everyone who might like classic literature, and also wants good discussion and a bit of English teacher enthusiasm needs to check out this podcast.  It's now my favorite way to "read" the classics.
9.  The Fiery Cross (Outlander Series) - Diana Gabaldon -ohhh how I love this series
10.  In the Garden of Beasts:  An American Family in Hitler's Berlin - Erik Larson   I wouldn't have read this if it wasn't part of "_____ County Reads One Book" this spring.  3 stars.  It has interesting insights into Germany and the people of government at that time, but walks the line between novel and nonfiction.  I was hoping for more novel.
11.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon  Written from the perspective of a teenager with autism.  It's interesting but I found it exhausting to read.  Maybe that's because I have autistic relatives and find them exhausting.  The author is spot on in what I think goes on in my relatives' heads.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on March 30, 2015, 09:35:58 PM
16. Hollywood Divorces by Jackie Collins
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on March 31, 2015, 05:56:44 PM
15) Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
16) The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe
17) Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
18) The Chosen by Chaim Potok
19) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
20) The Journey Home by Olaf Olafsson

Didn't mean to do diversity rainbow this month, just worked out that way. I guess I should also mention Body by You by Mark Lauren although I'm not counting it as there's so little actual reading.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: El Gringo on April 01, 2015, 07:27:50 AM
Thanks to audiobooks, I am plowing through books! Since the start of the New Year, I've "read" the following:

1.   Creativity, Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull
2.   Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
3.   All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
4.   Command and Control; Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser
5.   Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
6.   1984 by George Orwell
7.   Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood
8.   The Chidlist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
9.   The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty by Nina Munk
10.   The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity
11.   Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
12.   The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh
13.   The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
14.   The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
15.   A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre
16.   Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
17.   Discontent and its Civilizations: Dispatches from Lahore, New York, and London
18.   Future Crimes: Everything is Connected, Everyone is Vulnerable, and What We Can Do About It

19. Go Tell It on The Mountain by James Baldwin
20. The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 (The Last Lion, #3) by William Manchester/Paul Reed
21. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
22. Finding Zero: A Mathematician's Odyssey to Uncover the Origins of Numbers by Amir Aczel
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on April 01, 2015, 07:32:58 AM
21. The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on April 01, 2015, 10:37:44 AM
14. Consider the Lobster, David Foster Wallace
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: wordnerd on April 02, 2015, 06:28:56 PM
Awesome! So far in 2015:

What If by Randall Munroe
The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin
Expecting Better by Emily Oster
Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
(in progress) Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk--completed
(in progress) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote--completed

Update:
True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa
How Children Succeed
Liar's Poker
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on April 07, 2015, 01:59:20 PM
17. Married Lovers by Jackie Collins
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on April 10, 2015, 06:04:23 PM
I thought I'd already joined the thread and started a list, but apparently not. I'll try to remember what I've already read.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on April 10, 2015, 09:51:32 PM
I thought I'd already joined the thread and started a list, but apparently not. I'll try to remember what I've already read.
  • Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde
  • Slaughterhouse five - Kurt Vonnegut
  • Q&A - Vikas Swarup
  • Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook - Terry Pratchett
  • Unseen academicals - Terry Pratchett
  • Jingo - TP
  • Raising Steam - TP
  • Empire of the moghul - Alex Rutherford

I love Slaughterhouse five :) . There is a movie version that is pretty interesting as well.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on April 13, 2015, 09:03:26 PM
18. The life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on April 14, 2015, 02:45:34 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on April 14, 2015, 06:52:43 AM
22. The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on April 15, 2015, 12:04:12 AM
19. Kafka by David Zane Mairowitz & R.Crumb
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: fresh on April 15, 2015, 03:46:26 PM
  • Moab is my Washpot - Stephen Fry - finished
  • Bring on the Apocalypse - George Monbiot - finished
  • We Need to Talk about Kevin - Lionel Shriver - finished
  • My Berlin Kitchen - Luisa Weiss - was only a few chapters from the end and I lost it (left it on the train last weekend I think). Sooo frustrating - especially 'cos there were recipes at the end of each chapter and I really wanted to try some of them
  • The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco - still in progress, this is on my kindle so it's now my book for when I'm out and about
  • 'Tis - Frank McCourt - finished
  • The Weathermonger - Peter Dickinson - finished
  • Real Food has Curves - Mark Scarborough and Bruce Weinstein - started this last year and was kind of disappointed at how bored I was reading it. Some nice sounding recipes so I will finish just to even make note of them but I think I'm just not the target audience for this book - still, at least I'm halfway through it now
  • Teacher Man - Frank McCourt - finished
  • Opening Acts - Suki Cunningham - finished
  • The life-changing magic of tidying up - Marie Kondo - finished
  • Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain - started the first few pages of this as soon as I got it, couldn't resist but then had to put it down to go out to rehearsal - don't want to pick it up again until I have time to keep reading to the end. That's how powerful of an effect the first ten pages had on me. There's a bank holiday in a couple of weeks, think I'll reserve that day for a picnic in the park and reading
[/b]
[/list]


I started Quiet- The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking last week.

Reading it during my lunch break at an office where the company is really extrovert focused and pushes people to be or pretend to be very outgoing leader types and I sit there reading this book realizing how much the company I work for could benefit from realizing that many employees and clients alike would benefit from the message.

I am so behind on this challenge!  Must play catch up now, looking forward to it : )
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on April 19, 2015, 12:19:33 PM
20. Two is enough: A couple's guide to living childless by choice. By Laura S. Scott
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: ToeInTheWater on April 20, 2015, 06:21:58 AM
update:

1. Malicious, James Raven
2. The Grinning Dog, Ed Halliday
3. The Scorpion's Tale, Wayne Block
4. Sister Missing, Jeff Ambrose
5. Boys in Chicago Heights, Matthew Luzi
6. Trick Question. Tony Dunbar
7. When No One is looking, Joseph Hayes
8. Power Plays, Ted Case
9. Think like a Freak, Dubner & Levitt
10. Frozen Heat, "Richard Castle" (from the TV show...)
11. Deadly Heat, Richard Castle


still a few behind pace right now. 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on April 22, 2015, 06:38:59 AM
It was a good weekend for reading!

23. A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson
24. Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry
25. Son, by Lois Lowry
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on April 24, 2015, 05:53:00 AM
Running behind! I blame the nice spring weather.

15. 1Q84, Haruki Murakami
16. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Marus on April 24, 2015, 06:35:08 AM
Getting to the topic late but I'm taking the 50 book challenge as well! I'm at 15 so far.  I'm currently working on a historical biography of Alexander the Great.  I'll post the rest of my list when I'm at a computer again.

My big reading change this year is when I get some free time I'll go over to the library and just plop down and read for an hour or two.  I've found that when I try to read at home I get distracted by chores I need to do or my appetite gets in the way haha.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on April 24, 2015, 07:26:06 AM
My big reading change this year is when I get some free time I'll go over to the library and just plop down and read for an hour or two.  I've found that when I try to read at home I get distracted by chores I need to do or my appetite gets in the way haha.

That's a good idea! I recently moved and now have a much shorter commute, which means less time for reading on the train. I think I'll try out your idea this weekend.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on April 24, 2015, 08:28:51 AM
I've found that when I try to read at home I get distracted by chores I need to do or my appetite gets in the way haha.

I used to read at coffee shops quite a bit after work and it was a very nice relaxing environment, however when I got into Mustachianism that was out, of course :) . So ive been reading at home, but, like you I tend to start eating and its problematic for sure . Going to the library more to do my reading is an excellent idea. Thanks! I may potentially save myself from hours of mindless eating (one can only hope ).
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on April 24, 2015, 03:33:12 PM
2. The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Marus on April 24, 2015, 08:35:54 PM
Here's my goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/854848-kane

I'll write reviews if people are interested :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on April 27, 2015, 07:10:09 AM
17. The Vacationers, Emma Straub
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Cheryl on April 27, 2015, 09:08:23 AM
If you're trying to read more books, consider audiobooks!  Listen while you bike, while you cook dinner or clean, while you're lying around in misery waiting for allergy season to pass!

Seperately, get the OverDrive app!  You can download books or audiobooks straight from your own library for free.  As an added bonus, seeing that return date looming closer will keep you focused.  I had a bunch of books on hold, then they all became available at once, now I'm getting through 5 books in the next 19 days!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on April 30, 2015, 07:05:50 AM
18. 12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup

Seperately, get the OverDrive app!  You can download books or audiobooks straight from your own library for free.  As an added bonus, seeing that return date looming closer will keep you focused.  I had a bunch of books on hold, then they all became available at once, now I'm getting through 5 books in the next 19 days!

Getting books for my kindle from the library is the best thing ever! I cheat a little on the return dates though -- turning off the wifi makes them stay put past the due date, which has been necessary for some of the longer ones I've read this year.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on April 30, 2015, 08:23:48 AM
26. Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on May 01, 2015, 04:47:53 AM
21. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
22. Data, A Love Story by Amy Webb
23. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
24. Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on May 01, 2015, 07:17:45 AM
Updated. My reading kinda stalled in February, but I've been back on it with Flow and TWOIAF. I completed my reread of A Dance with Dragons and I can't wait for The Winds of Winter! Martin supposedly wants to get it published before the next season of Game of Thrones starts (April 2016) so I'm hoping he can make that happen. I kinda lost interest in Reality is Broken halfway through. The first 8 chapters or so were great, but it eventually became the author pimping her and a few other's work. The first part of the book touched on the concept of flow, which I was lightly familiar with before. It just so happened that I found a copy of Flow (the book) at Half-Price Books when I was last there, so I grabbed it.  I LOVE it! Csikszentmihalyi explains decades of his work in plain english, with lots of usable information for improving life and experiencing more happiness. I also got TWOIAF on my Kindle when it went on sale for $5; really enjoying learning about the history of Westeros and its people. Anyway, below is the updated list, hoping to get back into reading in a big way pretty soon.

New-to-me books read in 2015:

Rereads:
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Cougar on May 02, 2015, 12:56:27 PM
Running behind! I blame the nice spring weather.

15. 1Q84, Haruki Murakami
16. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot

hmmm.

i thought i was ahead until today.

reading #19 now(trying to hit 52 in 2015/1 a week) and because of the year beginning and ending in the middle of the week; there's actually 53 weeks in 2015.

ah screw it, i'm staying with a goal of 52.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Lian on May 02, 2015, 10:41:27 PM
11. Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger
12. Life among Giants by Bill Roorbach
13. Anvil of God: Book One of the Carolingian Chronicles by J. Boyce Gleason
14. The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell
15. Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
16. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
17. Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on May 03, 2015, 07:12:41 PM
3. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on May 04, 2015, 03:54:17 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on May 04, 2015, 06:39:12 AM
27. The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Apples on May 04, 2015, 07:57:10 AM
1.  The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen
2.  Four (Divergent series) - Veronica Roth
3.  Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander Series) - Diana Gabaldon
4.  Beagle Basics - Training Your Hunting Beagle (the things I do for my husband :p)
5.  Voyager (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon
6.  Drums of Autumn (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon
7.  Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan
8.  Herland - Charlotte Gilman  I listened to this on the Craftlit podcast.  Everyone who might like classic literature, and also wants good discussion and a bit of English teacher enthusiasm needs to check out this podcast.  It's now my favorite way to "read" the classics.
9.  The Fiery Cross (Outlander Series) - Diana Gabaldon
10.  In the Garden of Beasts:  An American Family in Hitler's Berlin - Erik Larson   
11.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
12.  A Breath of Snow and Ahses - Diana Gabaldon - I need to take a break from this series.
13.  Between the Lines - Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer - I mostly read it because it looked fun (and easy) and was written by an author I like and her daughter.
14.  The Lost City of Z - David Grann
15.  Spinning Forward - Terri DuLong  I thought this book was not good-has anyone read other books in this series?  I've been told others are better, but I'm not sure I want to try her again.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: RetiredAt63 on May 05, 2015, 08:11:43 AM
I'm way past 50. It is too much work to look at my returned books at the library and list them here.  But they were lots of gardening books, some Canadian finance books, and the Mari Kondo book.  I had an unfair advantage - I am a fast reader, I am retired, and it was a super cold winter - so what else to do but read (and a few other things)?  Now that summer is here (spring was 3 days) I am cutting way back on the reading to be outside.

Good luck everyone and have fun!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on May 07, 2015, 07:59:32 AM
4. The Definitive Book of Body Language by Barbara Pease
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Write Thyme on May 09, 2015, 11:23:22 AM
1. "Queen Mab" by Kate Danley
2. "Kiss of Fire (Imdalind Series Book 1) by Rebecca Ethington
3. "Effortless Savings" by Richard Syrop
4. "Obsidian (A Lux Novel Book 1)" by Jennifer Armentrout
5. "Delivering Happiness; a path to profits, passion, and purpose" by Tony Hsieh

I feel like there are more, but I had a hard time finding a good (free) Kindle ebook so I quit reading several.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on May 09, 2015, 11:48:09 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on May 14, 2015, 12:03:11 AM
Took a little break from reading, but now im back on track . still a couple ahead .
21. Olivia Joules & the overactive imagination by Helen Fielding
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on May 14, 2015, 05:55:10 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MLKnits on May 14, 2015, 01:24:30 PM
Hit 54 this week, not counting rereads. My plan to read more slowly and savour is not exactly working. However, I've been fitting in a lot of rereads of old favourites (which was part of the goal), and among the new books, there have been some great ones so far:
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on May 16, 2015, 09:30:24 PM
5. Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on May 16, 2015, 09:36:45 PM

That Zinn book is a doozy, probably will finish it this week.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on May 18, 2015, 03:48:39 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on May 18, 2015, 06:10:56 AM
19. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Reza Aslan
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on May 18, 2015, 12:00:21 PM
28. The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on May 20, 2015, 07:09:09 AM
29. Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman
30. Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on May 22, 2015, 02:24:43 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on May 22, 2015, 02:50:41 AM
Took a little break from reading, but now im back on track . still a couple ahead .
21. Olivia Joules & the overactive imagination by Helen Fielding

I actually really enjoyed this book . it has adventure, action , COMEDY, romance, more.  But won't spoil :) . quite different from the Bridget Jones books, but still has all the humor . I'm hoping Helen Fieldings will write more books soon.....
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Write Thyme on May 23, 2015, 11:37:06 AM
1. "Queen Mab" by Kate Danley
2. "Kiss of Fire (Imdalind Series Book 1) by Rebecca Ethington
3. "Effortless Savings" by Richard Syrop
4. "Obsidian (A Lux Novel Book 1)" by Jennifer Armentrout
5. "Delivering Happiness; a path to profits, passion, and purpose" by Tony Hsieh

6. "Branded" by Keary Taylor
7. "The Total Clutter Makeover" by Michelle Stewart
8. "America's Cheapest Family" by Steve and Annette Economides


P.S. Thanks to the poster that provided sources for free classics. I will check them out. :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: jennifers on May 24, 2015, 06:31:40 AM
I'm done with 13 books.  Going to finish 3 more in the next few days. 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on May 26, 2015, 07:18:51 AM
20. American Gods, Neil Gaiman

A bunch of work travel coming up, so I'm hoping to do lots of reading in the airports!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on May 27, 2015, 11:11:23 AM
Can't stop drawing! ......But when I do , on to the next one :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Apples on May 27, 2015, 12:37:03 PM
1.  The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen
2.  Four (Divergent series) - Veronica Roth
3.  Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander Series) - Diana Gabaldon
4.  Beagle Basics - Training Your Hunting Beagle (the things I do for my husband :p)
5.  Voyager (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon
6.  Drums of Autumn (Outlander series) - Diana Gabaldon
7.  Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan
8.  Herland - Charlotte Gilman  I listened to this on the Craftlit podcast.  Everyone who might like classic literature, and also wants good discussion and a bit of English teacher enthusiasm needs to check out this podcast.  It's now my favorite way to "read" the classics.
9.  The Fiery Cross (Outlander Series) - Diana Gabaldon
10.  In the Garden of Beasts:  An American Family in Hitler's Berlin - Erik Larson   
11.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
12.  A Breath of Snow and Ahses - Diana Gabaldon
13.  Between the Lines - Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
14.  The Lost City of Z - David Grann
15.  Spinning Forward - Terri DuLong  I thought this book was not good-has anyone read other books in this series?
16.  The Big Short:  Inside the Doomsday Machine - Michael Lewis - I liked this book.
17.  Cross Bones - Kathy Reich - I took this along on a car trip.  It's a good "beach read" type of book, slightly cheesy, and very fun.
18.  Railsea - China Mieville - I read this for my book club.  I'm not a huge science fiction type of person...Harry Potter is as far as I go.  I didn't enjoy this book.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on May 28, 2015, 08:51:50 AM
31. Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman
32. Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on May 29, 2015, 05:23:59 PM

Now working on:
14. Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction

15. Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence
16. Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Almost finished!)

This series has been pretty good, in my opinion. Next up I think it's about time to go through and reread all of the Foundation books, including the extras by the three B's.

17. Prelude to Foundation, Asimov
18. Forward the Foundation, Asimov
19. Foundation, Asimov
20. Foundation and Empire, Asimov
21. Second Foundation, Asimov
22. Foundation's Edge, Asimov
23. Foundation and Earth, Asimov
24. Angles of Attack, Marko Kloos
25. Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
26. Time War: Invasion, Nick Thomas
27. Time War: Onslaught, Nick Thomas
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on May 29, 2015, 05:29:01 PM
20. American Gods, Neil Gaiman


I loved this book. Anansi Boys is decent as well.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on June 01, 2015, 12:54:29 PM
Books read(ing) in 2015:
1. Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
2. Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
3. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
5. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
6. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin (reread)
7. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal
8. (Currently Reading) Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
9. The World of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
10. Divergent - Veronica Roth
11. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
12. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
13. (Currently Reading) Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on June 02, 2015, 10:17:10 AM
25. A Vietnam Experience by James Stockdale
26. The XX Factor: How the Rise of Working Women Has Created a Far Less Equal World by Alison Wolf
27. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on June 05, 2015, 08:49:24 AM
...And this is why I'm falling increasingly behind with my list. I was just thinking I wish my books would arrive (bought some online) because I had nothing to add for a while. Then I realised that actually, I read a book yesterday, and had totally forgotten to add it to the list, because it wasn't the book i wanted to be reading. Fixed now. When that box does arrive, with the next 7 in an 11 volume series that I devoured the first 3 in less than a week, plus the next 4 in a series that, after reading the first, I immediately reread it because I liked it so much, I should be adding several in quick succession. I do try to limit my book spending, but I also know I will reread these many times, and will get significant value from them.
In the mean time, I'm getting great additions for my "to read" list from everyone else's lists. Asimov and Fry are the next authors I want to get hold of.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 05, 2015, 10:08:49 AM
22. Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding .
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 05, 2015, 10:11:44 AM
I'm back into reading again. Yay:)
I was well ahead before, looks like now I just need to keep reading at a steady pace. Hav three others checked out from the library and maybe another 15 I'd like to read on a list .
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on June 05, 2015, 04:34:56 PM
...And this is why I'm falling increasingly behind with my list. I was just thinking I wish my books would arrive (bought some online) because I had nothing to add for a while. Then I realised that actually, I read a book yesterday, and had totally forgotten to add it to the list, because it wasn't the book i wanted to be reading. Fixed now. When that box does arrive, with the next 7 in an 11 volume series that I devoured the first 3 in less than a week, plus the next 4 in a series that, after reading the first, I immediately reread it because I liked it so much, I should be adding several in quick succession. I do try to limit my book spending, but I also know I will reread these many times, and will get significant value from them.
In the mean time, I'm getting great additions for my "to read" list from everyone else's lists. Asimov and Fry are the next authors I want to get hold of.

Do they have libraries in your land?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on June 05, 2015, 06:48:56 PM
...And this is why I'm falling increasingly behind with my list. I was just thinking I wish my books would arrive (bought some online) because I had nothing to add for a while. Then I realised that actually, I read a book yesterday, and had totally forgotten to add it to the list, because it wasn't the book i wanted to be reading. Fixed now. When that box does arrive, with the next 7 in an 11 volume series that I devoured the first 3 in less than a week, plus the next 4 in a series that, after reading the first, I immediately reread it because I liked it so much, I should be adding several in quick succession. I do try to limit my book spending, but I also know I will reread these many times, and will get significant value from them.
In the mean time, I'm getting great additions for my "to read" list from everyone else's lists. Asimov and Fry are the next authors I want to get hold of.

Do they have libraries in your land?

They do, that's where I got the first 3 of the series from, but that one omnibus volume was the only book by that author in the whole state's system - I even had to order that in from another library. Apparently noone else saw the BBC tv series (10 or 15 years ago) and wanted to find out the ending when the series only made it to book 4. So I can't even get the books from the book shop, hence online it is. With the other series, it's science fantasy, a not very well known author, and I've already read the 3 of his books that they do have at my library, all of which are from different series and not the first in any of them. Besides, I like having my own books, and since separating from my husband last year, my personal library has more than halved (because I moved out and left the bookshelves there)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Carolina on My Mind on June 06, 2015, 08:12:39 AM
I'm going to give this challenge a shot!  I spend too much time putzing around on the Internet.  Here's what I've read so far this year:

1. Middlemarch - George Eliot (I was halfway through it when 2015 rolled around, but it's so darn long that I'm counting it this year)
2. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson (reread)
3. Home - Marilynne Robinson
4. The Colour of Memory - Geoff Dyer
5. On Writing - Stephen King
6. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore


Update:

7. The Descendants – Kaui Hart Hemmings
8. The Red House – Mark Haddon
9. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn (vastly exceeded my expectations)
10. My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante
11. The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt
12. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
13. Lila – Marilynne Robinson
14. The Secret History – Donna Tartt

Update:

15. The Search – Geoff Dyer
16. Little Tales of Misogyny – Patricia Highsmith
17. The Story of a New Name – Elena Ferrante
18. In Defense of Food – Michael Pollan
19. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
20. Committed – Elizabeth Gilbert
21. The Happiness of Pursuit – Chris Guillebeau
22. Heat – Bill Buford
23. Amy and Isabelle – Elizabeth Strout
24. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay – Elena Ferrante
25. The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan
26. All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
27. Ghostwritten – David Mitchell (reread)
28. The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
29. The Buried Giant – Kazuo Ishiguro
30. The Martian – Andy Weir
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on June 09, 2015, 06:18:48 AM
Gathering together the bits of the list so far:

1. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
2. 1491, Charles Mann
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
4. Practical Demon-Keeping, Christopher Moore
5. The Simulacrum, Philip K Dick
6. In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
7. Guards, Guards! Terry Prachett
8. Orange is the New Black, Piper Kerman
9. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
10. Catherine the Great, Robert K. Massie
11. Fall of Giants, Ken Follett
12. Gentlemen of the Road, Michael Chabon
13. Longbourn, Jo Baker
14. Consider the Lobster, David Foster Wallace
15. 1Q84, Haruki Murakami
16. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
17. The Vacationers, Emma Straub
18. 12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup
19. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Reza Aslan
20. American Gods, Neil Gaiman

And the update:

21. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
22. Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
23. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on June 09, 2015, 07:04:19 AM
So, Kriegsspiel, are you a very fast reader or do you have a lot of time or are you just very dedicated about using the time you have to read or some combination of the three?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on June 09, 2015, 01:33:59 PM
33. Paladin of Souls, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on June 10, 2015, 02:14:49 PM
So, Kriegsspiel, are you a very fast reader or do you have a lot of time or are you just very dedicated about using the time you have to read or some combination of the three?

Yea, all of the above. Prior to May I had a lot more free time than I do now, but I still try to read as much as I can. I'm sure you've heard the saying, "one who doesn't read can only live his own life, but one who reads lives many."
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: misschedda on June 11, 2015, 10:17:36 AM
34. Freakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on June 11, 2015, 05:37:42 PM
34. Freakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner
I loved that book, using economics for good! or at least for interesting. Didn't enjoy the sequel so much, although still interesting perhaps ti just seemed more of the same. What did you think of it?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on June 12, 2015, 12:02:15 AM
6. Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 12, 2015, 12:13:00 AM
Finally made it over the halfway mark!

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. Hamlet- Shakespeare
3. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
4. Yes Please- Amy Poehler
5. Swing Low: A Life- Miriam Toewes
6. The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde
7. The Adventures of Hergé - Boquet et al.
8. The Children of Hurin - JRR Tolkien
9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
10. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
11. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote
12. The Beach - Alex Garland
13. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (re-read)
14. Good Wives- Louisa May Alcott
15. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe
16. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
17. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
18. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
19. Outdoors With Gregory Clark - Gregory Clark
20. Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell
21. Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste - Bea Johnson
22. Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan - Azby Brown
23. Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures - Kate di Camillo
24. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare

New:
25. Counting by Sevens - Holly Goldberg Sloan
26. The Incredible Journey - Sheila Burnford
27. Global Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet - T. Maclean (ed.)

Congrats ! And thanks for the list- gav me some ideas. Also, I did not realize cold comfort farm is a book - the movie is a fav- is it based on the book?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Gretamom on June 12, 2015, 11:18:05 PM
Finally made it over the halfway mark!

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. Hamlet- Shakespeare
3. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
4. Yes Please- Amy Poehler
5. Swing Low: A Life- Miriam Toewes
6. The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde
7. The Adventures of Hergé - Boquet et al.
8. The Children of Hurin - JRR Tolkien
9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
10. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
11. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote
12. The Beach - Alex Garland
13. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (re-read)
14. Good Wives- Louisa May Alcott
15. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe
16. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
17. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
18. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
19. Outdoors With Gregory Clark - Gregory Clark
20. Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell
21. Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste - Bea Johnson
22. Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan - Azby Brown
23. Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures - Kate di Camillo
24. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare

New:
25. Counting by Sevens - Holly Goldberg Sloan
26. The Incredible Journey - Sheila Burnford
27. Global Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet - T. Maclean (ed.)

I am not in this challenge, but I could be, I started by own challenge of reading 100 classics (that I haven't previously read) over the next 5 years. I'm in year 2. I'm wondering, of the classics that you read this year, which one or two are your favorite (s)? I'm looking to expand my list. I just finished Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and it was brilliant. An amazingly tantalizing book & very well written. I would highly recommend it, especially since you read Pride and Prejudice (same time period) but Frankenstein is so much better, in my opinion anyways!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: fresh on June 14, 2015, 08:12:27 PM
6. Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas

Wow! I've never heard of this book!  Have you read Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth Cline?  I loved it and it really opened my eyes and totally changed my shopping habits.

I've lost track of my book reading but I know since my last post way back in January that I've at least reached:
5. Hunger by Knut Hamsun
6. Louis XIV by Vincent Cronin
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Gretamom on June 14, 2015, 10:13:28 PM
I am not in this challenge, but I could be, I started by own challenge of reading 100 classics (that I haven't previously read) over the next 5 years. I'm in year 2. I'm wondering, of the classics that you read this year, which one or two are your favorite (s)? I'm looking to expand my list. I just finished Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and it was brilliant. An amazingly tantalizing book & very well written. I would highly recommend it, especially since you read Pride and Prejudice (same time period) but Frankenstein is so much better, in my opinion anyways!

I love reading classics! I read Frankenstein several years ago and loved it. It's one of my favourite books.

Of my list for this year, I'd say my favourites were
Pride and Prejudice
The Importance of Being Earnest
To Kill a Mockingbird
Robinson Crusoe

Some of my favourites from previous year would be:
Anna Karenina - Tolstoy
Crime and Punishment - Dostoyevsky
Germinal -Zola
Picture of Dorian Gray - Wilde
Down and Out in Paris and London - Orwell


I'm hoping to add a few other classics to my list this year - hoping to try for Ulysses by Joyce, but it's pretty daunting! I may settle for Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man....

Good for you - I don't think I could attempt Ulysses, I started Anna Karenina by Tolstoy but I put it down after about 250 pages, I couldn't get into it. You gave me some good ideas though, thank you!
I've read To Kill a Mockingbird (one of my favorite books of all time) and Pride and Prejudice, but I'm going to add to my list-  Down and Out in Paris and London (l love Orwell), Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of being Earnest & a few others you mentioned. 
Thanks again!
Happy Reading!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on June 15, 2015, 06:16:38 AM
I only started reading in late April after a long hiatus. So far this is my list (don't know how far I'll get before end of year):
1. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
2. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
4. Alice's adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up - Marie Kondo
6. Delta of Venus - Anais Nin
7. The Romantics - Pankaj Mishra
Current reads:
Spellwright - Blake Charlton
A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on June 15, 2015, 06:21:20 AM
6. Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas

Wow! I've never heard of this book!  Have you read Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth Cline?  I loved it and it really opened my eyes and totally changed my shopping habits.

I've lost track of my book reading but I know since my last post way back in January that I've at least reached:
5. Hunger by Knut Hamsun
6. Louis XIV by Vincent Cronin

It's on my reading list.  I got a similar message from most of the business news I've read, which is why I'm exploring the high-end market. 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on June 15, 2015, 06:37:35 AM
24. Doctor Sleep, Stephen King. Should have re-read The Shining before reading this!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 15, 2015, 09:40:19 AM
24. Doctor Sleep, Steprhen King. Should have re-read The Shining before reading this!

Is that a sequel?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on June 16, 2015, 07:02:16 AM
Yup, it's a sequel. The main character (or one of them) in Doctor Sleep is the kid from the Shining as an adult. I didn't think it was particularly scary while I was reading it, but I read most of it in a day and then had creepy dreams that night, so I guess it got to me more than I thought!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on June 16, 2015, 07:46:50 AM
17. Prelude to Foundation, Asimov
18. Forward the Foundation, Asimov
19. Foundation, Asimov
20. Foundation and Empire, Asimov
21. Second Foundation, Asimov
22. Foundation's Edge, Asimov
23. Foundation and Earth, Asimov
24. Angles of Attack, Marko Kloos
25. Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
26. Time War: Invasion, Nick Thomas
27. Time War: Onslaught, Nick Thomas

28. The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie
29. Before They Are Hanged, Joe Abercrombie
30. Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie

I really enjoyed that 3 book series, the First Law.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MgoSam on June 16, 2015, 09:54:31 AM
I'm down as well. I took the challenge a few years ago and haven't looked back. I have heard some people say that audiobooks don't count, but I respectfully disagree. I'll post my list later on today, this year I haven't been as good at keeping up, I've read I believe 21 books, so that puts a few behind, though I'm looking to catch up by the end of the month.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: FoundPeace on June 16, 2015, 10:23:48 AM
7 Jurassic Park-Michael Crichton
8  Mistborn: The Well of Ascension-Brandon Sanderson
9 Mistborn: The Hero of Ages-Brandon Sanderson
10 Blood Song (A Raven's Shadow Novel, Book 1)-Anthony Ryan
11 Tower Lord (A Raven's Shadow Novel)-Anthony Ryan
12 Uprooted-Naomi Novik
13 Heir of Novron (Riyria Revelations Book 3)-Michael Sullivan
14 The Demon King-Cinda Williams Chima
15 The Exiled Queen-Cinda Williams Chima
16 The Gray Wolf Throne-Cinda Williams Chima
17 The Crimson Crown-Cinda Williams Chima
18 Firefight (The Reckoners)-Brandon Sanderson
19 Legion: Skin Deep-Brandon Sanderson
20 The Scorch Trials-James Dashner
21 The Death Cure-James Dashner
22 The Kill Order-James Dashner

I think that's it for me, but I have a hard time keeping track.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 20, 2015, 12:30:07 PM
23. Lovers and Players by Jackie Collins
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: NinjaSue on June 20, 2015, 08:58:05 PM
Just came across this topic, starting in May
1. A Study in Scarlet- Sherlock Holmes- Arthur Conan Doyle
2. The beekeepers apprentice- Mary Russell series - Laurie R King
3. Your money or your life
3. Animal Farm - George Orwell
4. Ungifted
5. The 4 hour work week
6. Early Retirement Extreme - Fisker
7. Paradise Alley- Kevin Baker
8. Gray Mountain - John Grisham
9. Ishmael - Daniel Quinn
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on June 22, 2015, 10:14:43 AM
Books read in 2015:
1. Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
2. Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
3. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
5. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
6. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin (reread)
7. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal
8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
9. The World of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
10. Divergent - Veronica Roth
11. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
12. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
13. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
14. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
15. The Martian - Andy Weir
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on June 23, 2015, 02:57:23 AM
8. Little Birds - Anais Nin
9. Spellwright - Blake Charlton

Current reads:
The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit
A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on June 24, 2015, 09:16:46 PM
26. Douluo Dalu (Novel)

I'm counting this entire series of over 6,200 pages, about 74 volumes, as 20 fiction books.  Never again will I read another Chinese fantasy/martial art series.  This one took me roughly 80 hours of almost nonstop reading to get through. Geh!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on June 25, 2015, 04:36:26 AM
Hooray, finally caught up to where I should be, 27 down before the end of June. Even if 10 of them were a fairly light and easy to read series.
However, now I have course notes and additional study to do, rate may slow down a bit. And I've run out of stuff I want to read until I go to the library next.

Can anyone tell me, can I download e-books on a laptop rather than an e-reader? I'd quite like to make use of all the free classics available but don't want to shell out for a kindle. 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 25, 2015, 07:19:49 AM
Hooray, finally caught up to where I should be, 27 down before the end of June. Even if 10 of them were a fairly light and easy to read series.
However, now I have course notes and additional study to do, rate may slow down a bit. And I've run out of stuff I want to read until I go to the library next.

Can anyone tell me, can I download e-books on a laptop rather than an e-reader? I'd quite like to make use of all the free classics available but don't want to shell out for a kindle.

I think you can download a free kindle app for laptop - I did for my pc
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: FoundPeace on June 25, 2015, 08:22:33 AM
Hooray, finally caught up to where I should be, 27 down before the end of June. Even if 10 of them were a fairly light and easy to read series.
However, now I have course notes and additional study to do, rate may slow down a bit. And I've run out of stuff I want to read until I go to the library next.

Can anyone tell me, can I download e-books on a laptop rather than an e-reader? I'd quite like to make use of all the free classics available but don't want to shell out for a kindle. 

Yes you can. The Gutenberg Project has their books in html. But If you will be doing a lot of reading, get an old ebook reader off of craigslist (I got my kindle and case for about $40). They are so much easier on the eyes and much more transportable.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 25, 2015, 09:40:28 AM
24. The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls by Joan Jacobs Brumberg

Didn't enjoy much, although there is some interesting information about historical obsession/concern/methods of manipulating the female form . A historical account of beauty obsession/pressures that I enjoyed much more is "The Beauty Myth" by Naomi Wolfe , perhaps because it is less about historical details of managing these concerns, and more about the political and feminist history. Apples and oranges I suppose.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on June 25, 2015, 02:12:19 PM


28. The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie
29. Before They Are Hanged, Joe Abercrombie
30. Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie

I really enjoyed that 3 book series, the First Law.

31. Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 25, 2015, 02:28:40 PM
25. A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming by Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel, and Thomas Peisel

Very interesting
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MrsGreenPear on June 27, 2015, 05:05:28 PM
I'm still a little behind, but hoping to catch up. This is what I've read so far this year.

1. Death by Food Pyramid - Denise Minger
2. A Table by the Window - Hillary Manton Lodge
3. The Martian - Andy Weir (thanks, everyone, for this recommendation)
4. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust: A Flavia de Luce Mystery - Alan Bradley (I love this series)
5. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History - Elizabeth Kolbert
6. Eat that Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time - Brian Tracy
7. Walking with the Great Apes: Sy Montgomery

Currently reading The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind America's Favorite Board Game - Mary Pilon

8. The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind America's Favorite Board Game - Mary Pilon
9. Kill Switch - Neil Baer & Jonathan Greene
10. Boy's Life - Robert McCammon
11. Bee Basics: An Introduction to our Native Bees: Beatrice Moisset & Stephen Buchman
12. The Girl on the Train: Paula Hawkins
13. Garden Spells: Sarah Addison Allen

I've stalled out on a few and never finished them... War of the Whales being a big one that I tried really hard to finish...
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on June 28, 2015, 05:59:27 AM
Hooray, finally caught up to where I should be, 27 down before the end of June. Even if 10 of them were a fairly light and easy to read series.
However, now I have course notes and additional study to do, rate may slow down a bit. And I've run out of stuff I want to read until I go to the library next.

Can anyone tell me, can I download e-books on a laptop rather than an e-reader? I'd quite like to make use of all the free classics available but don't want to shell out for a kindle. 

Yes you can. The Gutenberg Project has their books in html. But If you will be doing a lot of reading, get an old ebook reader off of craigslist (I got my kindle and case for about $40). They are so much easier on the eyes and much more transportable.

Thanks Found Peace and River ffashion. I'd love to get a kindle second hand but no CL in Aus and the ridiculous pricing here means I would be paying far more than $40.  Last time I looked on ebay I found some for around $100, nothing available on gumtree.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 28, 2015, 08:50:57 AM
Hooray, finally caught up to where I should be, 27 down before the end of June. Even if 10 of them were a fairly light and easy to read series.
However, now I have course notes and additional study to do, rate may slow down a bit. And I've run out of stuff I want to read until I go to the library next.

Can anyone tell me, can I download e-books on a laptop rather than an e-reader? I'd quite like to make use of all the free classics available but don't want to shell out for a kindle. 

Yes you can. The Gutenberg Project has their books in html. But If you will be doing a lot of reading, get an old ebook reader off of craigslist (I got my kindle and case for about $40). They are so much easier on the eyes and much more transportable.

Thanks Found Peace and River ffashion. I'd love to get a kindle second hand but no CL in Aus and the ridiculous pricing here means I would be paying far more than $40.  Last time I looked on ebay I found some for around $100, nothing available on gumtree.

If you have a desktop or a laptop you can get a free download for kindle . that's what I did .
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on June 28, 2015, 06:36:13 PM
Not in order, but here's my list so far:
1. The Chimp Paradox - Steve Peters (meh)
2. The Family Law - Benjamin Law (very funny)
3. Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff - Dorothy Breininger (dreadful)
4. Yes Please - Amy Poehler (meh)
5. Divergent - Veronica Roth (fun)
6. Brain Rules - John Medina (well worth reading)
7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless and Timeless - Gail Carriger (silly, fun)
12. The Wife Drought - Annabel Crabb (very good)
13. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams (great)
14, 15, 16. Stormy Petrel, Rose Cottage and Thornyhold - Mary Stewart (I lurve her books)
17. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
18. More Fool Me - Stephen Fry (meh)

19. Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet
20. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
21. House of Lies - Martin Kihn (don't bother)
22. English: Stuff You Forgot From School - Patrick Scrivenor
23. The Girl who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson
24. Radical Homemakers - Shannon Hayes
25. World War Z- Max Brooks
26. So What's Your Proposal? - William A. Eddy
27. I am a Bacha Posh - Ukmina Manoori

28. Dune - Frank Herbert
29. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson
30. The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
31. The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss
32. A Fine Romance - Candice Bergen
33. The Whole Life Fertility Plan - Kyra Phillips
34. Born With Teeth - Kate Mulgrew
35. Insurgent - Veronica Roth

And a heap on my kindle which I don't have with me to check, so I'll have to update the list again soon!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on June 29, 2015, 07:21:05 AM

31. Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance

32. The Lost Starship (Lost Starship Series Book 1), Vaughn Heppner
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on June 29, 2015, 08:34:24 AM
26. Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy by Helen Fielding
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on July 01, 2015, 01:50:03 AM
1. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
2. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
4. Alice's adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up - Marie Kondo
6. Delta of Venus - Anais Nin
7. The Romantics - Pankaj Mishra
8. Little Birds - Anais Nin
9. Spellwright - Blake Charlton

10. The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit
11. Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis Carroll
Current reads:
A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin
American Gods - Neil Gaiman

My local library closes earlier than I leave work now in the summer months. Will try to either leave early if there's a nice day or go book-hoarding on the weekend, but I do wish they would open 14-18 and not 12-16.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: mrpercentage on July 01, 2015, 02:06:12 AM

My local library closes earlier than I leave work now in the summer months. Will try to either leave early if there's a nice day or go book-hoarding on the weekend, but I do wish they would open 14-18 and not 12-16.

Did you ask if they have digital library access? Most capitol cities do. It might be worth the drive to sign up. I use overdrive. I can listen to audio books or read digital books from my library without leaving the house. They send them to kindle too, but the overdrive app works well if your library uses it.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: deborah on July 01, 2015, 02:17:01 AM
1. Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry - fantastic (but I always like her books)
2. A Splendid Exchange - How Trade Shaped the World - William Bernstein - Really made me think about history in a different way.
3. The Grey Nomad's Guidebook - Cindy and Jeremy Gough - how to travel Australia - good
4. Depletion and Abundance Sharon Astyk - very annoying book of not thought through goodie-goodie environmental stuff (using wood to combat climate change, local is best... which are both patently untrue)
5. Fabric Memory Books - Lesley Riley - basic
6. When Every Day is Saturday - Richard E Grace - Survey of retired people - pros and cons - good
7. Hungry Campers Cookbook - Katy Holder - only really for barbeques or fires.
8. Gossamer - Lois Lowry - I always like her books
9. Retirement for Two - Maryanne Vandervelde - Good book on the dynamics of retirement
10. Work Less, Play More - Ron Bennetts and Andrew Foster - Well, If I wanted a book on the financial aspects of retirement in Australia, it would have been good - it goes into nitty-gritty that I had never seen before and it is current. But I didn't. It didn't have ANYTHING about playing more!
11. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander McCall Smith
12. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built - Alexander McCall Smith
13. The Double Comfort Safari Club - Alexander McCall Smith
14. Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg - great book! worth waiting all these months to get it from the library.
15. The Kalahari Mens Typing School - Alexander McCall Smith
16. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
17. The Great Cake Mystery - Alexander McCall Smith
18. Precious and the Mystery of the Missing Lion - Alexander McCall Smith
I am only going to include books read cover to cover, and since the challenge started.
19. The Wife Drought - Annabel Crabb - REALLY REALLY GOOD - worth the long wait!
20. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
21. The Giver - Lois Lowry - worth the wait
22. The Relics of War - Lawrence Watt-Evans
23. Madness in Solidar - LE Modesitt
24. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection - Alexander McCall Smith
25. THe Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon - Alexander McCall Smith
26. Mindset: The New Pschology of Success - Carol Dweck
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on July 01, 2015, 03:31:49 AM
Did you ask if they have digital library access? Most capitol cities do. It might be worth the drive to sign up. I use overdrive. I can listen to audio books or read digital books from my library without leaving the house. They send them to kindle too, but the overdrive app works well if your library uses it.

They do. But I must confess that I really (really!) prefer an actual book. There's something about turning pages... I will read a digital copy only when I "have" to. I do love audiobooks for the car or cooking, but I'm currently having great fun listening to the childrens classics for free on LibriVox, so I probably have enough there for years to come. (If anyone haven't looked them up: please do! They are awsome.)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 04, 2015, 09:13:00 AM
27. It's Not About Food : End Your Obsession with Food & Weight by Carol Emery Normandi & Laurelee Roark
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 04, 2015, 10:56:33 PM
28. The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on July 05, 2015, 05:05:23 PM
28. West with the Night by Beryl Markham
29. Lucky Alan by Jonathan Lethem
30. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
31. McDonalds: Behind the Arches by John Love
32. Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Singularity on July 05, 2015, 05:11:54 PM

23. The Martian-- Andy Weir

+1 An excellent book and very unique story.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 05, 2015, 06:30:54 PM
29. God Save the Queen by Carey Bolton
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: 1967mama on July 06, 2015, 04:37:05 AM
I still really want to read this! Had intended to, but it was due back at the library before I could get to it :(

Story of my life...ugh!  I would be a regular poster on a "50 Books I Started But Didn't Finish" thread.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on July 06, 2015, 06:14:04 AM
24. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain
25. The Martian, Andy Weir

Both recommendations from others on this thread, and both very good!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 06, 2015, 04:40:06 PM
30. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on July 07, 2015, 03:19:30 AM
10. The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit
11. Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis Carroll
13. Graceling - Kristin Cashore

Current reads:
Fire - Kristin Cashore
A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin (got stuck in this, but will pick up again sooner or later)
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on July 07, 2015, 07:33:46 AM
30. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill.

I'm reading this right now!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 07, 2015, 08:33:47 AM
30. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill.

I'm reading this right now!

Just finished the first story... Pretty odd so far
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on July 08, 2015, 07:15:44 AM
30. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill.

I'm reading this right now!

Just finished the first story... Pretty odd so far

Yeah, I've also read Veronica and Don't Cry by her (also the movie Secretary was based on one of her stories), and the writing is great at capturing uncomfortable things.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 08, 2015, 08:36:34 AM
30. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill.

I'm reading this right now!

Just finished the first story... Pretty odd so far

Yeah, I've also read Veronica and Don't Cry by her (also the movie Secretary was based on one of her stories), and the writing is great at capturing uncomfortable things.

She certainly is!
I had read a book I enjoyed by her a long time ago, Two Girls, Fat & Thin. So when I came across a couple of hers for free I picked them up ( to be donated again after I read ).:Veronica is next.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on July 12, 2015, 06:32:15 AM
Everyone who read Ready Player One (great book btw), the author got interviewed (http://www.motherjones.com/media/2015/06/ernest-cline-armada-ready-player-one-steven-spielberg-virtual-reality?google_editors_picks=true) about his new book that I want to read now, and how RPO is being made into a movie by Steven Spielberg, and generally is awesome.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 12, 2015, 10:46:29 PM
31. Veronica by Mary Gaitskill
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on July 13, 2015, 08:00:35 AM
Still on track for 52 books this year!

No.   Title
1   Saga Volume 4
2   The Blind Assassin
3   Pinocchio Vampire Slayer
4   Avengers Issues 39-42
5   New Avengers Issues 27-31
6   American Vampire Volume 1
7   Shutter Volume 1: Wanderlost
8   Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
9   Sophie's World (15%)
10   The Art of Fielding
11   Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
12   You Have Too Much Shit
13   Your Money or Your Life (11%)
14   Happiness
15   Relationships
16   The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick) (10%)
17   The King in Yellow
18   Hunger
19   Japanese Fairy Tales
20   The Great Gatsby
21   Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
22   Kikomachine Vol. 10: Sanduguan ng Sangkalawakan
23   The Buried Giant
24   Alex + Ada Volume 1
25   Alex + Ada Volume 2
26   Copperhead Volume 1
27   Thor Issues 1-6
28   Underworld (ongoing)
29   Specimen Days
30   Pride and Prejudice
31   The First Law Book One: The Blade Itself
32   The Martian
32   Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me
33   Collected Stories (5%)
34   The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
35   The Circle
36   His Dark Materials - The Golden Compass
37   His Dark Materials - The Subtle Knife
38   His Dark Materials - The Amber Spyglass (ongoing)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on July 14, 2015, 12:32:04 AM


35   The Circle
36   His Dark Materials - The Golden Compass
37   His Dark Materials - The Subtle Knife
38   His Dark Materials - The Amber Spyglass (ongoing)

Love the "His Dark Materials" trilogy ! I really should read them again.

What did you think of The Circle? I am curious about it.

I'm surprised by how much I liked His Dark Materials. I thought it might be a little too "young adult-y" for me.

The Circle was superb. Highly recommended.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on July 19, 2015, 10:43:21 PM

19. The Wife Drought - Annabel Crabb - REALLY REALLY GOOD - worth the long wait!

I agree, just finished this on the weekend, and have been recommending and quoting it to everyone. It was interesting as a contrast to the previous book which I read a few days earlier, The Misogyny Factor (Anne Summers) which was focussing  on the Gillard years and her treatment as our PM rather than looking at Abbott and his leadership. MF was also a lot angrier, whereas I am comfortable getting my OH to read WD.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 21, 2015, 02:33:23 PM
31. Veronica by Mary Gaitskill

Really enjoyed this book . Her writing style is unique (IMO) , rather poetic in a rough way . something about her writing, I don't feel like I really get to know the characters or really get into the plot however, so not the sort of book I usually go for .
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 21, 2015, 02:34:20 PM
32. It by Alexa Chung
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on July 22, 2015, 08:30:02 AM
I've just finished "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. My boss has us all reading his books, so I have another 3 waiting to be read - Tipping point, David and Goliath and Outliers - now I've finished this one. I really enjoyed it, though now I want to get hold of some of the reference materials he talks about (the course that trains you how to read facial expressions better for example). And wondering how to apply this knowledge in RL.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 23, 2015, 08:19:54 PM
33. Hour of the Tigress by Irene Lin-Chandler
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on July 24, 2015, 07:36:03 AM
Books read in 2015:
1. Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
2. Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
3. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
5. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
6. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin (reread)
7. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal
8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
9. The World of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
10. Divergent - Veronica Roth
11. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
12. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
13. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
14. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
15. The Martian - Andy Weir

16. Building Wealth One House at a Time - John W. Schaub
17. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: FLA on July 24, 2015, 06:21:46 PM

2. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, David Sedaris (This one is little and quick, maybe it shouldn't count. Started yesterday, I'll finish it tonight.)

Gasp, not count a David Sedaris??? unthinkable, lol
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on July 24, 2015, 06:35:59 PM
1. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
2. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
4. Alice's adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up - Marie Kondo
6. Delta of Venus - Anais Nin
7. The Romantics - Pankaj Mishra
8. Little Birds - Anais Nin
9. Spellwright - Blake Charlton
10. The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit
11. Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis Carroll
12. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
13. Fire - Kristin Cashore
14. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
15. Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl - David Barnett
16. Divergent - Veronica Roth
17. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
18. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 24, 2015, 10:48:36 PM
34. The Cancer Prevention Diet by Michio Kushi with Alex Jack
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on July 27, 2015, 07:03:00 AM
27. 10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness by Alanna Collen
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on July 27, 2015, 08:26:36 PM
35. Four Blondes by Candace Bushnell
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on July 28, 2015, 04:27:11 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Seattle Stash on July 28, 2015, 01:38:57 PM
Almost half way there.

1. One the Road - Jack Kerouac
2. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
3. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
4. Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout - Philip Conners
5. The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey
6. Desert Solitaire - Edward Abbey
7. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
8. The Wild Truth - Carine McCandless
9. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
10. Beyond Wealth - Alexander Green
11. Revival - Stephen King
12. Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Dunham
13. The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks
14. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
15. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
16. Heartsick - Chelsea Cain
17. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
18. Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
19. The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith
20. The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith
21. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
22. The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer
23. My Real Children - Jo Walton

Currently reading: The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt


Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on July 29, 2015, 01:41:13 PM
What have I read so far this year (since may)...

1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alara
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
-------------------------
To be read:
13. Words of Radiance
14-25. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on July 30, 2015, 06:21:54 AM

2. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, David Sedaris (This one is little and quick, maybe it shouldn't count. Started yesterday, I'll finish it tonight.)

Gasp, not count a David Sedaris??? unthinkable, lol

Well, it has pictures, so it just feels like cheating, haha. If I find myself at 49 books on Dec 31, I'll probably add it back in!

Update:
26. Winter of the World, Ken Follett
27. The Night Gardener, Jonathan Auxier
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on July 31, 2015, 05:13:16 AM
33. Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, by Stephen Herrero
34. Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life by Eric Geitens
35. Good Time Girls of the Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush: A Secret History of the Far North, by Lael Morgan
36. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill
37. Thunderstruck by Eric Larson
38. Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry by McNish and Silcoff

39. I'm lumping together 3 short ones: Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris, 50 Best Place to Go Birding Around the Big Apple by John Thaxton, and Food 52 Genius Recipes by Kristen Miglore

 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 01, 2015, 06:34:02 PM
36. I Love Your Style: How to Define & Refine Your Personal Style by Amanda Brooks
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 03, 2015, 12:43:24 AM
37. A Shot of Malaria by Charles Souby
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on August 04, 2015, 04:56:29 PM

32. The Lost Starship (Lost Starship Series Book 1), Vaughn Heppner

33. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. Claire North (Great book)
34. The Lost Command (Lost Starship Book 2), Heppner
35. The Lost Destroyer (Lost Starship Book 3), Heppner
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 06, 2015, 09:46:17 PM
37. A Shot of Malaria by Charles Souby

This book is brilliant. I recommend. Terrifying look into mind and life of a herion addict in SF.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on August 07, 2015, 04:26:18 AM
What have I read so far this year (since may)...

1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alara
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
-------------------------
To be read:
15-25. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
26-28. Mistborn trilogy
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on August 07, 2015, 05:52:32 AM
What have I read so far this year (since may)...

1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alara
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
-------------------------
To be read:
15-25. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
26-28. Mistborn trilogy
I just finished the Mistborn trilogy and really enjoyed it. The last book dragged a bit at first but I found the ending satisfying with all the various strands pulled together nicely. Look forward to reading more Sanderson. Have to admit to only really becoming aware of him because Robert Jordan chose him to co-author the last couple of WoT books. I think I may re-read WoT next year. Have been thinking about re-reading Harry Potter so might do that next. September is usually a phase of so busy I can't think about new books anymore. 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on August 07, 2015, 06:01:29 AM
What have I read so far this year (since may)...

1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alara
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
-------------------------
To be read:
15-25. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
26-28. Mistborn trilogy
I just finished the Mistborn trilogy and really enjoyed it. The last book dragged a bit at first but I found the ending satisfying with all the various strands pulled together nicely. Look forward to reading more Sanderson. Have to admit to only really becoming aware of him because Robert Jordan chose him to co-author the last couple of WoT books.

Halfway through the second Mistborn book and enjoying it a lot!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on August 07, 2015, 07:04:46 AM
What have I read so far this year (since may)...

1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alara
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
-------------------------
To be read:
15-25. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
26-28. Mistborn trilogy
I just finished the Mistborn trilogy and really enjoyed it. The last book dragged a bit at first but I found the ending satisfying with all the various strands pulled together nicely. Look forward to reading more Sanderson. Have to admit to only really becoming aware of him because Robert Jordan chose him to co-author the last couple of WoT books.

Halfway through the second Mistborn book and enjoying it a lot!

Library has the rest of the trilogy but not the first one, so had to ILL it. There are a bunch of series like that. WoT is missing about half the books, so I had to order #4 since I'm a bit into #3. Library has #s 5 and 6, but not 7. Anyways, enough complaining about that. I read as quickly as I speak (unless I'm skipping a couple paragraphs of excess descriptions... (WoT is super guilty)).

You guys should read the first two books of The Stormlight Archive. Stupidly massive books by Sanderson (in excess of 1k pages each). They are super good.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Rosy on August 07, 2015, 07:49:08 AM
Ah so many books so little time:) Splendid challenge, there is only one problem - I'm already way past 50 books for the year. The trouble is not the amount of books, it is the quality content.
If I strive to enrich my mind reading 5 romance books a week is not getting me there - although it has me wallowing with relish in happy endings:)

However, since I found MMM I've re-read every one of my own finance books and checked out six more from the library. Then last week I checked out a few more so I am considering that my start for this challenge:

Waiting to be read:

1. The lies about money
2. A random walk down Wall Street
3. The lazy person's guide to investing
4. Earn more (sleep better) - the index fund solution
5. The math behind Wall Street - how the market works and how to make it work for you.
6. Warren Buffet and the Interpretation of Financial Statements

Re-read
7. The Total Money Makeover

Perusing through this thread now has me stalking Deborah's and Moonwave's choice of books:) - I am a big fan of sci-fi. Still want to read the rest of the Divergent series.

... and I've been waiting for two months for the overdrive version of Marie Kondo's book, The Magic of Tidying up... At this rate I'll be done decluttering by the time I finally get that book!:) - still 4 more people ahead of me... makes me want to order it from Amazon, but I'll wait in true MMM style.

I will not count the romance books I finished this week, but I will count a couple of my other thriftstore finds:

8. The Coffee Trade - David Liss (entertaining-educational - liked it so well will track down his "A Conspiracy of Paper")
9. A Ruthless Need - Catherine Cookson - (one of my favorite british authors - I love all her books)
10. How to Retire Young and Rich - Joseph S. Coyle (basic, but quite useful)
11. The Brethren - John Grisham - (always entertaining:)
12. The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton - (not yet read)
13. Many lives Many Masters - Brian L. Weiss, M.D. (a re-read)
14. Tilly Alone - Catherine Cookson-  (always enjoyable)
15. The Alienist - Caleb Carr - (not yet read)

Do you have any favorite sci-fi authors? - no blood and gore please, more future society plots. Challenging myself to cut down on the romance books and calling to extend the time on my finance books - no more library fees for me this year! Do you ever have that issue?:)

 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 07, 2015, 08:18:31 AM
[quote author=Rosy link=topic=30421.msg759574#msg759574 date=1438955

Do you have any favorite sci-fi authors? - no blood and gore please, more future society plots. Challenging myself to cut down on the romance books and calling to extend the time on my finance books - no more library fees for me this year! Do you ever have that issue?:)
[/quote]

Vonnegut
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on August 07, 2015, 09:07:38 AM

Library has the rest of the trilogy but not the first one, so had to ILL it. There are a bunch of series like that. WoT is missing about half the books, so I had to order #4 since I'm a bit into #3. Library has #s 5 and 6, but not 7. Anyways, enough complaining about that. I read as quickly as I speak (unless I'm skipping a couple paragraphs of excess descriptions... (WoT is super guilty)).

You guys should read the first two books of The Stormlight Archive. Stupidly massive books by Sanderson (in excess of 1k pages each). They are super good.

I second the The Stormlight Archive. So good. Can't wait for book #3. WoT is my favorite fantasy series. Mistborn was definitely good.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on August 07, 2015, 09:09:55 AM


Do you have any favorite sci-fi authors? - no blood and gore please, more future society plots. Challenging myself to cut down on the romance books and calling to extend the time on my finance books - no more library fees for me this year! Do you ever have that issue?:)

Isaac Asimov is my favorite. His Foundation series (which I just reread, again, this year) is great.

Two new series, which each only have one book in them so far, that I really enjoyed: book 1 "Fluency" of one series (can't recall) and book 1 "Starhold" of the other.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on August 07, 2015, 02:32:14 PM
Do you have any favorite sci-fi authors? - no blood and gore please, more future society plots. Challenging myself to cut down on the romance books and calling to extend the time on my finance books - no more library fees for me this year! Do you ever have that issue?:)
My first real sci-fi/fantasy books were the Dragon series from Anne McCaffrey (who I found out later lived a mile or so away from where I was working at the time) - loved them and there was just enough of a romance story to make the transition from reading almost exclusively romance very easy. Also love the Crystal Singer trilogy and the Sassinak books from her. I've only read one Ursula LeGuin so far but have only heard good things about her stuff. And I like J.V. Jones, too. Have you read the Robin Hobb Farseer and Dragon triologies? They're great. If you're looking for other recommendations bookpunks  (http://www.bookpunks.com/)is a site I enjoy - started by a couple of women, one of whom I've actually met (through blogging and then going to see her perform when she came to play near me - fabulous singer, too) and become friends with. She reads so fast though, it always feels like I will never be able to catch up on even a fraction of all the great sounding books she reviews.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: mrpercentage on August 07, 2015, 09:37:26 PM
[quote author=Rosy link=topic=30421.msg759574#msg759574 date=1438955

Do you have any favorite sci-fi authors? - no blood and gore please, more future society plots. Challenging myself to cut down on the romance books and calling to extend the time on my finance books - no more library fees for me this year! Do you ever have that issue?:)


Heinlein is a must.
Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land are both good books to Grock.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on August 07, 2015, 09:39:35 PM
[quote author=Rosy link=topic=30421.msg759574#msg759574 date=1438955

Do you have any favorite sci-fi authors? - no blood and gore please, more future society plots. Challenging myself to cut down on the romance books and calling to extend the time on my finance books - no more library fees for me this year! Do you ever have that issue?:)


Heinlein is a must.
Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land are both good books to Grock.

Yes, both of those. And Ender's Game. If you had to CUT one, cut Stranger in a Strange Land. Don't cut Starship Troopers or Ender's Game, they fucking rule.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on August 07, 2015, 10:55:48 PM

Library has the rest of the trilogy but not the first one, so had to ILL it. There are a bunch of series like that. WoT is missing about half the books, so I had to order #4 since I'm a bit into #3. Library has #s 5 and 6, but not 7. Anyways, enough complaining about that. I read as quickly as I speak (unless I'm skipping a couple paragraphs of excess descriptions... (WoT is super guilty)).

You guys should read the first two books of The Stormlight Archive. Stupidly massive books by Sanderson (in excess of 1k pages each). They are super good.

I second the The Stormlight Archive. So good. Can't wait for book #3. WoT is my favorite fantasy series. Mistborn was definitely good.

I have the second Stormlight book in my pile. I read the last one back in Feb 2014, but I remember the main plot lines. Kaladin is the shit, Shallan stole something, blah blah.

 My library doesn't have the Mistborn books, which is sillybeans.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on August 08, 2015, 04:58:24 PM
Do you have any favorite sci-fi authors? - no blood and gore please, more future society plots. Challenging myself to cut down on the romance books and calling to extend the time on my finance books - no more library fees for me this year! Do you ever have that issue?:)

For future societies, maybe Octavia Butler? And +1 Ursula K. Leguin. Also, set in the present day, but maybe you'd like Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear. And you're interested in the Divergent series...maybe you'd like...the Hunger Games series?

It's just, many are suggesting rather weighty tomes which means a change in format as well as a change in genre. [Too late, Rosy has already blocked my posts for the insulting suggestion of the Hunger Games.]

Other ideas: Gateway by Frederick Pohl (which is the start of the Heechee saga if you want to continue it), We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (though set in the future that's more a political novel)

For that matter, The Time Traveler's Wife? Nice speculative fiction cross between romance and science fiction.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 09, 2015, 11:12:09 AM
38. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinssella
Gahhh, I was never this bad , but wow I know a few who are along these lines.....
I certainly had a few money drains - like the salad bar ($200 a month !) and 2 or 3 coffees a day. And several dinners out a month. Thank God for Mustachianism.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on August 10, 2015, 04:11:11 AM
I was just thinking of suggesting Time Traveller's Wife as well. Loved that book and found it so surprising when someone chose it for book club that some of the others hated it. I think my willing suspension of disbelief works better than some other people's. :)

Thinking back to some more of the first sci-fi/fantasy books I read, I remember also enjoying Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold!  Still have never gotten into the Terry Pratchett books but have the first Discworld one on my Kindle now so will at least get through that one, I think. My sister tells me the first one isn't great but I should definitely read it for background information and then the others are much better.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: plainjane on August 10, 2015, 06:39:23 AM
have the first Discworld one on my Kindle now so will at least get through that one, I think. My sister tells me the first one isn't great but I should definitely read it for background information and then the others are much better.

I disagree with your sister - you really can jump in much later in the series and be fine.  Common suggestions are Wyrd Sisters, Guards! Guards!, or Mort, which all give you starting points in the major sub-series (Witches, Watch, & Death respectively).  And there are a bunch of stand alones as well.


Do you have any favorite sci-fi authors? - no blood and gore please, more future society plots.

Have you ever tried Jo Walton?  Her _Just City_ is about a bunch of people trying to bring Plato's city to life.  (NB: I haven't read book 2 yet)  Ann Leckie's _Ancillary Justice_ won all the awards the other year and is about very different societies (in many ways it feels in dialogue with Le Guin's _Left Hand of Darkness_).

If you are open to secondary world fantasy/futuristic societies, Max Gladstone's books are really good (start with _Three Parts Dead_).  _Goblin Emperor_ should win a bunch of the awards this year.  _Golem & the Jinni_ is a historical fantasy about immigrants in NYC.  _City of Stairs_ may have a bit too much gore, but it's a great worldbuilding.  NK Jemisin's last two series have had great societies, not much gore.  Francis Hardinge is shelved in YA, but her _Gullstruck Island_ is a beautiful work of prose with great societies.

For big society thinking, you might want to try Chine Mieville.  I bounce off his works, but certainly he is very well thought of. 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on August 11, 2015, 06:01:56 AM
1. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
2. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
4. Alice's adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up - Marie Kondo
6. Delta of Venus - Anais Nin
7. The Romantics - Pankaj Mishra
8. Little Birds - Anais Nin
9. Spellwright - Blake Charlton
10. The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit
11. Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis Carroll
12. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
13. Fire - Kristin Cashore
14. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
15. Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl - David Barnett
16. Divergent - Veronica Roth
17. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
18. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
19. Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon - David Barnett
20. Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 11, 2015, 10:37:29 PM
39. Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life by Ulli Lust.
My first reread of the year. I've been doing another gauntlet - Read your bookshelves- the last couple months, and hav finally got thru all the ones I hadn't read (and donated most).
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on August 12, 2015, 09:56:52 AM
28. Edge of Eternity, Ken Follett. This is the first Ken Follett book I really struggled to get through. Not sure if I'm just sick of his writing after reading so much of him this year or what, but I definitely didn't enjoy this as much as the others. Overall I liked the Century trilogy less than the Kingsbridge series.

Seconding the Ender's Game recommendation -- such a great book. Also I ran across this list a couple weeks ago (http://io9.com/5924625/10-science-fiction-novels-you-pretend-to-have-read-and-why-you-should-actually-read-them). The ones I've read (actually read! haha) on there were great (Dune, Infinite Jest, 1984) so I've added the ones I haven't read to my to-read list -- you may find some sci-fi inspiration there as well.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Milehigh on August 13, 2015, 05:20:44 PM
I am on book 65, almost finished wiht it for the year.  Whooot.  Using goodreads to track my progress.

A few years ago I did 125 books, never again.  Just too much.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 13, 2015, 05:38:49 PM
I am on book 65, almost finished wiht it for the year.  Whooot.  Using goodreads to track my progress.

A few years ago I did 125 books, never again.  Just too much.

Wow!
I'm about to begin no. 40
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on August 15, 2015, 06:08:22 PM
Halfway around the track again.

51. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (31 May)
52. What To Expect When No One’s Expecting by Last (1 June)
53. Sit Like A Buddha by Rinzler (4 June)
54. The Post American World by Zakaria (7 June)
55. Ready Player One by Cline (13 June)
56. Bobos In Paradise by Brooks (14 June)
57. The Antidote by Burkeman (17 June)
58. Sons Of Wichita by Schulman (19 June)
59. American Gods by Gaiman (26 June)
60. Coming Apart by Murray (8 July)
61. Contagion by Cook (13 July)
62. Unbroken by Hildenbrand (18 July)
63. Einstein by Isaacson (20 July)
64. Money Secrets of the Amish by Craker (21 July)
65. Liberty Defined by Ron Paul (27 July)
66. Practical Nomad by Hasbrouck (28 July)
67. Nightfall by Asimov (1 Aug)
68. The Windup Girl by Bacigalupi (4 Aug)
69. The Basic Political Writings by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (5 Aug)
70. The Education of a Coach by Halberstam (7 Aug)
71. The Book On Flipping Houses by J Scott (8 Aug)
72. Civilization: The West and the Rest by Ferguson (9 Aug)
73. 1066 by Paxton ( (12 Aug)
74. The Fourth Turning by Strauss & Howe (15 Aug)
75. The Twilight Warriors by Gandt (15 Aug)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 16, 2015, 08:01:44 PM
40. Refashioned: Cutting edge clothing from upcycled materials by Sass Brown
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 17, 2015, 09:41:29 PM
41. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb.
Reread. Hav read several times, but not for many many years.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on August 18, 2015, 08:56:00 AM
33. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. Claire North (Great book)
34. The Lost Command (Lost Starship Book 2), Heppner
35. The Lost Destroyer (Lost Starship Book 3), Heppner

36. The White Tree, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson
37. The Great Rift, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson
38. (working on it) The Black Star, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson

Looks like there is another trilogy in this series I'll try and read as well. SO many books. Making it easy to plow through the 50 this year. (so far)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Rosy on August 18, 2015, 03:04:53 PM
THANK YOU for all your great suggestions for sci-fi reading!

@sheepstache you made me laugh:) -  I have read the Hunger Games, but not the entire series - loved it - quite entertaining with enough thought provoking incidents to keep it interesting.

Haven't read the Time Travellers wife yet - but picked up the book at Goodwill. I saw the movie already and I'm not sure how this story will play out in a book. Looking forward to reading it.
Definitely will look for every one of the books you all recommended - never even heard of those authors and it will be fun to discover a new favorite author.

Heinlein and Asimov were my first love - read those in German as a teenager and later read them again in English. I'll look for Enders Game next - but have copied everyones suggestions to take with me to the library.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on August 18, 2015, 03:31:43 PM
Heinlein and Asimov were my first love - read those in German as a teenager and later read them again in English.
Ooh, do you have any recommendations for German sci-fi/fantasy authors?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Rosy on August 18, 2015, 03:47:58 PM
Called to extend the time on the finance books..... still
Waiting to be read:

1. The lies about money
2. A random walk down Wall Street
3. The lazy person's guide to investing
4. Earn more (sleep better) - the index fund solution
5. The math behind Wall Street - how the market works and how to make it work for you.
6. Warren Buffet and the Interpretation of Financial Statements
7. The Total Money Makeover (finished re-read)

8. The Coffee Trade - David Liss (Great read - Portugese Jews at the commodity exchange in Amsterdam -money-persecution-intrigue
9. A Ruthless Need - Catherine Cookson - (one of my favorite british authors - I love all her books)
10. How to Retire Young and Rich - Joseph S. Coyle (basic, but quite useful)
11. The Brethren - John Grisham - (always entertaining:)
12. The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton - ( life of a young woman in 17th century Amsterdam - morals - sex - money - intrigue - secrets - great read )
13. Many lives Many Masters - Brian L. Weiss, M.D. (a re-read)
14. Tilly Alone - Catherine Cookson-  (always enjoyable)
15. The Alienist - Caleb Carr - (not yet read)
16. A Secret Kept - Tatiana de Dosnay (haunting - suspenseful - family secrets - riveting:)
17. A Ruthless Need - Catherine Cookson - one of her best character studies - working class and gentry - social changes - love - WWII
18. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (not yet read)

Plus - read five romance books since I posted last - so now I'm out of reading material from this genre. Will not pick up any more romance books until I'm done with the finance books.

Will hunt down all those marvelleous sci-fi suggestions - after I read the finance books:)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Rosy on August 18, 2015, 03:55:06 PM
Heinlein and Asimov were my first love - read those in German as a teenager and later read them again in English.
Ooh, do you have any recommendations for German sci-fi/fantasy authors?

Moonwaves - let me think on that one. It seems like they were all British and American authors - in the early sixties.
Last time I was in Germany someone gifted me an Ingrid Noll book - murder story, but OMG hilarious and spot on society observations. Well worth a read as a change of pace. I've been meaning to get more of her books.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on August 19, 2015, 06:46:50 AM
29. Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood
30. Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
31. Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on August 24, 2015, 06:08:23 AM
32. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
33. Foundation, Isaac Asimov
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on August 24, 2015, 06:35:24 AM
21. The Invisible Library - Genevieve Cogman
22. The Wind Singer - William Nicholson
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on August 24, 2015, 06:47:25 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 25, 2015, 12:02:54 PM
42.Cages by Dave McKean .
Love this book , one of my favs. :)
My second reread, after I will be back to library books ( hurray! Im so looking forward to it!).
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on August 25, 2015, 12:12:19 PM
1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alara
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
15. Mistborn: The Final Empire
16. The Dark Rising
-------------------------
To be read:
17-26. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
27-28. Mistborn trilogy
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 26, 2015, 03:08:24 PM
43. Trinkets by Kirsten Smith
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MrsGreenPear on August 29, 2015, 02:31:08 PM
I'm still a little behind, but hoping to catch up. This is what I've read so far this year.

1. Death by Food Pyramid - Denise Minger
2. A Table by the Window - Hillary Manton Lodge
3. The Martian - Andy Weir (thanks, everyone, for this recommendation)
4. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust: A Flavia de Luce Mystery - Alan Bradley (I love this series)
5. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History - Elizabeth Kolbert
6. Eat that Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time - Brian Tracy
7. Walking with the Great Apes: Sy Montgomery

Currently reading The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind America's Favorite Board Game - Mary Pilon

8. The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind America's Favorite Board Game - Mary Pilon
9. Kill Switch - Neil Baer & Jonathan Greene
10. Boy's Life - Robert McCammon
11. Bee Basics: An Introduction to our Native Bees - Beatrice Moisset & Stephen Buchman
12. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
13. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen

I've stalled out on a few and never finished them... War of the Whales being a big one that I tried really hard to finish...

I'm still behind but....

14. On Immunity: An Inoculation - Eula Biss
15. The Meaning of Human Existence - E.O. Wilson
16. The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness - Sy Montgomery
17. The Darkest Evening of the Year - Dean Koontz
18. Horns - Joe Hill
19. Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on August 31, 2015, 02:01:19 PM
23. Slaves of the Mastery - William Nichols of
24. American Gods - Neil Gaiman  (listened to this on audiobook on my comute. Therefore spent like 2 months on it)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Carolina on My Mind on August 31, 2015, 03:02:23 PM
I'm going to give this challenge a shot!  I spend too much time putzing around on the Internet.  Here's what I've read so far this year:

1. Middlemarch - George Eliot (I was halfway through it when 2015 rolled around, but it's so darn long that I'm counting it this year)
2. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson (reread)
3. Home - Marilynne Robinson
4. The Colour of Memory - Geoff Dyer
5. On Writing - Stephen King
6. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore


Update:

7. The Descendants – Kaui Hart Hemmings
8. The Red House – Mark Haddon
9. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn (vastly exceeded my expectations)
10. My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante
11. The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt
12. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
13. Lila – Marilynne Robinson
14. The Secret History – Donna Tartt

Update:

15. The Search – Geoff Dyer
16. Little Tales of Misogyny – Patricia Highsmith
17. The Story of a New Name – Elena Ferrante
18. In Defense of Food – Michael Pollan
19. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
20. Committed – Elizabeth Gilbert
21. The Happiness of Pursuit – Chris Guillebeau
22. Heat – Bill Buford
23. Amy and Isabelle – Elizabeth Strout
24. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay – Elena Ferrante
25. The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan
26. All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
27. Ghostwritten – David Mitchell (reread)
28. The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
29. The Buried Giant – Kazuo Ishiguro
30. The Martian – Andy Weir

Update:

31. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen (possibly a reread, can't remember for sure)
32. Quiet – Susan Cain
33. Going Somewhere – Brian Benson
34. The Flamethrowers – Rachel Kushner
35. Master and Commander – Patrick O’Brian
36. Ruhlman’s Twenty – Michael Ruhlman
37. My Struggle, Book 1 – Karl Ove Knausgaard
38. The Wallcreeper – Nell Zink
39. Yes Please – Amy Poehler
40. Mislaid – Nell Zink

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on August 31, 2015, 04:18:25 PM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on August 31, 2015, 11:17:46 PM
44. Remember Me? By Sophie Kinssella
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on September 01, 2015, 08:41:15 PM
40. Coming Apart: The State of White America 1960-2010 by Charles Murray
41. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
42. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
43. A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
44. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
45. The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
46. Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Lund Fisker
47. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

eta: re: long books, I post books when they're finished, but since I have multiple books going at once, sometimes that means the bulk of a book was read in a different month. Or even a different year.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on September 04, 2015, 07:47:13 PM
In case anyone needs more reading suggestions, a friend of mine found this: (sorry don't know how to embed the image)
http://static02.mediaite.com/themarysue/uploads//2011/09/Optimized-SFSignalNPR100Flowchart-1-1.jpg
Since following my natural preferences led me to my favourite book on the first attempt, I'm convinced of it's awesomeness.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on September 04, 2015, 07:55:00 PM
1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alara
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
15. Mistborn: The Final Empire
16. The Dark Rising
17. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension
-------------------------
To be read:
18-27. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
28-29. Mistborn trilogy (including alloy of law)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on September 04, 2015, 08:28:51 PM
Pooper isn't even trying to win, he's reading a bunch of 600 page books.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on September 05, 2015, 03:59:40 AM
Pooper isn't even trying to win, he's reading a bunch of 600 page books.

600 pages? More like 1000... Like 25,000 pages in the combined wheel of time, mistborn, and stormlight archive. So screwed haha. The only reason game of thrones is not on that list is that I've already read it. Still, I can read 1k pages a week so I can still "win" :P.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 05, 2015, 09:49:23 AM
Pooper isn't even trying to win, he's reading a bunch of 600 page books.

600 pages? More like 1000... Like 25,000 pages in the combined wheel of time, mistborn, and stormlight archive. So screwed haha. The only reason game of thrones is not on that list is that I've already read it. Still, I can read 1k pages a week so I can still "win" :P.

A gauntlet for next year perhaps? I'm not there yet! Some are over 600 , some are less.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on September 08, 2015, 06:31:47 AM
34. Foundation and Empire, Isaac Asimov

In case anyone needs more reading suggestions, a friend of mine found this: (sorry don't know how to embed the image)
http://static02.mediaite.com/themarysue/uploads//2011/09/Optimized-SFSignalNPR100Flowchart-1-1.jpg
Since following my natural preferences led me to my favourite book on the first attempt, I'm convinced of it's awesomeness.

This is great! Too many tough choices, though -- maybe I'll just read them all :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on September 08, 2015, 06:44:14 AM
In case anyone needs more reading suggestions, a friend of mine found this: (sorry don't know how to embed the image)
http://static02.mediaite.com/themarysue/uploads//2011/09/Optimized-SFSignalNPR100Flowchart-1-1.jpg
Since following my natural preferences led me to my favourite book on the first attempt, I'm convinced of it's awesomeness.

That was brilliant. Thank you.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on September 08, 2015, 06:47:10 AM
In case anyone needs more reading suggestions, a friend of mine found this: (sorry don't know how to embed the image)
http://static02.mediaite.com/themarysue/uploads//2011/09/Optimized-SFSignalNPR100Flowchart-1-1.jpg
Since following my natural preferences led me to my favourite book on the first attempt, I'm convinced of it's awesomeness.

Also: what's your favourite book, then?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on September 08, 2015, 09:55:46 AM
  • Moab is my Washpot - Stephen Fry
  • Bring on the Apocalypse - George Monbiot
  • We Need to Talk about Kevin - Lionel Shriver
  • My Berlin Kitchen - Luisa Weiss - was only a few chapters from the end and I lost it (left it on the train last weekend I think). Sooo frustrating - especially 'cos there were recipes at the end of each chapter and I really wanted to try some of them
  • The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco - still in progress, this is on my kindle so it's now my book for when I'm out and about, since I cycle almost every day now, I have way less out and about time for reading
  • 'Tis - Frank McCourt
  • The Weathermonger - Peter Dickinson
  • Real Food has Curves - Mark Scarborough and Bruce Weinstein
  • Teacher Man - Frank McCourt
  • Opening Acts - Suki Cunningham
  • The life-changing magic of tidying up - Marie Kondo
  • Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain - finished - have marked multiple pages and will definitely be going back to read through this again more than once
  • Game for anything - Lyn Wood
  • Friday's Child - Georgette Heyer - I re-read several Georgette Heyer books every year when I just want something I don't have to think about, will make me smile and always has a happy ending. That's what I'm in the mood for at the moment, feel like my brain can't take in anything more new.
  • Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer
  • The Black Moth - Georgette Heyer
  • Sylvester - Georgette Heyer
  • These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer - think I'll re-read one more Heyer and then get back to some of my not-yet-read books. Okay, maybe two.
  • Venetia - Georgette Heyer
  • The Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer
  • The Diamond Throne - David Eddings - more re-reading, the two Sparhawk trilogies
  • The Ruby Knight - David Eddings
  • The Saphhire Rose - David Eddings
  • Domes of Fire - David Eddings
  • The Shining Ones - David Eddings
  • The Hidden City - David Eddings
  • Olivia Joules and the overactive imagination - Helen Fielding
  • Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
  • Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
  • Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson
  • Becoming your real self - Eddie Murphy (an Irish psychologist, not the actor, in case anyone was wondering :) ) - in progress
  • Dune - Frank Herbert
  • Frugal Stuff that Works: Real Life advice from the ladies of our forum - Elaine Colliar
  • A Civil Contract - Georgette Heyer
  • Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
  • Nice Work - David Lodge
  • Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on September 09, 2015, 06:16:06 AM

36. The White Tree, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson
37. The Great Rift, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson
38. The Black Star, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson

Looks like there is another trilogy in this series I'll try and read as well. SO many books. Making it easy to plow through the 50 this year. (so far)

39. One Second After, William Forstchen (great book! sequel comes out on the... 15th?)
40. Seveneves, Neil Stephenson, this book was AWESOME I thought.

[slight? spoiler alert? don't feel like going back and reading the synopsis but I can't imagine this is really a spoiler]



Seveneves is essentially 70% the moon is struck by something, shatters, and the population of Earth has essentially two years to figure out a plan. The last 30% takes place 5000 years in the future as we're finally going back and terraforming.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 09, 2015, 07:02:44 AM
45. Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

Ha-ha. I hav to say I got stuck on trashy Hollywood type about a year ago . before that, I read good quality books I swear! At least I'm reading though is how I figure & research of "the other side" . ;)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on September 09, 2015, 08:28:27 AM
45. Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

Ha-ha. I hav to say I got stuck on trashy Hollywood type about a year ago . before that, I read good quality books I swear! At least I'm reading though is how I figure & research of "the other side" . ;)
Have you done the Jilly Cooper books yet? After reading about the controversy about the sexed-down covers of new editions of her books (http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/03/cover-jilly-cooper-novel-redesign-riders), I'm very tempted to revisit some of them. It has been years, so I'm pretty sure I won't remember most of them. :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 09, 2015, 09:17:53 AM
45. Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

Ha-ha. I hav to say I got stuck on trashy Hollywood type about a year ago . before that, I read good quality books I swear! At least I'm reading though is how I figure & research of "the other side" . ;)
Have you done the Jilly Cooper books yet? After reading about the controversy about the sexed-down covers of new editions of her books (http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/03/cover-jilly-cooper-novel-redesign-riders), I'm very tempted to revisit some of them. It has been years, so I'm pretty sure I won't remember most of them. :)

Interesting thanks :)
BTW I began with Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls and i loved her writing Style so I read all of hers and thus it began. She had an untimely death and only wrote 7 (?) So I asked some ppl who else I might enjoy. Jackie Collins was suggested and that's how the story goes.. :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on September 11, 2015, 05:47:19 AM

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on September 13, 2015, 08:30:41 AM
25: Firesong - William Nicholson
26: I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education  and was shot by the Taliban  - Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Noodle on September 13, 2015, 12:38:49 PM
Fun topic!

So far this year I have a combination of:

49 children's books and graphic novels (for work and family)

35 graphic novels or graphic novel series (I don't always keep track of every single volume in a series)

38 adult or young adult books, with five more in progress

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 13, 2015, 08:18:07 PM
35. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
36. The Plains of Passage - Jean M. Auel (almost 900 pages! Yikes!)


Feeling like I've slowed down recently.... May have to read some classic YA Fiction (my favourite genre!) to catch up ;) I would really like to read Treasure Island and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.

Will also have to read/re-read Romeo and Juliet, In the Heat of the Night, Othello, and possibly some others for work.

Yes! There are many excellent ya books. What type do u like? Also, any suggestions?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 13, 2015, 08:20:30 PM
35. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
36. The Plains of Passage - Jean M. Auel (almost 900 pages! Yikes!)


Feeling like I've slowed down recently.... May have to read some classic YA Fiction (my favourite genre!) to catch up ;) I would really like to read Treasure Island and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.

Will also have to read/re-read Romeo and Juliet, In the Heat of the Night, Othello, and possibly some others for work.

Yes! There are many excellent ya books. What type do u like? Also, any suggestions?

Danny the champion of the world by roald Dahl is great.
Also some by fransesca lia block.
If you'd like any other ideas let me know:)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 13, 2015, 08:46:47 PM
35. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
36. The Plains of Passage - Jean M. Auel (almost 900 pages! Yikes!)


Feeling like I've slowed down recently.... May have to read some classic YA Fiction (my favourite genre!) to catch up ;) I would really like to read Treasure Island and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.

Will also have to read/re-read Romeo and Juliet, In the Heat of the Night, Othello, and possibly some others for work.

Yes! There are many excellent ya books. What type do u like? Also, any suggestions?

Danny the champion of the world by roald Dahl is great.
Also some by fransesca lia block.
If you'd like any other ideas let me know:)

 
I love Danny, the Campion of the World! Haven't heard of the other, but I will check it out!

I'm a sucker for any strong-willed female YA protagonist. Also, books with a strong emphasis on nature/animals and historical fiction/fantasy

Favourites include:
His Dark Materials Trilogy - Pullman
Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery
Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell
Julie of the Wolves -Craighead George
LOTR / Hobbit, etc.... -Tolkien
The Secret Garden - Burnett
Chronicles of Narnia -Lewis
My Side of the Mountain -Craighead George
To Kill a Mockingbird - Lee
Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls
Heidi - Spyri
Sally Lockhart Series - Pullman
Never Let Me Go- Ishiguro
Watership Down - Adams

Etc...

What are your favourite YA subgenres?

Island of the blue dolphins is excellent! I should reread actually:)
The secret garden as well Have u read A Little Princess?
Tuck Everlasting is good as well.
The fairy rebel
Huckleberry Finn
Tiger's Eye by Judy Blume
I like some of the ya sci-fi/fantasy type, sometimes ya thrillers.
There are others that are evading me at the moment.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on September 14, 2015, 03:01:23 AM
Kelly Armstrong has a YA trilogy as well. Set in the same version of reality as the Women of the Otherworld series, so this world but with warewolves and witches.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: mrpercentage on September 21, 2015, 10:09:29 AM



1. Warrior Philosophy in Game of Thrones
2. Invest Like a Pro
3. A Beginners Guide to Investing
4. The Little Book of Stock Market Cycles
5. Securities Analysis (still at about 50%)
6. Classical Mythology by the Great Courses (audio)
7. A Game of Thrones (audio)
8. A Clash of Kings (audio)
9. Self Reliance (audio)
10. Seize the Night (audio)
11. Mindfullness is Better than Chocolate (audio)
12. What Ever You Do Don't Run (audio)
13. You Can, You Will (audio)
14. Get Rich Carefully
15. The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run <---- pure fucking awesomeness
16.If this isn't nice, what is? Kurt Vonnegut
17.Self Reliance-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
18.A Random Walk Down Wallstreet
19.America 2020: survival blueprint
20.The Book of Five Rings
21.One Up on Wallstreet-- Peter Mudafukin Lynch
22.Total Money Makeover-- Dave Ramsey (I think Im done with financial books this year)
23. The Martian-- Andy Weir
24. Super Freakonomics-- Steven D. Levitt (audio)
25. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life 
26. The Warren Buffett Portfolio by Hagstrom
27. The Intelligent Investor
28. If You Can
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on September 21, 2015, 11:27:15 AM
1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alara
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
15. Mistborn: The Final Empire
16. The Dark Rising
17. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension
18. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages
19. The Fires of Heaven
-------------------------
To be read:
20-28. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
29. Alloy of Law
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on September 21, 2015, 11:34:03 AM
Books read in 2015:
1. Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
2. Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
3. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
5. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
6. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin (reread)
7. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal
8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
9. The World of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
10. Divergent - Veronica Roth
11. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
12. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
13. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
14. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
15. The Martian - Andy Weir
16. Building Wealth One House at a Time - John W. Schaub
17. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins

18. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
19 . The Authenticity Hoax - Andrew Potter
20. Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari
21. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 21, 2015, 01:00:12 PM
46. Can You Keep a Secret? By Sophie Kinsella
I hav to say I think her writing style is just terrible- I mean, really the worst. But makes for possibly the lightest reading to pass the days when unwell, which has been most of the year. Sooo.. No brain workout for me for a bit ;)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Lian on September 21, 2015, 10:17:14 PM
Have hardly read at all for the last few weeks!

18. Queen of the Trailer Park by Alice Quinn
19. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
20. Broken World by Kate L. Mary
21. Shattered World by Kate L. Mary
22. Mad World by Kate L. Mary
23. The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
24. The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
25. J.M.W. Turner: Ackroyd’s Brief Lives
26. The Informationist by Taylor Stevens
27. Follow the Crow by B. B. Griffith
28. The Innocent by Taylor Stevens
29. Blue Monday: A Frieda Klein Mystery by Nicci French
29. The Doll by Taylor Stevens
30. The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
31. The Wrong Man: A Novel of Suspense by Kate White
32. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Mari Kondo

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on September 22, 2015, 02:15:49 PM

39. One Second After, William Forstchen (great book! sequel comes out on the... 15th?)
40. Seveneves, Neil Stephenson, this book was AWESOME I thought.


41. One Year After, Forstchen
42. The Rampant Storm, (book two of Starhold Series,) J. Alan Field
43. The Red Sea, Cycle of Galand Book 1 (follow on to Cycle of Arawn books), Edward W. Robertson
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 26, 2015, 08:59:53 AM
46. Can You Keep a Secret? By Sophie Kinsella
I hav to say I think her writing style is just terrible- I mean, really the worst. But makes for possibly the lightest reading to pass the days when unwell, which has been most of the year. Sooo.. No brain workout for me for a bit ;)

47. I've got your number by Sophie Kinsella
Hahaha. This one was audio book. And I must say its a fabulous way to get a story. Mom gav me the idea, hadn't done since I was a kid...- while I drive, or sew, or rest :). And actually I feel now I've been a bit harsh of my criticism- enjoying Ms. Kinsella on tape.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on September 26, 2015, 12:23:08 PM
51. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (31 May)
52. What To Expect When No One’s Expecting by Last (1 June)
53. Sit Like A Buddha by Rinzler (4 June)
54. The Post American World by Zakaria (7 June)
55. Ready Player One by Cline (13 June)
56. Bobos In Paradise by Brooks (14 June)
57. The Antidote by Burkeman (17 June)
58. Sons Of Wichita by Schulman (19 June)
59. American Gods by Gaiman (26 June)
60. Coming Apart by Murray (8 July)
61. Contagion by Cook (13 July)
62. Unbroken by Hildenbrand (18 July)
63. Einstein by Isaacson (20 July)
64. Money Secrets of the Amish by Craker (21 July)
65. Liberty Defined by Ron Paul (27 July)
66. Practical Nomad by Hasbrouck (28 July)
67. Nightfall by Asimov (1 Aug)
68. The Windup Girl by Bacigalupi (4 Aug)
69. The Basic Political Writings by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (5 Aug)
70. The Education of a Coach by Halberstam (7 Aug)
71. The Book On Flipping Houses by J Scott (8 Aug)
72. Civilization: The West and the Rest by Ferguson (9 Aug)
73. 1066 by Paxton ( (12 Aug)
74. The Fourth Turning by Strauss & Howe (15 Aug)
75. The Twilight Warriors by Gandt (15 Aug)
76. Practical Permaculture by Bloom & Boehnlein (17 Aug)
77. The Great Degeneration by Ferguson (18 Aug)
78. The Woman Who Can’t Forget by Price & Davis (20 Aug)
79. Zoom by Carson & Vaitheeswaran (21 Aug)
80. Down And Out In Paris And London by Orwell (22 Aug)
81. The Big Three In Economics by Skousen (27 Aug)
82. The Gods Themselves by Asimov (29 Aug)
83. Sleeping With The Devil by Baer (30 Aug)
84. See No Evil by Baer (3 Sep)
85. Five Acres And Independence by Kains (6 Sep)
86. Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal by Salatin (8 Sep)
87. The Heart And The Fist by Geittner (10 Sep)
88. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Weatherford (12 Sep)
89. Divergent by Roth (14 Sep)
90. Salad Bar Beef by Salatin (17 Sep)
91. American Colossus by Brands (19 Sep)
92. Insurgent by Roth (21 Sep)
93. Zodiac by Graysmith (24 Sep)
94. Allegiant by Roth (25 Sep)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on September 29, 2015, 06:43:08 AM
1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alera
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
15. Mistborn: The Final Empire
16. The Dark Rising
17. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension
18. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages
19. The Fires of Heaven
20. The Alloy of Law
21. Lord of Chaos
-------------------------
To be read:
22-28. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on September 30, 2015, 05:06:05 PM
...
...
Feeling like I've slowed down recently.... May have to read some classic YA Fiction (my favourite genre!) to catch up ;)
...
Yes! There are many excellent ya books. What type do u like? Also, any suggestions?
...
...
I'm a sucker for any strong-willed female YA protagonist. Also, books with a strong emphasis on nature/animals and historical fiction/fantasy

What are your favourite YA subgenres?
...
I like some of the ya sci-fi/fantasy type, sometimes ya thrillers.


YA suggestion that non Australian readers probably haven't encountered - Tomorrow when the war began series by John Marsden. My sister (a non reader) and I both LOVED these as YAs. Strong female lead, great writing. Australia under invasion, teenagers fighting back.


My list as it stands

Hmm,  only one extra book since last update, I think I've hit a reading wall.

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on September 30, 2015, 10:29:10 PM
...
...
Feeling like I've slowed down recently.... May have to read some classic YA Fiction (my favourite genre!) to catch up ;)
...
Yes! There are many excellent ya books. What type do u like? Also, any suggestions?
...
...
I'm a sucker for any strong-willed female YA protagonist. Also, books with a strong emphasis on nature/animals and historical fiction/fantasy

What are your favourite YA subgenres?
...
I like some of the ya sci-fi/fantasy type, sometimes ya thrillers.


YA suggestion that non Australian readers probably haven't encountered - Tomorrow when the war began series by John Marsden. My sister (a non reader) and I both LOVED these as YAs. Strong female lead, great writing. Australia under invasion, teenagers fighting back.


My list as it stands
  • Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde
  • Slaughterhouse five - Kurt Vonnegut
  • Q&A - Vikas Swarup
  • Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook - Terry Pratchett
  • Unseen academicals - Terry Pratchett
  • Jingo - TP
  • Raising Steam - TP
  • Empire of the moghul - Alex Rutherford
  • A man is not a financial plan - Joyce.. something?. Not bad, a bit condescending - aimed at Australian / NZ women who might think the word budget is a bit scary and want to achieve financial independence.
  • The thousand dollar tan line - Rob Thomas
  • Northanger Abbey - Val McDermid - a Jane Austen project book which I enjoyed enough to go looking for all the others, and re-read JA's version as well.
  • Mr midshipman Hornblower
  • Lieutenant Hornblower
  • Hornblower and the hotspur- all C S Forester
  • Scarecrow - Matthew Riley
  • The well of lost plots - Jasper fforde
  • First among sequels - Jasper Fforde
  • one of our Thursdays is missing  - JF
  • The woman who died a lot - J F
  • HB & the Atropos
  • The Happy Return
  • A Ship of the Line
  • Flying Colours
  • The Commodore]
  • Lord HB
  • HB in the West Indes - all CS Forester
  • Dealing with difficult people - Brinkman and Kirschner
  • Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
  • The misogyny factor - Anne Summers
  • The wife Drought - Annabel Crabbe -both excellent books, the misogyny factor was a bit more anger inducing, whereas I feel comfortable asking my OH to read the wife drought, as it's definitely about equality rather than feminism
  • Blink - Malcolm Gladwell - I have three more of his to follow, judging by how good the first was I'm looking forward to them
  • David and Goliath - Gladwell
  • How to fail at almost everything and still win big - Scott Adams
  • The nerdist way - Chris hardwick
  • Tipping point
  • Outliers - both M Gladwell. Enjoyed these less than the previous, Blink was my favourite I think, but I need to re-read them a bit further apart I think.
  • Urn Burial - forgotten the author, but a new series for me - the basis for the Phryne Fisher tv series which I love.
  • the Long Earth - Terry Pratchett and Stephen ??? darn, forgot his name. LOVED this, and can't wait to get back to the library to get the next one out.
  • The long War - TP and Stephen Baxter
  • The Long Mars - TP and Stephen Baxter
  • Murder in Mississippi - John Safran
  • finance book - Paul Clitheroe
  • What do we tell the children - some PhD, a guide to helping children deal with death. Turns out we did things pretty much they way he recommends, so that's good.

Hmm,  only one extra book since last update, I think I've hit a reading wall.

Love Slauterhouse Five & The Tipping Point.
Like to read more of Malcolm Gladwell at some point.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: N on September 30, 2015, 11:30:04 PM
Im in the middle of # 70 and its Oct 1. I am hoping to break 100 books this year :)

Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life
Man at the Helm
The Invasion of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #2)
All My Puny Sorrows
The Tricky Art of Co-Existing: How to Behave Decently No Matter What Life Throws Your Way
Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With or Without School
Euphoria
UNBORED Games: The Essential Guide
Single, Carefree, Mellow: Stories
All I Love and Know
The Book Thief
The Girls from Corona del Mar: A novel
My Notorious Life
Dinner: A Love Story: It All Begins at the Family Table
Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
The Invention of Wings
Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings: Easy Plant-Based Recipes for Your Healthiest Celebrations and Special Occasions
Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun
The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5)
Dinner: The Playbook: A 30-Day Plan for Mastering the Art of the Family Meal
Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback
The Happy Herbivore Cookbook: Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living
The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)
The View from Saturday
Honor's Knight (Paradox, #2)
Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture
Heaven's Queen (Paradox, #3)
Fingersmith
A Darkness More Than Night (Harry Bosch, #7; Terry McCaleb, #2)
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
The Narrows (Harry Bosch, #10)
Lost Light (Harry Bosch, #9)
Angels Flight (Harry Bosch, #6)
Trunk Music (Harry Bosch, #5)
The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch, #4)
The Concrete Blonde (Harry Bosch, #3)
The Black Ice (Harry Bosch, #2)
The Black Echo (Harry Bosch, #1)
The Fifth Witness (Mickey Haller, #4)
The Reversal (Harry Bosch, #16; Mickey Haller, #3)
The Brass Verdict (Harry Bosch, #14; Mickey Haller, #2)
How to Cook Everything Fast: A Better Way to Cook Great Food
The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy, #2)
The Poet (Jack McEvoy, #1)
The Gods of Guilt (Mickey Haller, #5)
The Closers (Harry Bosch, #11)
The Harry Bosch Novels, Volume 2: The Last Coyote / Trunk Music / Angels Flight (Harry Bosch, #4-6)
The Overlook (Harry Bosch, #13)
Present Darkness (Detective Emmanuel Cooper, #4)
A Cold Day In Paradise (Alex McKnight, #1)
The Burning Room (Harry Bosch, #19)
Echo Park (Harry Bosch, #12)
Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch, #15)
The Drop (Harry Bosch, #17)
The Black Box (Harry Bosch, #18)
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Flavia de Luce, #7)
The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #15)
Autumn Killing: A Thriller
The One and Only Ivan
All Day and a Night (Ellie Hatcher, #5)
The Charming Quirks of Others (Isabel Dalhousie, #7)
The Bone Orchard (Mike Bowditch, #5)
Jerusalem: A Cookbook
Fortune's Pawn (Paradox, #1)
Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London's Ottolenghi
De Niro: A Biography
Death Come Quickly (China Bayles, #22)
Sharp Objects
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on October 01, 2015, 08:50:39 AM
I got nothing.

Unusually for me, this month I started and stopped several books when I found I just wasn't getting anything from them. Usually I persevere. Now I'm into a few that I'll finish this month.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 01, 2015, 10:04:30 AM
48. Can You Keep a Secret? By Sophie Kinsella
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on October 03, 2015, 03:38:18 PM
25: Firesong - William Nicholson
26: I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban - Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
27: Allegiant - Veronica Roth
28: City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 03, 2015, 04:49:54 PM
49. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on October 06, 2015, 06:30:41 PM
40. The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells


YA suggestion that non Australian readers probably haven't encountered - Tomorrow when the war began series by John Marsden. My sister (a non reader) and I both LOVED these as YAs. Strong female lead, great writing. Australia under invasion, teenagers fighting back.

Actually, I have heard of that (I've seen the movie), but had forgotten about it. It's definitely my type of story... Thanks for the reminder!

You're welcome. Funny, I have an HG Wells on my bedside table at the moment, reading other things first though. I haven't seen the TWTWB movie yet, I'm worried it can't live up to expectations fro the book.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on October 07, 2015, 09:28:47 AM

41. One Year After, Forstchen
42. The Rampant Storm, (book two of Starhold Series,) J. Alan Field
43. The Red Sea, Cycle of Galand Book 1 (follow on to Cycle of Arawn books), Edward W. Robertson

44. Day by Day Armageddon, J.L. Bourne (I actually own the actual book... but its 2500 miles away at my folks house... rebought on kindle)
45. Command Authority (Clancy)
46. Constitution: Book 1 of the Legacy Fleet Trilogy, Nick Webb
47. Beyond Exile: Day by Day Armageddon, J.L. Bourne
48. Day by Day Armageddon: Shattered Hourglass, J.L. Bourne (almost completed)

Looks like I'll crush the 50 books before 10 months is out. Feels good, man.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 07, 2015, 11:36:34 AM
50. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on October 08, 2015, 07:42:55 AM

I'm really enjoying the Dexter books - they're very easy reads. Just what I need at the moment. And they're funny in a kind of sardonic, whimsical way that I like.

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on October 09, 2015, 03:00:17 PM
I'm worried it can't live up to expectations fro the book.

This always happens to me. How I imagine it in my head is just so much better, IMO ;)
Me too. I'm refusing to watch Game of Thrones until the books are finished because even though I know it's supposed to be really excellent, I want to finish the books with the pictures in my head of the people and places the way I've been picturing them for years.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 09, 2015, 07:32:30 PM
I'm worried it can't live up to expectations fro the book.

This always happens to me. How I imagine it in my head is just so much better, IMO ;)
Me too. I'm refusing to watch Game of Thrones until the books are finished because even though I know it's supposed to be really excellent, I want to finish the books with the pictures in my head of the people and places the way I've been picturing them for years.

I would say a couple are as good. But NOT a usual occurrence as we all know:
Fear &Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Secret Garden (maybe)
A Little Princess

A thing that really weird me out though is when a movie is drastically different than the book, or major character or plot differences. I can think of a couple examples, but won't spoil. ;)

Practical Magic BTW is an okay books, the movie is garbage IMO :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on October 09, 2015, 07:35:48 PM
I'm worried it can't live up to expectations fro the book.

This always happens to me. How I imagine it in my head is just so much better, IMO ;)
Me too. I'm refusing to watch Game of Thrones until the books are finished because even though I know it's supposed to be really excellent, I want to finish the books with the pictures in my head of the people and places the way I've been picturing them for years.

Just don't. The HBO series is fucking awful compared to the books. Don't watch any of it.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 09, 2015, 07:59:03 PM
51. Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson
Hav gotten into Zero Waste. is good to get Bea's background & detailed ideas. Recommend for sure.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on October 10, 2015, 12:50:56 AM

Highlighted 6 instead of 5, thse are the ones I've found myself recommending to people, of those, long earth was great sci fi, wife drought was exceptional non fiction.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 11, 2015, 01:19:58 AM
Okay. Top five so far, not in order:

1.Olivia Joules & the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding
2. Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding
3. Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson
4. The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
5. Everynight, Josephine! by Jacqueline Susann
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on October 11, 2015, 12:34:32 PM
Ooh, good idea.

Top books so far:

Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan
The Martian, Andy Weir
McDonalds: Behind the Arches by John Love

The McDonalds one is the best thing I've read in awhile. It really went into nitty-gritty details in a way that was easy to understand. Not only did I understand McDonalds business better, I've felt like I've had a better tool kit to understand other business books.

I feel sort of weird that out of fifty books (counting ones I've finished this month), there are only three "really good" ones and that, unusually, serious novels aren't represented. I guess I haven't been having much luck with books this year.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 11, 2015, 02:21:46 PM
52. The Indigo Notebook byLaura Resau
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Marus on October 12, 2015, 03:50:52 PM
Top 5 so far (in no particular order):

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
Stilwell and the American Experience in China by Barbara Tuchman
The Good Gut by Justin Sonnenburg
Rubicon by Tom Holland
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 13, 2015, 10:02:27 AM
53. My Secret compiled by Frank Warren
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 13, 2015, 10:50:53 AM
I'm worried it can't live up to expectations fro the book.

This always happens to me. How I imagine it in my head is just so much better, IMO ;)
Me too. I'm refusing to watch Game of Thrones until the books are finished because even though I know it's supposed to be really excellent, I want to finish the books with the pictures in my head of the people and places the way I've been picturing them for years.

I would say a couple are as good. But NOT a usual occurrence as we all know:
Fear &Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Secret Garden (maybe)
A Little Princess

A thing that really weird me out though is when a movie is drastically different than the book, or major character or plot differences. I can think of a couple examples, but won't spoil. ;)

Practical Magic BTW is an okay books, the movie is garbage IMO :)

Also-
The Princess Bride book & movie excellent

Different-
The Beach has some odd differences

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on October 15, 2015, 06:19:08 AM

41. One Year After, Forstchen
42. The Rampant Storm, (book two of Starhold Series,) J. Alan Field
43. The Red Sea, Cycle of Galand Book 1 (follow on to Cycle of Arawn books), Edward W. Robertson

44. Day by Day Armageddon, J.L. Bourne (I actually own the actual book... but its 2500 miles away at my folks house... rebought on kindle)
45. Command Authority (Clancy)
46. Constitution: Book 1 of the Legacy Fleet Trilogy, Nick Webb
47. Beyond Exile: Day by Day Armageddon, J.L. Bourne
48. Day by Day Armageddon: Shattered Hourglass, J.L. Bourne (almost completed)

Looks like I'll crush the 50 books before 10 months is out. Feels good, man.


1. Firefight, Brandon Sanderson
2. Fluency, Jennifer Wells
3. Terms of Enlistment, Marko Kloos
4. Lines of Departure, Marko Kloos
5. The Martian, Andy Weir
6. Locked On, Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney
7. Threat Vector, Clancy/Greaney
8. Starhold, J. Alan Field
9. Support and Defend, Clancy/Greaney
10. Synchronicity War - Part 1
11. Synchronicity War - Part 2
12. Synchronicity War - Part 3
13. Synchronicity War - Part 4
14. Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction
15. Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence
16. Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion
17. Prelude to Foundation, Asimov
18. Forward the Foundation, Asimov
19. Foundation, Asimov
20. Foundation and Empire, Asimov
21. Second Foundation, Asimov
22. Foundation's Edge, Asimov
23. Foundation and Earth, Asimov
24. Angles of Attack, Marko Kloos
25. Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
26. Time War: Invasion, Nick Thomas
27. Time War: Onslaught, Nick Thomas
28. The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie
29. Before They Are Hanged, Joe Abercrombie
30. Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie
31. Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance
32. The Lost Starship (Lost Starship Series Book 1), Vaughn Heppner
33. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. Claire North (Great book)
34. The Lost Command (Lost Starship Book 2), Heppner
35. The Lost Destroyer (Lost Starship Book 3), Heppner
36. The White Tree, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson
37. The Great Rift, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson
38. The Black Star, Cycle of Arawn, by Roberson
39. One Second After, William Forstchen
40. Seveneves, Neil Stephenson
41. One Year After, Forstchen
42. The Rampant Storm, (book two of Starhold Series,) J. Alan Field
43. The Red Sea, Cycle of Galand Book 1 (follow on to Cycle of Arawn books), Edward W. Robertson
44. Day by Day Armageddon, J.L. Bourne (I actually own the actual book... but its 2500 miles away at my folks house... rebought on kindle)
45. Command Authority (Clancy)
46. Constitution: Book 1 of the Legacy Fleet Trilogy, Nick Webb
47. Beyond Exile: Day by Day Armageddon, J.L. Bourne
48. Day by Day Armageddon: Shattered Hourglass, J.L. Bourne
49. Caves of Steel, Asimov
50. Red Rising, Pierce Brown (I'll finish this today or tomorrow but I was too excited to wait to post in the @ 50 books challenge haha)


This was a cool thing to do. I already read a lot but actually tracking it like this was a lot of fun. I had 7 re-reads, which were the Asimov books. I imagine I'll end up with 50 total NEW reads by the end of the year though.

The stand-alone books were awesome: the Martian (duh), Seveneves, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, and Ready Player One.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on October 15, 2015, 06:27:12 AM
1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alera
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
15. Mistborn: The Final Empire
16. The Dark Rising
17. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension
18. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages
19. The Fires of Heaven
20. The Alloy of Law
21. Lord of Chaos
22. Crown of Swords
-------------------------
To be read:
23-28. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on October 15, 2015, 06:33:23 AM
Enjoy Wheel of Time, it's a fantastic series.

And don't get too attached to The Stormlight Archive yet, Sanderson expects it to be a 10 book series. Don't think the next book comes out until 2017 so we're looking at like 2030 to see that wrapped up :lol:
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on October 15, 2015, 06:58:27 AM
Enjoy Wheel of Time, it's a fantastic series.

And don't get too attached to The Stormlight Archive yet, Sanderson expects it to be a 10 book series. Don't think the next book comes out until 2017 so we're looking at like 2030 to see that wrapped up :lol:

Hopefully Sanderson won't pull a Jordan. Oh the irony if it happens though...
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on October 15, 2015, 07:22:23 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 18, 2015, 07:58:29 PM
54. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on October 19, 2015, 05:00:26 AM

31 fiction, 69 nonfiction

Top Fiction
Ready Player One
The Windup Girl
Matterhorn

Top Nonfiction
Savage Continent
Einstein
The Better Angels Of Our Nature
How To Fail At Nearly Everything And Still Win Big
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on October 19, 2015, 11:37:26 AM
Top 5 so far (in no particular order):

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty


There was a miniseries of this in the 90s that I thought was pretty well done. Or maybe it was just my obsession at the time with Tommy Lee Jones. Anyway, it's on netflix.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Marus on October 21, 2015, 09:44:25 AM
Top 5 so far (in no particular order):

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty


There was a miniseries of this in the 90s that I thought was pretty well done. Or maybe it was just my obsession at the time with Tommy Lee Jones. Anyway, it's on netflix.

I watched the first episode :) it was really good. 

The downside to trying to read 50 books is I rarely feel like watching movies or TV.  Which probably isn't a real downside, but I do feel like I'm missing out on good stuff sometimes.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on October 21, 2015, 10:20:57 AM

I got Heart of Gold after meeting Ali (arebelspy's wife) last week and having some interesting conversations about the process of writing and how she got into it. All of which led to me reminiscing about the hundreds and hundreds of romance novels I read when I was a teenager and into my 20s. I had gotten to the stage where I had started to get rid of a lot of them and was just hanging on to my favourites but at some stage I seem to have lost a whole lot of books. Not just the romances but mostly them. I think it was during a move and suspect someone walked off with a box of my books when we were loading the van. Anyway, I've been half-inspired to think (again) about trying to write a book and earlier this week fell down a rabbbit hole when I found an online database of books (http://www.fictiondb.com/) and was able to find some of those favourites I remember. So I got onto BetterWorldBooks and ordered four or five. For research purposes of course. Funny to see that most of the ones I remember best were published around 1987. Since I mostly only shopped in the second-hand bookshop, if we assume most people held on to them for about a year or so, the timing fits perfectly for me to have been buying them in 1989 or so. Anyway, nothing at all to do with this challenge but it was such a great trip down memory lane for me I decided to share. :) 
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Marus on October 22, 2015, 09:53:53 PM
My books so far :)

1) On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt
2) The Scar by China Mieville
3) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
4) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
5) The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond
6) The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
7) The City & The City by China Mieville
8) Stilwell & The American Experience in China by Barbara Tuchman
9) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
10) Custer Died For Your Sins by Vine Deloria, Jr.
11) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
12) The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall, III
13) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
14) A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
15) No God But God by Reza Aslan
16) Alexander of Macedon by Peter Green
17) Rubicon by Tom Holland
18) World Without End by Ken Follett
19) The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
20) Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
21) The Iliad by Homer
22) Cicero by Anthony Everitt
23) Evernote Essentials by Brett Kelly
24) Augustus by Anthony Everitt
25) Eaarth by Bill McKibben
26) America Again by Stephen Colbert
27) Storm Front by Jim Butcher
28) Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
29) The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
30) Food Rules by Michael Pollan
31) Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
32) Deep Economy by McKibben
33) Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurty
34) The Good Gut by Justin Sonnenburg
35) Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer
36) Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
37) Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurty
38) Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Goodreads says I'm two books behind schedule.  So overall, I'm in pretty good shape!  Especially now that it's getting colder out and I'm finding more time for my books :)

Books in progress:
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Comanche Moon by Larry McMurty
A History of Warfare by John Keegan
On Killing by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman (audiobook format)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 23, 2015, 12:13:19 AM
55.The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen.

This is a v. interesting book. I recommend.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on October 23, 2015, 08:39:56 AM
1. Your Money of Your Life
2. The Millionaire Next Door
3-8. Codex Alera
9. The Magicians
10. The Way of Kings
11. What to Eat
12. The Eye of the World
13. The Great Hunt
14. Words of Radiance
15. Mistborn: The Final Empire
16. The Dark Rising
17. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension
18. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages
19. The Fires of Heaven
20. The Alloy of Law
21. Lord of Chaos
22. Crown of Swords
23. A Path of Daggers
-------------------------
To be read:
24-28. (the rest of) The Wheel of Time
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: votu on October 24, 2015, 09:36:24 AM
28. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
29. The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils by Julia Lawless
30. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: MrsGreenPear on October 26, 2015, 12:27:49 PM
I'm still a little behind, but hoping to catch up. This is what I've read so far this year.

1. Death by Food Pyramid - Denise Minger
2. A Table by the Window - Hillary Manton Lodge
3. The Martian - Andy Weir (thanks, everyone, for this recommendation)
4. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust: A Flavia de Luce Mystery - Alan Bradley (I love this series)
5. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History - Elizabeth Kolbert
6. Eat that Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time - Brian Tracy
7. Walking with the Great Apes: Sy Montgomery

Currently reading The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind America's Favorite Board Game - Mary Pilon

8. The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind America's Favorite Board Game - Mary Pilon
9. Kill Switch - Neil Baer & Jonathan Greene
10. Boy's Life - Robert McCammon
11. Bee Basics: An Introduction to our Native Bees - Beatrice Moisset & Stephen Buchman
12. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
13. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen

I've stalled out on a few and never finished them... War of the Whales being a big one that I tried really hard to finish...

I'm still behind but....

14. On Immunity: An Inoculation - Eula Biss
15. The Meaning of Human Existence - E.O. Wilson
16. The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness - Sy Montgomery
17. The Darkest Evening of the Year - Dean Koontz
18. Horns - Joe Hill
19. Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake

20. The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen
21. From the Dust Returned - Ray Bradbury
22. Girl Waits with Gun - Amy Stewart
23. The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween - J. Tonzelli
24. Pawpaw: In Search of America's Forgotten Fruit - Andrew Moore (currently reading)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 26, 2015, 03:45:48 PM
56. The (Un)domestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Moonwaves on October 27, 2015, 06:12:14 AM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on October 27, 2015, 08:39:40 AM
35. The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
36. MaddAddam, Margaret Atwood
37. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

Busy month-and-a-half = falling totally behind. Good thing the weather is getting perfect for cocooning up at home and reading!

Currently working on:
Death Comes to Pemberley
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-Up
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on October 29, 2015, 05:10:15 PM
In case anyone needs more reading suggestions, a friend of mine found this: (sorry don't know how to embed the image)
http://static02.mediaite.com/themarysue/uploads//2011/09/Optimized-SFSignalNPR100Flowchart-1-1.jpg
Since following my natural preferences led me to my favourite book on the first attempt, I'm convinced of it's awesomeness.

Also: what's your favourite book, then?

Sorry, slow reply - the Jasper Fforde one, the Eyre Affair. If I'm totally pedantic it's my current favourite, not necessarily my all time favourite, but it was my introduction to Fforde, who is now my current favourite author, since I'm onto re-reads of pretty much all of Terry Pratchett's work.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on October 29, 2015, 05:23:26 PM

I'm not adding the travel books I've been reading so it feels like I've missed something, but I don't think a Lonely Planet really counts as a "book I've read", since I rarely read more than two pages in order and I skip all the lists of hotels and restaurants. I also cheated a little with Superorganism as I had to return it to the library about 5/6ths read, but I got more out of it than many books so I'm claiming it anyway.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on October 29, 2015, 06:45:06 PM
57. Food Rules by Michael Pollan
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on October 30, 2015, 06:25:28 AM
38. The Secret History of Wonder Woman, Jill Lepore
39. Death Comes to Pemberley, P.D. James
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on November 01, 2015, 03:17:36 PM
48. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre
49. Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll
50. Purity by Jonathan Franzen

The ExxonMobil book was actually a pretty terrific book about the ins and outs at the higher levels of the oil industry.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on November 02, 2015, 07:21:35 AM
Books read in 2015:
1. Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
2. Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
3. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
5. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
6. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin (reread)
7. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal
8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
9. The World of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
10. Divergent - Veronica Roth
11. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
12. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
13. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
14. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
15. The Martian - Andy Weir
16. Building Wealth One House at a Time - John W. Schaub
17. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
18. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
19 . The Authenticity Hoax - Andrew Potter
20. Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari
21. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)

22. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think - Brian Wansink
23. Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson
24. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
24. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson

Bolded top 3 non-fiction so far.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 02, 2015, 08:48:50 AM
58. Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Pooperman on November 02, 2015, 04:09:39 PM
Books read in 2015:
1. Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
2. Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
3. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
5. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
6. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin (reread)
7. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal
8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
9. The World of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
10. Divergent - Veronica Roth
11. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
12. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
13. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
14. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
15. The Martian - Andy Weir
16. Building Wealth One House at a Time - John W. Schaub
17. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
18. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
19 . The Authenticity Hoax - Andrew Potter
20. Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari
21. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)

22. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think - Brian Wansink
23. Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson
24. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
24. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson

Bolded top 3 non-fiction so far.

Are you going to read the two new Mistborn novels? There's a standalone-ish one and then the start of the second trilogy (of which book 2 comes out in a couple months).
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on November 02, 2015, 07:17:41 PM
Are you going to read the two new Mistborn novels? There's a standalone-ish one and then the start of the second trilogy (of which book 2 comes out in a couple months).

Not this year, unless they go on sale for Kindle. I read the sample chapter for The Alloy of Law at the end of the original trilogy and was kinda meh on continuing the series, even though I really enjoyed the original three. I'm really hoping for an announcement from Patrick Rothfuss or George R.R. Martin for new book releases, but unlikely soon.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 05, 2015, 08:08:53 PM
59. Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal.
I was way into these books when I was a kid. Sometimes it's nice to read something and reminisce (although I hadn't read this particular book).
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 06, 2015, 10:40:24 PM
60. Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 07, 2015, 09:52:57 PM
61. Shoplifter by Michael Cho
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 08, 2015, 09:29:22 PM
62. In Clothes Called Fat
63. The Girl Who Owned a City
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on November 09, 2015, 06:23:14 AM
40. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
41. Lock In, John Scalzi
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 11, 2015, 08:11:25 PM
64. Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash by Edward Humes

This is an illuminating book. Tons of history and facts I knew nothing about. Out of sight, out of mind is a pretty good way to describe the extent of thoughts of a typical persons regarding human waste.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on November 12, 2015, 05:59:49 AM
42. And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
43. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Marus on November 12, 2015, 07:51:13 PM
#42 Down

Just finished Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer.  Great book, but incredibly depressing.  It's a biography about Pat Tillman, and it gets into the massive coverup and spinjob that the army got involved in after he died.  Just horrific stuff.  Overall, his life was still very inspiring though.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 13, 2015, 11:35:00 PM
65. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on November 16, 2015, 05:34:23 AM
44. The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 18, 2015, 07:48:06 PM
66. 1984 by George Orwell (reread)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Carolina on My Mind on November 18, 2015, 09:23:41 PM
I'm going to give this challenge a shot!  I spend too much time putzing around on the Internet.  Here's what I've read so far this year:

1. Middlemarch - George Eliot (I was halfway through it when 2015 rolled around, but it's so darn long that I'm counting it this year)
2. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson (reread)
3. Home - Marilynne Robinson
4. The Colour of Memory - Geoff Dyer
5. On Writing - Stephen King
6. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore


Update:

7. The Descendants – Kaui Hart Hemmings
8. The Red House – Mark Haddon
9. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn (vastly exceeded my expectations)
10. My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante
11. The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt
12. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
13. Lila – Marilynne Robinson
14. The Secret History – Donna Tartt

Update:

15. The Search – Geoff Dyer
16. Little Tales of Misogyny – Patricia Highsmith
17. The Story of a New Name – Elena Ferrante
18. In Defense of Food – Michael Pollan
19. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
20. Committed – Elizabeth Gilbert
21. The Happiness of Pursuit – Chris Guillebeau
22. Heat – Bill Buford
23. Amy and Isabelle – Elizabeth Strout
24. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay – Elena Ferrante
25. The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan
26. All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
27. Ghostwritten – David Mitchell (reread)
28. The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
29. The Buried Giant – Kazuo Ishiguro
30. The Martian – Andy Weir

Update:

31. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen (possibly a reread, can't remember for sure)
32. Quiet – Susan Cain
33. Going Somewhere – Brian Benson
34. The Flamethrowers – Rachel Kushner
35. Master and Commander – Patrick O’Brian
36. Ruhlman’s Twenty – Michael Ruhlman
37. My Struggle, Book 1 – Karl Ove Knausgaard
38. The Wallcreeper – Nell Zink
39. Yes Please – Amy Poehler
40. Mislaid – Nell Zink

Update:

41. Cooked – Michael Pollan
42. Purity – Jonathan Franzen
43. The Story of the Lost Child – Elena Ferrante
44. Darkly Dreaming Dexter – Jeff Lindsay
45. Leap – Tess Vigeland
46. My Struggle, Book 2 – Karl Ove Knausgaard
47. Ordinary Love & Good Will – Jane Smiley (reread)
48. There Are Jews in My House – Lara Vapnyar
49. Manhood for Amateurs – Michael Chabon
50. Tenth of December – George Saunders
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on November 20, 2015, 08:56:42 AM
@Carolina on my Mind

How did you feel about The Flamethrowers? I started it and couldn't keep going. Yet Jonathan Franzen heaped praises on Rachel Kushner. I'm wondering if that's just the wrong book for me or if the style changes a bit into the book.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Carolina on My Mind on November 20, 2015, 09:21:08 AM
@Carolina on my Mind

How did you feel about The Flamethrowers? I started it and couldn't keep going. Yet Jonathan Franzen heaped praises on Rachel Kushner. I'm wondering if that's just the wrong book for me or if the style changes a bit into the book.

I had the exact same reaction as you -- I didn't bother finishing Flamethrowers.  I really liked the beginning -- the description of the salt flats and the land speed record trials -- but once the narrator got into the art scene in NYC, I found the writing flat and unconvincing ("Ooh, look how artsy I and all my friends are"), and although I kind of wanted to see how things turned out, the prose just irritated me too much.  I abandoned it a couple hundred pages in. 

Speaking of Franzen, I hated Purity.  Hated it.  The only other book on my list that I didn't finish:  I read a couple hundred pages and then just gave up.  (And this is from somebody who usually likes his stuff.)  He is also a big booster of Nell Zink, and I wasn't wild about her books either. 

Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 21, 2015, 10:02:17 AM
67. Looking for Alaska by John Green
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on November 21, 2015, 04:14:17 PM
101. The Wars of the Roses by Jones (23 Oct)
102. Wool by Howey (25 Oct)
103. McMafia by Glenny (30 Oct)
104. Brave New War by John Robb (1 Nov)
105. John Adams by McCullough (3 Nov)
106. Evolution by Baxter (8 Nov)
107. The Miracle Of Freedom by Stewart (10 Nov)
108. Mark Twain by Powers (14 Nov)
109. Every Knee Shall Bow: The Truth And Tragedy Of Ruby Ridge And The Randy Weaver Family by Walter (17 Nov)

101 was pretty dry, and 107 felt like propaganda. The rest were excellent.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 22, 2015, 10:05:24 PM
68. Miss Don't Touch me Vol. 1
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on November 23, 2015, 06:10:34 AM
45. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, Niall Ferguson
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on November 23, 2015, 07:32:06 AM
Books read in 2015:
1. Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
2. Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
3. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
5. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
6. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin (reread)
7. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal
8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
9. The World of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
10. Divergent - Veronica Roth
11. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
12. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
13. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
14. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
15. The Martian - Andy Weir
16. Building Wealth One House at a Time - John W. Schaub
17. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
18. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
19 . The Authenticity Hoax - Andrew Potter
20. Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari
21. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)
22. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think - Brian Wansink
23. Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson
24. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
24. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson

25. You Are a Badass - Jen Sincero
26. The Rich Employee - James Altucher
27. The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Patrick Rothfuss

LOVED The Slow Regard of Silent Things, I know it's very hit-or-miss for folks, but it was definitely a hit for me.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on November 23, 2015, 02:02:33 PM
LOVED The Slow Regard of Silent Things, I know it's very hit-or-miss for folks, but it was definitely a hit for me.

I really liked it, too. Loved all the wordplay -- I know it's been translated into several other languages, and I can't begin to imagine how difficult it must have been to do justice to that.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 23, 2015, 11:06:33 PM
69. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Cornbread OMalley on November 24, 2015, 12:33:07 AM
Add Catch-22.  I guarantee you will enjoy it!
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on November 24, 2015, 02:23:25 AM
1. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
2. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
4. Alice's adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up - Marie Kondo
6. Delta of Venus - Anais Nin
7. The Romantics - Pankaj Mishra
8. Little Birds - Anais Nin
9. Spellwright - Blake Charlton
10. The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit
11. Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis Carroll
12. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
13. Fire - Kristin Cashore
14. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
15. Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl - David Barnett
16. Divergent - Veronica Roth
17. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
18. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
19. Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon - David Barnett
20. Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
21. The Invisible Library - Genevieve Cogman
22. The Wind Singer - William Nicholson
23. Slaves of the Mastery - William Nichols of
24. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
25: Firesong - William Nicholson
26: I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education  and was shot by the Taliban  - Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
27: Allegiant - Veronica Roth
28: City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

New:
29: The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
30: City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on November 29, 2015, 07:08:10 AM
70. Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: kpd905 on November 29, 2015, 07:22:41 AM
Joining in even though I will not hit 50 this year.  I started keeping track about 6 months ago, so I'm sure I am missing some.

1. Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin
2-4. The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer
5. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
6-8. Atlantis World Trilogy by A.G. Riddle
9. How will you measure your life by Clayton Christenson
10. Wastelands, Stories of the Apocalypse by John Joseph Adams
11. Influx by Daniel Suarez
12. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
13. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
14. Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey
15. Cashing in on the American Dream by Paul Terhorst (currently reading)
16. Lexicon by Max Barry (currently reading)
17. Fold by Peter Clines (currently reading)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: EngineerMum on November 29, 2015, 04:27:14 PM
  • Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde
  • Slaughterhouse five - Kurt Vonnegut
  • Q&A - Vikas Swarup
  • Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook - Terry Pratchett
  • Unseen academicals - Terry Pratchett
  • Jingo - TP
  • Raising Steam - TP
  • Empire of the moghul - Alex Rutherford
  • A man is not a financial plan - Joyce.. something?. Not bad, a bit condescending - aimed at Australian / NZ women who might think the word budget is a bit scary and want to achieve financial independence.
  • The thousand dollar tan line - Rob Thomas
  • Northanger Abbey - Val McDermid - a Jane Austen project book which I enjoyed enough to go looking for all the others, and re-read JA's version as well.
  • Mr midshipman Hornblower
  • Lieutenant Hornblower
  • Hornblower and the hotspur- all C S Forester
  • Scarecrow - Matthew Riley
  • The well of lost plots - Jasper fforde
  • First among sequels - Jasper Fforde
  • one of our Thursdays is missing  - JF
  • The woman who died a lot - J F
  • HB & the Atropos
  • The Happy Return
  • A Ship of the Line
  • Flying Colours
  • The Commodore]
  • Lord HB
  • HB in the West Indes - all CS Forester
  • Dealing with difficult people - Brinkman and Kirschner
  • Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
  • The misogyny factor - Anne Summers
  • The Wife Drought, Why women need wives and men need lives - Annabel Crabbe -both excellent books, the misogyny factor was a bit more anger inducing, whereas I feel comfortable asking my OH to read the wife drought, as it's definitely about equality rather than feminism
  • Blink - Malcolm Gladwell - I have three more of his to follow, judging by how good the first was I'm looking forward to them
  • David and Goliath - Gladwell
  • How to fail at almost everything and still win big - Scott Adams
  • The nerdist way - Chris hardwick
  • Tipping point
  • Outliers - both M Gladwell. Enjoyed these less than the previous, Blink was my favourite I think, but I need to re-read them a bit further apart I think.
  • Urn Burial - forgotten the author, but a new series for me - the basis for the Phryne Fisher tv series which I love.
  • The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett and Stephen ??? darn, forgot his name. LOVED this, and can't wait to get back to the library to get the next one out.
  • The Long War - TP and Stephen Baxter
  • The Long Mars - TP and Stephen Baxter
  • Murder in Mississippi - John Safran
  • finance book - Paul Clitheroe
  • What do we tell the children - some PhD, a guide to helping children deal with death. Turns out we did things pretty much they way he recommends, so that's good.
  • The great Zoo of China - Matthew Reilly. Love his books, easy and fun reads. (I only started it this morning) my first E-Book from my library, not a bad way to do it.
  • I, Superorganism - ... oops forgot the author. Really interesting book about our bacterial populations. Gotta love accessible summaries of cutting edge science
  • Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde
  • Tournament - Matthew Reilly
  • What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell, disappointing compared to his books (this one is a compilation of New Yorker articles)
  • The millionaire next door - disappointingly boring with too many stats, not what I was expecting.
  • The Rosie Effect - great sequel to the Rosie Project, stormed through this in a day
  • Little girls can be mean - rather interesting parenting book, quite relevant to our current stage of life with LO
  • Your money or your life - half finished. Not bad so far, but pretty basic compared to MMM
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: sheepstache on November 29, 2015, 07:04:24 PM
51. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
52. Titan by Ron Chernow
53. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
54. The Counterfeiters by Andre Gide
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on November 30, 2015, 05:55:00 AM
46. Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-eight Nights, Salman Rushdie
47. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: randommadness on December 09, 2015, 06:46:50 AM
Think my 50th was Red Rising

Have added a few since
the Golden Son (sequel to RR)
Return of the Archwizards trilogy (The Summoning, Siege, Sorcerer) (Forgotten Realms)
Modern Romance (Aziz Ansari)
The Erevis Cale Trilogy (Twilight Falling, Dawn of Night, Midnights Mask) (Forgotten Realms)

Feel like I'm missing a couple but either way ended up at 60ish. Feels good, man.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: kpd905 on December 09, 2015, 07:35:24 PM
1. Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin
2-4. The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer
5. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
6-8. Atlantis World Trilogy by A.G. Riddle
9. How will you measure your life by Clayton Christenson
10. Wastelands, Stories of the Apocalypse by John Joseph Adams
11. Influx by Daniel Suarez
12. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
13. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
14. Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey
15. Lexicon by Max Barry
16. Fold by Peter Clines
17. Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
18. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (currently reading)
19. The Point of Vanishing by Howard Axelrod(currently reading)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on December 09, 2015, 09:18:21 PM
71. Lean Mean Thirteen
72. The Devil wears Prada
73. Sinners by Jackie Collins
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on December 10, 2015, 01:28:50 AM
1. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
2. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
4. Alice's adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up - Marie Kondo
6. Delta of Venus - Anais Nin
7. The Romantics - Pankaj Mishra
8. Little Birds - Anais Nin
9. Spellwright - Blake Charlton
10. The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit
11. Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis Carroll
12. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
13. Fire - Kristin Cashore
14. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
15. Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl - David Barnett
16. Divergent - Veronica Roth
17. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
18. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
19. Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon - David Barnett
20. Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
21. The Invisible Library - Genevieve Cogman
22. The Wind Singer - William Nicholson
23. Slaves of the Mastery - William Nichols of
24. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
25: Firesong - William Nicholson
26: I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education  and was shot by the Taliban  - Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
27: Allegiant - Veronica Roth
28: City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
29: The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
30: City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare

New:
31: City of Glass - Cassandra Clare
32: "The children of Nina" - Nina Grundfeld
33: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana - Gayle T Lemmon
34: "The history of bees" - Maja Lunde
35: A Darker Shade of Magic - V E Schwab
36: Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare (current)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on December 10, 2015, 07:25:29 AM
48. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Marus on December 14, 2015, 02:43:15 PM
Woohoo, hit my goal!!

1) On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt
2) The Scar by China Mieville
3) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
4) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
5) The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond
6) The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
7) The City & The City by China Mieville
8) Stilwell & The American Experience in China by Barbara Tuchman
9) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
10) Custer Died For Your Sins by Vine Deloria, Jr.
11) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
12) The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall, III
13) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
14) A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
15) No God But God by Reza Aslan
16) Alexander of Macedon by Peter Green
17) Rubicon by Tom Holland
18) World Without End by Ken Follett
19) The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
20) Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
21) The Iliad by Homer
22) Cicero by Anthony Everitt
23) Evernote Essentials by Brett Kelly
24) Augustus by Anthony Everitt
25) Eaarth by Bill McKibben
26) America Again by Stephen Colbert
27) Storm Front by Jim Butcher
28) Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
29) The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
30) Food Rules by Michael Pollan
31) Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
32) Deep Economy by McKibben
33) Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurty
34) The Good Gut by Justin Sonnenburg
35) Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer
36) Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
37) Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurty
38) Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
39)On Killing by Dave Grossman
40) A History of Warfare by John Keegan
41) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
42) Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer
43) Comanche Moon by Larry McMurty
44) Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
45) Failed Stated by Noam Chomsky
46) Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
47) Outsider in the House by Bernie Sanders
48) Death Masks by Jim Butcher
49) The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
50) Essential Manners for Men by Peter Post

I raided my HR library for a couple books toward the end there :) Overall, I'm very happy with my reading selection.  I might try to round it out with another two, so I can say I read a book every week haha.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: kpd905 on December 14, 2015, 05:45:05 PM
1. Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin
2-4. The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer
5. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
6-8. Atlantis World Trilogy by A.G. Riddle
9. How will you measure your life by Clayton Christenson
10. Wastelands, Stories of the Apocalypse by John Joseph Adams
11. Influx by Daniel Suarez
12. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
13. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
14. Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey
15. Lexicon by Max Barry
16. Fold by Peter Clines
17. Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
18. The Point of Vanishing by Howard Axelrod
19. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (currently reading)
20.  Red Rising by Pierce Brown (currently reading)
21.  Station Eleven by Emily St. John (currently reading)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on December 16, 2015, 05:06:15 AM
Woohoo, hit my goal!!

1) On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt
2) The Scar by China Mieville
3) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
4) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
5) The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond
6) The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
7) The City & The City by China Mieville
8) Stilwell & The American Experience in China by Barbara Tuchman
9) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
10) Custer Died For Your Sins by Vine Deloria, Jr.
11) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
12) The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall, III
13) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
14) A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
15) No God But God by Reza Aslan
16) Alexander of Macedon by Peter Green
17) Rubicon by Tom Holland
18) World Without End by Ken Follett
19) The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
20) Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
21) The Iliad by Homer
22) Cicero by Anthony Everitt
23) Evernote Essentials by Brett Kelly
24) Augustus by Anthony Everitt
25) Eaarth by Bill McKibben
26) America Again by Stephen Colbert
27) Storm Front by Jim Butcher
28) Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
29) The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
30) Food Rules by Michael Pollan
31) Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
32) Deep Economy by McKibben
33) Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurty
34) The Good Gut by Justin Sonnenburg
35) Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer
36) Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
37) Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurty
38) Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
39)On Killing by Dave Grossman
40) A History of Warfare by John Keegan
41) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
42) Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer
43) Comanche Moon by Larry McMurty
44) Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
45) Failed Stated by Noam Chomsky
46) Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
47) Outsider in the House by Bernie Sanders
48) Death Masks by Jim Butcher
49) The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
50) Essential Manners for Men by Peter Post

I raided my HR library for a couple books toward the end there :) Overall, I'm very happy with my reading selection.  I might try to round it out with another two, so I can say I read a book every week haha.

Solid list there.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: happypup on December 17, 2015, 06:51:53 AM
Made it! Hooray!

1. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
2. 1491, Charles Mann
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
4. Practical Demon-Keeping, Christopher Moore
5. The Simulacrum, Philip K Dick
6. In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
7. Guards, Guards! Terry Prachett
8. Orange is the New Black, Piper Kerman
9. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
10. Catherine the Great, Robert K. Massie
11. Fall of Giants, Ken Follett
12. Gentlemen of the Road, Michael Chabon
13. Longbourn, Jo Baker
14. Consider the Lobster, David Foster Wallace
15. 1Q84, Haruki Murakami
16. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
17. The Vacationers, Emma Straub
18. 12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup
19. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Reza Aslan
20. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
21. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
22. Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
23. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
24. Doctor Sleep, Stephen King
24. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain
25. The Martian, Andy Weir
26. Winter of the World, Ken Follett
27. The Night Gardener, Jonathan Auxier
28. Edge of Eternity, Ken Follett
29. Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood
30. Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
31. Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell
32. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
33. Foundation, Isaac Asimov
34. Foundation and Empire, Isaac Asimov
35. The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
36. MaddAddam, Margaret Atwood
37. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
38. The Secret History of Wonder Woman, Jill Lepore
39. Death Comes to Pemberley, P.D. James
40. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
41. Lock In, John Scalzi
42. And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
43. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne
44. The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss
45. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, Niall Ferguson
46. Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-eight Nights, Salman Rushdie
47. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
48. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
49. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
50. Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Jenny Lawson

Some thoughts / data looking back at the list:

15 nonfiction (4 memoir, 2 biography, 7 history, 1 essays, 1 psychology), 35 fiction (2 full series -- the Century trilogy and the MaddAddam trilogy, plus parts of the Foundation series and Kingkiller chronicle).

2 unintentional themes: 8 books were either explicitly about WWII or used WWII as a plot point in one way or another. 2 books related to Pride and Prejudice, one of which I didn't realize was related until I started it (Death Comes to Pemberley).

Longest book was 1Q84, clocking in at 1184 pages, followed by Edge of Eternity at 1120 pages. (Roughly -- I read both on a kindle so I'm just going off of what Amazon says the paperback length is.) In all, about 11 books longer than 500 pages.

4 books were engrossing enough (and short enough) that I read them in a day.

45 unique authors, 30 of whom were new to me this year.

Favorite overall was probably American Gods. Bel Canto and Gentlemen of the Road were the only ones I really didn't like. Both very well written, but they just didn't hold my attention.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on December 18, 2015, 07:44:22 PM

34 fiction, 81 nonfiction

Top Fiction
Ready Player One
The Windup Girl
Matterhorn
Freedom

Top Nonfiction
Savage Continent
Einstein
The Better Angels Of Our Nature
How To Fail At Nearly Everything And Still Win Big
Every Knee Shall Bow
Brave New War
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Philociraptor on December 21, 2015, 03:58:57 PM
Books read in 2015:
1. Think Like a Freak - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen K. Dubner
2. Why Bother With Bonds: A Guide to Build All-Weather Portfolio - Rick Van Ness
3. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
5. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz
6. A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin (reread)
7. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal
8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
9. The World of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Elio Garcia, Linda Antonsson
10. Divergent - Veronica Roth
11. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
12. Allegiant - Veronica Roth
13. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
14. In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
15. The Martian - Andy Weir
16. Building Wealth One House at a Time - John W. Schaub
17. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
18. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
19 . The Authenticity Hoax - Andrew Potter
20. Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari
21. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)
22. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think - Brian Wansink
23. Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson
24. Mistborn: The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
25. Mistborn: The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson
26. You Are a Badass - Jen Sincero
27. The Rich Employee - James Altucher
28. The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Patrick Rothfuss
29. Early Retirement Extreme - Jacob Lund Fisker

Probably won't get any more books finished this year, but it's been good. Personal goal was 35.

12 fiction
17 non-fiction
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: cheddarpie on December 21, 2015, 07:44:00 PM
I love this idea for 2016! Are you going to start a new thread or should we keep posting here?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on December 23, 2015, 06:50:00 PM
74. Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Marus on December 24, 2015, 09:26:14 AM
  • Learning To Breath Fire by Herz (3 Jan)
  • History of the Great American Fortunes by Myer (17 Jan)
  • Three Words of Development by Horowitz (22 Jan)
  • Billions and Billions by Sagan (4 Jan)
  • Without Fail by Child (6 Jan)
  • For Dummies: Home Improvement by Hamilton & Hamilton (24 Jan)
  • Getting Things Done by Allen (2 Feb)
  • At Home by Bryson (28 Jan)
  • Persuader by Child (31 Jan)
  • The Enemy by Child (4 Feb)
  • Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel (7 Feb)
  • One Shot by Child (8 Feb)
  • The Hard Way by Child (13 Feb)
  • Compact Houses by Rowan (13 Feb)
  • Compact Cabins by Rowan (9 Feb)
  • How To Fail At Nearly Everything And Still Win Big by Scott Adams (14 Feb)
  • Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (27 Feb)
  • Barbarians at the Gate: The fall of RFR Nabisco by Burrough & Helyar (22 Feb)
  • On The Beach by Shute (15 Feb)
  • The Good Life by Nearing (5 Mar)
  • Deflation by Farrell (1 Mar)
  • Tap Dancing To Work by Loomis (4 Mar)
  • Going Somewhere; A Bicycle Journey Across America by Benson (6 Mar)
  • Dirty Daddy by Bob Saget (6 Mar)
  • Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls by Sedaris (10 Mar)
  • The World Of Fire And Ice by George RR Martin (9 Mar)
  • Technology In The Ancient World by Hodges (17 Mar)
  • Home Sweet Anywhere by Martin (11 Mar)
  • When You Are Engulfed In Flames by Sedaris (18 Mar)
  • Dumb History by Green (10 Mar)
  • Tools For Survival by Rawles (22 Mar)
  • Bad Luck And Trouble by Child (22 Mar)
  • Nothing To Lose by Child (24 Mar)
  • Flashpoints by Friedman (27 Mar)
  • The Life And Times of The Thunderbolt Kid by Bryson (29 Mar)
  • Decision Points by George W Bush (3 Apr)
  • Snow Crash by Stephenson (9 Apr)
  • Diamond Age by Stephenson (17 Apr)
  • Homage To Catalonia by George Orwell (5 Apr)
  • The Better Angels Of Our Nature by Pinker (25 Apr)
  • Status Anxiety by de Botton (11 Apr)
  • 50 Years From Today by Way (18 Apr)
  • Gone Tomorrow by Child (28 Apr)
  • 61 Hours by Child (30 Apr)
  • Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking by Cain (7 May)
  • The Affair by Child (2 May)
  • A Wanted Man by Child (8 May)
  • Never Go Back by Child (11 May)
  • Personal by Child (15 May)
  • A People’s History Of The United States by Zinn (30 May)
  • The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (31 May)
  • What To Expect When No One’s Expecting by Last (1 June)
  • Sit Like A Buddha by Rinzler (4 June)
  • The Post American World by Zakaria (7 June)
  • Ready Player One by Cline (13 June)
  • Bobos In Paradise by Brooks (14 June)
  • The Antidote by Burkeman (17 June)
  • Sons Of Wichita by Schulman (19 June)
  • American Gods by Gaiman (26 June)
  • Coming Apart by Murray (8 July)
  • Contagion by Cook (13 July)
  • Unbroken by Hildenbrand (18 July)
  • Einstein by Isaacson (20 July)
  • Money Secrets of the Amish by Craker (21 July)
  • Liberty Defined by Ron Paul (27 July)
  • Practical Nomad by Hasbrouck (28 July)
  • Nightfall by Asimov (1 Aug)
  • The Windup Girl by Bacigalupi (4 Aug)
  • The Basic Political Writings by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (5 Aug)
  • The Education of a Coach by Halberstam (7 Aug)
  • The Book On Flipping Houses by J Scott (8 Aug)
  • Civilization: The West and the Rest by Ferguson (9 Aug)
  • 1066 by Paxton (12 Aug)
  • The Fourth Turning by Strauss & Howe (15 Aug)
  • The Twilight Warriors by Gandt (15 Aug)
  • Practical Permaculture by Bloom & Boehnlein (17 Aug)
  • The Great Degeneration by Ferguson (18 Aug)
  • The Woman Who Can’t Forget by Price & Davis (20 Aug)
  • Zoom by Carson & Vaitheeswaran (21 Aug)
  • Down And Out In Paris And London by Orwell (22 Aug)
  • The Big Three In Economics by Skousen (27 Aug)
  • The Gods Themselves by Asimov (29 Aug)
  • Sleeping With The Devil by Baer (30 Aug)
  • See No Evil by Baer (3 Sep)
  • Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal by Salatin (8 Sep)
  • The Heart And The Fist by Geittner (10 Sep)
  • Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Weatherford (12 Sep)
  • Divergent by Roth (14 Sep)
  • Salad Bar Beef by Salatin (17 Sep)
  • American Colossus by Brands (19 Sep)
  • Insurgent by Roth (21 Sep)
  • Zodiac by Graysmith (24 Sep)
  • Allegiant by Roth (25 Sep)
  • Neuromancer by Gibson (29 Sep)
  • DNA USA by Sykes (30 Sep)
  • The Postman by Brin (4 Oct)
  • Modern Scholar: The World of George Orwell by Sheldon (6 Oct)
  • Savage Continent: Europe In The Aftermath Of WWII by Lowe (13 Oct)
  • Notes From A Small Island by Bryson (14 Oct)
  • A Concise History of Byzantium by Treadgold (18 Oct)
  • The Wars of the Roses by Jones (23 Oct)
  • Wool by Howey (25 Oct)
  • McMafia by Glenny (30 Oct)
  • Brave New War by John Robb (1 Nov)
  • John Adams by McCullough (3 Nov)
  • Evolution by Baxter (8 Nov)
  • The Miracle Of Freedom by Stewart (10 Nov)
  • Mark Twain by Powers (14 Nov)
  • Every Knee Shall Bow: The Truth And Tragedy Of Ruby Ridge And The Weaver Family by Walter (17 Nov)
  • Manifold: Time by Baxter (24 Nov)
  • Ronald Reagan: The Triumph Of Imagination by Reeves (1 Dec)
  • Corporate Warriors by Singer (7 Dec)
  • Tourists: How Our Fastest Growing Industry Is Changing The World by Krotz (12 Dec)
  • Reconciliation by Benazir Bhutto (16 Dec)
  • Freedom by Franzen (18 Dec)

34 fiction, 81 nonfiction

Top Fiction
Ready Player One
The Windup Girl
Matterhorn
Freedom

Top Nonfiction
Savage Continent
Einstein
The Better Angels Of Our Nature
How To Fail At Nearly Everything And Still Win Big
Every Knee Shall Bow
Brave New War

Very impressive list!  How many hours a day do you usually read?
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Cougar on December 24, 2015, 12:43:57 PM
  • Learning To Breath Fire by Herz (3 Jan)


115, now that's impressive !

if you did that and have a full time job, that's incredible. I was feeling pretty proud of my 52 in 51 weeks, finished today; but you nearly doubled me.

oh hell, I'm proud of my 52; it's still probably better than 99% pf the country.
[/list]
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Cougar on December 24, 2015, 12:47:47 PM


 as mentioned in above post, my 52 in 51 weeks or 2015:

agents of the apocalypse-
 there is a god-
 personal evangelism -
 SEVEN deadly virtues -
 ultimate cheapskate -
 ultimate obama survival guide-
 stop aging now -
 jesus on trail -
futurecast           
killing jesus
Futuring
if you survive
Killing zone
bloodlands
survival at Auschwitz
No worse enemy
debt, the first 5,000 years
surronded by heroes
ebola
 slope of hope
 life plan diet
 God and stephen hawking
 start up nation
 the coldest war
 case for israel
the first world war
battles of world war one
einsteins dreams
on call in hell
going to pot
 ten commandments
 freedom manifesto
 in our hand
 one square mile of hell
 last man out
 the secret carmera
 learned optimiism
 start
the way the universe is
gun control -
vioces from the holocaust-

it is about islam -
what if? -
if the allies had fallen-
unstoppabel global warming-
mere chruchianity-
freedom at both ends of a leash-
gray dawn-
creator of the cosmos-


the ones in bold, I highly recommend.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on December 24, 2015, 07:31:42 PM
How many books should we throw down next year, what do u think?:
I really need to gauntlet time spent on writing/editing though. There would be some serious competition for my time ha-ha!
;)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on December 24, 2015, 07:50:55 PM
1-115

Very impressive list!  How many hours a day do you usually read?

Thank you.

I don't know, like an hour or sometimes more. If a book is really interesting I'll read a lot more. During football season I'm drunk a lot.

Quote from: Cougar.... rawr
115, now that's impressive !

if you did that and have a full time job, that's incredible. I was feeling pretty proud of my 52 in 51 weeks, finished today; but you nearly doubled me.

oh hell, I'm proud of my 52; it's still probably better than 99% pf the country.

Thank you. Yes, I have a real job. I can, every once in a while, read while on the job though, which is definitely something some people can't do maybe.
Spoiler: show
Not to be a motherfucking competitor or anything, but I outread you by a 2.21/1 ratio, so I more than doubled you.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on December 24, 2015, 10:48:18 PM
1-115

Very impressive list!  How many hours a day do you usually read?

Thank you.

I don't know, like an hour or sometimes more. If a book is really interesting I'll read a lot more. During football season I'm drunk a lot.

Quote from: Cougar.... rawr
115, now that's impressive !

if you did that and have a full time job, that's incredible. I was feeling pretty proud of my 52 in 51 weeks, finished today; but you nearly doubled me.

oh hell, I'm proud of my 52; it's still probably better than 99% pf the country.

Thank you. Yes, I have a real job. I can, every once in a while, read while on the job though, which is definitely something some people can't do maybe.
Spoiler: show
Not to be a motherfucking competitor or anything, but I outread you by a 2.21/1 ratio, so I more than doubled you.


I'm on #75 which I didn't expect. I mean I know I read with breakfast and dinner and a lot more on some days, but keeping track has really been an eye opener. Then again, I was unable to work much this year, so probably a bit higher than usual.
Ive been thinking if I put as much time and focus into another goal I have, I would potentially make great strides. Sometimes reading is an easier  alternative for me.

On another note, its hilarious what you said about football season. Cheers.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on December 28, 2015, 12:16:00 AM
75. The Sweet Life by Francine Pascal
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Lian on December 28, 2015, 10:06:13 AM
33.  The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller
34.  Finding Sheba by H.B. Moore
35.  The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
36. The Buried Life by Carrie Patel
37.  Dragonfish: a Novel by Vu Tran
38.  The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
39.  Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
40.  The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
41.  Take No More by Seb Kirby
42.  Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (Halloween reading!)
43.  The Teacher Who Learned from Cats: Sharon Rhutasel- Jones by Sharon Rhutasel-Jones
44.  An Empty Tree (Blue Eyes Book 1) by Glenn Trust
45.  The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
46.  Entanglement: A Novel by Katie Rose Guest Pryal
47.  The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty) by Ken Liu
48.  The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
49.  Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood
50.  The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike Book 1) by Robert Galbraith – otherwise known as J. K. Rowling
51.  The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl

I read somewhere that the average person reads a median of six books per year.  So everyone who took this challenge did great. 

I get a lot of great reading from the library, but I also got a lot of free and very cheap (99 ₵) kindle books this year, selected from daily emails from BookBub and BookGorilla. I now have hundreds of kindle books to read. I started but did not finish many of the free kindle selections – did not include those on the list. I’m halfway through one of the free selections now, but it’s turning into an irritating drudgery of a read – may not make it to 52 books before the end of the year (though I didn’t think I’d make it to 50).
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Davids on December 29, 2015, 12:47:26 PM
I am going to try and read 52 books in 2016. I have been a 1 or 2 book a month person but i have decided to go deep and try 1 a week in 2016 and then maybe FOREVER.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: arebelspy on December 29, 2015, 04:01:50 PM
I didn't take this challenge, per se--first post in this thread.  First time opening it, I believe, though I've seen the title many times.

Goodreads does say I read 52 books this year, so I managed to achieve it.  Have two more I'm in the middle of that may or may not be done by the 31st.

If you use Goodreads, you can check out your Year in Books 2015: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015

Pretty neat.

My stats:
52 books
15,722 pages
SHORTEST BOOK - 13 pages All You Zombies by Robert A. Heinlein
LONGEST BOOK - 1,177 pages A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
AVERAGE LENGTH 314 pages

I guess my goal for next year (maybe I should put goal in quotation marks--it'll be a loose goal, at best, as I won't write it down or try to actively achieve it) will be to read more books than this year, even if just one more.

Also, MOD NOTE as a forum cleaning type thing, I'll probably lock this thread in January.  Anyone feel free to start a "50 books 2016" thread and link back to this one in the first post (and post in this thread with a link to the new one), and anyone can feel free to go back and edit their post in this thread with their final 2015 tally (I'll leave it for a few weeks at least so people can make new posts to do that if they wish).  :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Cougar on December 31, 2015, 09:19:57 AM
How many books should we throw down next year, what do u think?:
I really need to gauntlet time spent on writing/editing though. There would be some serious competition for my time ha-ha!
;)



don't know about everyone else, but i am out.

read 25 books in 2014 and looks like it'll end up being 54 in 2015(if i get some free time today).

i figured with over millions of books published and me only having another potential 40 years to read, i'm not going to make a dent in having knowledge of everything by books and the credit i got for doing that was nada outside my own sense of accomplishment.

SO, i have decided to do what i enjoy in 2016 with all that free time lost, like figuring out the results of equations like the force of gravity of objects(aka rocket science) and energy of sunspots over time and re-upping my german and russian to where i'm satisfied with when i'm not sitting somewhere enjoying good food and drink with a pretty view. one of the books i read this year was "freedom on both ends of a leash" and it reinforced how short your life is, how little what you do matters and you might just enjoy your time and let the world do what it will.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on December 31, 2015, 09:28:24 AM
How many books should we throw down next year, what do u think?:
I really need to gauntlet time spent on writing/editing though. There would be some serious competition for my time ha-ha!
;)



don't know about everyone else, but i am out.

read 25 books in 2014 and looks like it'll end up being 54 in 2015(if i get some free time today).

i figured with over millions of books published and me only having another potential 40 years to read, i'm not going to make a dent in having knowledge of everything by books and the credit i got for doing that was nada outside my own sense of accomplishment.

SO, i have decided to do what i enjoy in 2016 with all that free time lost, like figuring out the results of equations like the force of gravity of objects(aka rocket science) and energy of sunspots over time and re-upping my german and russian to where i'm satisfied with when i'm not sitting somewhere enjoying good food and drink with a pretty view. one of the books i read this year was "freedom on both ends of a leash" and it reinforced how short your life is, how little what you do matters and you might just enjoy your time and let the world do what it will.

Ya, I'm going to go for ALOT less reading.. Hit 75 this year.
Started a writing gauntlet for 2016, and have been writing everyday for a bit. A better use of my time since I have a goal for this next year.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: riverffashion on December 31, 2015, 09:30:26 AM
76. The Knockoff.

76, woot woot. That's gotta be a record for me? Because of the gauntlet motivating , although I read ALOT as a kid so maybe not! :)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: arebelspy on December 31, 2015, 09:46:06 AM
i figured with over millions of books published and me only having another potential 40 years to read

Related Wait Buy Why: http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: jennifers on December 31, 2015, 11:33:35 AM
I got through ~40 books this year.  I probably could have done 50, but some of those were long books in Spanish so they took much longer to read.
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Adventine on January 01, 2016, 06:16:45 AM
Happy to report I read 82 books this year! 68 fully completed and 13 left uncompleted because I lost interest. A good mix of business, history, psychology and fiction (mostly fantasy and sci-fi) books:

 
1.       Saga Volume 4 - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
2.       The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
3.       Pinocchio Vampire Slayer - Dustin Higgins and Van Jensen
4.       Avengers Issues 39-42 - Jonathan Hickman
5.       New Avengers Issues 27-31 - Jonathan Hickman
6.       American Vampire Volume 1 - Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King
7.       Shutter Volume 1: Wanderlost - Joe Keatinge, Leila Del Duca and Owen Gieni
8.       Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami
9.       Sophie's World (15%) - Jostein Gaarder
10.   The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach
11.   Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress - Dai Sijie
12.   You Have Too Much Shit - Chris Thomas
13.   Your Money or Your Life (11%) - Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
14.   Happiness - Mark Manson
15.   Relationships - Mark Manson
16.   The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick) (10%) - Seth Godin
17.   The King in Yellow - Robert W. Chambers
18.   Hunger - Elise Blackwell
19.   Japanese Fairy Tales - Yei Theodora Ozaki
20.   The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
21.   Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard - Chip Heath and Dan Heath
22.   Kikomachine Vol. 10: Sanduguan ng Sangkalawakan - Manix Abrera
23.   The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro
24.   Alex + Ada Volume 1 - Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn
25.   Alex + Ada Volume 2 - Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn
26.   Copperhead Volume 1 - Jay Faerber - Scott Godlewski and Ron Riley
27.   Thor Issues 1-6  - Jason Aaron
28.   Underworld (10%) - Don DeLillo
29.   Specimen Days  - Michael Cunningham
30.   Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
31.   The First Law Book One: The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie
32.   The Martian - Andy Weir
33.   Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me - Various Authors (edited by Ben Karlin)
34.   Collected Stories (5%) - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
35.   The Swerve: How the World Became Modern - Stephen Greenblatt
36.   The Circle - Dave Eggers
37.   His Dark Materials I: The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
38.   His Dark Materials II: The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman
39.   His Dark Materials III: The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
40.   The Dark Tower 4.5: The Wind Through the Keyhole - Stephen King
41.   Love & Misadventure - Lang Leav
42.   The Old Kingdom I: Sabriel - Garth Nix
43.   A Brief History of Time (11%) - Stephen Hawking
44.   A Colossal Failure of Common Sense: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Lehman Brothers - Lawrence G. McDonald and Patrick Robinson
45.   Children of Men  - P.D. James
46.   Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt - Michael Lewis
47.   Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman
48.   A Hologram for the King - Dave Eggers
49.   The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (15%) - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
50.   I Am A Cat (10%) - Natsume Soseki
51.   A Random Walk Down Wall Street - 10th Edition - Burton G. Malkiel
52.   Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
53.   Lyra's Oxford - Philip Pullman
54.   Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche - Haruki Murakami
55.   The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Mari Kondo
56.   Consider the Lobster and Other Essays (20%) - David Foster Wallace
57.   The Magic of Thinking Big (10%) - David J. Schwartz
58.   The Hundred-Foot Journey - Richard C. Morais
59.   The Post-American World  - Fareed Zakaria
60.   David and Goliath: Underdogs - Misfits and The Art of Battling Giants - Malcolm Gladwell
61.   Kusamakura - Soseki Natsume
62.   Sanshiro - Soseki Natsume
63.   The Summer Guest - Justin Cronin
64.   Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel
65.   The Intelligent Investor (Fourth Edition) - Benjamin Graham with notes by Jason Zweig
66.   Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
67.   Become What You Are (16%) - Alan Watts
68.   I Am Pusheen the Cat - Claire Belton
69.   Dangerous Women (short stories) - Various Authors (edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
70.   Mistborn Book 1: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson
71.   Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity - What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves - Christian Rudder
72.   The Descendants - Kaui Hart Hemmings
73.   Mistborn Book 2: The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
74.   Mistborn Book 3: The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson
75.   The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
76.   From Grit to Great: the Journey to Becoming Asia's Apprentice - Jonathan Yabut
77.   Mistborn Book 4: The Alloy of Law - Brandon Sanderson
78.   Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth  - T. Harv Eker
79.   Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy  - Martin Lindstrom
80.   How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking - Dale Carnegie
81.   Thinking - Fast and Slow (5%) - Daniel Kahneman
82.   Mistborn Book 5: Shadows of Self - Brandon Sanderson

I've already finished one book on my 2016 reading list! Will post in the relevant thread once it's created (if it hasn't already).
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Anje on January 01, 2016, 04:04:49 PM
1. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
2. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
4. Alice's adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up - Marie Kondo
6. Delta of Venus - Anais Nin
7. The Romantics - Pankaj Mishra
8. Little Birds - Anais Nin
9. Spellwright - Blake Charlton
10. The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit
11. Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis Carroll
12. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
13. Fire - Kristin Cashore
14. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
15. Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl - David Barnett
16. Divergent - Veronica Roth
17. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
18. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
19. Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon - David Barnett
20. Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
21. The Invisible Library - Genevieve Cogman
22. The Wind Singer - William Nicholson
23. Slaves of the Mastery - William Nichols of
24. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
25: Firesong - William Nicholson
26: I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education  and was shot by the Taliban  - Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
27: Allegiant - Veronica Roth
28: City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
29: The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
30: City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare
31: City of Glass - Cassandra Clare
32: "The children of Nina" - Nina Grundfeld
33: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana - Gayle T Lemmon
34: "The history of bees" - Maja Lunde
35: A Darker Shade of Magic - V E Schwab
Last of the year:
36: The Secret Garden - Frances H Burnett
37: The Bungalow Mystery (Nancy Drew)
38: The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: HappierAtHome on January 14, 2016, 12:29:57 AM
MOD NOTE as a forum cleaning type thing, I'll probably lock this thread in January.  Anyone feel free to start a "50 books 2016" thread and link back to this one in the first post (and post in this thread with a link to the new one), and anyone can feel free to go back and edit their post in this thread with their final 2015 tally (I'll leave it for a few weeks at least so people can make new posts to do that if they wish).  :)

Please don't lock it just yet - I really really want to post my final list :-)
Title: Re: 50 books
Post by: Kriegsspiel on January 14, 2016, 04:39:25 AM
[liThe Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday (22 Dec)[/li][/list]
[liCreate Your Own Economy by Cowen (25 Dec)/li]
[/list]

34 fiction, 84 nonfiction

Top Fiction
Ready Player One
The Windup Girl
Matterhorn
Freedom

Top Nonfiction
Savage Continent
Einstein
The Better Angels Of Our Nature
How To Fail At Nearly Everything And Still Win Big
Every Knee Shall Bow
Brave New War
[/quote]