the great urban75 2016 reading challenge thread

[Miss-Shelf]

I have excellent local history books about the Norwood area.

Indeed you do

 

[billy_bob]

1. Special Deluxe - Neil Young

Any good? I read Waging Heavy Peace last year. It was very Neil Young - warm, sincere, meandering, eccentric, but occasionally just a bit too earnest. It was also considerably longer than it needed to be, I thought, so I'd think twice before picking up the sequel.

 

[Sea Star]

Any good? I read Waging Heavy Peace last year. It was very Neil Young - warm, sincere, meandering, eccentric, but occasionally just a bit too earnest. It was also considerably longer than it needed to be, I thought, so I'd think twice before picking up the sequel.

A bit of a mixed bag tbh. Very strange book. Starts in childhood talking about his parents, their cars, dogs and his early.friends and interests... And is written in very simple.childish style... Then there's his early career - with emphasis on vehicles he used - and finally it goes all vehicles toward the end - his work restoring vehicles and there's a chapter about climate change as well. I enjoyed most, some of it was a bit of a ramble, but Neil Young came across as thoroughly likeable.

 

[inva]

I nearly got to my target last time, so I'll try for the same again.

1/51 - Multiculturalism and Its Discontents by Kenan Malik

 

[billy_bob]

A bit of a mixed bag tbh. Very strange book. Starts in childhood talking about his parents, their cars, dogs and his early.friends and interests... And is written in very simple.childish style... Then there's his early career - with emphasis on vehicles he used - and finally it goes all vehicles toward the end - his work restoring vehicles and there's a chapter about climate change as well. I enjoyed most, some of it was a bit of a ramble, but Neil Young came across as thoroughly likeable.

He does come across as totally uncorrupted by success and decades in the biz, doesn't he? Apart from having enough money to indulge his various geeky hobbies without restraint...

 

[Sea Star]

He does come across as totally uncorrupted by success and decades in the biz, doesn't he? Apart from having enough money to indulge his various geeky hobbies without restraint...

yep - going to be getting his proper autobiography next - for reading in a a few weeks time. I'll have a bit of a break first, cleanse the pallet.

 

[Sea Star]

5 books I've owned more than 3 years -
5 books i buy during the year -
5 books that are 2 inch thick hardbacks that challenge me to look at them -
5 local history books -
5 local fiction books -
5 fiction books not set within anglo/anglicised culture -
5 books that are about teaching myself new skills -
5 biogs/autobiogs -
5 translated fiction books -
5 of himself's books -
10 pre 20th century fiction books -
10 books I'd need for the lit review when i get off my arse and pick the bloody project -
5 books for the other thing I've got planned -
10 books that i got the idea to read on this thread (or last years) -
5 non fiction books that aren't history - 1-
10 audio-books -

1. Lynne Truss - eats shoots and leaves.

I've not been reading properly for years - ever since I discovered social media really. And I have things to read for work, for my politics, transgender reports and articles, the list goes on....

That's why I've set a target. I have about 20 Audio books unlistened to, half a dozen books on the Kindle, several thousand sci fi e-books and i've just worked out how to put them on my Kindle, and of course, I have a mountain of trad paper books as my book buying never stopped when i stopped reading - best intentions, eh?

So.... as a minumum then.

20 audio books
10 kindle books
15 paperbacks
5 big hardbacks
25 books by women
5 books by LGBT authors
10 non-fiction books (minumum)
5 (auto)/biographies
10 books by British authors
5 historical novels
5 brand new books
5 sci fi books
and in total at least 50 books read.

So far I've achieved:
1/20 audio books
1/10 non-fiction
1 biog
1 brand new book
1 book

 

[billy_bob]

1/30: Hard Work by Polly Toynbee

I aim low as I just don't get the time.

I know she's full of shit, but a book by Polly Toynbee's not the lowest you could aim

 

[boohoo]

I know she's full of shit, but a book by Polly Toynbee's not the lowest you could aim

Book was quite good. Zero contract hours being discussed in 2003 (?).

 

[toggle]

I thought I could do a version of that with 1 in each category not 5

if you check my first post in this thread, you can see the list that i nicked the general idea from. which is much smaller. but wasn't quite what i was looking for.

but 100 is about half of what i did last year. and i just thought i'd chase an enforced variety, not just quantity.

 

[toggle]

I've not been reading properly for years - ever since I discovered social media really. And I have things to read for work, for my politics, transgender reports and articles, the list goes on....

That's why I've set a target. I have about 20 Audio books unlistened to, half a dozen books on the Kindle, several thousand sci fi e-books and i've just worked out how to put them on my Kindle, and of course, I have a mountain of trad paper books as my book buying never stopped when i stopped reading - best intentions, eh?

i know that one.

and my e-book gathering is becoming somewhat obsessive. i suppose at least excessive collection of mostly sub 1mb files will take a while to become a problem. certainly a lot longer than the time until my bookcases (or perhaps my sitting room floor) collapses.

but my sf collection is being slowly shifted about as my older 2 kids nick chunks of it. and at some point, i'll likely decide that the stuff left is what none of us will ever want to read again and it can depart.

 

[8115]

I'm definitely going to pick up a book any day soon. I might even make it a goal for this weekend.

I'm going to try and read one book a month, if I find a decent book I can read it in a few days and I've got one lined up for January.

 

[chilango]

5/52: Tales from the Tower - Mother Gothel Andrea Posner-Sanchez

 

[Me76]

1/50 A Heat of the Moment Thing, Maggie Le Page
2/50 How to Build a Girl, Caitlin Moran

 

[colbhoy]

1/20 - The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith

 

[chilango]

6/52: The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson & Axel Schaeffer

 

[inva]

1/51 - Multiculturalism and Its Discontents by Kenan Malik
2/51 - Slade House by David Mitchell

 

[May Kasahara]

1/50 Jeff Vandermeer - Annihilation

Starting the reading year with a winner! This is a fantastic book, elegantly written and creepy as fuck.

 

[marty21]

1/60 The Lost Starship - Vaughn Heppner.
2/60 The Lost Command - Vaughn Heppner

 

[pseudonarcissus]

3/20 on to "All Quiet on the Western Front"

 

[braindancer]

I think I'll go for 30 again this year - I failed last year - I think I did about 25 but my record keeping went awry in the latter half of the year so can't be sure.

1/30 - In the Shadow of Crows - David Charles Manners
2/30 - The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K Le Guin

 

[Me76]

1/50 A Heat of the Moment Thing, Maggie Le Page
2/50 How to Build a Girl, Caitlin Moran
3/50 The Guest Cat, Takashi Hiraide - amazingly sweet and comforting to read although nothing really happens at all.

 

[toggle]

5 books I've owned more than 3 years -
5 books i buy during the year -
5 books that are 2 inch thick hardbacks that challenge me to look at them -
5 local history books -
5 local fiction books -
5 fiction books not set within anglo/anglicised culture -
5 books that are about teaching myself new skills -
5 biogs/autobiogs -
5 translated fiction books -
5 of himself's books -
10 pre 20th century fiction books -
10 books I'd need for the lit review when i get off my arse and pick the bloody project -
5 books for the other thing I've got planned -
10 books that i got the idea to read on this thread (or last years) -4-
5 non fiction books that aren't history - 1- 2
10 audio-books -3 -

1. Lynne Truss - eats shoots and leaves.
2. tansy Hoskins - stitched up
3. marie kondo- the magic art of tidying up
4. marie brennan - a natural history of dragons

 

[imposs1904]

5 books I've owned more than 3 years -
5 books i buy during the year -
5 books that are 2 inch thick hardbacks that challenge me to look at them -
5 local history books -
5 local fiction books -
5 fiction books not set within anglo/anglicised culture -
5 books that are about teaching myself new skills -
5 biogs/autobiogs -
5 translated fiction books -
5 of himself's books -
10 pre 20th century fiction books -
10 books I'd need for the lit review when i get off my arse and pick the bloody project -
5 books for the other thing I've got planned -
10 books that i got the idea to read on this thread (or last years) -4-
5 non fiction books that aren't history - 1- 2
10 audio-books -3 -

1. Lynne Truss - eats shoots and leaves.
2. tansy Hoskins - stitched up
3. marie kondo- the magic art of tidying up
4. marie brennan - a natural history of dragons

I love the idea of this. Good luck with it.

 

[toggle]

I love the idea of this. Good luck with it.

thankyou.

 

[chilango]

7/52: Hansel & Gretel Joan Cameron

 

[toggle]

5 books I've owned more than 3 years -
5 books i buy during the year -
5 books that are 2 inch thick hardbacks that challenge me to look at them -
5 local history books -
5 local fiction books -
5 fiction books not set within anglo/anglicised culture -
5 books that are about teaching myself new skills -
5 biogs/autobiogs -
5 translated fiction books -
5 of himself's books -
10 pre 20th century fiction books -
10 books I'd need for the lit review when i get off my arse and pick the bloody project -
5 books for the other thing I've got planned -
10 books that i got the idea to read on this thread (or last years) -4-5-
5 non fiction books that aren't history - 1- 2
10 audio-books -3 -

1. Lynne Truss - eats shoots and leaves.
2. tansy Hoskins - stitched up
3. marie kondo- the magic art of tidying up
4. marie brennan - a natural history of dragons
5. joe abercrombie - half a war

 

[Orang Utan]

1/60: Misha Glenny - McMafia
2/60: Chris Hadfield - An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

 

[Plumdaff]

Book was quite good. Zero contract hours being discussed in 2003 (?).

Have you read 'Bait and Switch', by Barbara Ehrenreich, the original US one? Interesting compare and contrast. The chapter working at a house cleaning firm will always stay with me.

Obviously I'm reading this thread now, do you count academic books and book group books? I want to include the latter, maybe not the former I think and try for 20.

1/20 I Let You Go - Clare McKintosh. Easy read twisty thriller. UK, but in the vein of Gone Girl. A good travel v easy read but no more.

 

[boohoo]

Have you read 'Bait and Switch', by Barbara Ehrenreich, the original US one? Interesting compare and contrast. The chapter working at a house cleaning firm will always stay with me.

Thanks - will take a look for it