the great urban75 2016 reading challenge thread

[Sea Star]

I'm on book number 3 now - The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

 

[ringo]

1/45 An American Outlaw - John Stonehouse
2/45 George's Marvellous Medicine - Roald Dahl
3/45 Cry, The Beloved Country - Alan Paton ~ Bloody hell, heart breaking but what a call to arms.

 

[inva]

1/51 - Multiculturalism and Its Discontents by Kenan Malik
2/51 - Slade House by David Mitchell
3/51 - The True History of Merlin the Magician
not a great title but an interesting book.

 

[Sea Star]

The Great Gatsby isn't gripping me

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Just out of interest it is the 90th Anniversary of my Mum's WI group this year and it has been suggested that each member should try to read 90 books in the year. Mum is going to give it a go but 90 is quite a lot I feel!

 

[Voley]

1/10 My Story - Steven Gerrard
2/10 Ancient Sites In West Penwith -Cheryl Straffon
3/10 Execution Sites Of Devon And Cornwall - Richard Peirce

I'm enjoying Salman Rushdie's latest atm, too. Think this thread is working.

 

[chilango]

8/52: What the Ladybird Heard Julia Donaldson

 

[pennimania]

1? Room at the Top - John Braine
2 Life at the Top - " " it's grim at t'top

 

[toggle]

5 books I've owned more than 3 years -8 - 9 - 10 -
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 -13 -
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 -12 -
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 -14
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 - 11

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
6. octavia butler - parable of the sower
7. octavia butler - parable of the talents
8. cj cherryh - merchanters luck
9. cj cherryh - rimrunners
10. cj cherryh - cuckoo's egg
11. neal stevenson - cryptonomicon
12. paul wady - guerilla aspies
13. atkinson - mining sites in cornwall
14. margaret fuller - women in the 19th century
15. peter f hamilton - fallen dragon




not sleeping or having much energy to focus on much atm, therefore reading. and finishing up some of the stuff that was part finished on the kindle and bedside table.

curently got about 8 things on the go on the kindle, uncle toms cabin and book 2 of the mongoliad as e-books and a feminist interpretation of the spanish civil war and a book on what bits of britain influenced tolkien when he created middle earth on my bedside table. there's probably half a dozen others about somewhere. i really can't do one at a time.i just do ab bit of a clearup when it gets utterly rediculous.

and i'm also watching my cats watch each other while pretending the other dosen't exist. which is hilarious and also very distracting

 

[colbhoy]

1/20 - The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith
2/20 - The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V Higgins

 

[chilango]

9/52: Frozen - A tale of two sisters No author given

 

[chilango]

Well, I'm piling through the childrens' books

Don't worry, I have an Ian Rankin on the go on the Kindle, a Malcolm Gladwell in my work bag and a couple of others on the go at the moment too!

 

[braindancer]

1/30 - In the Shadow of Crows - David Charles Manners
2/30 - The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K Le Guin
3/30 - The Word for World is Forest - Ursula K Le Guin

 

[Pickman's model]

2/50 a.j. smith, 'the dark blood'

3/50 a.j. smith, 'the red prince'

 

[toggle]

5 books I've owned more than 3 years -8 - 9 - 10 -
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 -13 -
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 -12 -
10 pre 20th century fiction books -16 -
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 -14
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 - 11

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
6. octavia butler - parable of the sower
7. octavia butler - parable of the talents
8. cj cherryh - merchanters luck
9. cj cherryh - rimrunners
10. cj cherryh - cuckoo's egg
11. neal stevenson - cryptonomicon
12. paul wady - guerilla aspies
13. atkinson - mining sites in cornwall
14. margaret fuller - women in the 19th century
15. peter f hamilton - fallen dragon
16. harriet beecher stowe - uncle toms cabin

 

[Manter]

1. The shadows of self- Brendan Sanderson
2. Angel of storms- Trudi Canavan
3. The innocent Mage- Karen Miller
4. The awakened Mage- Karen Miller

 

[Orang Utan]

1. The shadows of self- Brendan Sanderson
2. Angel of storms- Trudi Canavan
3. The innocent Mage- Karen Miller
4. The awakened Mage- Karen Miller

didn't have you down as a fantasy fan!

 

[Manter]

didn't have you down as a fantasy fan!

Love it. Proper escapism I binge periodically, then won't touch any for months at a time

 

[Orang Utan]

Love it. Proper escapism I binge periodically, then won't touch any for months at a time

I've been thinking of exploring more of it - I've only really read George RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie.
Was thinking of reading this soon:

Have you (or anyone else) read it?

 

[purenarcotic]

1/10 - Spectacles by Sue Perkins

2/10 - Estates, an intimate history by Lynsey Hanley

 

[purenarcotic]

I've been thinking of exploring more of it - I've only really read George RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie.
Was thinking of reading this soon:
View attachment 82226
Have you (or anyone else) read it?

My friends loved it and some have read it multiple times. It didn't do it for me but I don't think fantasy in general does it for me anymore so I wouldn't say it was because it was a bad book iyswim

 

[toggle]

I've been thinking of exploring more of it - I've only really read George RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie.
?

well, that's far from a bad place to start.

just read half a war. and it's not half bad. far from the depth and complexity of feist or martin, but a nice read.

Was thinking of reading this soon:
View attachment 82226
Have you (or anyone else) read it

not me. let me know how you get on.


would also recomend raymond e feist, robin hobb, tad williams (memory sorrow and thorn), katherine kerr.

probably got a fair few on ebook somewhere

 

[toggle]

to add, robert jordan probably isn't worth getting started on and don't touch terry goodkind with someone elses, unless you want to become part of someone elses torture fantasies.

DotCommunist can probably share a few more ideas

 

[Manter]

I've been thinking of exploring more of it - I've only really read George RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie.
Was thinking of reading this soon:
View attachment 82226
Have you (or anyone else) read it?

Yes- quite dark, antihero stuff. I really enjoyed it. I like Peter V Brett too- painted man etc.

 

[DotCommunist]

to add, robert jordan probably isn't worth getting started on and don't touch terry goodkind with someone elses, unless you want to become part of someone elses torture fantasies.

DotCommunist can probably share a few more ideas

china mievilles Bas Lag books, Steven Ericksons Malazan Book of The Fallen. Will think on others after the snooker. There's loads of frogs need kissing before you find a prince tho. Oh, Gemmel for the sheer exuberant lols

 

[Orang Utan]

All over Mieville already - Perdido Street Station is one of the best books I've read ever. Couldn't get on with Malazan, but I was miserable at the time and finding it hard to read anything.

 

[BoatieBird]

1/75 - Belinda Bauer - The Facts of Life and Death
2/75 - Stuart MacBride - Broken Skin

3/75 - David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas

 

[DotCommunist]

All over Mieville already - Perdido Street Station is one of the best books I've read ever. Couldn't get on with Malazan, but I was miserable at the time and finding it hard to read anything.

Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century cycle is highly regarded atm, I liked Boneshakers but haven't followed the sequence further. Inventive, if a little traditional in places.

e2a sorry, sci fi again the genres blur

 

[DotCommunist]

oh and if you have never read any Gene Wolfe then you really really should. People rate him as not just a great fantasy writer but a great writer full stop. His fingerprints are all over much that came after. You want Book of the New Sun. Starts with Severian The Torturer. This man is a highly unreliable narrator but his world and trying to tease the truth from his accounts...great fantasy

 

[toggle]

oh and if you have never read any Gene Wolfe then you really really should. People rate him as not just a great fantasy writer but a great writer full stop. His fingerprints are all over much that came after. You want Book of the New Sun. Starts with Severian The Torturer. This man is a highly unreliable narrator but his world and trying to tease the truth from his accounts...great fantasy

i read the books of the long sun ages ago. always intended to read more