2018 50 Book Challenge

[FLMountainMan]



As a scifi buff myself this sounds very interesting!

Used bookstores are chock full of sci-fi anthologies. There are three major ones published a year, although one (Ellen Datlow's) blends horror and sci-fi

 

[dwyhajlo]

Been meaning to post again for a little while, but I've had trouble coming up with good capsule reviews. Here we go, though:

3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Ehh, this was alright, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone.

SPOILER ALERT I found the book much more compelling when it was structured like a murder mystery; once that concept was ditched by the author, I rapidly lost interest. I think that there was a good left-field mystery novel buried somewhere in the first half of this book, but that got lost in all of the family melodrama. END SPOILER ALERT

It's an easy enough read, though, so if you're looking for a quick 2 day that tugs at your heartstrings a little and pats you on the head, and where everything works out alright in the end, then this one's for you.

 

[kwilkinson]

Spoiler

Starting off with two books. First one may not count, was started on Dec 27th. Second one started yesterday morning, so totally counts.
1) Reading Between the Vines by Terry Theise-- A beautiful look at the philosophy of wine enjoyment. Everybody writes books on the facts of wine, Theise wrote a book on why wine is so important to us.
2) The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace--- Pretty fascinating read about a German collector in the 80s who claimed to have a collection of bottles owned by Thomas Jefferson due to some engraving and the letters "Th. J" on the bottles. Really good read and delves into the much broader topic of wine counterfeiting in the auction market as a whole.

3) To Cork or Not To Cork by George Taber. Really fun, fast (finished in two days though it's 250 pgs) read. Fascinating look into the history of cork, the cork industry, etc etc, alternative closures, and whatnot. Very informative and good to read.

Wine: The 8,000 Year-Old Story of the Wine Trade by Thomas Pellachia. Really a good read. Takes you (obviously) through the entire history of the wine trade, including its production and its effect on social situations throughout written history. It's more of a "survey" book, but a very fun read and the Bibliography alone has given me another 10+ books to read about more detailed sections of wine's history.

 

[zeusbheld]



The Iliad (second time)

which translation?

 

[Steve B.]

5. Cannery Row (1945) John Steinbeck
I started really liking this because of the prose, and the creation and description of the characters. SO superior to the GI Joe books I read to start the year. Then it got boring in the middle, better at the end. Description of Doc's party was excellent. I like Steinbeck, but preferred the Grapes of Wrath and The Pearl to this one. But I'm down to 927 or so...

 

[Steve B.]

6. Steve Jobs (2011) Walter Isaacson
Biography, named one of 2011's best books. Came out about a month after Jobs died. Chronicles his life; its many successes and very few failures.
According to Isaacson it was important to Jobs that Isaacson be allowed to write what he wanted without censure, without Jobs even reading what he wrote.. This was done, I feel to a fault. I've never owned an Apple, always thought Jobs and the company were arrogant.
But this was a hatchet job.

 

[Knisse]

I am in.

1. Sophie's World

 

[FLMountainMan]



which translation?

Lattimore. Not a fan.

 

[FLMountainMan]

On a Lee Child (the Jack Reacher series) tear. Knocked out:

The Enemy
61 Hours
Worth Dying For.

On deck:
Lee Child. Echo Burning
Erik Larson. In the Garden of Beasts.
Horton, ed. Science Fiction Best of the Year 2008.
Dozois, ed. Year's Best Science Fiction. 2000.

I really do plan to get back into nonfiction, just not feeling it right now. At this rate, I'll probably get around eighty books this year (I slow down in the summer due to longer daylight).

 

[Dakota rube]

^Reacher is a BAMF.
Love those books.

edit: You should look into the John Rain series. Barry Eisler, author.
I always picture TokyoSlim when I read those.

 

[dwyhajlo]

4. The Stranger by Albert Camus
After all the ink that's been spilled over this one, I'm not sure that I have anything substantive to add, other than that I really enjoyed it. Short, surprisingly easy to read, and it manages to get its ideas across effectively without bludgeoning you with them. The last chapter in particular was really great; the language, the descriptions, everything about it was perfect - it almost felt like I was watching a piece of live theatre (corny description? whatever).
I'd highly recommend slipping it into your pile for the year, if you need something quick to up your total to the requisite 50.

 

[clockwise]

Clockwise counting 5/50: Felicia Feldt - Felicia Disappeared (2011)

Sweden's most recent publishing sensation, Felicia Feldt, is one of the daughters of Sweden's child care and child rearing guru - Anna Wahlgren. Mrs Wahlgren, who has eight children, has been called "the best mother in the world" and she is also one of Sweden's best selling authors in modern time. 

Felicia tells a horrible story about how her mother neglected to care for her children's needs while pursuing her own career. It is a story about alcoholism, a long string of new men and new homes, violence and lies and how Felicia herself in many ways became a copy of her famous mother in failed relationships with family and loved ones. This is a story about one person's refusal to forgive. Well written autobiographical novel.

 

[clockwise]

Clockwise counting 6/50: Gore Vidal - Myra Breckingridge (1968)

This is about a man-hating transsexual in Hollywood. A novel which was once considered scandalously pornographic is actually rather mild despite a pretty disturbing description of anal ****. This short novel is overall an entertaining criticism of American hypocrisy and self-obsession and I would definitely recommend it. It's also one of the 1001 books you must read before you die - this is my 145th from the list. 

 

[clockwise]



4. The Stranger by Albert Camus
After all the ink that's been spilled over this one, I'm not sure that I have anything substantive to add, other than that I really enjoyed it. Short, surprisingly easy to read, and it manages to get its ideas across effectively without bludgeoning you with them. The last chapter in particular was really great; the language, the descriptions, everything about it was perfect - it almost felt like I was watching a piece of live theatre (corny description? whatever).
I'd highly recommend slipping it into your pile for the year, if you need something quick to up your total to the requisite 50.

Agree on The Stranger, a brilliant novel indeed. As good or better in my opinion is Camus' other great novel, The Plague.

 

[dwyhajlo]



Agree on The Stranger, a brilliant novel indeed. As good or better in my opinion is Camus' other great novel, The Plague.

Yeah, I also really like The Plague, but thought that The Stranger was better. Those are the only two that I've read by him. Have you read any of his other fiction or any of his non-fiction work?