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Reading Challenge 2016 (216 in 2016)


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Old 20-04-2016, 16:17
cathy27
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62) Fables - Animal Farm (volume 2)
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Old 20-04-2016, 21:04
d0lphin
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15. Moving - Jenny Éclair
16. The Black Box - Michael Connelly
9/10 - book 18 in the Harry Bosch series (books 18-20 were 99p on Amazon a while ago so I am starting the series near the end) Really enjoyed this crime novel set in California with a backdrop of the L.A. riots and Gulf War.
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Old 22-04-2016, 14:33
Faggy
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52/ The League of Regrettable Superheroes by Jon Morris

A reasonably informative and occasionally amusing look at some of the less well known comic book heroes.

Some of the characters are truly odd.
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Old 22-04-2016, 22:47
Katie-Jane
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14) Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell
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Old 23-04-2016, 10:09
clm2071
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20) Now You See Me by Sharon Bolton

7/10

A well written and very readable serial killer novel with a Jack the Ripper theme.

I enjoyed it despite the totally preposterous story and unbelievable characters.
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Old 23-04-2016, 23:27
moonlily
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15. Faithful Place by Tana French. I just love this author.
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Old 24-04-2016, 08:20
cathy27
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63) Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
64) Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
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Old 24-04-2016, 12:49
OxfordGirl
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77) A Very Big House in the Country - Claire Sandy
78) The Woman Who Upped and Left - Fiona Gibson
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Old 25-04-2016, 15:08
Faggy
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53/ Different Seasons by Stephen King

Most readers will be familiar with the contents of this book as three of the four stories have been made into films.

I usually love Stephen King but none of the stories here really clicked for me.
All of the four stories included are a bit different to standard King as they aren't horror stories in the traditional sense - more suspense.

Overall there's nothing really wrong here and all of the novellas are readable but for me there was just something lacking.
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Old 25-04-2016, 22:42
jojo2008
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13. The Woods-Harlan Coben
14. A Twist of the Knife- Peter James (A great read)
15. Loose Ends- D.D Vandyke
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Old 25-04-2016, 23:32
Sue_C
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22. The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett, narrated by Clare Corbett and Daniel Weyman.

Boy meets girl in 1958 at university. She is an aspiring writer with an actor boyfriend. He is studying law but wants to become an artist like his father. Their story continues over the next 50 or so years with 3 versions of their lives being told concurrently.

I mostly enjoyed the storytelling, although remembering which version was which at different points in time became a bit confusing. Keeping track of various children was quite challenging. The book held my interest to the end but left me wondering what point ( if any ) the author was trying to put across.
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Old 26-04-2016, 12:34
Faggy
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54/ Rumble Tumble by Joe R Lansdale

Great novel in the Hap & Leonard series.

Violent, sweary and funny as usual, this is an entertaining and fast paced read.
The plot is pretty straightforward but the way its told is what makes this such an enjoyable book.
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Old 27-04-2016, 12:05
jam73
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Have only today seen this thread, so here's my first list for this year.
The highlighted ones are my faves from this period.


1) The Ghost Runner - Parker Bilal
2) A Man called Ove - Fredrik Backman
3) 7 Days - Deon Meyer
4) The Man in the High Castle -Philip K Dick
5) Stalin's Ghost - Martin Cruz Smith
6) Snowblind - Ragnar Jonasson
7) Borderline - Lawrence Block
8) The Collini Case - Ferdinand von Schirach
9) Coffin Road - Peter May
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Old 29-04-2016, 11:10
Faggy
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55/ Mean Streets by Terrance Dicks

Another in the Bernice Summerfield series

Much more fun and enjoyable than the last one. A decent plot, well told.
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Old 29-04-2016, 11:34
SWW (SWW)
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<snip

43. Insomnia - Stephen King 8/10
New English Library (H & S), 760 pages
<Fantasy> Stephen King wields a great tale around an older Derry man, Ralph Roberts starts to get a rare type of Insomnia, that leads to a hyper reality and much more! A Dark Tower prologue.
44. Crossed Badlands 2014-2015 Justin Jordan, David Lapham, David Hine, Kieron Gillen etc. 8/10
Avatar Press, 588 pages <Graphic Novel> Top drawer stories from all four authors. Badlands #57-80 and Annual #14. One of the most fertile, story-wise, post-apocalyptic scenarios ever!

45. Fables volumes 20-22 - Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha etc. 8/10
Vertigo (DC Comics), 538 pages <Graphic Novel> Wow, finally got round to reading the final book. Fables #120-150. 13 years of a truly innovative, ground-breaking and captivating series meshing a multitude of fables and mythology into one unique and amazing universe.

46. Deadpool 2000-2002 - Jimmy Palmeotti, Buddy Scalera, Frank Tieri, Gail Simone etc 7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 650 pages <Graphic Novel> Deadpool v1, #46-69. And thus the series came to an end after a storytelling wise great run, but not that much fourth walling or truly great comedy. This period sees him face 'Cruel Summer', The Punisher, Sabretooth and more

47. Astro City: Private Lives & Lovers Quarrell - Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson etc. 7/10
Vertigo (DC Comics), 338 pages <Graphic Novel> More wonderful stories from Astro City… with the remarkable story of Crackerjack and Quarrell finally shared. Great stuff… as ever! Astor City, volume 3 #11-21, #23-24

48. SIP Kids - Terry Moore 7/10
Abstract Studio 86 pages, <Graphic Novel> Returning after an 8 year hiatus, Strangers In Paradise returns, with the main cast of characters depicted as 12 year olds… it works! ...and it's funny!

49. Mind MGMT part two- Matt Lindt 8/10
Dark Horse Comics, 518 pages <Graphic Novel> The second half of this great monthly series, covering #19-36. The subversive multi layered magical-techno world of Mind MGMT and the warring factions that want to either rebuild it, or prevent it being rebuilt. The world-wide spy drama centred round the lives and times of many of their 'talented’ agents

50. Bag of Bones - Stephen King 7/10
New English Library (H & S), 660 pages
<Supernatural Horror>
Derry resident, and well known writer Michael Noonan returns to his summer home, 4 years after become a widower and suffering writer’s block, and finds a lot more than his wife's secret life, ghosts and 100 year history of vengeance! Slow start, thought provoking custody battle, but all-in-all a ghost story, so not one of my personal faves. And for once in a King novel, many of the peripheral characters are not that well brought out.

51. Four Past Midnight - Stephen King 9/10
New English Library (H & S), 930 pages
<Horror>
Four novellas based around the idea of the breakdown of reality. The Langoliers - a great 'locked room' mystery… on a plane. Secret Window, Secret Garden, a Derry tale of plagiarism? The Library Policeman, a Junction City tale of sins of our past. The Sun Dog the penultimate Castle Rock tale, of whatever did happen Pop Merrill? Great reads

52. Carrie - Stephen King 8/10
New English Library (H & S), 222 pages
<Horror>
Fourteen years since I last read it! A remarkable epistolary debut novel by King. Ahead of its time, and still pertinent today. Classic read!

53. Salem's Lot - Stephen King 8/10
New English Library (H & S), 439 pages
<Horror>
King's second published work, the very haunting Salem's Lot sees his debut venture into getting underneath the reality of a small town. Classic!
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Old 29-04-2016, 17:52
d0lphin
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15. Faithful Place by Tana French. I just love this author.

Me too, she's got another book due out in August - perfect timing for my summer holiday!
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Old 29-04-2016, 23:20
Katie-Jane
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15) Song of the Skylark by Erica James
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Old 30-04-2016, 10:04
d0lphin
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16. The Black Box - Michael Connelly
9/10 - book 18 in the Harry Bosch series (books 18-20 were 99p on Amazon a while ago so I am starting the series near the end) Really enjoyed this crime novel set in California with a backdrop of the L.A. riots and Gulf War.
17. The Burning Room - Michael Connolly
8/10 - book 19 of the Harry Bosch series in which Harry has a new partner who has her own history and agenda by joining the murder squad, I loved the whole book except for the last chapter, so marked it down one.
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Old 01-05-2016, 13:54
OxfordGirl
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79) Linda Newbery - Missing Rose
80) B A Paris - Behind Closed Doors
81) Robert Galbraith - Career of Evil
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Old 01-05-2016, 16:02
cathy27
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65) Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Cafe by Milly Johnson
66) The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
67) A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
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Old 01-05-2016, 20:11
Kitty5
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7) Three Wishes - Liane Moriarty 7/10
8) The Good Girl - Mary Kubica 8/10
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Old 02-05-2016, 09:17
OxfordGirl
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82) The Last Anniversary - Liane Moriarty
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Old 02-05-2016, 14:48
jam73
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10) I'm travelling Alone - Samuel Bjork
11) Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith
12) An uncertain Place - Fred Vargas
13) Holy Cow - David Duchovny
14) Rain Dogs - Adrian McKinty
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Old 02-05-2016, 23:32
moonlily
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16. Lies by Michael Grant-3rd instalment of the Gone series.
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Old 03-05-2016, 10:40
Faggy
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56/ The Rosary Girls by Richard Montanari

A frustrating read as the author clearly has talent but this book is a bit of a mess.

For starters it's maddeningly overwritten - the author seems to have decided that instead of straightforward sentences we should have long meandering ones that drag everything out.

Also the two main characters are inconsistent. Is the male detective psychic? Sometimes yes sometimes no depending on the needs of the plot.
The female detective is mainly written as a realistic and competent police officer but then suddenly does something monumentally stupid that is totally against all that has been established just so she can become the cliched female in peril for the climax.

There are other issues - plot lines that are introduced in great detail only to be dropped without explanation, clumsy attempts to make the reader suspect various characters could be the killer.

It's a shame as this could have been a very good book. It does make me wonder what the editors actually do sometimes.
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