DS Forums

 
 

Reading Challenge 2016 (216 in 2016)


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 24-07-2016, 18:50
OxfordGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,304
129) It's A Man's World - Polly Courtney
130) Despite the Falling snow - Shamim Sarif
131) The Ends of The Earth - Robert Goddard
132) Aftermath - Michael Kerr
133) Finding Rebecca - Eoin Dempsey
OxfordGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 24-07-2016, 22:07
Sue_C
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 915
35. Hester & Harriet by Hilary Spiers.
Two sisters, both retired, both widowed, live together in a small village. They are on their way to spend Christmas with relatives when they come across a homeless young girl and her baby hiding in a bus shelter. They offer to help, mainly as an excuse to miss the Christmas celebrations.
I wasn't expecting to like this but it turned out to be a good read, despite a rather implausible plot. It was quite funny and had a good set of characters. It's the first of a series and I'll read the second one when it's published.
Sue_C is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-07-2016, 14:08
Faggy
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Brockley
Posts: 2,778
84/ Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley

YA novel by the author of the Tales of Terror series.

This novel takes two well known characters from Victorian novels and puts them together to see what happens. The first is Frankenstein's monster but I won't say who the other is as it isn't revealed until virtually the end of the book (although there are clues).

It's fun and quite fast moving but by the nature of taking two characters who go on to feature in already existing novels the ending is a little unsatisfactory as there is no real resolution.

85/ The Art of Horror - edited by Stephen Jones

As the title suggests this features lots of artwork based on horror subjects. As you'd expect there are a lot of book covers and film posters but there is so much more that goes beyond that.
In addition to the pictures are several short essays covering various subjects as well as notations for every image (including comments from the artists in many cases).

An excellent collection.
Faggy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-07-2016, 16:52
Kitty5
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 84
13) Jane Green - Summer Secrets 7/10
14) Dorothy Koomson - When I was invisable 9/10
Kitty5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-07-2016, 22:41
Katie-Jane
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 861
26) Out of Practice by Penny Parkes
Katie-Jane is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2016, 07:06
OxfordGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,304
134) A Time For Friends - Patricia Scanlan
135) Judith Wants to be Your Friend - Annie Weir
136) Stella Rimington - Illegal Action
OxfordGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-07-2016, 12:31
d0lphin
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 15,420
28. When will there be Good News? - Kate Atkinson
10/10 - book 3 in the Jackson Brodie series. Jackson nearly dies in a train crash when he accidentally takes a train to Edinburgh instead of London and his life is saved by 16 year old Reggie. Loved it!
29. Started early, took my dog - Kate Atkinson
9/10 - book 4 and the last in the Jackson Brodie series, which is really frustrating as it ends on the potential for a sequel involving both Louise and the abduction of Courtney.
d0lphin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-07-2016, 10:05
OxfordGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,304
137) Anne Tyler - Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
OxfordGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-07-2016, 19:38
Kitty5
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 84
15) The Opticians Wife - Betsy Reavley 6/10
Kitty5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2016, 12:39
jam73
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Gourock (Rosneath xmitter)
Posts: 139
51) The Litigators, by John Grisham
52) Death Watch, by Jim Kelly
53) Freeze Frame, by Peter May
54) The Fallen Angel, by Daniel Silva
55) Eye of the Red Tsar, by Sam Eastland
56) Blood Shot, by Sara Paretsky
57) City of Jackals, by Parker Bilal
58) Rogue Lawyer, by John Grisham
59) Die of Shame, by Mark Billingham
60) The Red Coffin, by Sam Eastland
61) The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
62) The Power of the Dog, by Don Winslow
jam73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2016, 15:45
moonlily
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 4,525
22. Shift by Hugh Howey

I liked this better than the first book, Wool.
moonlily is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2016, 17:11
Faggy
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Brockley
Posts: 2,778
86/ Messiah by Boris Starling

Gory thriller.
Very well paced and engaging enough that I could overlook some of the more ridiculous plot holes (vicious murders of several people being looked at by a team of 4 - really????).

It isn't for the squeamish as there are a lot of graphic descriptions of the murders and the state of the bodies afterwards.

87/ Oblivion by Dave Stone

Another in the Bernice Summerfield series.
I'm trying to work my way through these after they've sat on my shelves for 18 years but it's been getting harder as the quality of the last couple has gotten worse.

This is easily the worst so far. Barely any plot but stretched out with an awful lot of padding.

88/ Underground Heritage by Antony Badley-Ellis

As the title suggests it's another book about the tube.
This one focuses on all the various bits of detail around the stations that date back to the early days of the tube and show the changing attitudes to design.
So there are chapters on signage, lighting, tiling, station furniture, etc.
Lots of photographs as you'd expect but also a detailed history of how these items changed and where you can find them.
Faggy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2016, 18:42
Sue_C
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 915
36. Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller.

In 1976 Peggy is eight years old. Her mother is a concert pianist and her father, who is several years younger than her mother, is a survivalist and is preparing for a potential apocalypse. While the mother is away on a concert tour Peggy' s father takes her "on holiday" to a remote part of Germany.
A very good tale of survival in the wilderness and mental instability.
Sue_C is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2016, 05:13
Kitty5
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 84
16) Best Kept Secret - Jeffrey Archer 5/10
Kitty5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2016, 06:23
OxfordGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,304
138) The Tea Planter's Wife - Dinah Jefferies
OxfordGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2016, 11:29
farmer bob
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: The United Kingdom
Posts: 14,997
12) Splinter the Silence by Val McDermid
farmer bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2016, 16:52
d0lphin
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 15,420
138) The Tea Planter's Wife - Dinah Jefferies
What did you think of this? A colleague has recommended it to me.
d0lphin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2016, 19:18
OxfordGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,304
What did you think of this? A colleague has recommended it to me.
Read it for my book club tomorrow night. Quite an enjoyable read though I had guessed the main plot. Focussed a lot on some fairly shallow characters and I think it could have been much more descriptive of Ceylon and what was happening there at the time.

I would give it 6.75 out of 10 !
OxfordGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2016, 21:09
Kitty5
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 84
17) Try not to breathe - Holly Seddon 8/10
Kitty5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2016, 08:13
moonlily
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 4,525
23. The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths.

I like her but can't remember if the previous books were written in the present tense- which I find unrealistic.
moonlily is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2016, 04:41
OxfordGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,304
Read it for my book club tomorrow night. Quite an enjoyable read though I had guessed the main plot. Focussed a lot on some fairly shallow characters and I think it could have been much more descriptive of Ceylon and what was happening there at the time.

I would give it 6.75 out of 10 !
Interestingly overall it got the thumbs down from the book club!
OxfordGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2016, 14:16
d0lphin
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 15,420
Interestingly overall it got the thumbs down from the book club!
Oh no. I forgot I had actually downloaded it so may as well read it - it won't be top of my list though!
d0lphin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2016, 23:22
Katie-Jane
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 861
27) Lost Lived by Malcolm Richards
Katie-Jane is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-08-2016, 22:11
d0lphin
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 15,420
29. Started early, took my dog - Kate Atkinson
9/10 - book 4 and the last in the Jackson Brodie series, which is really frustrating as it ends on the potential for a sequel involving both Louise and the abduction of Courtney.
30. Turning Point - Freya North
9/10 - a romantic fiction about Frankie who meets the love of her life Scott who lives half way around the world and how their relationships develops across the miles. I never guessed what the "turning point" would be and the book had left me quite upset as it was very powerful. This is a new author for me and I would read more of her books.
d0lphin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2016, 10:20
OxfordGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,304
139) Debbie Macomber - Thursdays at Eight
140) Simon Lelic - The Child Who
141) Sue Grafton - X
OxfordGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 17:00.