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2018 50 Book Challenge

LonerMatt

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1. A Wrong Turn at the Office on Unmade Lists
2. Acceptance
3. Shipbreaker
4. Winter's Bone
5. Dhmara Bums
6. Istanbul
7. On the Trail of Genghis Khan
8. Holy Bible
9. The Boat
10. Collected Stories
11. Lost and Found
12. Blind Willow, Sleeping woman
13. White Noise
14. Clariel
15. Off the Rails
16. Sabriel
17 Hitler's Daughter
18. Quack this Way


18. Quack this Way

This is an interview between David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner. It is basically two authors (albeit from very different backgrounds - DFW nonfiction essays and fictional writing, BG from a legal and linguistic POV) talking about writing, language, words and how we think through the language that we use. It is candid, to the point, eloquent and informative. I really, really, really enjoyed this short read. It's something I wish I taught in schools as there is so much excellent information and genuine engagement in such a short amount of time.

DFW maintains his characteristic 'nice guy intellectual' personality, and even when criticising a movement, usage or trend manages to be polite and informative. Bryan Garner is a great interviewer, who asks good questions and genuinely loves who he is speaking to. His introduction was obviously very heartfelt.
 

EnglishGent

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Work and family have slowed me down recently, however:

6/50 Fall of Giants - Ken Follett
Nothing amazing, but a good story of interlinked families upto and during World War 1
7/50 Winter of the World - Ken Follett
Inter war years sand through World War 2, a little edgier but still fairly tame
8/50 A Most Wanted Man - John Le Carre
Not as good as his Cold War stories, but an enjoyable read
9/50 The Son - Phillip Meyer
I almost forgot to add this. Appreciate the recommendation Clockwise, was definitely a a step above American Rust

Working my way through The Kills - Richard House, so far so good
 
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Fueco

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Just finished #4... And my second this week. I'l catch up.
wink.gif


Sorry, all non-fiction so far this year...

1. The Race Within: Passion, Courage and Sacrifice At The Ultraman Triathlon (Jim Gourley, 2015) -I'm biased towards this book because I'm mentioned in it, and I know the author. It's a pretty solid glimpse into the world of ultra distance triathlon...

2. Wild! -Cheryl Strayed -Yeah, it's an Oprah book club selection, and is clearly aimed at women, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It probably helps that I've visited a number of the places she mentions in the books and can vividly imagine a lot of the scenes. I haven't seen the movie yet...

3. Let My People Go Surfing -Yvon Chouinard. I finally got around to reading the business/responsible living manifesto by one of my climbing heroes. It didn't disappoint.

4. Unsurpassed: The Story Of Tommy Goodwin, The World's Greatest Distance Cyclist -Godfrey Barlow


I'm currently working my way through the following books:

A Fighting Chance -Elizabeth Warren
True Fit: A Collected History Of Denim
Lord Jim: Joseph Conrad
 

California Dreamer

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1. A Tale for the Time Being 2. The Sun is God 3. The Keeper of Lost Causes 4. Lost and Found 5. Murder on the Eiffel Tower 6. How to be Both 7. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore 8. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth 9. Levels of Life 10. The Seventh Day
11. Fortunately the Milk I feel a bit of a fraud counting a children’s book, even if it is more than 100 pages. Still, they don’t all have to be The Luminaries, do they?
Fortunately, the Milk
by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fortunately the Milk is a tall story for children. Two children left at home with their dad need milk for breakfast. Dad goes to get some and takes ages. When he gets back he spins a wild imaginative tale explaining where he’s been.

The story is chock-full of elements that will appeal to children: aliens, pirates, dinosaurs, vampires, the lot. Chris Riddell’s illustrations are perfect - very much in the style of Robert McCloskey or Dr Seuss. Gaiman has come up with yet another winner, perfect for young readers or for reading to children.
View all my reviews
 

Geoffrey Firmin

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41 Vivid Faces The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland 1890-1923 by R.F.Foster
 
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LonerMatt

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Chris Riddell’s illustrations are perfect - very much in the style of Robert McCloskey or Dr Seuss. Gaiman has come up with yet another winner, perfect for young readers or for reading to children.

Chris Riddell is just fantastic, such an amazing artist.

His work is always sublime.
 

California Dreamer

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Chris Riddell is just fantastic, such an amazing artist.

His work is always sublime.


Coincidentally, I just picked up the latest Gaiman/Riddell collaboration at the library: The Sleeper and the Spindle. Riddell’s work in this is sumptuous. I will refrain from claiming this in my tally; maybe we can consider it my 11(b).

Gaiman has yet another book out as well, called Trigger Warning. My backlog is growing fast.
 

LonerMatt

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1. A Wrong Turn at the Office on Unmade Lists
2. Acceptance
3. Shipbreaker
4. Winter's Bone
5. Dhmara Bums
6. Istanbul
7. On the Trail of Genghis Khan
8. Holy Bible
9. The Boat
10. Collected Stories
11. Lost and Found
12. Blind Willow, Sleeping woman
13. White Noise
14. Clariel
15. Off the Rails
16. Sabriel
17 Hitler's Daughter
18. Quack this Way
19. Grapes of Wrath


19. Grapes of Wrath

This filled a gap in reading while waiting for book depository orders to arrive. I've read it once before and loved it dearly, but this time I found it labourious and slow, the vernacular obnoxious and deafening and the predictability of the narrative disengaging, rather than harrowing. Seminal, vital, important, brutal, etc all still apply, but perhaps 'unputdownable' no longer, for me.

Maybe there are just some books that hit hard once and that's it. Steinbeck was a favourite author of mine, but this experience has me questioning how true that still is.
 

California Dreamer

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1. A Tale for the Time Being 2. The Sun is God 3. The Keeper of Lost Causes 4. Lost and Found 5. Murder on the Eiffel Tower 6. How to be Both 7. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore 8. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth 9. Levels of Life 10. The Seventh Day 11. Fortunately the Milk
11b. The Sleeper and the Spindle Part two of my #11, just so I’m not cheating too much.
The Sleeper and the Spindle
by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is Neil Gaiman’s take on the Sleeping Beauty tale and, as you’d expect from this author, it is not just a simple retelling. Gaiman’s version is dark and inventive; it has elements of Tolkien and of the zombie fiction genre as well as various fairy tale references.

Chris Riddell’s illustrations are superb. Elegant black and white line drawings with heaps of subtle detailing, augmented by highlights and borders of gold.

Gaiman’s use of language is clever, with lines such as “Each hammer blow sounded like a heartbeat”. At a basic level it would be readable by primary school children, although they might miss some of Gaiman’s allusions. Watchful parents may wish to check the language in the book first, as there is some adult language.

The story has a strong heroine, lots of fantastical elements and a surprising ending, at least to those expecting a simple re-telling of the traditional fairy story. This book is different and less saccharine, and bolstered by some brilliant illustrative work. Recommended.
View all my reviews
 

Fueco

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Just finished #5...

Sorry, all non-fiction so far this year...

1. The Race Within: Passion, Courage and Sacrifice At The Ultraman Triathlon (Jim Gourley, 2015) -I'm biased towards this book because I'm mentioned in it, and I know the author. It's a pretty solid glimpse into the world of ultra distance triathlon...

2. Wild! -Cheryl Strayed -Yeah, it's an Oprah book club selection, and is clearly aimed at women, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It probably helps that I've visited a number of the places she mentions in the books and can vividly imagine a lot of the scenes. I haven't seen the movie yet...

3. Let My People Go Surfing -Yvon Chouinard. I finally got around to reading the business/responsible living manifesto by one of my climbing heroes. It didn't disappoint.

4. Unsurpassed: The Story Of Tommy Goodwin, The World's Greatest Distance Cyclist -Godfrey Barlow

5. A Fighting Chance -Elizabeth Warren


I'm currently working my way through the following books:

True Fit: A Collected History Of Denim
Lord Jim: Joseph Conrad
Expressions Of Aging -John Keston
Marathon Man -Bill Rodgers
 

Steve B.

Go Spurs Go
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22. Confessions of a Barbarian Edward Abbey 1994

Collection from the journals of iconoclast Edward Abbey from 1951-1989. Abbey was an interesting, larger than life character with many controversial views.

But if you're not an Abbey fan (and I'm not) the book stunk.

That is all.
 

Fueco

Stylish Dinosaur
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22. Confessions of a Barbarian Edward Abbey 1994

Collection from the journals of iconoclast Edward Abbey from 1951-1989. Abbey was an interesting, larger than life character with many controversial views.

But if you're not an Abbey fan (and I'm not) the book stunk.

That is all.


I've loved everything I've read by and about Ed Abbey. Have you read much of his work? The Fool's Progress was my favorite.
 

Geoffrey Firmin

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40 The Duchamp Dictionary a-z by Thomas Girst an interesting approach to biography and art analysis based on Duchamp's fascination with Dictionary's have been reading late at night while still ploughing through a tome of Irish revolutionary history.
 
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California Dreamer

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40 The Duchamp Dictionary a-z by Thomas Girst an interesting approach to biography and art analysis based on Duchamp's fascination with Dictionary's have been reading late at night while still ploughing through a tome of Irish revolutionary history.


I was thinking at first glance that this would be about ties and cufflinks. :)
 

California Dreamer

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1. A Tale for the Time Being
2. The Sun is God
3. The Keeper of Lost Causes
4. Lost and Found
5. Murder on the Eiffel Tower
6. How to be Both
7. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
8. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
9. Levels of Life
10. The Seventh Day
11. Fortunately the Milk
11b. The Sleeper and the Spindle


12. The Agile Project Management Handbook

I spent an entire week battling my way through this eye-glazing 200 page melange of methodology, product definition and myth, so I figure I ought to get to count it. Agile is a “recent” approach to project management that has got everybody excited but is in reality just a slightly different emphasis on the classic triple constraints. The Agile approach dictates that the schedule and cost constraints are sacrosanct and that project scope gets cut in a prioritised fashion to meet it if necessary. Anything that can’t be done this way - a heck of a lot of projects IMO - is just dismissed as “not agile”. I sat a detailed exam in this and passed, earning an internationally-recgnised qualification, and now I can forget that I ever read it and get on with doing things the way that works.
 

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