50 Book Challenge

I did this a couple of years ago but last year I didn't have much time for reading sadly. I'm definitely aiming for 50 this year and hopefully a lot of those will be books outside of my usual fantasy genre.

That being said book number 1 will be the great hunt by Robert Jordan the second of the wheel of time series and that's a reread.

I had a rough year last year and so merely observed; it took ages to get to the first book, and then I thought I would not manage much. I didn't count, but I think that I did manage 50.

Still, a new year and better, I am sure.

My first two books are both library books, as I spend a lot of time in the library while my baby plays.
Book 1; David Lodge's Ginger, you're barmy, set in 1950s Britain when National Service (conscription) was obligatory and a waste of time for all. A good story, but dated. 224 pages.
Book 2; Paul Murray's Skippy Dies; a novel, set in a school in Dublin, Ireland in the 2000s. The school reminded me so much of mine, and yes, the Fathers were the same order and I went to a sister school. An excellent book, though a grim picture of Ireland. 661 pages.

So 2/50, and 885/15,000.

Hi, I'm Tish. I am an avid reader, although lately I have been slacking because of things like work. If I could lay around all day and read a pile of books that would be heaven. Anyway, I just happened upon this community and thought, "why not?"

I recently signed up @ Goodreads.com and kicked off the year with "Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok.



This book was a powerful semi-autobiographical novel about a young Chinese girl who immigrated with her mother to the U.S. in the early 1980's. Despite their harsh living and working conditions in Brooklyn New York, the protagonist Kimberly Chang, realizes the "American dream" when all the odds were against her.

"Girl In Translation" was an amazing book from debut author Jean Kwok. Kimberly was an inspiring character that I felt for as she struggled to learn English, keep up in school and hide her double life as a sweatshop worker in China Town. Although the ending was bittersweet, I would definitely recommend this book.

I finished my second book yesterday. Non-fiction this time.
Pro Techniques of Creative Photography was written by Ian Bradshaw and published in England in (gasp) 1986. 
Obviously, some things changed since then. Recommendations on film are useless to me because I use a digital camera. The style and approach seem to be a little different now, too. However, the advice on composition and different things to try still holds true. The author also points out some common composition mistakes. 
There are a lot of photos demonstrating the progress from a bad shot to ok shot to fine shot to good shot. 

To sum it up, it's not my favorite, but it wasn't useless either. 

SO, managed 64 books this year, pretty happy with that. Got a Kindle for X-mas so can't wait to get reading in the new year! :)

Last 2 books:

#63. "Nymphomation" by Jeff Noon
#64. "The African Dream" by Ernesto 'Che' Guervara.

Happy reading all!

After a long time puttering with it, I finished reading a book called Gamemastery: Preparing and Running Storytelling and Roleplaying Games: A Guidebook for Gamemasters by Dominic Wasch. I found that many of his suggestions were things that I already do, but here and there were interesting tidbits that I hope to incorporate into my own gaming activities. I think that for novice gamemasters, this is a really good review to remind you that the rules are an outline, and that the whole point of playing is that everyone enjoys themselves. I'd recommend the book.

Title: Your Roots Are Showing
Author: Elise Chidley
Genre: Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Family, Depression, Motherhood
Rating: 4/5

Review: The synopsis on the back of this book clearly states that the story is about a woman with postpartum depression, eating issues, and a failing marriage; with that knowledge in mind, I was expecting this book to be quite gloomy and upsetting. However, I was pleased to find that the author manages to touch on all of the very serious aspects of these problems without making the reader feel completely squashed under the oppressive weight of it all. While not outright funny, the narrator has a wry, slightly sarcastic voice that simply forces you to chuckle at times, and you can't help but relate to her on some points.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was raw and honest, but clever and witty and had just the right amount of romance. I'd definitely read more of Chidley's work.

Hello Everybody!

I'm new to the community and was going to do this as a personal challenge on my own before I saw the LJ Spotlight. I think it's wonderful that a community like this exist, it allows one to find new book which you might otherwise might not have thought to read. I'm looking forward to completing this challenge and reading and re-reading 50 books.

For my first book I will be re-reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith, it's part of the Quirk book series that mashes up literary classics with the supernatural. I also plan to read the following two books of this particular series, after I have finished the first book. Upon finishing I will promptly come back and post a review.

Good luck to everyone & Happy reading!

Jal Boo Tak Deu Rim Ni Da!

As growing up in pre-war London looms large in the lives of the Carne sisters, Deirdre, Katrine and young Sheil still share an insatiable appetite for the fantastic. Eldest sister Deirdre is a journalist, Katrine a fledgling actress and young Sheil is still with her governess; together they live a life unchecked by their mother in their bohemian town house. Irrepressibly imaginative, the sisters cannot resist making up stories as they have done since childhood; from their talking nursery toys, Ironface the Doll and Dion Saffyn the pierrot, to their fulsomely-imagined friendship with real high-court Judge Toddington who, since Mrs Carne did jury duty, they affectionately called Toddy. However, when Deirdre meets Toddy's real-life wife at a charity bazaar, the sisters are forced to confront the subject of their imaginings. Will the sisters cast off the fantasies of childhood forever? Will Toddy and his wife, Lady Mildred, accept these charmingly eccentric girls? And when fancy and reality collide, who can tell whether Ironface can really talk, whether Judge Toddington truly wears lavender silk pyjamas or whether the Brontes did indeed go to Woolworths?

This novel I found enjoyable and confusing in equal measure. I read this in an old Virago VMC edition the jacket of which does not contain such a fulsome synopsis like that which is available on Amazon. In this way the reader is allowed to be confused at the beginning - sorting out what is real and what is not - and seeing as some of the characters have trouble with this it does get puzzling. This I am sure was the original intention of the author - and it does make it fun! This mix of fantasy and reality is utterly mad, and very charming.
The Carne sisters, and their mother live a fantasy life in the midst of their real existence - Katrine is an aspiring actress, Diedre a journalist, their eleven year old sister Sheil is in the rather pitiful control of troubled governess, Miss Martin - who is driven rather mad herself by the stories and make believe. The women's lives are enhanced by their "friends", some imagined - like Ironface the doll, some real people whom they've never met - and yet they know all about them, what they do, what they eat, what they say etc. When Diedre meets the real life "Lady Mildred" and "Toddy" the objects of the Carne's "Saga" reality and make believe begin to merge. This is a delightful read, quirky and a little bonkers.

The Diary of a Young Girl
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short

3/5  -liked
Honestly I didn't think much while reading this. It just seemed like a pointless journal, but it really affected me. I finished reading a few minutes ago and I can't even put my thoughts into words. Yeah, it was just a girl's journal and you don't even realize at the time that these were real things and real problems and real people.