Bryanoz reads on in 2017

My 8th year of reading 100 or more books, and 6th year in Librarything 100 book challenges.
Managed 112 last year so would like to improve on that.

Read a range of books including modern fiction, fantasy, some classics, and some spiritual/self helps.

Have too many books that have been on the shelves for years so I have made a list of 70 most eligible, fired up the random number generator and every 4th read this year will come from that list, first up Big Money by P.G. Wodehouse.

Am also in the Big Fat Book reading challenge, listing reads over 600 pages, only managed 9 last year.

Hope 2017 is a big reading year for all of us !

Welcome back, and good luck with your reading in 2017! I like the random number generator idea to work through the on-shelf TBR books. I may steal that.

Happy new year and best wishes for some great reading.

Thanks jfetting and Eyejaybee, slow start so far...lets read on !

1 Emperor of the Eight Islands: The Tale of Shikanoko by Lian Hearn.

Fantasy fiction, recent instalment of the Tales of the Otori, enjoyed this novel based on medieval stories from Japan, next is Lord of the Darkwood.

Looking forward to seeing your reading again! I should probably take up that Big Fat Book challenge, a few too many long reads languishing on my lists.

Thanks Meredith, I get way too many new books to read from your threads :) The BFB challenge group are trying for 100 BFBs collectively for the year so we could use your help !

2. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling.

The script for the successful stage play set 19 years after Deathly Hallows. Always going to be interesting to see how Rowling envisaged the future of Harry's world but I was left underwhelmed, probably because a play doesn't enable the depth of character and plot I would like.

3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

A warm and moving novel of young Francie Nolan growing up in a poor immigrant family in Brooklyn in the 1910s. Recommended.

I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It also warms my cold heart that it was the most requested title by those in the military during WWII (through the pocket books program developed then).

I also loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I must've read it about 20 times growing up.

I'm also aiming at a substantial number of books off my own shelves this year, although I set my number at 50. The most I've ever done in one year was 40, but I only managed 8 last year.

I remember that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was one of my mother's favourite novels. She was in the Wrens (the Women's Royal Naval Service) during the Second World War and travelled across the Atlantic a few times on the Queen Mary which was being used to help ferry American troops over to Europe. She bought this novel in New York probably very shorty after it was published, and read it many times over the following years.

Thanks meredith, jfetting, and Eyejaybee, it was a beautiful story, and reasonably autobiographical I have discovered. Would like to read something else by Betty Smith, any recommendations ?

Hi ronincats, if a quarter of my reads are random ones that have been sat on the shelves for years, that will be 25-30 this year, and plenty more to be going on with in 2018. Good luck this year !

4. Big Money by P.G. Wodehouse.

My first Wodehouse and a fun romp, will be reading more. Also first of my 'random' reads from own shelves.

Am in Canberra having seen 'A History of the World in 100 Objects' with the lovely Chris, she is into history, but I find this travelling business cuts seriously cuts into reading time ??
Did manage to appropriate Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart, following the formidable Girl Waits With Gun.

I wish I could get books off my shelves, but I'm ADHD when it comes to books, I see it, I read it. I have a stack from the library and on my NOOK (got $100 gift card for Christmas) that I just acquired. If I could stop that maybe I could work through the stack in my house.

I have similar issues swimmergirl1, I had 10 reserved books and dvds waiting for me at the library when I got back from 8 days of travel !
I'll try to stick to the plan of 1 shelf book to every 4 reads, reading one ATM, good luck with yours :)

5. Barkskins by Annie Proulx.

Thoroughly enjoyed this big novel about the European settlement of Canada, with emphasis on the displacement of the indigenous people and the destruction of the forests. Powerful but unsettling.

I haven't read anything by Proulx yet, but Barkskins sounds like a great one. Adding it to my list.

6. Revenge by Yoko Ogawa.

Series of connected short stories in Ogawa's slightly creepy style. Good read, second random book of the shelves !

7. The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville.

Mieville's most recent novel and his usual original type of fantasy.
Paris in WW2 but with a twist, the S-bomb has been dropped and all kinds of beings from surrealist paintings and writings has come to life.
These include hollow back sharks, wolf-tables, and a giant woman with drawers (the sort you open and close).
If reading this fantasy there is a Notes section at the back that tells the source of the various manifs, don't be like me and only realise it is there when the story is finished.
Not Mieville's greatest work Perdido Street Station IMO, but an intriguing read.

8. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson.

Her first novel is the story of Ruby Lennox and her accident-prone family, a story finely balanced between humour and tragedy. I really enjoyed this novel which reminded me of her Life After Life, one of my favourite reads, her second novel was Human Crochet so I will fit it in some time soon.

9. My Career Goes Bung by Miles Franklin.

Sequel to her excellent first novel My Brilliant Career; Sybylla goes to Sydney and experiences life in the cultured big city. However she is constantly frustrated by calls to stop writing and accept that as a young woman her real aim is to land a rich husband.

10. The Book of Mu by James Ishmael Ford and Melissa Myozen Blacker.

The book about an important zen koan that has caused much trouble since it was first uttered and this unrest continues today.

11. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie.

Had heard good things about this Hugo Award winner, but found it only ok.
Some interesting ideas but characters and plot didn't grab me.

>14 bryanoz: I'm a big Wodehouse fan. He writes so well and is very, very funny. Glad you found him.

Thanks pamelad, I've been a longtime Terry Pratchett fan and Wodehouse often gets a mention among fans so I've been meaning to start. His books have been sitting on the shelf for a few years so time to start and very enjoyable, cheers.

12. The Midnight Gang by David Walliams.

Children's book, a funny and thoughtful read. One should be wary of throwing around adjectives such as Joycesque or Dickensish, but I am happy to give this great story a Dahlike !

13. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.

Short but powerful story of a boy coping with the terminal illness of his mother, with the help of his local monster.

14. The Good People by Hannah Kent.

Hannah Kent's first novel Burial Rites was a huge success and so the writing of her second novel was going to be a daunting, though of course enviable, prospect.
No cause for concern, her second novel The Good People is a strong followup and a gripping read.
Also based on a true story, also a bleak landscape (rural Ireland), and also firmly concerned with the plight of women at the time, the author soon had me snared by and concerned for the characters and the inevitable violence looming.
An integral part of the story is the country which is brought to life by Kent's sparing prose, and the beliefs held by the local folk, including the role that the 'good people' have in their lives and fortunes.
Highly recommended.

Wodehouse is charming, I remember reading through my dad's collection as a young person. I have bought myself a few of the Jeeves novels over the years, too.

Good luck with the challenge, I'm also loving your random number generator for books-off-the-shelves, but I think I'd be hopeless at sticking with it. I'm too impulsive when it comes to book choices (unless they're due back at the library in a few days, or I've got a book group coming up...).

Thanks wookie and good luck with your reading this year.
Have just worked the last week so reading has slowed right down...

15. Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart.

Follow up novel to Girl Waits With Gun, based on the true life story of Constance Kopp who refuses to do what women in the 1910s were meant to do, and enabled by the local sheriff becomes a deputy.
Well written and engaging story, hopefully more to come.

16. Seeds for a Boundless Life by Zenkei Blanche Hartman.

15. Looks entertaining. Always looking for new crime witers. I've reserved Girl Waits with Gun at the library.

Hope you enjoy that one pamelad, I'm not much of a crime reader but do enjoy the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, beginning with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
If you haven't read these they are not serious crime but a delight to read.

17. Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford.

Clementine is an Australian feminist writer and this recent book 'pulls no punches' in describing the current situation for women.
I have always considered myself a feminist but learnt plenty about how I can better understand our societies inequalities and be doing much more to support these.
Christine is now reading this so some interesting conversations to come !?

18. The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk.

Review to follow. From my random list and also a big fat book (600 pages or more)!

19. Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson.

Collection of short stories, didn't enjoy this as much as his novels, did particularly enjoy the last novella 'Edgedancer', from the Stormlight Archive.

20. Most Intimate by Pat Enkyo O'Hara.

21. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse.

Great fun as Jeeves is inevitably called upon to extricate Bertie Wooster from yet another potential catastrophe.

I love Jeeves!

Nancy I have only read a couple of Wodehouse, any particular favourites I should pursue ?

I listened to some of the audio books years ago; can't remember which titles. I just remember they were funny enough to make me laugh out loud. I've decided to read them in order, (needing a little levity in my life during these trying political times . .) My library has a downloadable audio book of the first one - The Inimitable Jeeves.

Great idea Nancy, might join you if that's ok, have reserved a copy at my library.

I wouldn't be happy with the US political situation, bad enough here in Australia...

22. The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel.

Friend lent this novel to me, I enjoyed the three very different but interconnected stories.

23. Demon Dentist by David Walliams.

My 2nd Walliams novel after The Midnight Gang, another humorous story, recommended for children.

24. The Dry by Jane Harper.

Australian crime writer with her first novel has written a page turner set in a dusty outback town.

25. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb.

I am probably the last fantasy reader to have read this, shouldn't have waited, now to get to the rest of her books.

>43 bryanoz: These two sound like my kind of book! I just put both on hold at the library.

Listened to the first hour of Inimitable Jeeves on my walk yesterday. Very droll British humor; I love it.
This will be my inducement to take a long walk every day!

Nancy, hope you enjoy them, The Dry was a book club read, I wouldn't usually read crime, but an engaging story nonetheless.
Have you read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent ? Not technically a crime novel but a great story by a young Australian writer, highly recommended by me !

26. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

Small book and full of insights about how systematically culling/tidying will improve your life.
Will be putting her guidelines to the test.

27. Louder Than Hell by Jon Wiederhorn.

History of heavy metal music as told by the musicians, an interesting read for us older metal tragics !

Thanks, Bryan. I put Burial Rights on hold as well.

I've read a few 'get organized' books. I know I need to down-size and reduce the clutter.
I aim to achieve that but I'm fond of my stuff!
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up technique is pretty stark and austere. And funny!
That girl must live in a 9' by 12' cubicle.

But I did adopt the Kondo method of folding clothes vertically in drawers! I can fit more in and see exactly what I have! Otherwise too austere for me. Especially regarding books!

When I read the Kondo book, I was successful with the first step (the one with the clothes), but came to a screeching halt when I reached the book section. Nope, one shelf is not sufficient. No.

Thanks Nancy, ronincats, jfetting, she certainly is austere, but perfectly timed for me to reduce clutter.
As for books, won't go down to one shelf or one bookcase, but probably half my books I have read and won't reread, nor will anyone else probably read them while they sit here, so I am gradually getting used to the idea of moving at least a third on. Not rushing to it though...

28. The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainani.

A student I teach sometimes loved this so I said I would read it, helped by some humour but not the best teenage fantasy out there.

29. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey.

Her first novel The Snow Child was a great read, intriguing and mysterious, and so is her followup.

Using journal entries,letters and other correspondence we follow an Alaskan expedition in the 1880s that runs into difficulties. At the same time, Sophie the pregnant wife of the expedition leader is stuck back in Vancouver with imposed societal norms.
The expedition encounters native people who live at one with the natural world, sometimes inexplicably moving between human, animal and plant worlds.
Highly recommended.

>51 bryanoz:
Very excited to hear about this one.
I also really liked The Snow Child

I'm sure you will enjoy it Nancy !

30. Goodwood by Holly Throsby.

First novel and a good one, about a girl growing up in a country town when within a week two people go missing.

31. A Fraction of a Whole by Steve Toltz.

Bought this in 2008 and finally got around to reading it. Why did I wait ?, this is a fantastically humorous and quirky novel about a son's dysfuntional relationship with his father, and so much more. Highly recommended.

32. The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud.

Fourth in the Lockwood & Co. series..
"A city besieged by spirits ? A hungry cannibal risen from the dead ? There's only one ghost hunting team you need..."
Teen, slightly scary, humorous, recommended.

>54 bryanoz: I am definitely enjoying this Lockwood & Co. series by Stroud.

Cheers ronincats, it is good fun, as was his earlier Bartimaeus series.

33. Frogkisser ! by Garth Nix.

Great fun as Princess Anya goes on a quest that takes a new and irreverant view of fairy tales, recommended.

34. Dubliners by James Joyce.

Joyce's first published work. interesting.

35. Our Tiny, Useless Hearts by Toni Jordan.

Humorous take on modern relationships, I felt some of the comedy was a little forced, ok read.

36. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser.

This is the story of Caroline, a young woman who moves from the country to Chicago in the late 1800s. She has hopes for a happy life but her relationships with men make this difficult.

37. American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

I read this years ago and thought it was ok, of course it is highly regarded by everyone else so time for a reread.
Came across the illustrated and 'author's preferred text' edition, (at 682 pages also fitted the Big Fat Book Challenge so bonus :), illustrations by Daniel Egneus which I didn't think added much.
Enjoyed the story of Shadow whose life is tragically upended and then he meets the mysterious Wednesday and is introduced to the lives of the gods. They are dead or struggling due to the lack of belief by followers (hopefully not copied straight from Terry Pratchett's Small Gods, and a devastating war is looming.

38 The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.

Enjoyed this thoughtful fantasy for younger readers, with quirky characters and a multilayered story of growing up ,finding your place, and questioning tradition.
Good review entitled "A Novel's Good Witch Saves a Sacrificial Girl" by Diana Wagman is worth reading.

39 The Voyage of the Narwal by Andrea Barrett.

This poor novel has been sitting on my shelves for at least 20 years and was much relieved (I hope) when I plucked it from the shelf and began to read.
Though not the premier Arctic explorer voyage book I have read, a toss-up between The Terror by Dan Simmons and the recent To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey, this is a well-researched and skillfully written account of an expedition to find out what happened to the earlier Franklin voyage.
Narrated by the reliable Erasmus we watch the trip unravel as the young leader Zeke is determined to be famous for discovering something.

Hit by a book bullet! Just put To the Bright Edge of the World: A Novel on my shopping list at betterworldbooks.com

It sounds like a good one for my sister for her birthday; she loves polar expeditions. I'll have time to read it first; she won't mind!

I recently liked Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Drett. Have you read that one?

Hope you like it Nancy, I haven't read Island of the Lost and will chase it, of course there is always Barry Lopez's Arctic Dreams, not exploration but a literate and spiritual account of his time in the arctic.

The library has Frogkisser on order and I am first in line. I also am ambivalent about American Gods; I much prefer Anansi Boys by Gaiman and Changer by Jane Lindskold for a similar theme handled much better. Also enjoyed The Girl Who Drank the Moon--do you have a link for the review you recommended?

Not sure about the link ronincats but if you google "Girl who drank the moon diana wagman review" that should find it, cheers

40. Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was a Cure? by Mary Newport.

Well worth a read if you know someone who is struggling with Alzheimer's.
Mary's husband Steve was going downhill fast with early onset Alzheimer's when she came across some little known research on the benefits of coconut oil and other oils to provide an alternative fuel for the brain.

41. The Imitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse.

The first Wooster- Jeeves novel and great fun as Jeeves always comes to the rescue.

42. A Perfect Square by Isobel Blackthorn.

"Two women on either side of the world live almost parallel lives. Both artists with a preference for seclusion, Harriet in the Dandenong Ranges paints abstract scenes of Wessex and Judith in Dartmoor paints and yearns for the Australian landscape she has never seen. Both have daughters, returned home. Both are not sure what to do with their difficult and slightly broken daughters."

An ok novel about Australian artists and relationships.

43. Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb.

Second novel in the Farseer trilogy and the plot thickens. Fitz is a teenager struggling with his abilities, girls, the Red Ship raiders, and surviving the treacherous Prince Regal.

Very happy to get the third novel Assassin's Quest, really enjoying this fantasy series.

44. The Tao of Pooh, The Teh of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff.

Very apt description of the way of the Tao through the denizens of the hundred acre wood.

>64 bryanoz:

I would like to read anything and everything by Barry Lopez.
I met him once, quite by accident . We were both staying at a B and B Inn in Lexington, Virginia. I think he was there to give a commencement speech at Washington and Lee University. We met over breakfast and must have talked for an hour or longer. He was charming and interesting and I never realized who he was till later.

>68 bryanoz:

I'm still listening to The Imitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse.
Maybe I can finish it today if I go out for a long walk!

>70 bryanoz:

I finished the first one, Assassin's Apprentice, last month and will pick up this next one soon.
Glad to hear you're liking them too.

Hi Nancy, I am a little jealous that you have met Barry Lopez, his writings on the natural world and our place in it have inspired me for years, ever since I came across his Crossing Open Ground.

I've only recently began with Wodehouse but will slowly read them all, do you know the next Jeeves novel ?

Assassin's Quest has just arrived from the library, am very keen to get to it, happy reading !

45. Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn.

Most recent book in the Otori universe, begun many years ago with Across the Nightingale Floor, Hearn's (Rubinstein's) writings on old-time Japan with a fantasy twist are always engaging reads.

2nd Jeeves is Carry On, Jeeves

Thanks Nancy, won't get to it for a while with a pile of library books and my own to read.

46. Blessed are the Weird by Jacob Nordby.

"Blessed are the weird people : poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters, troubadours, for they teach us to see the world through different eyes."
Really enjoyed this exploration into seeing the world and ourselves differently, and living according to our own personal values.

47. The Memory Artist by Katherine Brabon.

Read this for my book club, ok novel about a young Russian man coming of age as Gorbachev introduces glasnost, a time of greatly increased openness and freedom. He remembers his childhood growing up in a family of dissidents working for change in an atmosphere of fear and repreesion.

48. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue.

Another book club read, enjoyed this novel in which a renowned nurse is sent on an 'easy' commission to rural Ireland, to observe a fasting girl to prove if she is a saint or a fraud.
Lib Wright is determined to find how the girl is being secretly fed, but soon begins to doubt what is happening.
Interesting.

Finally got IT sorted so time to update..

49. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers.

One I had meant to read for years, interesting time travel story.

50. The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon.

Shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia Older Readers award, Subhi was born in an Immigration Detention Center. This is a story of cruelty, freedom, and friendship.

51. Waer by Meg Caddy.

Another CBCA shortlisted older reader (meaning teenager) novel, this one a fantasy debut, about the Waer, human but able to assume the form of a wolf. and their persecution by those who see them as abominations.
Enjoyed this one.

52. The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson.

Loved her fantasy short story collection At the Mouth of the River of Bees so was very happy to see this novel (more of a novella at 169 pages).
Vellitt Boe is Professor of Mathematics whose best student suddenly absconds to the waking world.
Vellitt's journey to our world to find her and convince her to return is a wonderfully creative and engaging story.

53. Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb.

Third novel in the Farseer trilogy and I was interested to see how the author would wrap things up.

I wasn't quite thrilled by the story and upon reflection I think the ending was rushed and not satisfying.

Still a good series and I will read her followup novels sometime.

54. London by Edward Rutherford.

Recommended by a friend, this is a history of the city of London from a first shack on the River Thames, to 1997.
We follow certain family lines through the ages and experience the defining events that occurred through the ages.
Informative but didn't flow enough for me to really enjoy it.

55. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay.

Enjoyed this Australian classic (a genre I have neglected shamefully), set in country Victoria in the early 1900s.
A group of teachers and students set out from a private girl's school for a day's leisure at a local landmark, the mysterious Hanging Rock. Some students set off to climb the hill but are never seen again.

There is a well known film by Peter Weir from the 70s that I remember captured some of the feel of this mystery and is worth watching AFTER reading the novel.

Of interest when Joan submitted the manuscript she included the final chapter which explains what happened.
The publisher and she agreed to leave this out, but these days it is readily available online, but I didn't find it particularly plausible.

56. Travelling Light by Tove Jansson.

Been sitting on the shelf for years, a collection of short stories that are insightful and at times unsettling.

57. Destination Earth by Nicos Hadjicostis.

Nicos spent 6 and a half years travelling the planet and here presents his philosophy and methodology of long term travel. Very interesting and inspiring. We are travelling soon - leave in 2 weeks - so it is a bit late to put much of this into practice, but a great read for prospective travellers.

58. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.

Debut novel and Pulitzer Prize winner, the main character is a 'half caste' who escapes the end of the Vietnam War with his general and other staff. They try to settle in the US, encountering numerous problems.
Ok read.

I like to travel so Destination Earth caught my attention. But that is one obscure book! My library didn't have it and there is only 1 copy on all of LT!

I hope your upcoming trip is to some exciting place?
I had my first visit to Russia in May! Since then I've been to Washington DC and the beach in South Carolina. I'm spending July in San Francisco. Then I need to stay home awhile and get some projects done around the house.

I'm reading an Australian novel right now - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. Interesting so far.

I wish you fun and adventures and exciting discoveries in your travels!

Hi Nancy, after great reviews on Amazon and lack of a library copy I bought Destination Earth and will use it for future travel so it will be a good investment.

We are visiting Europe for 3 months ; Paris, Bordeaux (Christine has a cousin who lives there and invited us to house sit for a month which started the whole ordeal :), Amsterdam and regional Holland, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, then to Venice and swanning around Italy for a month. We leave 8th of July so plenty to organise before then !
Great to see you reading Australian novels, I have some catching up to do in that genre...
Thanks for your kind wishes and happy future travels and reading for you !

PS. Come to Australia sometime, great part of the world to visit !

59. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne.

Getting into the travelling spirit, old classic of Phineas Fogg and his French valet Passepartout accepting a 20,000 pound wager to travel around the world within eighty days. Availing themselves of trains, steamships, elephants, etc., the hardy duo are met with all kinds of obstacles and it seems the closer the due date looms the less likely that they will make it on time.

60. The Divine Arsonist by Jacob Nordby.

Really enjoyed his Blessed Are The Weird, not this one so much. A novel about a man's spiritual awakening but the events are too unlikely and rushed for me to take it seriously.

61. The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue.

Children's book about a very diverse family who have an idyllic life until a grandfather with dementia comes to stay. Warm and humerous account of how different people can make a loving family. Recommended.

62. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson.

One of Brandon Sanderson's strengths as a fantasy author is his seemingly effortless ability to conjure very unique magical systems for his stories, the metallic allomancy of the Mistborn novels being a prime example.

The Rithmatist is the first in a teen fantasy series that involves the use of magic....chalk.
Not quite the calibre of Mistborn or the Stormlight Archive, but this novel is imaginative and interesting enough, the sequel The Aztlanian is published later this year (I think) and I will be buying it.

63. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.

Like many fantasy readers, if Neil Gaiman writes something I will read it.
This book is a presentation of various Norse legends in Neil's modern voice, the gods Odin, Thor, and Loki are the main characters, with most of the interest being how Loki will extricate himself (or everyone else) from whatever self-made disaster is impending.

64. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

Reread for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the original story stimulated by the old photos that the author has collected over many years.
Very happy to hear the author has planned another series to follow the Peculiar trilogy.

65. The Complete Guide to Fasting by Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore.

Have arrived in Paris, luckily it is stormy and we are stuck inside, have begun Milan Kundera's The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, wine time !

Glad you made it across the Atlantic safely, and how nice to have a rest day perfect for reading!

Reading has slowed with travel, but have managed some..

66. The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera.

Always enjoy Milan's philosophical musings on history and sociology.

67. Vaster than Sky, Greater than Space by Mooji.

68. At The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell.

Enjoyed this well researched journey through the lives and interactions of philosophers who came up with and developed the idea that it the individual's personal responsibility to lead an authentic life.

>102 bryanoz: I loved that book, too. It was a subject about which I knew virtually nothing beforehand, and I found that she made it all both fascinating and very accessible.

Agreed eyejaybee, she has written some other philosophical books I need to find.

69. The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.

Reread for me, Dickens' first novel and an irreverent, fun read as the great Charles Pickwick and his eccentric friends travel around England causing many predicaments and chaos !

Quick updates...

70. Amerika by Franz Kafka.

71. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.

72. Carpet Diem by Justin Lee Anderson.

73. Guards, Guards by Terry Pratchett.

74. Weaveworld by Clive Barker.

75. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith.

76. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

Some great recent reads there :)

Sure were some good reads there Eyejaybee, I am overseas travelling so the reading is a bit compromised, so are the reviews ! Really enjoyed The Underground Railroad, Guards, Guards and Weaveworld are rereads that are not too complex and guaranteed good.

Guards! Guards! was the book that got me hooked on Pratchett! And what did you think of The Essex Serpent? It's sitting in my TBR pile.

ronincats I'm a big fan of anything discworldy but particularly enjoy Nanny Ogg and the witches, Nobby and Sergeant Colon of the Watch, and Detritus, and Death, and Ponder Stibbons and the Nac Mac Feegle, and....
I enjoyed The Essex Serpent, "part ghost story, part natural history lesson, part romance, and part feminist parable". Now that I am thinking about the novel I need to reread it !

77. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. OK.

78. Sapiens: a Brief History of Mankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Very Good.

79. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. Good.

80. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O by Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland. Very good.

81. The Obesity Code by Jason Fung.

82. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. :)

83. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. :))

84. The North Water by Ian McQuire. :)

85. The Evolving Peacemaker by Leona Evans. :)

86. Everytime I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It by Daniel Klein. :)

87. See What I have Done by Sarah Schmidt. :)

88. I, Claudius by Robert Graves. :)

89. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett. :))

90. Venom by Brendan James Murray. :)

Some updating needed here...

91. La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman :))

92. The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney :)

93. Why Grow Up ?by Susan Neiman :)

94. The Core by Peter Brett :)

95. The Making of Americans by Gertrude Stein :(((

96. Discworld and Philosophy by Nicolas Michaud :)

97. Songs of a War Boy by Deng Thiak Adut :)

98. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath :))

Was Discworld and Philosophy worth it?

Discworld and Philosophy is a book in the Seinfeld and Philosophy, Star Wars and Philosophy series, so it isn't hardcore philosophy, but an interesting look at some Discworld characters and how they may represent Terry's life philosophies. I found plenty of interest and think Discworld fans would be the same...

99. Days Without End by Sebastian Barry :))

100. A Fragile Life by Todd May :)

Congratulations on getting to 100!

100 books. Well done!
I have 9 to go. Got several short ones lined up. Family will be arriving for Christmas and much baking to do. Wish me luck (and a little free reading time!)
Actually need reading time daily for stress relief and relaxation.

Thanks Eyejaybee and well done on your total :)

Thanks Nancy, sometimes a pile of shorter books is necessary as the deadline looms, but it is only a number after all, no pressure and good luck !

101. Mrs Osmond by John Banville :)

102. The True Life by Alain Badiou :)

103. Nasty Women by Laura Jones and Heather McDaid, eds :)

104. The Whitest Flower by Brendan Graham :)

105. The Moviegoer by Walker Percy :)

106. Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald Ok

107. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick :)

108. Father Christmas's Fake Beard by Terry Pratchett :)

109. Jimmy Corrigan : the Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware :)

110. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss :))

Thoroughly enjoyed this gothic fantasy involving Mary Jekyll, the Hyde family, Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Catherine Moreau, Justine Frankenstein, Beatrice Rappaccini, and others who need to solve the horrific Whitechapel murders !
One of my favourite reads this year, highly recommended !!

>125 bryanoz:

I also liked Wonderstruck.
Ever since I read it I've wanted to see the Panarama of the City of New York model at the Queens Museum.

See http://www.queensmuseum.org/2013/10/panorama-of-the-city-of-new-york

Thanks Nancy, long way for us to see it, maybe one day.
Hope you got some reading done over Xmas and get a solid start for 2018 !

111. Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari :)

112. Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse :)

Well that wraps up my reading for 2017 ; 112 books averaging 384 pages.

My main challenge was to read plenty of my own books that have been waiting for years, only managed 12, and with the plethora of library books that have accumulated over the last 2 weeks my "Random" challenge will be off to a slow start.
It is all reading so no real problems, bring on 2018 !

Favourite reads for 2017.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

Behind The Scenes at The Museum by Kate Atkinson.

The Midnight Gang by David Walliams.

The Good People by Hannah Kent.

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey.

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Tolz.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

Sapiens and Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari.

La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman.

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss.

Congrats on 112! I didn't do well with my books-off-my-shelf challenge either (10 total). Better luck next year!

Thanks Jen, and thanks for setting up the 2018 group, I’ll be over there soon, Happy New Year !