All About Books discussion

My reading so far this year; the number of books has been bumped up by a collection of small nature books (of around 30 pages) that I read early in the year. There have been some large and dense books mixed in through the year though. I think it will take a few sessions to add in all this year's books; currently up to book 63...

January 2014

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
2. Christmas Books by Charles Dickens
3. We'll Always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury
4. Capital by John Lanchester
5. Sand Martins by Ann Lolley
6. The Sparrowhawk by Ian Newton
7. The Lapwing by Peter Weaver
8. Observations of Wildlife by Peter Markham Scott
9. The Avocet by David Hill
10. Birds, Beasts, and Relatives by Gerald Durrell
11. Wildfowl by David Cabot
12. 1984 by George Orwell
13. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

February 2014

14. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday
15. My Year With The Woodpeckers by Heinz Sielmann
16. Pocket Guide To The Butterflies Of Great Britain And Ireland by Richard Lewington
17. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
18. The Ark's Anniversary by Gerald Durrell
19. A Year In The Merde by Stephen Clarke
20. The Dipper by Stephanie J. Tyler
21. The Planets by Dava Sobel
22. Slaughterhouse Five or the Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut
23. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall by Spike Milligan
24. The Hittites by Oliver Robert Gurney

March 2014

25. 'Rommel?' 'Gunner Who?': A Confrontation in the Desert by Spike Milligan
26. The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
27. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
28. The Life and Death of St Kilda by Tom Steel
29. Monty: His Part in My Victory by Spike Milligan

April 2014

30. The First Emperor by Jane Portal
31. A Zoo in my Luggage by Gerald Durrell
32. Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey
33. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
34. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
35. England's Constable by Joseph Darracott

May 2014

36. Solar by Ian McEwan
37. The Pianist by Władysław Szpilman
38. The Science of Ant Communication: A Discussion of How Ants Talk to Each Other by Pamela Paterson
39. Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne
40. Nikola Tesla: Imagination and the Man That Invented the 20th Century by Sean Patrick
41. Water Voles by Rob Strachan

June 2014

42. Hedges by E. Pollard
43. Hannibal: Enemy of Rome by Ben Kane
44. Sahara by Michael Palin
45. Zoo Quest to Guiana by David Attenborough
46. The Behaviour Of Moths by Poppy Adams
47. Fables of Aesop by Aesop
48. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
49. Medieval People by Eileen Power

Various reading as usual Paull! I've read some of your books - like Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - but most are unknown to me

Some good books there Paul! What did you think of Solar?

Paul wrote: "Some good books there Paul! What did you think of Solar?"

Didn't like as much as other of his books. What do you think Paul & Paul?

Thanks Laura and Paul. Solar was… pretty good but the main character was very unsympathetic.

July 2014

50. Bird Sounds And Their Meaning by Rosemary Jellis
51. On The Trail Of The Whale by Mark Carwardine
52. The Folio Book of Historical Mysteries edited by Ian Pindar
53. Old Farm Implements by Philip A. Wright
54. Devil Birds: The Life Of The Swift by Derek Bromhall
55. Papillon by Henri Charrière
56. A Single Swallow: Following An Epic Journey From South Africa To South Wales by Horatio Clare

August 2014

57. Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History by Giles Milton
58. Assyrian Sculpture by Julian Reade
59. Birds in a Cage by Derek Niemann
60. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
61. Private Lives of the Pharaohs: Unlocking the Secrets of Egyptian Royalty by Joyce A. Tyldesley
62. The Private Life Of Plants: A Natural History Of Plant Behaviour by David Attenborough

Oh so many books I would love to quiz you on, but I'll keep it to three: I would love to briefly hear what you thought of Capital, Slaughterhouse 5 and The Pianist!

Great selection of books Paul! I've read some of these, others I know I want to read ... you actually started off with two of my favourites, so that made me smile. And I too am working my way through Gerald Durrell's books (as you may remember) in order as time permits.

What was the one on Nikola Tesla like?

Jenny wrote: "Oh so many books I would love to quiz you on, but I'll keep it to three: I would love to briefly hear what you thought of Capital, Slaughterhouse 5 and The Pianist!"

Capital was excellent - not a type of book I might usually read but very good indeed.
Slaughterhouse 5 I wasn't sure what to make of, a little like Catch 22 I thought it felt like a classic but I didn't particularly enjoy it.
The Pianist was astonishing and horrific. It was difficult to read at points, knowing it was a true account but I was very glad I had.


Jean, the Nikola Tesla book was not very good, a lot of it was waffle about something or other about inspiration or something and the rest was very superficial.

Thanks for the heads-up Paul!

Jenny, Slaughterhouse-Five is a sort of time travel book, but also a satire. Billy Pilgrim, the main character, is sometimes in World War II and sometimes in various times in the future. He seems to say, "So it goes" a lot, because he knows what is going to happen a lot of the time.

Thank you Paul, Capital is on my list, but the last review I've read was making it sound like it should NOT be on my list. Good to know you've liked it.

And about Slaughterhouse: I had such high expectations (also I am born in Dresden, so somehow it felt 'personal') but it certainly wasn't my favorite Vonnegut who I like very much in general. I actually really prefered Catch 22, which I had read just prior, so maybe Slaughterhouse suffered a little in comparison.

Jean, sorry to have mislead you, I did read Slaughterhouse, but I love your synopsis!! So thank you anyhow!

Ah - I've just realised I "read that into" your comment Jenny. Sorry. You know, I had never previously connected those two novels, but it sounds as though you both did!

September:

63. Masterpieces of the British Museum by J.D. Hill
64. Cutting Away: The Linocuts of Robert Gillmor
65. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

Paulfozz wrote: "September:

63. Masterpieces of the British Museum by J.D. Hill
64. Cutting Away: The Linocuts of Robert Gillmor
65. A Clash of Kings b..."

Did you like Martin'saga? I was surprised, but I have to say that I did!

You need to type slower Laura. ;-) I did like it but there's too much information and too many characters! I struggle to remember what's going on!

66. Seldom Seen by Sarah Ridgard

It's mostly a problem of sight: wearing contac lenses for shortsightness, I don't see well little characters with my tablet and smartphne!!! I should find myself a pair of reading glasses!!!

You are great Paul, you really love books. I was just about to love books, can you recommend a book for a new beginner book reader like me? Please.. ^ ^ It seems like all the books you have read are interesting to read.

Aw thanks Ritchel. I really don't know what to suggest as your to-read books are so different to the books I tend to read - you may not like any of the books I do.

Your welcome Paul. I read any kinds of books so maybe i will love those too :)Do you Read Fiction? I love that kind of Book to. ^^ If you know one please give the title.

Can't really think of anything!

Another couple finished:

67. Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life Of The Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey
68. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Dry Store Room was excellent, but though I found Cold Comfort Farm quite good it wasn't really my kind of book and not having read the books it parodies (the books of Mary Webb, I think) I didn't really get much of the humour that was supposedly there. Without that point of reference it was quite a sad book really - I felt the same about Voltaire's Candide; I didn't get the humour so found it quite depressing.

69. The Red Quest: Travels Through 22 Countries of the Former Soviet Union by Jason Smart
70. The Great Court and The British Museum by Robert H. Anderson

71. The Rosetta Stone by Richard Parkinson
72. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Paulfozz wrote: "71. The Rosetta Stone by Richard Parkinson
72. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens"

Ooh, I love Oliver Twist! Hope you enjoyed it too :)

Leslie wrote: "Paulfozz wrote: "71. The Rosetta Stone by Richard Parkinson
72. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens"

Ooh, I love Oliver Twist! Hope you enj..."

Definitly one of my favourite Dickens!

It was very good! Fortunately it was many, many years since I saw 'Oliver' and as I'm not a fan of musicals I didn't really remember any of the plot, except for a few tiny aspects.

73. Egypt Revealed: Artist Travellers in an Antique Land by T.G.H. James
74. The Herring Gull's World by Nikolaas Tinbergen

75. Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell

That's my 2014 challenge met! 75 books, 19077 pages, an average of 254 pages per book; the shortest just 24 pages, the longest 911 pages.

Well done Paul

Congratulations!

Well done.

Thanks Alannah, dely and Paul. :-)

Well done Paul - and with a month to spare too :)

Thanks Jean. Early on I changed the number to either 85 or 90, but later decided to drop it back to 75 as I thought that was plenty high enough; I was starting to just churn through books without enjoying them, which was why I initially wasn't going to set a challenge this year. I'm unsure about setting one next year for that reason, but I imagine I still will!

I didn't set mine until about June, but think it's better for me not to have a number next year as it really doesn't suit my way of reading, to be conscious of it. May change my mind though ...

Congrats Paul! Now the rest of the year is bonus reading :D

Thanks Leslie. :-)

That's exactly how I feel Jean; when I set a challenge I can't stop thinking about it and tend to zoom through books just to get them over and done with, and with my desire to bring down my to-read pile that has led to reading some books far too quickly. It's a shame you can't opt out of the challenges really - every time you come to the site you see that box demanding that you set up a challenge.

I know! *memo to self - have to be strong* LOL!

:-)

Two more I've read:

76. Chelmsford: A History by David Jones
77. A Naturalist At Home by Roy Pitman

78. Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson

Paulfozz wrote: "78. Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson"

:D

Paulfozz wrote: "78. Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson"

I have to read something by him

LauraT wrote: "Paulfozz wrote: "78. Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson"

I have to read something by him"

She writes very well; it's the first of her books that I have read but really liked it.

Finn Family Moomintroll is one of the three or four childhood books that I have toted around with me and reread periodically. I still notice the color of the first butterfly I see in spring because of this book!

Lovely when books affect you that way Leslie, to heighten your awareness of some aspect of the world.

79. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Paulfozz wrote: "Lovely when books affect you that way Leslie, to heighten your awareness of some aspect of the world."

Indeed!

80. Germany: Memories of a Nation by Neil MacGregor

Greg wrote: "Paulfozz wrote: "Lovely when books affect you that way Leslie, to heighten your awareness of some aspect of the world."

Indeed!"

Recent research shows that people who read a lot score better on tests of empathy and awareness than those who don't (rather than the stereotype that readers are antisocial loners). Finally a justification for my addiction!

I read that too Robin - in fact I listened to a radio special on one of the scientific studies linking reading and empathy on public radio. It was fascinating!

Robin wrote: "Recent research shows that people who read a lot score better on tests of empathy and awareness than those who don't (rather than the stereotype that readers are antisocial loners). Finally a justification for my addiction! "

Not sure that I do my bit in repudiating that stereotype Robin as I do tend to be a bit of a introverted lone wolf at times. However, at other times I'll happily chat with strangers, like the people I meet when walking along the river, some of the volunteers in my local Oxfam shop or the lady I spent some time talking with in the Germany exhibition at the British Museum recently.

Next book read, though just a short one:

81. The Sutton Hoo Helmet by Sonja Marzinzik