50-Book Challenge 2009: Books 41-50.

[phoebesmum]

Books 1-10
Books 11-20
Books 21-30
Books 31-40

I just barely scraped through my fiftieth book this year, which is a bit shameful - especially given the number of children's books and rereads on the list - but I blame it on the numerous things that I started reading and got bored with/got bogged down in/simply lost the will to live. Tragically,

Comments

[llamabitchyo]

I'd been wondering whether I want to buy Harrowing the Dragon. Hmm. I may be better served by just re-reading a few other McKillips. I think I want a taste of why I used to love her so, more than anything else.

[phoebesmum]

Well, Harrowing the Dragon should be good for giving you tasters, since it's all short fiction. If you can pick up a cheap used copy, I'd say go for it.

[ngaio]

The Deric Longden books vary - Diana's Story and Lost For Words are funny and depressing in turns, definitely not to be read on a rainy day! Play on Words is possibly my favourite but his most recent (which I've forgotten the title of) is a bit meh, and uses material he'd already put in previous books.

[phoebesmum]

I don't think I can be having with the ones about boring people, especially as I have vague misgivings about the way he uses his dying first wife, his senile mother and his blind second wife as material. It all seems faintly exploitative. As it was I felt a bit ew-ey whenever he started going on about how sexy Aileen is (or was). Uxoriousness is all very nice, but some things are better kept behind closed doors. I thought the second of his books I read was pretty blah, and smacked of 'I've got a deadline, what've I got that I can re-use?' With regard to his latest stuff, I believe he's been ill - and he must be knocking on a bit now.

But I'm still faintly amused at finding out he's only a couple of degrees of separation away from me.