Reading List 2019 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Read Around The World and Other Challenges

[Matchbox]

The list continues.


1: El Ingenioso Hildalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes. A man reads so many stories about great knights that he goes a little mad and decides he HAS to be one.

2: Río Subterráneo (Underground River) by Inés Arredondo. A book of short stories.

3: Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Get A Life by Maureen McCarthy. Three girls from a small country town have very little in common, but share a house in the city as they start university. Carmel is shy, overweight and needs with all her soul to be anywhere that isn’t the family farm. Jude lives with her dead father’s ghost and is totally okay with that, thanks. Katerina is rich, beautiful, ambitious and thinks she’ll be just fine...until she’s not.

4: Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis. The author’s account of life as one of the very, VERY early fighter pilots with the Royal Flying Corps, over the Western Front in WW1. You would have to be insane to do this. He makes it sound wildly poetic, he writes extremely well, but you’d have to be mad. Who would accept a life expectancy of three weeks, in a plane held together by canvas and wishes, where they give you a pistol instead of a parachute because if anything goes wrong whilst you’re up there all you’re going to be able to do about it is shoot yourself in the head immediately to save time? Madness.

[Kitinboots]

1. The Tattooist of Aushchwitz - Heather Morris : Follows the story of Lale as he enters Auschwitz-Birkenau and becomes the tattooist. Overall, surprisingly lighter then I expected with moments that made me want to cry in horror.
2 Blindsighted - Karin Slaughter: Murder mystery set in Georgia.
3. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Holly Black: vampires, interesting and fun if a little predictable
4. The Home for Unwanted Girls - Joanna Goodman
5. Tempests and Slaughter - Tamora Pierce
6. Kisscut - Karin Slaughter

[Matchbox]

1. The Tattooist of Aushchwitz - Heather Morris : Follows the story of Lale as he enters Auschwitz-Birkenau and becomes the tattooist. Overall, surprisingly lighter then I expected with moments that made me want to cry in horror

Would you recommend this?



The list continues.


1: El Ingenioso Hildalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes. A man reads so many stories about great knights that he goes a little mad and decides he HAS to be one.

2: Río Subterráneo (Underground River) by Inés Arredondo. A book of short stories.

3: Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Get A Life by Maureen McCarthy. Three girls from a small country town have very little in common, but share a house in the city as they start university. Carmel is shy, overweight and needs with all her soul to be anywhere that isn’t the family farm. Jude lives with her dead father’s ghost and is totally okay with that, thanks. Katerina is rich, beautiful, ambitious and thinks she’ll be just fine...until she’s not.

4: Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis. The author’s account of life as one of the very, VERY early fighter pilots with the Royal Flying Corps, over the Western Front in WW1.

5: The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters. A monk falls from the roof of Shrewsbury Abbey. The accident leaves him so shattered that no one thinks he can possibly live, so he makes a deathbed confession seeking absolution for the death of a young girl he once loved. But Haluin DOES live, and insists he has penance to do to make this right. Fifteenth of the Cadfael books.

6: La Villa (I’m not sure how to translate this exactly...maybe The Slum or Shantytown) by César Aira. Maxi is strong as a bull, but not so bright, and for lack of any other real purpose this solidly middle class boy spends his time helping the trash pickers of a Buenos Aires shantytown. A corrupt, trigger-happy policeman can’t figure him out, and eventually pins the blame on him for a drug ring operating out of the slum’s heart.

[Matchbox]

The list continues.


1: El Ingenioso Hildalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes. A man reads so many stories about great knights that he goes a little mad and decides he HAS to be one.

2: Río Subterráneo (Underground River) by Inés Arredondo. A book of short stories.

3: Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Get A Life by Maureen McCarthy. Three girls from a small country town have very little in common, but share a house in the city as they start university. Carmel is shy, overweight and needs with all her soul to be anywhere that isn’t the family farm. Jude lives with her dead father’s ghost and is totally okay with that, thanks. Katerina is rich, beautiful, ambitious and thinks she’ll be just fine...until she’s not.

4: Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis. The author’s account of life as one of the very, VERY early fighter pilots with the Royal Flying Corps, over the Western Front in WW1.

5: The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters. A monk falls from the roof of Shrewsbury Abbey. The accident leaves him so shattered that no one thinks he can possibly live, so he makes a deathbed confession seeking absolution for the death of a young girl he once loved. Fifteenth of the Cadfael books.

6: La Villa (Shantytown) by César Aira. Maxi is strong as a bull, but not so bright, and for lack of any other real purpose this solidly middle class boy spends his time helping the trash pickers of a Buenos Aires shantytown. A corrupt, trigger-happy policeman can’t figure him out, and eventually pins the blame on him for a drug ring operating out of the slum’s heart.

7: El Cielo Árido (The Arid Sky) by Emiliano Monge. Interesting structure, but it didn’t entirely grab me. Not surprised, since if this reminds me of anyone it’s probably Cormac McCarthy, and Cormac McCarthy doesn’t often grab me in English either.

8: Cafe Scheherazade by Arnold Zable. A collection that might be short stories, or they might be a memoir...he says it’s fiction, but if it is then the layer of fiction laid over truth must be very, very thin. Scheherazade was a real place. I went there many times. I knew both Masha and Avram when I was younger, which makes this quite strange to read.

[Kitinboots]

Matchbox: I'm torn on whether to recommend it. It's not amazing, but it is an interesting story from a different viewpoint. I would recommend it as an option for someone in school looking for a book report or to read during a holocaust section.

7. A Faint Cold Fear - Karin Slaughter
8. Indelible - Karin Slaughter
9. Faithless - Karin Slaughter: This is the second to last book in the series and I can see why. Not the author's best series (series: Grant County) and I would not recommend it but am strangely committed to finishing them all.

[Wild*Rose]

1. Girl Wash Your Face- Rachel Hollis
2. Red War- Vince Flynn
3. The Indifferent Stars Above-Daniel James Brown

[Matchbox]

The list continues.


1: El Ingenioso Hildalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes. A man reads so many stories about great knights that he goes a little mad and decides he HAS to be one.

2: Río Subterráneo (Underground River) by Inés Arredondo. A book of short stories.

3: Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Get A Life by Maureen McCarthy. Three girls from a small country town have very little in common, but share a house in the city as they start university. Carmel is shy, overweight and needs with all her soul to be anywhere that isn’t the family farm. Jude lives with her dead father’s ghost and is totally okay with that, thanks. Katerina is rich, beautiful, ambitious and thinks she’ll be just fine...until she’s not.

4: Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis. The author’s account of life as one of the very, VERY early fighter pilots with the Royal Flying Corps, over the Western Front in WW1.

5: The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters. A monk falls from the roof of Shrewsbury Abbey. The accident leaves him so shattered that no one thinks he can possibly live, so he makes a deathbed confession seeking absolution for the death of a young girl he once loved. Fifteenth of the Cadfael books.

6: La Villa (Shantytown) by César Aira. Maxi is strong as a bull, but not so bright, and for lack of any other real purpose this solidly middle class boy spends his time helping the trash pickers of a Buenos Aires shantytown. A corrupt, trigger-happy policeman can’t figure him out, and eventually pins the blame on him for a drug ring operating out of the slum’s heart.

7: El Cielo Árido (The Arid Sky) by Emiliano Monge. Interesting structure, but it didn’t entirely grab me. Not surprised, since if this reminds me of anyone it’s probably Cormac McCarthy, and Cormac McCarthy doesn’t often grab me in English either.

8: Cafe Scheherazade by Arnold Zable. A collection that might be short stories, or they might be a memoir...he says it’s fiction, but if it is then the layer of fiction laid over truth must be very, very thin.

9: The Odyssey as translated by Emily Wilson. I have fond memories of hearing scraps from the Odyssey as a child - my grandfather used to tell parts of it to us as bedtime stories. This is a wonderful, easy to read translation. Let me tell you about a complicated man...

10: Eva Luna by Isabel Allende. There is a storyteller. She is the story. Allende wrote a collection of short stories that link to this as well (framed as stories told BY Eva) but for my life I can’t remember where I put my copy!

[Matchbox]

The list continues.


1: El Ingenioso Hildalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes. A man reads so many stories about great knights that he goes a little mad and decides he HAS to be one.

2: Río Subterráneo (Underground River) by Inés Arredondo. A book of short stories.

3: Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Get A Life by Maureen McCarthy. Three girls from a small country town have very little in common, but share a house in the city as they start university. Carmel is shy, overweight and needs with all her soul to be anywhere that isn’t the family farm. Jude lives with her dead father’s ghost and is totally okay with that, thanks. Katerina is rich, beautiful, ambitious and thinks she’ll be just fine...until she’s not.

4: Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis. The author’s account of life as one of the very, VERY early fighter pilots with the Royal Flying Corps, over the Western Front in WW1.

5: The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters. A monk falls from the roof of Shrewsbury Abbey. The accident leaves him so shattered that no one thinks he can possibly live, so he makes a deathbed confession seeking absolution for the death of a young girl he once loved. Fifteenth of the Cadfael books.

6: La Villa (Shantytown) by César Aira. Maxi is strong as a bull, but not so bright, and for lack of any other real purpose this solidly middle class boy spends his time helping the trash pickers of a Buenos Aires shantytown. A corrupt, trigger-happy policeman can’t figure him out, and eventually pins the blame on him for a drug ring operating out of the slum’s heart.

7: El Cielo Árido (The Arid Sky) by Emiliano Monge. Interesting structure, but it didn’t entirely grab me. Not surprised, since if this reminds me of anyone it’s probably Cormac McCarthy, and Cormac McCarthy doesn’t often grab me in English either.

8: Cafe Scheherazade by Arnold Zable. A collection that might be short stories, or they might be a memoir...he says it’s fiction, but if it is then the layer of fiction laid over truth must be very, very thin.

9: The Odyssey as translated by Emily Wilson. Let me tell you about a complicated man...

10: Eva Luna by Isabel Allende. There is a storyteller. She is the story.

11: The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht. What? Matchbox is reading magical realism that ISN’T from South America?!

12: The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. An English village begins to realise that there’s something wrong with their children...

[Matchbox]

The list continues.


1: El Ingenioso Hildalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes. A man reads so many stories about great knights that he goes a little mad and decides he HAS to be one.

2: Río Subterráneo (Underground River) by Inés Arredondo. A book of short stories.

3: Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Get A Life by Maureen McCarthy. Three girls from a small country town have very little in common, but share a house in the city as they start university. Carmel is shy, overweight and needs with all her soul to be anywhere that isn’t the family farm. Jude lives with her dead father’s ghost and is totally okay with that, thanks. Katerina is rich, beautiful, ambitious and thinks she’ll be just fine...until she’s not.

4: Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis. The author’s account of life as one of the very, VERY early fighter pilots with the Royal Flying Corps, over the Western Front in WW1.

5: The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters. A monk falls from the roof of Shrewsbury Abbey. The accident leaves him so shattered that no one thinks he can possibly live, so he makes a deathbed confession seeking absolution for the death of a young girl he once loved. Fifteenth of the Cadfael books.

6: La Villa (Shantytown) by César Aira. Maxi is strong as a bull, but not so bright, and for lack of any other real purpose this solidly middle class boy spends his time helping the trash pickers of a Buenos Aires shantytown. A corrupt, trigger-happy policeman can’t figure him out, and eventually pins the blame on him for a drug ring operating out of the slum’s heart.

7: El Cielo Árido (The Arid Sky) by Emiliano Monge. Interesting structure, but it didn’t entirely grab me. Not surprised, since if this reminds me of anyone it’s probably Cormac McCarthy, and Cormac McCarthy doesn’t often grab me in English either.

8: Cafe Scheherazade by Arnold Zable. A collection that might be short stories, or they might be a memoir...he says it’s fiction, but if it is then the layer of fiction laid over truth must be very, very thin.

9: The Odyssey as translated by Emily Wilson. Let me tell you about a complicated man...

10: Eva Luna by Isabel Allende. There is a storyteller. She is the story.

11: The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht. What? Matchbox is reading magical realism that ISN’T from South America?!

12: The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. An English village begins to realise that there’s something wrong with their children...

13: The Heretic’s Apprentice by Ellis Peters. A pilgrim returning from Jerusalem arrives in Shrewsbury to some very serious charges of heresy. Sixteenth of the Cadfael books.

14: The White Mouse by Nancy Wake. An autobiography of a French Resistance fighter who for a while topped the Gestapo’s most-wanted list

15: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Because it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife...

[Kitinboots]

It's been a while.

10. Beyond Reach - Karin Slaughter
11. Brave New Girl - Rachel Vincent
12. Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate: I really enjoyed this book
13. Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell
14. Garden of Stones - Sophie Littlefield: Story about an american girl of Japanese heritage during WW2 and the Japanese Internment camp. I thought it was an interesting read but was overall disappointed with the book. I enjoyed the start but then it felt like the author dove into unnecessary drama that distracted from the underlying horror and story of life in the Camp.