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What books are you reading or planning to read this year?

I have set my target to 190 again. Finished 9 so far and just started The Wee Free Men by the late great Terry Pratchett

Did you manage that target last year, Paul?

Exceeded it by getting to 204 books in the end, Pat

Excellent.

Wow! That's pretty impressive. I've set mine to 12 as I really felt out reading the past few years so I figure one a month is fair!

As long as you're reading the quantity is irrelevant

I’ve set a target of 45 because I didn’t reach 50 as planned last year. I missed it by 3! So I figure I’ll aim for 45 but hopefully make it to 50. I’ve so far finished 3 this year and I’m currently on my new Terry Pratchett short story collection, which is going quickly, and I’ve this week picked up the next 2 books for book group: The God of Small Things, and East of Eden

Terry Pratchett yeah! I could not get on with The God of Small Things.

Just recently I was talking to a friend about The God of Small Things, she really didn't get on with it. I've not read it. ... Sorry to be negative before you start it Toyah.

I plan to read East of Eden soon, it's been on my shelf a while and that I have heard good things about.

I’ve just started The God of Small Things and I’m already not sure! I’ll probably persevere as I’m only a couple of pages in.

I've actually just been on Skype with the friend who told me about it, she mentioned it again, apparently there are too many different points of view. Maybe you'll get on better with it. ... good luck

Half way through, Stealing with the Eyes: Imaginings and Incantations in Indonesia and really enjoying it so far

I had a couple of days before starting a new book club read so wanted to read something quick and gripping � and ended up with some unmitigated trash: The Girlfriend by Michelle Francis. Honestly just the most dreadful book I've read in ages: full of cliches, bad writing, terrible snobbery and the most hateful characters. Should have been a DNF but unfortunately my 'must finish books' tendency kicked in, along with a perverse desire to see what happened at the end.

The only positive is that it's been on my Kindle for ages so it counts as a dusty book. Now to find something much better to read.

So The God of Small Things is failing to hold my attention and my Terry Pratchett collection keeps calling me. I may end up with my first DNF of the year. Book group is this Saturday and I’m moving tomorrow so it’s highly unlikely it’ll get finished!

Sorry to hear you're not getting on with it. I don’t DNF much but when I do it tends to be a real relief, there are so many good books waiting to be read.

I'm trying not to focus on the TP part of your comment, it will only start mine calling to me and I have plenty to be reading at the moment!

I hope the move goes well.

About 1/3 of the way through Spinning Silver. It is not quite as good as Uprooted, but is good so far.

I’m currently reading a few books for my book groups. The biggest being East of Eden. I’m about halfway. I’ve also got The Drowned World to start today. And The Island of Doctor Moreau for after East of Eden. I put Terry Pratchett to one side for now to make headway with East of Eden.

I’m returning to Tess of The D’Urbervilles. I do this every few years. Dusty shelf challenge encouraged me as this copy has been on shelf, unread, for years. I keep getting rid of fiction books as I can get from library. However my beloved still re buys me this if he sees I haven’t got it on shelf. So it’s been waiting since a few months after last time I read it.
Chapter 2 and I’m entranced once more. Reminding me that each time I read it I read something else I never noticed before. Only this book does this for me. I don’t re read books as I have enough to want to read that I’ve never got round to. Tess is the exception. I expect we all have books, or a book, like that.

Reading exactly what you want without any pressure or obligations is the best way to read. I have never read any Hardy. He lived around the corner from me in Wimborne for a short period of his life.

I love Hardy, only because we did Tess at school. If we hadn’t I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed his books. Luckily we had a good teacher. We live close to St Juliot church where he met his first wife. Lovely, simple, church. My family hate it as so simple ( they said typical Victorian simplicity). That’s why I love it. Lovely area too.

I did the Dorchester and so on trail years ago when our family were in Dorset on hols. We were told at school that Wessex never really existed until Thomas Hardy made up the name for his area of writing ( Thomas Hardy’s Wessex). Not sure if this true. Great story if so though. Like Westward Ho!

According to Wikipedia it is made up. Loosely based on Anglo Saxon kingdom of same name and similar area. However he expanded and decreased in size the area as he wished. I love it that literature can make up names and everyone then believes them to have always been. Fab.

I hope everyone is well and that those who, like me, are staying at home are keeping occupied. I predict lots of reading over the next couple of months.

I'm still making slow progress with East of Eden, I plan to finish it by the end of the month.

I'm also reading some short stories, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, most of which I'm really enjoying.

Today I should be finishing The Well of Ascension, the 2nd of the Mistborn trilogy, which I am also really enjoying.

Just tired this week. Lockdown comes as we are moving factories so have been at work all week so far.

Started Ghost Town: A Liverpool Shadowplay last night and am really enjoying it so far. Liverpool is a city that I have been past but never to.

Went to university in Liverpool so very fond of the city.

After trying and failing to read a very literary book for book club (which obviously didn't meet anyway in the end), I have accepted I need comfort reading right now that is not so challenging, so am on Shardlake #3, Sovereign

Hope everyone is well and safe.

Take care of yourself and family, Lisa

Shardlake, now there's a treat.

My book group would have met next Tuesday, we have our book so we're going to do email comments instead. It also means we'll each have to provide our own tea and cake!

This month's book is The Outrun by Amy Liptrot, I plan to start it tomorrow. Early comments I'm hearing are that it's well written but a bit depressing. Maybe not the ideal read for right now.

I liked The Outrun, Becky. It is a bit grim to begin with but does get better