Word Scribbler Reading Challenge - Week 35/36

Welcome to week 36 of my 52 book reading challenge (1 book per week for a year).

This week:

35. A book with a one-word title.
36. A book set in the countryside.

~~~

Book Blurb - Remainder by Tom McCarthy

Traumatised by an accident which involves something falling from the sky and leaves him eight and a half million pounds richer but hopelessly estranged from the world around him, Remainder's hero spends his time and money obsessively reconstructing and re-enacting vaguely remembered scenes and situations from his past: a large building with piano music in the distance, the familiar smells and sounds of liver frying and spluttering, lethargic cats lounging on roofs until they tumble off them...But when this fails to quench his thirst for authenticity, he starts reconstructing more and more violent events, as his repetition addiction spirals out of control.

A darkly comic meditation on memory, identify and history, Remainder is a parable for modern times.

You can read more about Remainder in my September Book Haul update here

AmazonUK  AmazonUS 

~~~

Book Blurb - The House at Riverton by Kate Morton


Summer 1924

On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.

Winter 1999

Grace Bradley, ninety-eight, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and old memories - long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind - begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge, something history has forgotten but Grace never could.

Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.

AmazonUK  AmazonUS 

~~~

If you want to join in with my reading challenge you can read the same book as me (info/purchase links are on the right), or choose from your own book collection or local library/bookshop. If you do want to join in please leave a comment below this blog post with the book you're reading and/or tweet your chosen book tagging me @word_scribbler . Share this blog post with other readers, tell them what book you're currently reading and discover new books to read :) 

1. A book with 'Winter' in the title.  I READ Winter Wonderland by Belinda Jones. REVIEW
2. A book set on or by the sea/ocean.  I READ The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen. REVIEW
3. A book with a red cover.  I READ Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong . 
4. A book with a colour in the title. I LISTENED TO the audiobook of The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner (read by Tom Hiddleston!) :) 
5. A book with 'Love' in the title. I READ A Very Accidental Love Story by Claudia Carroll. 
6. A book that has been made into a movie or tv show. I READ Insurgent by Veronica Roth AND Paper Towns by John Green.
7. A book recommended by a friend. I READ Looking for Alaska by John Green.
8. A book set in a place you want to visit. I READ The Apartment in Rome by Penny Feeny AND The Travelling Tea Shop by Belinda Jones.
9. A classic. I READ Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.
10. A book set in a city. I READ A Week In December by Sebastian Faulks.
11. A book with an orange cover. I READ Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
12. A book with 'Spring' in the title. I READ Promises of Spring by Jenny Lane.
13. A memoir / autobiography or similar. I READ On Writing by Stephen King.
14. A book written by a UK author. I READ Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. 
15. A collection of short stories. I READ LOL (a romantic comedy anthology).
16. A book with food in the title. I READ Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher.
17. A book set in your favourite place. I READ Paris for One by Jojo Moyes.
18. A book your mum loves. I READ Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
19. A book with a yellow cover. I READ Catch Me If You Cannes by Lisa Dickenson.
20. A trilogy. I READ The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.
21. A book with 'Summer' in the title. I READ A Summer to Remember by Victoria Connelly.
22. A book with a music industry theme/musician character. I READ Made in Nashville by Mandy Baggot.
23. A book that was originally written in a different language. I READ The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain.
24. A book everyone has read but you. I READ Allegiant by Veronica Roth.
25. A book where the main character has your dream job. I READ The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon.
26. A book with a green cover. I READ Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
27. A book set in France. I READ When I Fall in Love by Miranda Dickinson.
28. A book with a film industry theme/character. I READ I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk.
29. A book set in your hometown. I READ Poppyland by Raffaella Barker.
30. A book by one of your favourite authors. I READ The Choice by Nicholas Sparks.
31. A book set in Italy. I READ The Wife Who Ran Away by Tess Stimson.
32. A book with a blue cover. I READ Soulmates by Holly Bourne.
33. A book set in London. I READ The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London #1).
34. A book about a road trip/journey. I READ The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara.
35. A book with a one-word title. I'M READING Remainder by Tom McCarthy.
36. A book set in the countryside. I'M READING The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.
37. A book with 'Autumn' in the title.
38. A book with a purple cover.
39. A book set in New York.
40. A book with a number in the title.
41. A book with an animal on the cover.
42. A 'banned book'.
43. A book that was published the year you were born.
44. A book set in Los Angeles. 
45. A book with a black and white cover.
46. A book with 'Chocolate' in the title.
47. A book published this year.
48. A book set at Christmas time.
49. A book by an author with the same first name as you.
50. A book with snow on the cover.
51. A book you learned about because of this challenge.
52. Reread your favourite book.

My chosen books for weeks 35 and 36 are -  Remainder by Tom McCarthy AND The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.

What are you reading for weeks 35 and 36? 

35. A book with a one-word title.
36. A book set in the countryside.

I'd love some recommendations for my 'to read' list :)

September Book Haul

This blog is not just a book blog (although most posts are about books) and I've never done a Book Haul blog post until now. Most of the books I've been reading for my reading challenge have been books I already own or library books. Over the last month or so I've treated myself to purchasing 4 books :)

There's a book turned movie theme...

High-rise by J.G. Ballard

This has been made into a movie starring Tom Hiddleston and Sienna Miller. It is screening at London Film Festival on 9th October.

Book Synopsis

Within the concealing walls of an elegant forty-storey tower block, the affluent tenants are hell-bent on an orgy of destruction. Cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on ‘enemy’ floors and the once-luxurious amenities become an arena for riots and technological mayhem.

In this visionary tale of urban disillusionment from the renowned author of ‘Crash’ and ‘Cocaine Nights’, society slips into a violent reverse as the isolated inhabitants of the high-rise, driven by primal urges, create a dystopian world ruled by the laws of the jungle.

AmazonUK  AmazonUS 

Remainder by Tom McCarthy

This has been made into a movie starring Tom Sturridge. It is premiering at London Film Festival on 10th October.

Book Synopsis

Traumatised by an accident which involves something falling from the sky and leaves him eight and a half million pounds richer but hopelessly estranged from the world around him, Remainder's hero spends his time and money obsessively reconstructing and re-enacting vaguely remembered scenes and situations from his past: a large building with piano music in the distance, the familiar smells and sounds of liver frying and spluttering, lethargic cats lounging on roofs until they tumble off them...But when this fails to quench his thirst for authenticity, he starts reconstructing more and more violent events, as his repetition addiction spirals out of control.

A darkly comic meditation on memory, identify and history, Remainder is a parable for modern times.

AmazonUK  AmazonUS 

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

From the same author as Gone Girl, this has also been made into a film starring Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult and Chloe Grace Moretz.

Book Synopsis

Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother behind bars.

Since then, she has been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben's innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her borther's? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back?

She begins to realise that everyone in her family had something to hide that day... especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find.

Who did massacre the Day family?

AmazonUK  AmazonUS

Four by Veronica Roth

This is a collection of short stories about Tobias/Four from the Divergent books/films.

Book Synopsis

Two years before Beatrice Prior makes her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation's faction leader does the same. Tobias's transfer to Dauntless is his chance to begin again. Newly renamed 'Four' he discovers that initiation is only the beginning...

Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. And his decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future - and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to act but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

AmazonUK  AmazonUS

~~~

Have you read any of these books? Are you looking forward to the film versions? 

Word Scribbler Reading Challenge - Week 33/34

Welcome to week 34 of my 52 book reading challenge (1 book per week for a year).

This week:

33. A book set in London.
34. A book about a road trip/journey.

Book Blurb - The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London #0.5)

*This is a mini prequel to the series and only 86 pages long*

On a cold night, Stephen Dene goes to the Eton boathouse to perform a desperate act. But someone stops him along the way, sending his life in a new and decidedly strange direction, leading him to London, to two new friends and to a world of shadows and mystery.

~~~

Book Blurb - The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London #1)

*I'm fascinated by the Jack the Ripper mystery and love the tv shows Ripper Street and Whitechapel, so to read it in fiction is perfect :) *

Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux flies to London for the start of a new life at boarding school. But her arrival is overshadowed by a sudden outbreak of brutal murders, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific work of Jack the Ripper.

'Rippermania' grabs hold of London, and the police are stumped with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory has seen their prime suspect on the school grounds. But her friend Jazza didn't see anyone.

So why could only Rory see him? And what is he planning to do next?

~~~

Book Blurb - The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara.


*I've owned this book for ages. I'm looking forward to finally reading this!*

In January 1952, two young men from Buenos Aires set out to explore South America on 'La Poderosa', the Powerful One: a 500cc Norton. One of them was the twenty-three-year-old Che Guevara.

Written eight years before the Cuban Revolution, these are Che's diaries -- full of disasters and discoveries, high drama, low comedy and laddish improvisations. During his travels through Argentina, Chile, Peru and Venezuela, Che's main concerns are where the next drink is coming from, where the next bed is to be found and who might be around to share it.

Within a decade the whole world would know his name. His trip might have been an adventure of a lifetime -- had his lifetime not turned into a much greater adventure. 

If you want to join in with my reading challenge this week you can read the same book as me (info/purchase links are on the right), or choose from your own book collection or local library/bookshop. If you do want to join in please leave a comment below this blog post with the book you're reading and/or tweet your chosen book tagging me @word_scribbler . Share this blog post with other readers, tell them what book you're currently reading and discover new books to read :) 

1. A book with 'Winter' in the title.  I READ Winter Wonderland by Belinda Jones. REVIEW
2. A book set on or by the sea/ocean.  I READ The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen. REVIEW
3. A book with a red cover.  I READ Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong . 
4. A book with a colour in the title. I LISTENED TO the audiobook of The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner (read by Tom Hiddleston!) :) 
5. A book with 'Love' in the title. I READ A Very Accidental Love Story by Claudia Carroll. 
6. A book that has been made into a movie or tv show. I READ Insurgent by Veronica Roth AND Paper Towns by John Green.
7. A book recommended by a friend. I READ Looking for Alaska by John Green.
8. A book set in a place you want to visit. I READ The Apartment in Rome by Penny Feeny AND The Travelling Tea Shop by Belinda Jones.
9. A classic. I READ Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.
10. A book set in a city. I READ A Week In December by Sebastian Faulks.
11. A book with an orange cover. I READ Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
12. A book with 'Spring' in the title. I READ Promises of Spring by Jenny Lane.
13. A memoir / autobiography or similar. I READ On Writing by Stephen King.
14. A book written by a UK author. I READ Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. 
15. A collection of short stories. I READ LOL (a romantic comedy anthology).
16. A book with food in the title. I READ Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher.
17. A book set in your favourite place. I READ Paris for One by Jojo Moyes.
18. A book your mum loves. I READ Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
19. A book with a yellow cover. I READ Catch Me If You Cannes by Lisa Dickenson.
20. A trilogy. I READ The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.
21. A book with 'Summer' in the title. I READ A Summer to Remember by Victoria Connelly.
22. A book with a music industry theme/musician character. I READ Made in Nashville by Mandy Baggot.
23. A book that was originally written in a different language. I READ The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain.
24. A book everyone has read but you. I READ Allegiant by Veronica Roth.
25. A book where the main character has your dream job. I READ The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon.
26. A book with a green cover. I READ Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
27. A book set in France. I READ When I Fall in Love by Miranda Dickinson.
28. A book with a film industry theme/character. I READ I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk.
29. A book set in your hometown. I READ Poppyland by Raffaella Barker.
30. A book by one of your favourite authors. I READ The Choice by Nicholas Sparks.
31. A book set in Italy. I READ The Wife Who Ran Away by Tess Stimson.
32. A book with a blue cover. I READ Soulmates by Holly Bourne.
33. A book set in London. I'M READING The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London #1).
34. A book about a road trip/journey. I'M READING The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara.
35. A book with a one-word title.
36. A book set in the countryside.
37. A book with 'Autumn' in the title.
38. A book with a purple cover.
39. A book set in New York.
40. A book with a number in the title.
41. A book with an animal on the cover.
42. A 'banned book'.
43. A book that was published the year you were born.
44. A book set in Los Angeles.
45. A book with a black and white cover.
46. A book with 'Chocolate' in the title.
47. A book published this year.
48. A book set at Christmas time.
49. A book by an author with the same first name as you.
50. A book with snow on the cover.
51. A book you learned about because of this challenge.
52. Reread your favourite book.

My chosen books for weeks 33 and 34 are -  The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London #1) and The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara.

What are you reading for weeks 33 and 34? 

33. A book set in London.
34. A book about a road trip/journey.

I'd love some recommendations for my 'to read' list :)