So, I just finished my 50th book of the year: Five Go Down to the Sea by Enid Blyton. This also means I've finished the What's in a Name Challenge! Here's a quick round-up.

1. A book with a number in the title: THX 1138 - George Lucas 

This was absolutely excellent. Set in a dystopian world where sex and love are illegal, this is the novelisation of George Lucas' first film, 1971's THX 1138. It's obviously heavily influenced by Orwell and Huxley, but works equally well as a comment on humanity and individuality and was provocatively terrifying in much the same way that Fahrenheit 911 makes me feel breathless and claustrophic. The little details like the robotisation (word?) of religion and the holo-room really make this feel like a believable future. A very, very good read

2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamonds are Forever - Ian Fleming

 Fairly standard Bond novel - the most memorable thing about this is how much it reminded me of Fry and Laurie's sketch about Control and Tony. Here is Fry and Laurie's take on spies:

I can't find the text online, and I don't have the book with me, but if you ever get hold of it, compare the scene where Bond looks at diamonds with M to the above video. There's very little difference!

3. A book with a size in the title: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness - Brian O'Malley

I've already written a review for this book - it was okay, but I didn't like it as much as SP2. 

4. A book with travel or movement in the title: Five Go Down to the Sea - Enid Blyton

Oh, I love the Famous Five - this was made so much better by reading it in dirty voices in the pub.
'Dick blew up his tyre, sighed with relief, and put his pump away.' It just so happens that there are a lot of zips in this particularly story, which lead to a lot of tugging and pulling when they get stuck...

5. A book with evil in the title: Soulless - Gail Carriger

Again, I've already reviewed this - but this series was amazing.

6. A book with a life stage in the title: The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud - Ben Sherwood

 God, this was soppy and predictable. Not poorly written, and quite enjoyable, but not especially good. I'm certainly not fussed about seeing the film!

Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness

The third book in the Scott Pilgrim series was... just... lacking something. It might have been because I read it at midnight last night, when I was very tired (I wanted to get started on my challenges straightaway!)...
Or maybe it's because I watched the film the other day, and this volume is a lot more different to the film than the first two volumes, so I was just checking up on the differences rather than enjoy the storyline.

However, that being said, it was still the high-power, enjoyable Pilgrim ride I know and love. I loved the bulking out of Envy's part and the insight into her relationship with Scott, and there were some truly laugh-out-loud moments. I'm excited to get on with the next book in the series!


(Sorry for the lame-ass review, I'm tired)

 The What's in a Name 2011 Challenge

The rules are: read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a number in the title: I am Number Four - Pittacus Lore
2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamonds are Forever - Ian Fleming
3. A book with a size in the title: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness - Brian O'Malley
   
4. A book with travel or movement in the title: Exit, Pursued by a Badger - Nick Asbury
   
5. A book with evil in the title: Fallen - Lauren Kate
6. A book with a life stage in the title: The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud - Ben Sherwood
   

Remember how the other day I was dying for a long term challenge? Well I found one!

I'll be taking part in the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2011. I adore SF in all its forms, probably more than any other genre, and there's loads of it sitting on my shelf that I've been dying to read. The challenge is to read and review at least 12 Spec-Fic books over the course of 2011, and share them with the rest of the group (does anyone else forsee a problem in suddenly being told about loads of brilliant SF?? I can hear my student loan crying in anticipation). Between modern paranormal fiction, old 50s sci-fi, space opera, steampunk, fantasy and all the other mini-genres within SF, I think this should be one of the most entertaining challenges I've done...

If any of you think you might fancy this, head over to the sign-up post at Floor to Ceiling Books (which is a super book blog- just look at the photos of all the book shelves!)

I'm not going to make a definitive list of what I'm going to read (don't know what I'm getting for Christmas yet!), but I can tell you that it will include The Hunger Games, which I've been meaning to read for ages, a rereading of Poison, my favourite kids' horror/fantasy, and a good old crack at Ilium once I've read the Iliad... Probably the Star Wars novelisations and the Faythe Sanders series, too...

Now I just have to restrain myself from starting them until the 1st!

Edit: Well, I found several. I shall also be doing the Back to the Classics Challenge 2011:

 

In which you have to read: 

1. A Banned Book
2. A Book with a Wartime Setting (can be any war)
3. A Pulitzer Prize (Fiction) Winner or Runner Up:  a list can be found here
4. A Children's/Young Adult Classic
5. 19th Century Classic
6. 20th Century Classic
7. A Book you think should be considered a 21st Century Classic
8. Re-Read a book from your High School/College Classes

the Series Challenge Season 5:

 In which you have to read at least 3 books of a series in order to get up to date with it. Again, I'm thinking Faythe Sanders, or possibly re-read some Eddings or Robert Jordan? 

Sadly, there's no badge :(

the TBR Challenge 2011:

In which you have to read 12 books which have been sat on your shelf for at least a year (I'll do a separate post with a list in a moment).

and the What's in a Name Challenge 2011:

The rules are: read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why
2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception
3. A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee
4. A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife
5. A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely
6. A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child 

And I think that's probably enough!