50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Three

Will dig it out later, Cote. It was something comparing flavouring in soup to signs of a revolutionary mind. Was v funny.

Yes, Quog, just bought the 2nd book, unbelievably harsh experiences depicted of the metropolitan working class - that poor woman with the "workhouse wail" who struggled to look after her 5 kids, one on the way, alone until her accident and so off to workhouse for 19 years separated from her children by a 15 foot wall and never saw any of them again as they gradually all died there in the children's section. And this as recently as 1935 But yes, am enjoying it too.

Remus - I'm glad you are enjoying Janissary Tree. What was the line about soup that you liked?

Satsuki & MyIronLung - Let me introduce you to eReaderIQ

Make a list of the books you want to buy on that website, and it sends you an email when their prices drop below the level you set.

Also, write down the authors you like and it emails you when their books' prices drop.

It is brilliant

Congratulations & best wishes for your new job, minsmum.

Welcome to the thread, Grendel.

I started The Janissary Tree on my commute today and am thoroughly enjoying it so far. Love all the food references (am a glutton) and one line about soup made me roar with laughter.

Welcome to the thread, Grendel :)

Moving - I recommend reading all three of the Call The Midwife trilogy. I'm nearing the end of Farewell to the East End now and have found that one very upsetting in places. Hard hitting subjects such as tuberculosis, illegal abortions and infanticide are covered in this one. And yes the books are much more serious than the tv series, but I do love that too :)

What has been interesting is that Dr Turner only gets one mention in CTM and nowhere else. His character was fleshed out from references to several doctors.

Hmm I'm tempted to add the Janissary Tree to my kindle but i really don't like crime as per CJ Sansom, I do like thrillers however. Is it a straight up murder story or more involved than that? Have avoided Child 44 for similar reasons. Am I being too dismissive?!!! never!

My dh is currently reading Dominion queenie and said it really kicks off half way through, he is reading it whenever he can snatch a moment, hope you find it good too. I've got a bit of a list before I can get round to it, but will at some point.

I've also got Stasiland on my (newly discovered) wishlist

I read all the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr which I really enjoyed !! Currently reading the Paris wife and also dominion by C j sansom, which is a massive book so hoping it keeps my attention

Long time lurker on the books threads, finally gearing up bravery to actually post--you've all given me such excellent recommendations and hours of delight going through the threads, I thought I should contribute!

Just finished no. 19 for this year, Love Like Salt by Helen Stevenson. It's a memoir; her eldest daughter was born with cystic fibrosis, and she writes about that, but there's a lot more to it: their family's move to France, her mother's dementia and eventual death, and a lot about music. She's a good amateur pianist and writes about music-making as a way of processing emotion. I'm a classical singer so know much of the music she focuses on, which added another dimension of enjoyment. Really gorgeous writing, as well. It's out on the 3rd of March (got a proof copy)--highly recommend!

Really enjoying Call the midwife and the picture it paints both of horrendous East End deprivation and its strong community spirit in the 1950s. Never much taken to the TV series (slightly whimsical, I found) but the book is SO much better!

Thank you for the recommendation, Quog. I added it to my Kindle wish list

Ok, thanks Cote. I'll treat it as a stand alone novel then, but keep the sequels in mind as a possible later read. I like the idea of reading another thriller set in Stalinist Russia. I enjoyed One Night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore, an excellent thriller set in that era.

Janissary Tree also very good at portraying the atmosphere of late-Ottoman Istanbul as well as Turks as a nation, imho. I like Yashim, the eunuch given the task by the Padishah of finding the killer (as no "man" would be allowed into the harem). And I like the details the author gives about the streets of Istanbul, its multicultural heritage, and even some recipes as Yashim prepares the dishes

I read Child 44's sequel and thought the story was a bit silly. I have another one by the same author (not sure if it's a sequel) on my Kindle but haven't read it yet.

I wasn't a big fan of Child 44's ending (i.e. who turned out to be the killer & why) but loved it for the ride - the story was good, and insight into Soviet Russia under Stalin was fascinating. I suppose that was why Child 44 made it into the Booker longlist - the first thriller to come anywhere near the Booker Prize afaik.

To those of you who have read Child 44, did you read the sequels as well or did you treat it as a stand alone novel? I've got a copy lurking at home but have read reviews of the sequels which say they aren't as good. Any thoughts? I've got so many books tbr that I don't want to start another series yet. Does it end properly or does it lead on to the next one?

Just read this thread (still have to finish thread 2!) and I love Cote's review of High Heat- I forgot I read that and another of the novellas - possibly Small Wars?- on holiday via the library app (overdrive), like a pp I would highly recommend it, although our library doesn't have a great deal of stock, the more people who use it the better I suspect it will get.

I would also second the rec for Child 44, it's v good.

Yes it does sound interesting. Thanks for the recommendation, Best. Have added it to my tbr list :)

Best V glad you enjoyed Stasiland. I've just got The Spy Who Came in from the Cold from the library, so will be returning to Berlin again v soon (from my bath, anyway!).

Book 25 The Holy Thief by William Ryan
This was his first novel. Have read another of his detective novels set in Stalinist Russia, so thought I’d give this one a go and it didn’t disappoint. A couple of violent killings seem to be linked, but the police detective has to tread very carefully, as the Secret Police (scary bastards) are at best, sniffing around, and, at worst, in it up to their necks. If the detective can find the killer and keep not only his job but his life, it’ll be a miracle. I enjoyed this very much, but did have one quite horrible nightmare as a result of it (v unlike me).

14. Breathe by Sarah Crossan

YA dystopia set in a future where the air's oxygen levels have been severely depleted by the death of plants. People live in "the pod" and society is divided into two classes. It's an interesting concept but it takes a bit of a YA-dystopia-by-numbers approach.

Book 14 The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes this was given to me by mumsnet. I would thoroughly recommend it. It's about Shostakovich and Power. He thinks of his life in 12 year cycles. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but it does make you think about life and how we think we would react in certain circumstances.
Now I have to read 2 books very quickly, The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid for book club next week and HHhH by Laurent Binet which the library got for me but I can only keep for 3 weeks as there is a waiting list and I only have 18 days left so it will be a race against time. I have started a new job so I don't have as much time as I used to

Thank you joyless I've never had a star on mn before. Proud face emticon.

Cote I have the Janissary Tree downloaded to my kindle, so it will be read, it's just a matter of when. I was somewhat put off attempting Child 44 as I read The Farm and found it rather disappointing, I shall put Child back on the list. Not come across Skull Mantra, but will look into it.

I also have Stasiland on my radar thanks to Remus but am currently reading Red Love and HHhH is top of my Book Club list, both from the same source ...

Muskey am impressed with your determination to read Joyce