50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Seven

I loved it Wilting, but they are quite similar in that they both follow the main protagonist through the 20th century. It's a male writer rather than a female photographer in Any Human Heart but the voice is pretty close too.

It may be best to have a bit of space in between the two. Restless is good without having that narrative style so may be a better one to go for.

Sweet Caress was the first William Boyd I've read Stokey. Must check out Any Human Heart too...

I'm reading Occupy Me too Museumofham. I'm about halfway through and enjoying it. I was thinking Cote may like it but then realised it's written by a woman and the angel has "feelings"

I've just got into borrowing library books again - now both my children are at school, I can actually browse alone, the joy. I've been really impressed with their selection.

Right - updating reading after a couple of week:

75. The Rosie Effect - Graeme Simsion. This is the sequel to The Rosie Project and follows Don & Rosie living in New York and getting pregnant. I definitely preferred the first one.

76. Miss Lonelyhearts - Nathaniel West. I wonder whether anyone has read this? It's meant to be an American classic set in the 1920s. Miss Lonelyhearts is a man who writes an agony aunt column. He is weighed down by the stories people write to him and the woes of the world. I think there is a Jesus analogy going on, he takes on the sins of the world, but everyone in it is pretty awful. And some of the language is shocking to my 21st century ear, a group of men casually talk about raping a girl for example.

77. Mariana - Susanna Kearsley. I was a bit ill and needed something easy after Miss Lonelyhearts. This is described by the author as modern gothic. A girl sees a house as a child and then buys it as an adult (without even going inside - this is where I struggled to suspend disbelief). She keeps having flashbacks to 1660s England and her past life. I don;t think i'd read another by her.

78. My Husband's Wife - Amanda Prowse. More bland chick lit. Rosie's husband leaves her for another woman, she's devastated but pulls herself round.

79. Sweet Caress - William Boyd. I think this was reviewed on the previous page. It follows photographer Amory Clay through the 20th century, taking in Berlin in the 30s, the second world war and the Vietnam war. It was ok but i'd read *Any Human Heart& last month and thought that was far stronger.

Zadie Smith is my next book club read - I haven't bought it yet though.

53. Flood by Stephen Baxter; this was a slow burner for me. It opens on a desperate group of hostages. The weather is filthy and although they don't know it yet, it's all about to get much worse . Turns out subterranean oceans have cracked open and the sea level is inexorably rising and will continue to do so until every scrap of land is submerged. The book continues to follow the hostages over the next 50 years (although mostly 1 really) as humanity scrambles and dies. Apparently, there is science to back up the flood idea. I found the science end of this book extremely compelling. The idea that the water would just keep coming, drowning your house, your street, your country, the mountains was eerily fascinating. Now it is not a perfect book. The ideas and science are great, however characterisation is not this guy's strong point. Mostly he TELLS you what people are feeling/their motivation rather than letting their actions form your views of them for you. The politics of the billionaire rescuer could have been much better done. The desperate suffering that must have gone on is not that credibly depicted either. But I'd still recommend it, you might roll your eyes at being told (out of the total blue) of the "love" of one character for another but the fundamental story is fascinating

I'm tempted to run out know snd but the sequel. Has anyone read Ark?

Satsuki, I admire your.....enthusiasm.

119. Jane Austen: The Secret Radical, Helena Kelly
Subtext in Jane Austen's novels - how she is secretly signalling to us about the horrors of primogeniture, slavery, enclosure etc. The author needs to (a) stop insulting her audience by insisting that before she came along to enlighten us, we all viewed JA as a pretext for looking at Colin Firth in a wet shirt and (b) stop implying that she alone has seen the truth, when many of her ideas have been well-rehearsed by previous authors. But if you can set that aside, plenty of it was new-ish to me. I may not agree with all of it (Edward Ferrars fiddles nervously with a pair of sewing scissors in a sheath and reveals himself as a sexual deviant?), but it's thought-provoking.

Currently on *120. A brief history of everyone who ever lived : the stories in our genes by Adam Rutherford". Up-to-date account of human evolution based on genetic research. Intriguing, accessible and funny - science writing at its most enjoyable.

@ cote Rereading that post, I realise I sound like a lunatic.

You stroked a book but haven't had the chance to moisten another? DH will be glad to hear that my passion for reading could get much MUCH worse

106 Imprudence by Gail Carriger
Lighthearted comedy steampunk - having a stressful week and wanted something easy reading.

moisten it ?!! listen to it. Apple hates me

I stroked a copy of the North Water in a shop today remus

Thanks, shake, I will get round to it.

Yes altered it's the Chernow. He was a very charismatic character, I think.

vanderley I have just downloaded a Penguin podcast with Zadie Smith and haven't had a chance to moisten it yet, so I'll see if I anything comes to mind.

Geek Love is 1.99 on the Kindle.

Hmmm. Lots of you rubbing it in about North Water. Thanks for that, guys!

I loved His Bloody Project except for the ending. Poor endings seems to be a bit of a theme for my reading this year.

I got Nod in the monthly deals (will probably be crap but it's short and dystopian, by the look of it) and the first in Conn Iggulden's War of the Roses series.

Congratulations, Stitches! How are you both doing?

I have nothing intelligent to add to the conversation, but I'm going to an interview with Zadie Smith on Tuesday, after which she'll answer questions. Anything you'd like me to ask if I can, 50 Book friends?

Thanks Debbs. I might give The Invention of Wings a go then. I did like a lot of things about The Secret Life of Bees, but it just annoyed me that all these great characters pretty much only existed to improve the life of the white protagonist and teach her important life lessons. I didn't really see how they grew as characters throughout the novel, with one exception.

Is your Alexander Hamilton biography the Ron Chernow one Satsuki? I am quite tempted by it. Hamilton was my high school crush.

No Works near me Chillie, but I will be back in the UK for Christmas so I will keep a look out. Thanks for the tip.

Once I finally finish A Little Life, I will get to His Bloody Project. I am quite enjoying A Little Life but it is very slow reading!

I got North Water for 99p as well. Sorry Remus!

Welcome Debs and congratulations Stitches!

I loved Nothing to Envy, Satsuki. It's one of my favourite non-fiction books.

52. Coffin Road by Peter May. Predictable crime thriller. Using the old losing memory trick, a bit of double-crossing, nothing new in this book. But I haven't been feeling like reading and skimming reading this book has helped me get back into the mood, even if it wasn't particularly good.

Yes, I looked at the North Korea one, but I still haven't got round to Nothing to Envy , and didn't want to overestimate my enthusiasm for the subject.

I've been finding reading very difficult at the moment - I'm 20% into All the Light and I'm enjoying it now, but feel a bit second world war-weary so not been picking it up very often. I'm also 15% into an 800 page biography of Alexander Hamilton (I got this and the soundtrack to the musical for my birthday in the summer) and I'm preferring that at the moment. Well written and fascinating about his rise from illegitimate immigrant to military strategist, founding father, and prolific writer. It's still war, Jim, but not as I know it.

72. Occupy Me by Tricia Sullivan I had no idea what was going on for the first third of this bonkersly inventive SF novel. Then I had some idea. I enjoyed the ride anyway, as I knew I would as soon as I scanned through the quirky chapter titles. It's about, um, an angel and a briefcase, and lots of other stuff, and manages to combine some pretty profound ideas with a sprinkling of humour, some great characters, and lots of 'I was so not expecting that' moments.

Agree that the kindle monthly deals aren't all that, but I have taken a chance on the one by the teenager who escaped from North Korea, and also GB Stern's Ten Days of Christmas. The latter for my 1930s comfort binge over Christmas (except it's set in the 40s, but details).

Congratulations stitches!

I didn't like the ending of His Blody Project altered, so will Ben interested to know what you think.

68)The Etymologicon

Recommended upthread aways, I enjoyed dipping in and out of this but it wasn't as entertaining as the similar Bill Bryson.

alteredimages I bought Dynasty in The Works for £3 if you've got one of them near you.

I did laugh at shirt update...The Woman in Blue

That should be 'short update' - not keeping you all informed re my wardrobe!

A shirt update from me:
51 - The Woman in Blue - Elly Griffiths
Finishing off the Ruth Galloway series before the latest comes out in Feb. Still an enjoyable, easy read.

52 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Briggs
Enjoyed this despite the creepy photos. A solid YA read which an interesting premise and good plotting.

53 - The Golem and the Djinni - Helen Wecker
Read this on the recommendation on previous thread. Loved this! The location was fascinating as were the cultural snippets relating to the principal characters. This is one I'll be buying for other people.