50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Two

Cote, I love your reviews and comments. Maybe I'm just bloody minded, but now I feel like I have to read On the beach!

For a different treatment, seek out The Fourth Mode by Paddy Figgis - the premise is similar, but it's set in an English village and the inhabitants have hours not months to prepare. Essentially it asks the question what would people decide to do if all decisions were irrelevant?

The point being I suppose that our decisions are irrelevant on certain scales ("in the long term we're all dead" and all that). I'm not sure there wouldn't be people still doing the same old things in those circumstances, stuck in the same old patterns. In fact doesn't Raymond Briggs suggest something similar in When the Wind Blows? It's been thirty years but I'm sure either the husband or wife has a line like "I wonder if [catastrophic nuclear fallout] will affect next year's cabbages?"

Finished no 4. The Winter Crown by Elizabeth Chadwick. Again not a challenging read but an enjoyable and informative one. Although I am aware as with all historical fiction there is definitely room for interpretation on the events, I am finding them quite informative. I am very familiar with the Tudor Period and that of the War of the Roses but this is taking things further back in time for me. It is interesting to see the death of Thomas Becket put in context and to see the relationships between Eleanor's sons Richard and John developing. Have just downloaded the third and final and excited to start.

I really enjoyed Little Dribbling and I've also enjoyed everything else Bryson has done!

Anyway, have just finished 8. The Company of the Dead by David J Kowalski

I was really looking forward to this, as it features the Titanic and time travel, two things I love to read about! It started well - a man who has found a time machine (as you do!) has gone back to the Titanic to try and prevent the sinking. What he does changes the course of history. Fast forward to 2012 and it is now a world where there has been another American Civil War and the southern states have become the Confederacy, and everywhere is basically ruled by either the Germans or the Japanese. So far so good, but from them it was just 500 pages of fighting and politics which I found really dull and confusing. I lost track of who was on whose side so by the time it got to the end where they explained the time machine and went back to the Titanic to try and put everything right I was completely baffled and still don't understand it. Shame, as it was a really interesting premise. However if you like alternative reality/war/politics you might like this more than I did!

Still listening to the second Jackson Brodie on audible and have just started no. 7 in the St Mary's series (time travel I do enjoy!)

Finished number four!

1. The Phantom: A Harry Hole Thriller it took me about two years to read this for some reason. So basically my plot summary is some bad stuff happens because of a drug called violin. There are corrupt officials and police along with some gangsters from Russia. Then there is a mummy rat who knows a lot about gun residue.

It was probably a good book but two years is a long time for a plot to go stale.

I am binning Little Dribbling from my Kindle. Duuuuuuull and it just looks at me spitefully every time I have to pick a new book.

Re: likeability of characters. I get what you're all saying about characters not needing to be likeable, but my very favourite books always have at least one very likeable character, one that I can root for and be hopeful for. And cry for! I'm thinking Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Eyre, Amir in the Kite Runner, Ree in Winter's Bone, Billy and Taggie and Caitlin in Jilly Cooper, and many many others (this is obviously a rather random selection!).

But then I'm an old softy .

If I recall correctly, there's no pointless shagging in On The Beach .
It was written in the 1950's, after all.

Was given Little Dribbling for Christmas. Also got 5 Marian Keyes books that a friend (dumped on me) kindly gave me a few years ago that are sitting unread on my bookshelf, along with a heap of other books I haven't read ever/for years. Loving this thread and am more inspired to read than I have been for a long time, but I am losing interest in my TBR pile. Trying to hold my resolve and resist buying the books that are getting recommended on here until I've cleared some at least, but it's tough. I swear His Bloody Project winked at me when I was doing my food shop yesterday!

I have very much enjoyed the mini-rant on On The Beach. The only thing that would make it better is if there was a whole load of pointless shagging in it (from Cote's description of the characters, I'm putting my money on there being plenty!)

I am slightly tempted to read it now, just for entertainment value.

Oh no is Little dribbling really that bad? It's one of the books for my book club later in the year. I might just be busy that meeting date and not bother.

Another true biscuit book is Margaret Forster's Rich Desserts and Captain's Thin: A Family and Their Times 1831–1931 about the biscuit making family Carr's in Carlisle. Sounds dry (pardon the sort of pun!) but I really enjoyed it. Always enjoy Margaret Forster though

Also the thing that baffled me about Alice was that the narrator was this elderly solicitor chap, who seemed to know all these intimate details about the woman's life that no one would tell their solicitor, however chummy, so that was a bit confusing. But, I did quite like it all the same

Is there some sort of pink wafer controversy I haven't heard about?

Swann's Wafer

HappyFlappy I used to be a regular visitor to that site and once won a year's supply of tea bags - it turned out to be a box of 360 PG Tips.

Yes Remus, definitely get the free sample of Measuring The World. You can thank me later

I don't think I'd call A Town Like Alice timeless. I did generally enjoy it, but there was some racist bits in it - "of its time" , but i did find it very jarring and it does make the book feel dated.

It's a million times better than On The Beach though.

Bestis

That is one of the best books in the WHOLE world!

They also have a website:
nicecupofteaandasitdown.com.

The biscuit reviews are outstanding!

Pink wafers - king of biscuits.

I'll get the free sample, Cote, and keep you posted!

Your wrath over On the Beach always makes me smile. I felt much more infuriated by The Death of Grass personally.

Thinking about likeable / unlikeable characters - I don't need to like, or relate to, a character in order to want to know what happens to the character, or to enjoy the story.

But I do need to find the characters interesting, and believable.

If they're boring, or if they behave in ways that make no sense to me, then that tends to result in me ceasing to care much about what happens to the character or me getting irritated with the story.

Checking in, though not made much progress from last thread.

Still reading 5. How to be both which I'm enjoying, and listening to 6. Toast by Nigel Slater which I'm not enjoying so much.

I do have a lovely little book on biscuits called A Nice Cup Of Tea and A Sit Down. Gives the definitive opinion on pink wafers IIRC.

Remus - You do want to spend a fiver on it. You just don't know it yet

LOL that doesn't sound very 'timeless' Satsuki. Not that I would ever be tempted to read another book by Neville Shute after the dull crapola that was On The Beach.

Never in the history of literature has a group of such morons gathered in an apocalyptic world and... waited to die.

Gave Dribbling away in disgust, so a second read is v unlikely.

I love Alice.

Little Dribbling improved on second reading. You have to get through it the first time though.