50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Three

1. Revenge by Martina Cole. I enjoyed it but it was a bit disturbing and the ending left a slightly bad taste.

I really didn't like God of Small Things. I found it unctuously written and so depressing, but one of my friends has it as her best ever. I wouldn't necessarily call it marmite, as it may just be me who hates it

God of Small Things is fabulous ABC

It touched my hard, flint-like heart, Beautiful, story, wonderfully written,

I'll say no more in case I reveal a spoiler.

7. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Julia Strachey Feel a bit cheeky including this as it's more of a long short story than a proper novel. The house is full of people, the bride is upstairs with a bottle of rum and Joseph is downstairs trying to pluck up the courage to tell her he loves her before 2pm when the wedding's due to start ...
I enjoyed this, though it took a while to get going. One of those books which seems simple but it actually surprisingly complicated when you pick it apart.

Keith Thank you for the Howard - arrived yesterday!

8. The World's Worst Children by David Walliams

This was a gift from DH, who really should have known better.

It's a collection of 10 short stories about horrible children. A very quick and undemanding read with little appeal for me. It's written for children, and I'd only recommend it for children who still find jokes about bodily functions side splittingly hilarious.

17. One Little Mistake by Emma Curtis a psychological thriller which was a very fast read. Vicky has a loving husband and three kids but then risks all this by making her 'one little mistake' (I won't say much more in case it spoils it for anyone but it's actually several great big blooming mistakes!) The book randomly jumped from first to third person narrative for the main character which was confusing and annoying, and the ending is rather ludicrous but it was nevertheless engrossing and enjoyable, I read this in 2 evenings. I started Nutshell by Ian McEwan last night which is from the viewpoint of an unborn baby and so far (only 8 pages in so too early to make a judgement to be fair) it reminds me of Stewie Griffin of Family Guy, and after having that thought I can't help but "hear" Stewie's voice narrating it

Well that was disappointing!

Alice was an extremely quick read which started with an interesting premise, but felt rushed. There was little world building, which seems like a missed opportunity when dealing with characters from Wonderland! The characters in general were flat, and the shoehorned romance between the two main characters was unnecessary and unbelievable.

My main gripe with this book though is that almost every single female character exists purely to be a victim of rape and/or sexual abuse, while almost every male character is a rapist or pimp. In fact it seems one of the main reasons Alice loves Hatcher is that he doesn't immediately force himself on her when he walks in on her getting changed, and successfully controls his 'hunger' when they visit a brothel. Not only does this fail to enhance the plot in any way, but it actively desensitizes the reader to the main villain before he even makes an appearance.

Think I'll be reading God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy) next

1. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons. I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, and funny in a gentle way. Absurd in places, with some memorable (albeit purposely two-dimensional) characters.

Book number 3 will be Alice (Christina Henry), a dark fantasy novel based on Alice in Wonderland, which I picked up on the basis of a staff recommendation at my local bookshop.

1. The Dragonbone Chair - Tad Williams

A reread that has kept me quiet for a couple of weeks (it's a nice long book). It's the first in the Memory, Sorrow And Thorn fantasy series which I first read and loved as a fantasy-obsessed teen ; it deals with your fairly standard fantasy tropes (young hero plucked from an ordinary life and sent on an adventure, power-crazed kings, evil priests etc) but he's a quality writer and the story rattles on at a satisfying pace. I would recommend to those who like Game Of Thrones although it is much more suitable for younger readers!

Yes, the ease with which some people were described as being diagnosed with ADHD was mind boggling. You get the impression that some medical professionals were just asking patients to complete a short questionnaire about symptoms and then merrily doling out the drugs.

The author mentions at one point reports of US pharmacies running out of ADHD medications because the number of prescriptions is outstripping the supply of the medications.

Stitches That's not one I've seen recommended. I'd be interested to read more indepth on the situation in the US, partly to arm myself for our journey through CAMHS. (One appointment? I've been trying to get attention onto DD2's learning issues for about 9 years!)
I do know adults with ADHD complain constantly on support groups about the constant suspicion they face when presenting prescriptions, to the point of being turned away by pharmacy after pharmacy.

I'll add that one to my reading list!

7. ADHD Nation by Alan Schwarz

This is one that caught my eye because there's been some concerns raised over DS1's development, and the possibility of ADHD is something that's come up, although he is as yet too young to be assessed for this (at least in the UK).

Non-fiction. Covers the history of ADHD - how it became recognised as a condition, how drugs were accidentally discovered to have an effect, and the impact this had. It's written in a very readable style.

It's an American book so focuses on ADHD treatment in the USA, and the mishandling of ADHD.

The author is clear that ADHD exists and that appropriate treatment, including medication, can be beneficial for individuals severely impacted by ADHD.

However. The author is extremely critical of the pharmaceutical industry, and their efforts to promote ADHD to doctors, teachers, parents and to the general public in an effort to sell more ADHD medications (the benefits of non-drug treatments being downplayed).
He talks about huge levels of misdiagnosis - the book makes it sound like it's remarkably easy to get diagnosed with ADHD and be prescribed pills in the USA. Some of the cases he discusses were diagnosed and prescribed ADHD drugs in the space of one short doctors appointment.
There's some American states where 30% of all boys have been diagnosed with ADHD. More than 10,000 toddlers across the USA diagnosed and medicated for ADHD. And he describes rampant misuse of ADHD medications in US colleges, where students keen to get their hands on the medications (which improve concentration in even NT individuals) easily fake symptoms to get prescriptions.

It's quite chilling to read about how aggressively the pharmaceutical industry is promoting ADHD in the pursuit of profit.

Looks like a well researched book too. It's 338 pages long, and the last 69 pages are filled with the notes and bibliography.

Just popping back in to update my list, I'm afraid I've become hopelessly behind on thread-reading as it is moving too fast for me but I'll hopefully post more once it calms down a bit later in the year (and when I am less busy).
So far this year I have managed:

1. The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell
2. Exposure by Helen Dunmore
3. Leap Year by Helen Russell
4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
5. A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
6. The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain
7. Three In A Bed: Conversations with a sex therapist by Jonanna Benfield

The last two I finished today - The Gustav Sonata was recommended by a bloke in my local bookshop and I want to go back and hug him, it was such an amazing, compelling read and I finished it quickly. The story of the friendship between two boys and how it changes the course of their lives, the book has a wide arc, covering pre WWII and finishing in the early 2000s and I sobbed at the end, I felt wrung out by the story. I especially identified with the character of Gustav and the kind of mothering he received from a cold, angry mother with issues of her own which are explored as the story unfolds (it jumps around in time a little bit but not enough to be annoying). Highly recommend this book if you get the chance to read it.

That is a very lovely dog!

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was really quite an irritating book which didn't really go anywhere. The characters lacked substance, I didn't believe in them and the the plot just felt a bit light. I don't mind "light" book but this was quite dull after the first half. I think the epistolary style didn't really sustain the plot in the end.

I think I'm going to read The Ashes of London next.

Lovely dog

Lovely dog!

Thanks all

He is adorable! I will bet you will be delighted when he is home, rmc. Our ancient cat spent a 6 weeks in vet hospital having radioiodine therapy and we missed her like crazy. It was like having a limb removed.

Aw, gorgeous.

Oh s/he's lovely.

Should be home tomorrow Best and Satsuki- feels a bit weird though...

A dog on a drip is a sad thought, hope he gets better soon, rmc

Oh, no, hope the dog is ok.

Thanks Satsuki and Best . It been going on for a very long time, so long it's almost become a way of life. Every now and then something - like this book - brings you up short.
Poorly dog has been admitted to the vets on a drip. Been a bit of a day!

Passmethecrisps - I also need to leave time between books. Brain/Emotions need to settle and cogitate.

16. The Girls by Emma Cline.
Set in the 1960's this story is told in the first person by a young girl, Evie, who falls in with the local hippy crowd of teenaged society drop outs held in thrall by a charismatic guru with tragic outcomes. Heavily influenced by the Charles Manson murders, I think the author captures that teenaged neediness so well; broken homes, first love, drugs, impulse decisions, commune living, there's a creepy undertone to the story. I liked the first person view point/narration. It's not perfect- the character of middle-aged Evie is not quite fleshed out enough, all of the male characters have a one dimensional quality with no redeeming features. But overall I liked it.

💐 for your DH, Satsuki, I hope he is adjusting to it all, it can be tricky..