50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Three

Satsuki I read a brilliant book about Austen's writing - her sentence structures, language etc. Can dig out the title, if you're interested.

I recently finished Middlemarch on audio. Enjoyed it, and Crime and Punishment. Next two audio were The Mayer of Casterbridge and Jane Eyre. I started to fin them tedious - I think I'm audio-classiced out at the moment.

I recommended A Dog So Small.

I remember that book Muddler. I loved it! (And co-incidentally I was just thinking about it a few days ago.) I am also a fan of The Secret Garden.

Re: Northern Lights my niece is 10 and has just finished the Potters and wants another series but I'm holding off a couple of years before getting her the Pullman.

Loved All Quiet and quite liked Alice

Does Goodnight Mister Tom count as a children's book?

We did that at school in Year 9 when we were learning about World War 2, so when I was 13 or 14. I'm thinking of it as one that's aimed at teenagers or at least overlapping into younger teenagers for that reason.

I agree that it's a very good book though, and one that moved me to tears in places. I wasn't an overly sentimental teenager either.

I like Middlemarch, but I actually think Austen is often underrated in literary terms in regard to her innovations in narrative and impact on the shape of the novel as a whole. I think there is a lot of focus on the wit and romance, and the characters she created, but not so much on stuff like how she uses point of view. For me, her characters and dialogue feel real in a way that few others manage, as well as being entertaining and well-observed.

Glad to see some love for Alice and All Quiet.

I disagree that Northern Lights is for ten year olds. I'd have liked it as a ten year old, sure, but would have missed a lot of its finer context. I think 13/14 plus would get far more out of it.

You're quite right, sorry cheerful. It was another poster who also said Secret Garden. Again I will emphasise cote took that as a recommendation at her own risk

I like to think I'm reasonably "well-read" but two books I'd missed, and prompted to read from posters here :

11. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque just wow! What a moving book that will stay with me forever. Really touched me.

12. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute For some bizarre unknown reason I thought this was a western. Loved this one as well, although didn't quite break into my soul as much as the above. Very enjoyable and quite uplifting. (Yes sexist and racist but did make me realise how that would, hopefully, not be tolerated to the same extent now).

So thank you to people on this thread for enriching my life by recommending these two books. I worry that people won't take me seriously on Goodreads because I give all my books such high ratings these days!

Now reading Commonwealth by Ann Patchett which I think is a recommendation from you lot and listening to Bruce Springsteen's autobiography (read by the boss himself) on Audible.

10. The jewel garden by Sarah and Monty Don. Huge, huge, massive Monty Don fan and was really looking forward to it. It was a pleasant enough read but light on detail.

Re the discussion on children/YA books, I still have many of my childhood books and read them regularly. I was a solitary, bookish child (still am actually!) and I had a conversation with someone recently about how I think that characters like the Famous Five, Darrell Rivers, Katie Carr, Pollyanna et al became my friends. As an adult when l feel life is too much I turn to my old friends. I agree that I pick up moralising etc in a way now that I wasn't aware of as a child, but I've no doubt that it must have had an impact upon me.

No idea what to try next; disappointed that my rate is so slow but struggling to find the time. I have a couple of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on my TBR pile, might try one

"I recommended Northern Lights -which is for ten year olds so totally counts as a book for ten year olds"

Funny sentence

Is that why it's taught to teenagers at school?

Oh great. Nobody will even own up to recommending Secret Garden to me. chickens

Austen didn't aspire to high literary ranking though. And Middlemarch is boring (lights touchpaper and runs!).

Not a patch on Middlemarch in my opinion.

What is?

Curses, why do my crossings-out never work?

I didn't,! I recommended Northern Lights -which is for ten year olds so totally counts as a book for ten year olds- and when Cote said she'd already read it, I recommended A Dog So Small.
You will be unsurprised to hear that I do love The Secret Garden tho.

I have some sympathy with 11122aa on Pride and Prejudice - it's good but not sure its high literary ranking is justified. Not a patch on Middlemarch in my opinion.

This is all looking very promising not

Nevertheless can I slither out from the suggestion I recommended it? I thought it didn't quite fit the black/white description of a child's novel in your post in the sense the child is kind of unlikeable, but I skidded to a stop short of actually recommending that you read it that was cheerful

Goodnight Mr Tom a good suggestion.

And yy re: boring sex > plot. This spoils a lot of promising modern lit, and I'm starting to see boring gore creeping in the same way.

Remus - I know you know what I hate so it's not looking good, is it? But I'll still read it fast, I hope

"And if you tear it to shreds on here you're going to seem like a big meanie )

Well, you know I've never let that stop me before so why start now?

It was an act of courage to recommend me a children's book so I'll try to be nice. Try. Can't guarantee.

It can work both ways though - Gail Carriger writes steampunk comedies and the main difference between her books aimed at adults & those for children is the large amount of gratuitous innuendo. They're much funnier with the sex scenes IMO .

I hated The Secret Garden when I was a child . . . kept trying to read it because it features in a Noel Streatfield book (The Painted Garden perhaps?), but I could never see why it was so popular. (Loved A Little Princess though.)