50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Three

Just finished it, Cote.

Book 16
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth' by Chris Hadfield*
Hadfield is the astronaut of zero-gravity ‘Space Oddity’ video fame and this is both an autobiography and some insight about life in general, based on his years wanting to be an astronaut, becoming one and finally getting to spend a prolonged period on the International Space Station. I liked it a lot on the whole, although did find it overlong and a bit repetitive in places, so didn't love it as much as Cote did!

Remus - "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth which iirc has had some love on here before. Was it you, Cote?"

Yes, I believe that book was one of my finds Are you enjoying it or should I start sharpening my knives ?

We do an hour of reading once a year at our school and I love it. Nearly 2000 teens all just sitting in peace reading.

I have done my list

1. The Muse - Jessie Burton

1. Gone Without a Trace - Mary Torjussen
2. Flesh Wounds - Christopher Brookmyre
3. Phantom: a Harry Hole Thriller - Jo Nesbo
4. Dead Simple (Roy Grace Series) - Peter James
5. All Good Deeds (A Lucy Kendall Thriller) - Stacy Green
6. The Turtle Boy - Kealan Patrick Burke

1. The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion

The Last Day of Christmas the short story which reintroduces the Jack Parlabane character after a hiatus of some years. It was ok. Someone up thread was very critical of Brookmyre's writing and while I am not so negative about it I do agree that his Jack Parlabane books particularly have a voice which is frankly irritating. He tries terribly hard to be witty and clever and comes across a bit like a senior school pupil trying to show off how mature and clever he is. Story was fine and I will reserve judgement on the next book in the series. Worth noting that his other books which are not jack Parlabane are better written.

I now can't decide where to head next with reading. I could find nothing I fancied relating to Poland so that's out. Do I indulge my thriller bone and get some lovely, easy reading for my spa trip (yes I have become a mn cliche) or do I tackle something a bit more tricky when I have fewer distractions? Dh came home with a pile of interesting books from the uni bookshop and I have picked out Tales of Protection by Erik Fosnes Hansen as being a likely contender. It looks, well, hard though.

Stokey I love the sound of that school reading challenge

Ooh thank you Remus, I've been meaning to try him following your recommendations :)

Can't remember if I mentioned earlier that Philip Kerr's March Violets is also 99p on Kindle. It's his first in the Bernie Gunther Nazi Germany series. Quite a few of us on MN like him.

Just realised I've miscalculated my books! Papillon is number 8, not 7.

I haven't read Shantaram as it never appealed for some reason.

Have bought Measuring the World having already read (and liked) the free sample.

Am 75% or so through An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth which iirc has had some love on here before. Was it you, Cote?

To be fair, Cote, in my secondary school the years went 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, lower sixth, upper sixth. Which must have looked pretty bonkers from the outside.

I liked HhHH last year. Bit of history I didn't know and liked the working through of the narrator's thought process and the inaccuracies of writing about history. I hated Shantaram though so have made a note to never read Papillion

11. Commonwealth - Ann Patchett. This is a story about two families with 6 children between them, set in America from about the 60s onwards. I really liked this book, interesting characters and a clever narrative. I'd recommend it.

The dds are doing a school reading challenge where we all have to read as a family for 15 minutes a day, not reading to each other, just reading our own books in the same room. It's been really good at encouraging us all to read a bit more, especially in that hectic early evening time.

And in Ireland we have junior infants, senior infants, rang 1, rang 2, rang 3, rang 4, rang 5, rang 6, first year, second year, third year, transition year (optional), fifth year, Leaving (also called in fairness, 6th Year).

Cote, can I suggest for the sake of your blood pressure you never attempt to learn to count in Welsh . . . where amongst other delights
37 = two on fifteen twenty
38 = two nines twenty
39 = four on fifteen twenty
(To be fair, they have now modernised the system, and you're only supposed to use the traditional one for dates, and in practice at least round here everyone quite sensibly just says the date in English )

Hope you enjoy it mogloveseggs, I think it's been my best read so far this year (I still haven't finished This Thing of Darkness which will definitely be up there too!)

Sorry I didn't write the rhythm well:

Written as
Expected to be played as __

Keith - ""notes written exactly the same must be played differently" "Now that makes complete sense to me"

HOW?

Apparently, in French Barique music, 4 equal notes written side by side as are to be played as __ . Why?!?! If they wanted it played that way, why couldn't they write it as such? (Answer: Because it would be to easy and not so... French )

Another example: Anywhere else in the world, years in school are counted as:
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
etc...

In France... (get ready for it!)...,

CP
CE1
CE2
CM1
CM2
6ème (6th)
5ème
4ème
3ème
2ème
1èr
Terminal

Why? Because simply counting up from 1 would be normal

I hadn't seen this challenge before but would love to join in! I need something to help focus on doing it more because, frankly, it does me good.

So far this year:
1 Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie. Light, fun reading. Forgot how much I enjoyed reading her work! Might read the Tommy and Tuppence ones once I've worked through my backlog.
2 Stark by Ben Elton. Apparently his first novel. Have read a couple of his other ones and I'd recommend them over this one. Not bad, just not great. Doesn't help that it is environmental in theme and written in 1989. A little too much of its time.
3 Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. Would highly recommend. Gritty and fascinating story of a way of life that is long gone. All the snapshots of those various families, as well as how childbirth used to go, were vividly painted. It also made me realise why I've gone off the TV show; namely that recent series have been painted through ridiculously rose-tinted glasses!
4 Capricorn One by Ron Goulart. The book of a film about astronauts who find themselves part of a cover up to fake a Mission to Mars. I grabbed this at a Church Sale because I enjoyed the 70's movie with Elliott Gould and OJ Simpson in it. Don't bother reading the book. It's only saving grace was that it was short. Badly paced and badly written with precious little of the tension of the film making it onto the page.

"notes written exactly the same must be played differently"

Now that makes complete sense to me :). The HHhH row has made me more likely to read the book, just so I can see what all the fuss is about :)

Stitches, I aim to please

1. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Written from the perspective of a German soldier in WW1, this is stark, vivid and heart breaking. Thank you so much to Best and Remus and everyone else who recommended it. My highlight of the year so far.

Cote good review of The Knife of Never Letting Go

It loooks like a fair account of the portion of the book I managed to read before abandoning it for something else.

For some odd reason, that bit of advice has stick with me for twenty years.

Let's hope none of us ever need to use it Muddler

Hope you enjoy it Murine.

Satsuki - "I loved Papillon - our tastes do meet with adventure and survival cote so hope you enjoy it. The author's French what could go wrong? "

Oh dear

I'll give an example to explain why I said HHhH was "so... French":

I'm going through Rameau's keyboard works, as those on last year's thread might remember and my (French) teacher keeps saying that notes written exactly the same must be played differently. She says that is how French music is to be played, with "inégalité".

I don't get it. What would a musician write notes in a way that is different to how he wants them played? Unless he is French, of course.

That is the sort of wishy-washy, imprecise, "Oh but it doesn't matter. Or does it?" nonsense that makes HHhH so... French

Tenant of Wildfell Hall very good and enjoyable read.