50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Four

Letters from New York sounds interesting.

Have read Duchess and Underfoot in Show Business. Both are okay but not a patch on 84 CCR.

13. Nurture Shock Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman This is basically Freakonomics for child development - a pop science collection of studies on various aspects of childhood, with a particular interest in the paradoxical. So, for example, telling your child they're clever and beautiful makes them more anxious and lowers confidence. Television-watching doesn't make kids overweight, but lack of sleep does. Watching educational TV programmes makes kids more aggressive than watching violent programmes - but aggression is a positive social trait. The most empathetic and popular kids are the meanest. (This includes relational aggression, not just physical aggression.) Teenagers arguing with their parents is a positive sign - it means they respect your rules and opinions. If they don't argue, they're probably doing forbidden stuff behind your back. And doing ordinary marital fighting in front of your kids is better than hiding it, because it shows them how to resolve conflict. (Obviously DV is an entirely different matter.) I enjoyed this. It's very readable, and definitely gave me some things to think about.

And agree with everyone about Charing Cross Road. Wonderful book.

Just started reading Alive Alive Oh! by Diana Athill - it's on Kindle deal today along with some other non-fiction

30. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves Third in the great Shetland series of murder mysteries, this time set on the island of Whalsay where human remains are found in an archaeological dig, closely followed by the death of the elderly landowner in what appears to be a tragic accident.
31. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson An interesting exploration of what a psychopath is and how a leading psychologist says they may be identified. I found the section where he meets the profiler Paul Britton very interesting as I read Britton's memoirs as a teenager and it was intriguing to read what he is like (and an less biased version of events).
32. The Power by Naomi Alderman What a fantastic book! Thought provoking and intelligent dystopia where women simultaneously develop the ability to give electric shocks to others and the entire world changes as a result. I only finished it this afternoon and need to digest it a bit I think.

I'll be starting Night Waking by Sarah Moss next, and also began The 100 year old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window by Jonas Jonasson yesterday for my book on kindle to keep me awake during night feeds.

rediculously middle-class crime novels sound like a good one to add to my 'to read' list.

I read 84 Charing Cross Road as a teen; I need to re-read it don't I? Maybe my mother still has a copy, that photo you posted Best looked familiar, I'm sure she had it at one point.

Waves at Tarahumara - now I understand your name, I've just read 'your' book:

18. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall An exploration of the art, science and psychology of running, how we do it, why we do it, theories about what works to improve form, endurance and speed, and reduce injuries. This mainly focuses on the amazing endurance feats of the elusive Tarahumara people of Mexico. I don't know how much of this to take as gospel, as I have a feeling the author wouldn't let the truth get in the way of a colourful anecdote, and there were plenty of these. The book is spiced up by following a number of unconventional characters from the world of endurance running. I found his writing style a bit too 'gung-ho derring do' for me, but was happy to run (pun intended) with it, as the book overall was fascinating and entertaining.

19. Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor I had a debate with myself whether to include this on my list, as it's hardly high literature, and it's a novel based on a TV series, plus I listened to it on audio, but it is a novel, and damn better than some I've read. It gives the back story of the characters, and how they came to be on Red Dwarf. Funny observations throughout on human (and hologram, and mechanoid, and cat) nature. If you liked the TV series you'll like this.

"series of ridiculously middle-class crime novels"

Shut up and take my money! How have I never tried one of these before?

8. A Question of Identity by Susan Hill. A Simon Serailler novel, which for the uninitiated is a series of ridiculously middle-class crime novels. High body count in this one, the whodunnit was a little too guessable, but our hero's John Lewis lifestyle remained largely unaffected. These are such a guilty pleasure for me.

Library tomorrow, will have a look for 84 Charing Cross Road.

BestIsWest - I read 84 CCR last month for the first time (it's going to be a book club book next month, but decided it looked better than this month's one so have gone out of sequence) - tis lovely and wish I'd read it sooner.

And that was book no 41.

It is beautiful Remus. I'd forgotten that I had read it before many years ago.

I follow a second hand bookseller (Addymanbooks) on Instagram and she posted yesterday that she read it as a teenager and it inspired her to go into bookselling. She worked at 48 ( not 84 ) Charing Cross Road and actually ended up sourcing books for the film. She posts great photos of vintage books. Might be a good source for you when you're on one of your quests for something lovely to read.

Have you read any of her other books? This edition includes The Duchess of Bloomsbury. I don't knew w if they all do.
?

I have made it a mission in life to buy 84 Charing Cross Road whenever I see it in a charity shop and give copies to anybody and everybody. It's beautiful and I want to spread the love.

Hurr hurr to Keith's one-handed reading.

I didn't get on with Ismail Kadare's The Accident either, although I was blown away by The Fall of the Stone City by the same author (which I read while in Albania - proud boast).

fatowl and altered, hope you enjoy The Strangest Family. I'm nervous about recommending books because tastes vary so much (fingers typed testes - I blame Keith) but at 99p, I think you've got plenty prose for your pennies, if nothing else.

I should probably make use of the library more to be honest. We are there every fortnight for dd anyway.

Did I imagine that the author of Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrel had written another book?

Stokey, if you can wait a bit for your copy of A Little Life you can have mine as and when I get round to reading it. I don't keep my books so would be happy to pass to a good home.

I have two kindles, a really old original one which I love. I love the fact you have a nice button to move the page, which you can operate with one hand - touch screen sounds way too fiddly and accident prone

(BTW just realised that one-handed reading sounds like I am reading erotica Hope you know what I meant!)

19. The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery

Hyper-French book about the residents of an upper-class mansion block in Paris. Full of heavy musings on Art, and Philosophy and Literature. TBH I found the tone rather annoying - there are two narrators, both of whom have voices which are tiresome in different ways. It's also based on a rather silly premise that the concierge, Renee, is an intelligent and cultured character who has to pretend that she likes stews and watching rubbish on TV, just in case she gets "found out". I did like the characterisation and the humour of the language, and it grew on me.

20. The Accident, Ismail Kadare

I need to finish this before I can judge it but so far I hate it :( Persevering because it won the Man Booker and there are rave reviews all over the cover saying how amazing it is. But I dread picking it up. About 2/3 of the way through..... let's see whether it improves.....

I've sorted it now, but it required a LiveChat with a Kindle techie. But happy to report i am now ad free!

14. Larry's Party by Carol Shields
    The main character, Larry, is fumbling with life - everything seems to happen to him rather than him making it happen - until he visits Hampton Court maze on his honeymoon. This gives him a clarity his hasn't had before and changes his life. Very well written.

15. Tomorrow by Graham Swift
    Did not enjoy this one much at all, was really disappointed with it. Woman lies awake at night. The next day she and her husband are going to make a life changing announcement to their twin children. It's centered on her thoughts about their family and the circumstances that led up to the big reveal. It was fairly obvious what the big reveal was going to be. Didn't find the woman or her family particularly convincing as characters. It's a shame because I've really enjoyed other books of his.

16 The Age of Magic by Ben Okri
A group of documentary makers are travelling from Paris to Greece. They arrive at a town in Switzerland which has magical elements, strange things happen. It is a bit hard to describe without giving away the plot so can't say more than that. It was well written and I enjoyed it.

I did it on the Paperwhite and was fairly instant - may have synced it. My dh has a fire with the ads still on so not sure - If it is the "people also bought" type ads you can sort that in your settings fatowl. Settings>applications>hide home recommendations.

Bought The Strangest Family, thanks for the heads up bibliomania and fatowl.

Will look out for A Month in the Country, but pathetically the cover of the kindle edition made me come over all teary. My only connection to the English countryside is my grandparents' house which has just been sold. There's a farewell party this weekend which I will miss and have been feeling very emotional about it.

Bibliomania I love a bit of historical non fiction, so just checked that one out and it's only 99p on Kindle at the moment, so have bought it, thanks

I absolutely love A Month in the Country - completely blew me away. I can't recommend Harpole & Foxberrow General Publishers though.

Thanks to a long train journey yesterday (such synchronicity) I finished book 26:
The strangest family : the private lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians by Janice Hadlow.
It kept me utterly gripped for its 600+ pages. Thoroughly recommended for anyone who likes their history to dwell on the vicissitudes of royal marriage and childbearing rather than battles lost and won. It was clearly a labour of love (no pun intended) for the author, taking a decade to write, but it's so lively that the pages fly past.

1.The Wolf and The Raven - Steven MacKay
2.The Hobbit - JRRR Tolkien (Audible)
3.Greenwitch - Susan Cooper
4.Child 44 - Tom Robb Smith
5.Fellowship of the Ring - JRRR Tolkien (Audible)
6.Into the Heart of Borneo - Redmond O'Hanlan
7.The No1 Ladies Detective agency
8.The Two Towers - JRRR Tolkien (Audible)
9.Crosstalk - Connie Willis (Audible)
10.The Forest - Edward Rutherfurd
11.Tom’s Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce
12.1066 - Kaye Jones (Audible)
13.The Reformation - Edward Gosselin (Audible)
14.The Return of the King - JRRR Tolkien (Audible)
15. Lion by Saroo Brierley (for Bookclub)

Just finished No.16. The Muse by Jessie Burton (on Audible)
I've rattled through the last third very quickly, and it really did pick up a pace despite a slow start. It was a bit obvious where the plot was going, but it was a great story, and really not what I was expecting based on the first few chapters.

Now plowing through a non-fiction on Edward I - The Great and Terrible King

BestIsWest
I love 84 Charing Cross Road. One of my favourites.