50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Four

I'm looking forwards to reading everyone's reviews on Nothing is True. Life's got a bit busy atm so currently on an easy-reading memoirs of an ambulance driver which is suitably bitty. Hoping to get some quiet time at the weekend to start The Essex Serpent though.

Satsuki- 🤣. Glad you read it, now I don't have to. My BIL bought it for me a few years ago and I have started it a couple of times but it's never grabbed me. Now I can avoid, avoid, avoid!

Thanks for the heads up, everyone. I bought The Day of the Jackal for DH and Nothing is True for us both.

Apparently there is even more excessive Stone Age rumpy-pumpy in the rest of the series.

ontopofthesunset I was feeling rather sorry for myself after my adventures in Lute-land, but I now realise it could have been worse:

lot of enthusiastic Neanderthal (or was it Cro-Magnon?) shagging (Clan of the Cave Bear)

Oh yeah! Hadn't really thought through the practicalities. I still remember swapping books with an aunt on holiday when I was 15. I gave her Schindlers list and she gave me Jilly Cooper's Riders

Yes, it's a wonderful idea in theory but having spent some of last year reading through the 17 or so books I hadn't read of the BBC's Big Read Top 100, I realised that popular books are not necessarily what I consider to be good books. I had to read through some terrible sentimental romantic twaddle (The Shellseekers) and some heavy-duty anachronistic imagined medieval cathedral building (The Pillars of the Earth) and a lot of enthusiastic Neanderthal (or was it Cro-Magnon?) shagging (Clan of the Cave Bear). Almost all of the books had something to recommend them but not all of them had much to recommend them. And don't even get me started on how many thousands of people on Amazon think The Girl on the Train is a good book.

Lost count of where I am as I've been suffering from sinusitis and unable to read anything more than Mumsnet, but recently finished:

The Last Chronicle of Barset (Trollope, audiobook): I've enjoyed these so much as a counterfoil to modern fiction and will miss the characters. Still annoyed with lightning-struck Lily Dale and her daft decisions.

Death's End: (Liu Cixin) This got alarmingly sciencey and I wasn't sure whether my disbelief could even bother trying to challenge the premises of it. Overall I enjoyed the series, but in terms of character and dialogue it's very flat - people were always making baffling decisions. I don't know how much of this is due to translation problems. I rarely read a translation I'm fully happy with; there's always a noticeably stilted quality. But still I'm glad I read them all.

remus that's hopeful. I'm enjoying it so far though subject is intense. I don't mind long if it's good

cote I have been very lucky with my reading, really. I like the idea of of a greatest hits, but feel you would dominate it Unless I get a knock on the head and buy the sequel.

passmethecrisps in real life I'd probably end up with 10 copies of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Passmethecrisps great idea in theory, but it all hinges on friends having a similar taste in books to you.

I still shudder at the memory of when one very good friend raved about how wonderful a read 50 Shades of Grey was before insisting on lending me her copy. In brief, I regret having wasted several hours of my life reading any of it, and I didn't like any of it.

Just saw this on my FB feed - what a great idea!

Currently around halfway through book 18. Do No Harm - Henry Marsh. Wasn't sure if enjoy this especially after working in NHS admin all day but it's a good read and I enjoy reading each chapter about each patient and their story.

17. The Outcasts of Time - Ian Mortimer
Time-travel novel which sees the protagonists given 6 more days to live after contracting the plague. The catch is that each of the 6 days will be 99 years after the previous.

It was interesting to chart the major changes over the centuries but there wasn't enough 'meat' to satisfy me. It all felt a bit superficial and there were some details which bothered me like how people could still understand their speech. Don't know about you, but I find Chaucer quite tricky to get my head round and would imagine that someone speaking like that would attract more attention, especially as the centuries wore on!

Worth a try if you enjoy history, especially social history. However, if history is a particular passion, you may find this more frustrating for not examining changes in depth.

You are welcome Remus. I aim to please

Hahahahhaaaaahahaha @ the thought of me reading that book

I loved your review, though. You should read more like it and write more hilarious reviews.

In fact, we should collect such reviews into a Worst Best of 50-Book Threads compilation at the end of the year

Cote - Thanks so much for reminding me about Charles Cummings because of course I really want to read everything he's ever written and I'm so GLAD you brought him back to my mind so that I could remember just how much I adore him.

Actually I'm reading a rather Cummings-ish novel at the moment. I thought it was going to be okay but the central character has now started screwing pretty much every woman in sight (because, of course, women all just want to throw themselves at every Mr Spy/Detective/Policeman they meet) and it's all going rapidly downhill. I've invested so long in it now though that I might as well finish it.

Satsuki - sorry to take joy in your pain but I really enjoyed that review. If it's any consolation, I absolutely love A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius so I really hope you enjoy it. It's another long one though.

Review of the Year so far there Satsuki.
Still laughing at It was not lute-lite

cote that's really brought it to life for me. In fact you should read it (please don't read it, I would worry for your health)

"I'd say that Satsuki absoLUTEly adored it (do you see what I did there?!)"

Oh yes she did, didn't she?

Actually, this feels like the perfect moment to share with Satsuki the piece I'm working on at the moment called (I kid you not) Bach's Suite in C minor for LUTE, arr. for LUTE-harpsichord It's not a joke, here are the first 2 pagesof my notes

Oh and fatowl - I did comment on your thread about reading, hope you're doing ok with it.

I don't know what to tell you sadik. I found the beginning premise intriguing and thought it might get back to it, then it didn't, but then the kids were ill so I couldn't pick up my library reservations, then I was ill and just couldn't be bothered to start something new, and by that time I'd read half and felt like I'd invested too much time in it not to get to the end. I didn't start to get really annoyed until the final third when I realised it wasn't going to deliver anything interesting at all. In theory I'm very much in favour of abandoning books but I do find it difficult in practice.

Risk of security attacks. Simmilar to the USA ban..

fatowl.
Love that review, Satsuki.
Really, 11122aa? Why?

Off topic but with kindles now to be banned on some. Flights to and from the UK I wonder what effects on reading.

fatowl I am so sorry to hear about your losses. Hope you get your mojo back soon, i know i struggled after losing my dad and found rereading helped.

What I want to know Satsuki is why you finished it???

It was not lute-lite, that's for sure. I feel angry thinking about it. My husband made the mistake of asking me about my book just after I'd finished it, you should have seen the look of instant regret on his face as the rage unfolded.

It has 5 star reviews on Goodreads. But one of those is the author, saying, "I kinda liked it but my opinion is not to be trusted" snurk, snurk. Grrr. And others said things like "wow this is the longest book I've ever read!" So maybe it's YA? I felt like going on there and screaming "THE EMPEROR IS NAKED!!!!" but I'm a grown woman with a life to lead so not going to do that. Thank you, this is like therapy.