50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Six

They have started sticking them in the back of new editions of modern classics and popular literary fiction too.

"is anyone else put off by book group questions at the back of books?"

Very much so. I didn't know that was a thing until I was made to read several specimens of faux-profound "women's fiction" in our book club.

103. Five Red Herrings, Dorothy L Sayers. I must have read this about 6 times now and there's something in it that just really appeals to me. Objectively it's not as good/thrilling as Gaudy Night but somehow it's Five Red Herrings that I go to for comfort reading on a hungover Saturday. I think it's the Scottish brogue and the endless train times that just wash over you. (Am still loving Middlemarch but my brain was hurting too much to focus on it on Saturday and once I was into FRH I wanted to finish it.)

passme, yes, I feel quite patronised by the cheery "Now discuss!" thing.

Have decided that Black Lamb, Grey Falcon will join Tristam Shandy and The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire on the shelf of "Books I love the idea of reading, but will have to wait for the right occasion. Possibly circumnavigation of the globe by tramp steamer. Or travelling to another galaxy if they haven't sorted out the hibernation option".

24. Moving by Jenny Eclair Elderly widow Edwina is moving from the house she's lived in for fifty years. As she gets ready to leave, the story of her time there unfolds, different memories prompted by each room of the house. Later we hear the story from the different perspectives of her stepson, and her own son's girlfriend.

The story was a little predictable, but pacey enough to keep interest, and I think Eclair writes well.

passme yes I had those in one recently and ignored. So weird and almost makes the book in question seem more lightweight. I wouldn't have thought adults needed
prompts for discussion (in a non-educational setting) We manage to argue ourselves hoarse on here without any agenda

And I forgot to mention - is anyone else put off by book group questions at the back of books? I find them irritating and it reminds me of the worst of English lessons at school. And I say that as someone who loved English. It's just the very contrived questions and the sense of "let's all sit and ponder this together". They read like essay topics for the Higher English exam

30. Stardust - Neil Gaiman

In a lovelorn moment, Tristran Thorne promises to retrieve a fallen star for the beautiful Victoria Forrester. In order to do this he leaves the normality of the Victorian town of Wall and enters Faerie where he embarks upon an adventure which includes mystical creatures and dangerous foes.

It was ok. Nice. Easy to read at 4am. It felt a bit young adulty - which is not a criticism.

Think I might get back to Vera Blake. I have a couple of Denise Mina books I bought for £1 but I think they will be hard to read one handed so kindle it is.

I must have started my Cousin Rachel half a dozen times and never got last the first chapter. Worth persisting then? I usually love Du Maurier.

36. My Cousin Rachel - Daphne DuMaurier Not seen the film, but thought I probably will at some point (wait for streaming though) so I'd read the book first. Very much what you'd expect from DuMaurier and I liked the way it kept you guessing, and I liked the character of Rachel. Seriously disliked the narrator- I think maybe that was the point??? But his pomposity and obstinate obliviousness made for tedious reading at times.

Just stopping by to say 'Hello'. Currently struggling with 'The Romanovs'. This is real stop/ start affair for me. I've made my classic and oft repeated mistake of taking on a heavy book at a crazy busy time in RL. Taking me back to my 'Middlemarch whilst being induced' incident. Trudging on, I will not be beaten!

38. Summer Knight (Book 4 of the Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher.

Wizards, fairies, goblins and a blast from the past for Harry Dresden. Quite good fun.

39. Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

I don't think this needs any introduction. Suffice to say I very much enjoyed it. I didn't LOVE it but I wonder if that's because I saw the TV series first, which stayed true to the story. Characters great, writing lovely and I looked forward to reading it every night.

I also added the Forsyth book to my extensive tbr pile. 😱😊

Just stopping by as you dropped off my list. Almost finished Stardust. I am enjoying it actually.

I'm not sure when it started but there's a very good kindle sale on at the moment. I bought The Bone Clocks, I'm a bit scared

The FF autobiog sounds great, Cote - another one for the TBR list :)

Cote - the Forsyth sounds great. I will add it to my enormous list. I think I have already revealed that I believe Day of the Jackal is one of the great books of the 20th century.

Murine - I enjoyed listening to the Moth Catcher on audio, Vera is a great character. If I didn't have the world's biggest TBR pile (kindle and real) then I could definitely get stuck into some more Ann Cleeves books.

31. The Outsider: My Life In Intrigue by Frederick Forsyth

I loved this! I started it as I went to bed the other night, thinking it will bore me to sleep in a few pages as most autobiographies do (at least until they get going). Tough luck. I stayed up until 2 AM, totally engaged

I didn't know much about FF except that he wrote The Day Of the Jackal and a few other spy books. It turns out that he is a RAF pilot, Reuters reporter out of East Berlin before the Wall came down, journalist who brought to light the starving children in Nigeria, and part-time spy for the MI6.

This isn't an autobiography as much as it is a testimonial to the places, pivotal events, and sometimes tragedies that the author has been witness to. There are huge sections on East Berlin and Germany under Communism, Middle East, and various places in Africa including a comprehensive guide to Nigeria's civil war.

And the writing is exactly how I like it - smart, lucid, witty, and with no cheap heartstring-tugging gimmicks.

I highly recommend this book to everyone here.

63. Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves second in the Vera Stanhope series, another well written page turner. I really like Cleeves' books and so far haven't managed to guess the culprit in four Shetland and two Vera books. I have a few more waiting on my kindle and am sorely tempted to binge read them.
64. The Dry by Jane Harper Very engaging thriller, the author did an excellent job depicting the claustrophobic atmosphere of the small, arid rural town in Australia to which Falk returns after a twenty year absence to attend a funeral. His childhood friend appears to have killed his family and then himself in a horrific murder spree, and Falk is soon drawn into trying to find out if there is room for any doubt and exonerate his friend in what seems to be a straight forward case.
65. See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt Atmospheric, well written historical fiction of the unsolved gruesome murders of Lizzie Borden's parents. I thought this was excellent, it reminded me a little of His Bloody Project.

I'm now enjoying New Boy by Tracy Chevalier.

Indeed cote! It's a very good name choice

Not being able to pay back the loans was the whole point. It's not as if he claimed that it could be done which is what you appear to believe? To be honest you don't seem very informed on this and I'm finding your prejudices a bit ehm.. strong.

Monty - Andnow you know where Tarahumara got her name from

Remus