50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Six

Sorry, I haven't updated for a while haven't been reading much.

33. Masquerade - Laura Lam - 3rd of the pantomine triology. Relatively good finish to the story, although it suffers from the YA problem of not having very fully thought out adults in it.

34. Holding - Graham Norton - I wasn't expecting much from this but it's actually very good! Some bones are discovered on a Irish farm near a small village. The land had belonged to a man who got on a bus and disappeared 30 years before, after his fiancee and the girl who had a crush on him had a fight in the street. Local policeman is very out of his depth. Lovey and gentle 'murder mystery' but with believable characters.

1. Bee Wilson, 'this is not a diet book'
2. Harry Potter & the chamber of secrets (with DC)
3. Jennifer Weiner, 'all fall down'
4. Lauren Sandler, 'one and only'
5. Rene and Goscinny, the Nicholas Book (children's book)
6. Katja Rowell, fussy eating book
7. Nicola Yoon, 'everything everything' (YA book)
8. JD Robb, 'echoes in death'
9. JD Vance, 'Hillbilly elegy'
10. Jonathan Kellerman, Heartbreak Hotel
11. Haemin Sunim, The things you can see only when you slow down
12. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie We should all be feminists
13. Sarah A. Denzil Silent Child
14. Anna Bell The bucket list to mend a broken heart
15. Elin Hilderbrand The Rumor
16. William Styron Sophie's choice
17. Diane Ackerman the Zookeeper's wife
18. Leap in: A woman, some waves and the will to swim by Alexandra Heminsley
19. Αύγουστος Κορτώ Μικρό χρονικό τρέλλας
20. The breakdown B. A. Paris 21) Floating: A life regained by Joe Minihane

As you may be able to spot, there's a theme developing in my list--swimming memoirs. I currently, in fact, have 3-4 more on the go. Journalist Joe Minihane's Floating (number 21 on my list this year) describes the journey of the author retracing the swimming 'steps' of Roger Deakin. Deakin famously set out to explore and swim at the UK wild swimming spots (lakes / reservoirs / rivers / sea / lidos) within one year. It's a real classic in the genre. So Minihane, with a mundane office job (albeit freelance) & some anxiety to conquer, sets off to follow Deakin's footsteps, travelling across the UK, swimming (with wetsuit & without / with friends or alone).

Have to say, much as I love reading swimming memoirs (and love swimming itself with a passion), this was not a good example in the genre. At best, it will inspire you to try out the swimming spots Minihane describes. But at worst, this is (unsurprisingly) a poor 'remake', in a way, of the far superior Waterlog which by the way I wholeheartedly recommend.

I'm still haunted by the scene where they agree to deliver someone else's car, trash it, and then just hand it over and are like, "Whatever" and walk away. Like, WHO DOES THAT AND THINKS IT'S OKAY?

Ha ha cheerful.

However, I quite enjoyed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I read it on a Greek island and felt extremely chilled so maybe that helped.

I shall save my pennies then. OTOH, tempted to download a sample just to see how bad it is.

at Cheerful (very appropriately!). On the subject of waffly, plotless crap, I see you On The Road and I raise you Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (also a book club gem).

"Beatnik, innit" for quote of the week.

"Tristan, you've just handed in fifteen pages of waffly, plotless crap."
"No, right, but, like, On the Road, right."
"On the Road was attempting to capture the spirit of a generation. You are capturing the spirit of someone who thinks not using commas compensates for not having anything to say or a plot."

I hated On The Road. Awful narrator, nothing happened, read like he'd got high and sat up all night scribbling random crap until he crashed, then thought "fuck it" and sent it to his editor. Who went "yeah, whatever, beatnik, innit?" and published it anyway.
And generations of creative writing tutors have suffered the consequences.

On the Road = dullsville. I gave up on it.

Sonnet - I've got Animal on my list, is it really dire?

RMC re book group hates...mine has chosen some atrocious ones this year Animal by Sarah Pascoe and The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters to name 2 I hated but others loved!

Just purchased "The Land of Green Ginger" - thank you for the prompt. I enjoyed "South Riding" a couple of years ago!

I'm currently enjoying "Vera" and still fond of Eleanor (although not had much time to listen)

Just realised made a mistake with my count. Confusion was book 71.
72. Reconstructing Amelia - Kimberly McCreight.
Another book group book and another one I suspect the rest will love and I hated.
Basic premise of the story is that Kate's daughter has apparently committed suicide by jumping off the roof of her posh NYC school after being accused of cheating. Kate is trying to prove she didn't.
It was poorly written, unbelievable and full of what I perceived as inaccuracies. I can suspend disbelief with the best of them but I can't cope with sloppy writing and plot lines that can be picked apart by a five year old.
I won't bore you with the details!
On a positive note it does raise some interesting questions about how much we know about our teenagers lives, particularly in the digital/ social media age. It also made me think about academic pressure on teenagers. However the author doesn't respond to these issues or develop the themes further, just sticks them out there in a very 'Jeremy Kyle' type way.
This is a long review for an awful book, however I can't just rock up to book group and say I hated it again!! I needed to sound out why.

65. The Chalk Pit, Elly Griffiths
The latest in a crime fiction series. The archaeology bit is shoehorned in fairly awkwardly - it's one of the series' selling points, but the author is now struggling to come up with new scenarios. Still, I like the characters and read it more as an update on their lives, although keeping up with all the childbearing is a full-time job.

66. The Land of Green Ginger, Winifred Holtby.
Cheddar, thank you so much for your review of this one - I absolutely loved it! Young woman in 1920s Yorkshire dreams of freedom, but is stuck on farm, nursing ailing husband. Sounds dour, but it's done with a light touch and humour and a sense that life is there to be grasped. A delight.

39. Ragdoll - Daniel Cole

A body is found stitched together with multiple victims body parts. Pictures released to the press along with a list of victims and dates they will be killed. Can the killer be stopped in time to save them?

This was an enjoyable read for the subject matter and I'm looking forward to more books from the author.

Now onto The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood which I'm looking forward to!

Yes, and meandering, dull and self-absorbed if we're going into detail!

I got 16% into On The Road and gave up in disgust. Posturing sexist arsehole. It was a book club book but I just couldn't keep reading.

On the Road is worth reading as a document of a particular time and style, but it's a hardgoing read really if you're not really into that kind of thing.

Just bought East of Eden too. Has anyone read On The Road and would recommend it?

There are some good Kindle daily deals today: On The Road by Keroauc, East of Eden by John Steinbeck and See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt for 99p each.
I've bought the latter two, I've had both on my wish list for a while so I'm pleased they've been put on offer!

No I didn't tara. Must be a Sean Bean kind of evening.

I'm 30 per cent into Lincoln and enjoying it so far, and I've acclimatised to the style.

Also same amount into Conclave; not much happening yet but well written and anticipation building so can't complain...

Meg can't wait to hear what you think of Lincoln. I am almost two books beyond it and I am still thinking about it.

All Quiet was simply too good. Hats off to the translator too. I now want to try to get a copy in German and to seek out more of his work. I've been raving about it in work demanding everyone read it at once. It was too beautiful and too heartbreaking.

I also want to know why we didn't cover it in school unlike half of the crap they forced us to read. Or why I have spent years compiling must read lists and have only just found enough time to get round to reading them. Moving practically next door a library has helped.

It makes me worry about what else I might have missed out on so far.

Alas Sean Bean is too old to start digging a trench

Next up: Lincoln In The Bardo...