50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Eight

at ghostie

Don't think I'll be rushing to read Under a Pole Star.

Funny how different we all are. Scribbly's review really makes me want to read it. Only to, erm... confirm it's really that badly edited. (Note to self: yup, that's plausible. They'll buy that).

Scribbly So glad I didn't let the polar setting lure me into that one.

Ham - I thought Night Watching was terrible, and didn't finish it.

Ha Scribbly your complaints of too much literary sex are far more eloquent and entertaining than mine! Don't think I'll be rushing to read Under a Pole Star.

108. Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

Thank God that’s over.

19th century Scottish explorer and meteorologist Flora Mackie meets American geologist Jakob de Beyn in the Arctic. They do some exploring together and they do exploring apart. Flora travels back and forth to London. Jakob travels back and forth to New York. They partake in copious amounts of mutually satisfying and minutely described sex.

There are parts of this book that are well written. I enjoyed Penney's descriptions of the Arctic, the tough lives of the Eskimo people, and how they were so important to the survival of the annual expeditions of the exploring white men despite causal disregard for their culture and lives. I also enjoyed how the presence of a nice middle class white woman in amongst the macho hardy types caused them great consternation. Well if a woman can do what we are doing then what does that say about my achievements?

Oh dear though, there is far too much of the book, the whole thing needs a serious edit, particularly the ‘early years’ chapters, and there is far, far too much literary shagging. I like a nicely written plot driven bonk as much as the next reader but Penney overindulged so badly in earth-shattering energetic lovemaking that it was tedious and faintly ridiculous by the end.
One tent based love scene left me contemplating whether Flora, after much athletic shenanigans with Jakob, should have nipped outside afterwards for a cystitis preventing post-coitus void versus the almost certain peril of developing frostbite to the nether regions? Quite the dilemma.

68 The Night Watch by Sarah Waters She really is a fantastic descriptive writer, and this book evokes 1940s London vividly. However, the plot and jumping between multiple characters just didn't work for me. The book opens in 1947, then jumps back to 1944 then 1941 to explain how the 'present' i.e. 1947 situation came about. I kept expecting it to go back to 1947 but it never does. I wasn't really sure, out of the many characters, whose story I was supposed to care about, and what the main point of it all was. Fingersmith was a triumph of non-traditional chronological structure and narrative viewpoints, but for me, this just wasn't. Also, too much sex description. No need for it (but I am a notorious prude).

Satsuki interesting about the Durrells. Looking at how full my Kindle is it might be a while before I get to it but I will let you know what I think.

Cote / Scribbly Great, will let you know how I get on. Heading away for New Year, might save it for then
Murine I have never read Pink Rabbit but a big Mog fan so will give it a go.

121. Antigone Read to put Home Fire in context. Pleased I read it this way around so the story line of Home Fire wasn't spoilt for me. Quick read but much more enjoyable than I expected.

Now reading Thin Air - Michelle Paver. Another that has been on my Kindle for ages.

“reading the notes. Is this going to be a pain on Kindle?”

Not at all. You touch the number, it takes you to the footnote. When you read it, you click back and continue reading the book. Easy peasy.

RMC123 I'm glad you mentioned When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit as being in the kindle sale, I loved it as a child and went back on to buy it straight away!
I was thinking of getting Any Human Heart by William Boyd too, has anybody read it?

RMC I’ve got a paperwhite and the footnote is a highlighted numbered link, which when you touch it the text appears at the bottom of the screen. Very easy. Same in the kindle app in my iPad and phone.

Satsuki, you are very welcome It’s a lovely book of poetry.

I was meh about The Night Circus. Adore JS&MN, but it didn't come alive for me until Jonathan Strange appeared. Honeyfoot and Whatshisname are far less appealing.
Sadik I bet he does children's books VERY well. Have never heard of that one, but will see if my library has a copy.

I didn't get v far with JS&MN - boring, boring, boring (so boring I said it thrice).

I came on here moaning about how much I was hating JS&MrN and was firmly told I had to read the footnotes. Tried again, with footnotes, still hated it. So disappointed, as it should be my kind of thing. My low-brow reading plod to the 2017 finish line continues:

66. Echo Burning by Lee Child Jack Reacher #5. He is wandering through Texas, when he hitches a lift with a damsel in distress, who is in danger from her abusive husband and his family, but there is a lot more going on than first meets the eye. Enjoyed the contrast of reading about the unfeasibly hot Texas summer and vast landscapes during the cold, dark, but cosy festive season here.

67. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella First time in many years that I've read any chicklit. It was quite fun. Nice, slightly ditsy doesn't-know-how-good-she-is woman has to choose between two posh, rich emotional fuckwits (although I think we're supposed to think one of them isn't). Although the outcome had been dialling itself in from the start, the ending was cringy and disappointing which spoilt what had been a light fun read.

Cote I think I remember you mentioning before about reading the notes. Is this going to be a pain on Kindle?

88. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Seasonal re-read. It's the night before Hogwatch and the Hogfather has disappeared so Death is taking his place and delivering presents to keep the space open. Susan Sto Helit, Death's granddaughter, is working as a governess in Ankh-Morpork and has been told by her granddad to not get involved. So, assisted by the Death of Rats, an eyeball-fixated raven, and the oh god of hangovers, she sets out to find out what has happened to the Spirit of Hogwatch.

CheerfulMuddler The Man Who Was Magic by Paul Gallico is one of my favourite ever children's books (both as a child, and when I re-read it to dd when she was small).

I don't think it will matter about the order. I read Spy first and then the other two.

ghostie I don’t think so because Spy centres on different characters that intersect with Smiley. V good.

rmc I left off reading the Durrell for a long time and didn’t love it when I did get round to it. Not a patch on Herriot in terms of laughs, interested to hear what you think of it. I was a bit bemused by its popularity.

Scribbly you’ll either be raving about JS&MN in a few weeks, or have been bored to tears by it, seems to go one of two ways oh and was it you on another thread that mentioned The Bees collection by Duffy? Reading and enjoying it now, so thank you.

Bugger on The Ashes of London. Oh well, I'll give it a go. And I've caved on The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - thank you, Remus. Does it make much of a difference if the Smiley books aren't read in order?

I've also made a list of all the library books I need to read and return -- there's 18 titles on there. That's almost half of next year's challenge alone.

I very much enjoyed The Night Circus.

51. Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali: Janna is a Muslim teenager whose life is in some upheaval. She's navigating family issues, school pressure, and the inevitable tension she feels between her religious and cultural background and her crush on a non-Muslim guy. Most difficult, though, is dealing with the sexual assault that she's hiding from everyone.

I have very mixed feelings about this book: in many ways, it's excellent. Janna has a rich life and while a good person, works through some self-centred behaviour and myopic views about other people, particularly her brother's "saintly" girlfriend. Also, not everything is resolved perfectly, which I appreciate.

But...I was frustrated at times as I felt that Janna didn't fully address the role that religion had in creating her situation, particularly as related to her assault. This aspect of the book really bothered me, probably because I have left the Catholicism of my youth firmly behind me. However, I realize that I am not the target audience for this novel and perhaps can't judge it fairly on this level. I'd be most interested to read reviews of it from modern young Muslim women.

Those of you planning to start JS & Mr N - Make sure you read every footnote. Half of the story is told in the footnotes.

Cheerful I agree it is sentimental but for me it's a sentimental place so it doesn't really jar. Visiting my Grandad tomorrow so might have to take a drive down there, although it is private residence now. There is a book called Kenzie about a local man who worked alongside Scott. That might be a bit niche though!
Have had JS and Mr N on my kindle for an age. Might have to give it a good. I really enjoyed the Night Circus, shades of wise Children if I remember rightly
Remus I too was underwhelmed by Ashes of London

Johnathan Strange and Mr Norell downloaded onto kindle. £1.99 bargain too. It shall be my Christmas read. Thank you for the recommendation Cote and ghostie. Very happy that I can continue to immerse myself in magic over the next week.

Chicken - The Spy who Came in from the Cold is much better than Call for the Dead - as if call is just a gentlewarm up, but Spy is a full on run!

I was distinctly underwhelmed by Ashes of London.