50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Seven

THeTurnOfTheScrew, that's an encouraging review of Less. It's in my TBR pile of books next to the bed and I do really want to pick it up. It's a pile that reproaches me on a daily basis! If it could talk it would tell me to hurry up and read faster.

Great review of Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind Scribbly. I will have to ask my eldest if they know of it as they too have a love of Manga.

71. Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind Volumes 1-7 story and art by Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Davis Lewis and Tore Smith.

This is an epic dystopian Manga written and drawn by the famous Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and director of numerous famous anime including My Neighbour Totoro, Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, and Spirited Away.

For those familiar with his themes (this knowledge has been rather forced upon me by two daughters who are Ghibli obsessives) Nausicaä's main focus is on the relationship between man and nature, and uses a strong and independent young woman as the protagonist. The earth has been almost completely destroyed by ecological disaster, war and pollution and only a few warring nations now survive on the periphery of a giant toxic forest. Nausicaä, daughter of the ruler of the tiny nation living in the Valley of the Wind has a unique ability to communicate and empathise with the deadly creatures of the forest. She is forced to act in the wars amongst men, and the struggle between human survival and that of the aggressive and deadly ecology of post apocalyptic planet.

It’s an enormous sweeping tale; the film only touches on a tiny fragment of the story. Over the seven volumes I grew to love the artwork and even though the story in parts was rather mind boggling, grim and gross there was a real charm, humour and sadness that came through.

I loved that with the non-translated sound effects you have to flick to the back (the front) of the book to find out what the corresponding noises are that go with each scene.
Pictured is one of the magnificent giant Ohmu making the sound Zawa zawa sala (sha sha sha).

I’ve come round to becoming a real admirer of this amazing piece of Manga which is just as well as I have many more hours ahead of me of watching more of Miyazaki's work at the behest of the dds.

89 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
A book club choice by someone I am convinced is a MNetter as I had seen this talked about quite a lot on these threads. I wasn't particularly excited by it but was completely captivated by it. It tells the story of Paul and his school friends, sent to fight in the German trenches in WW1. It's tender and horrifying and felt extremely modern - I don't know how much of that was the translation and how much was the original text. And it was unexpectedly funny in places, which made it even more affecting. I feel this is one of the most vivid depictions of trench warfare I've ever read - would highly recommend. Really looking forward to the discussion next week at book club.

90 Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
So many people told me this was terrific. It was not. It was a perfectly acceptable light read about a marriage, where two fairly normal people did fairly normal things related in a slightly wry way. It was fine. It was not "the best thing you'll read all year" (looking at you, dear sister of mine).

91 The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin
Heck, this was good - what every domestic thriller written in the last 10 years aspires to be and isn't. Louise is an exhausted mother of three living a life of mid century drudgery. I thought every character was well drawn and believable and Louise's absolute knackerdness after sleepless nights with a baby and daytimes with small children was wonderfully done, contributing to her increasing anxiety and paranoia. I loved this and will definitely go looking for more by the same author.

92 The Cows by Dawn Porter
Three women's lives get tangled up because of social media, feminism and unlikely coincidences. I think I was meant to laugh and cry, but did neither, being, apparently, a "cold-hearted bitch" who really must stop taking book recommendations from her sister. Although this wasn't actually terrible, it was just a bit frothy. There were some good and serious themes and I did quite like Tara who gets caught masturbating on the tube after which her life implodes but the blogging element was not well done.

36. Less by Andrew Sean Greer Arthur Less is a not especially successful novelist. In the run-up to his fiftieth birthday, he is left by his partner, who promptly announces his engagement to someone else. In order to escape the twin horrors of his ex's wedding and his own birthday, he leaves the country for a few months. This involves accepting some slightly unappetising invitations to lecture, attend low-profile award ceremonies, take part in panel discussions and to review a very particular kind of Japanese cuisine.

I enjoyed this one. It mainly focused on the nature of love and ageing and how they effect one another. Less is essentially a reasonably decent human being dealing as best he can with what life throws at him. There are some decent jokes, mostly about the literary industry and cultural misinterpretations. And for a novel about a novelist it was refreshingly not up its own arse .

35. Zazie In The Metro - Raymond Queneau

A funny little book, this - a slapstick story based on the adventures of young Zazie, whose mum has dumped her on her uncle in Paris for a couple of days, featuring a fantastical cast including a cross-dressing ballet dancer, talking parrot, a retinue of foreign tourists, and a mysterious policeman who may not be what he seems. It's packed with jokes and wordplay and great fun although would probably outstay its welcome if it was any longer.

21. Home fire by Kamila Shamsi

A brother and two sisters from London deal with the consequences of their absent jihadist father as they start their adult lives apart.

I really enjoyed this. I was expecting something a bit more worthy as it was a prize winner but it was a real page turner. Read it in two days. This one will definitely stay with me for a while.

34. Death in a White Tie Ngaio Marsh Lovely Alleyn investigates a murder and a blackmailer in the middle of the London Season. I liked this, though it's fairly insubstantial. I liked the descriptions of a Society ball - all the cigarette butts! And a nightclub as a thing one could join. The plot is basically Alleyn interviewing everyone a lot though. And the big clue was signposted a bit too much to be much of a surprise. I do wonder if aristocratic Golden Age detectives ever investigated shop keepers and drunks in alleys, though.

Been catching up on the thread - and adding a ridiculous number of books to my wishlist. Thanks all :)

Finally reached the half-way mark of the challenge! Here are my recent reads:
24. Then she was gone - Lisa Jewell
I'm not a fan of this genre but I do like the way Jewell writes. As a mother of teenage girls this was an uncomfortable read and I saw the big reveal coming (unusual for me!!) but the story is well woven and kept me turning the pages. Great holiday read.
25. Dimanches d'août - Patrick Modiano
It's been ages since I read a book in French and this was appropriately titled ;) I rescued it from a pile of books placed next to the recycling bin (impossible to resist a rummage!). Not a lot happens in this book but it's very atmospheric. It takes place in the suburbs of Paris and then in Nice about 50 years ago. I didn't connect with any of the characters but Modiano's writing style is superb.

26. The Sea Lady - Margaret Drabble

I loved this book! Drabble tells a love story that spans several decades and as she does so she brings together the scientific and the artistic. She shows just how defining our childhood experiences are and with the ebb and flow of the tides we follow the two main characters and their entourages from childhood summers to academic recognition in their chosen fields in later life.

60. The Clever Guts Diet by Dr Michael Mosley

All about good gut bacteria, why good gut bacteria are good for us, and how to encourage good gut bacteria. The advice mainly boils down to eat less processed food and eat a varied diet that includes stacks of fruit, veg, and fermented food.

61. The Equality Illusion by Kat Banyard

Feminism book published in 2010. Discusses continuing inequalities between men and women in modern society. Sobering and thought provoking.

62. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Another sobering, but excellent read.
Dana, a young black woman living in 1976 Los Angeles, is repeatedly called back in time to save the life of an white, slave owning ancestor living on a Maryland plantation in 1815.
Disturbing reading at times, which is unavoidable given that it’s about slavery, but not gratuitous.

Have bought DH 'This Thing of Darkness' for his birthday.
DH: A Booker-longlisted novel about the voyage of the Beagle ... Ooh .. Ooh!
Me: I am pretty sure you're going to like it ... I've heard very good things.
DH: Where did you hear about it?
Me: Well, you know that book thread I'm on on Mumsnet?
DH: Face immediately assumes sceptical expression.
Me: Well, occasionally they find an obscure book and they all read it and rave about it. All Quiet on the Western Front was one, and -
DH: Your Mumsnet thread read All Quiet on the Western Front? Seriously?
Me: It ain't all breastfeeding and quack medicine, you know.
I'm planning to steal it from him once he's read it. Will report back.

Thank you for your very kind offer of The Salt Path whippet . I have such a massive to read pile/list, I think I'll just wait and get it from the library...probably next year at this rate.

63 The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

This has been reviewed on these threads a few times. The author spends a year trying to identify and follow through on the things that will make her happier - and also a nicer person to live with. I really liked this book, and thought it had lots of useful ideas. Like the author I'm generally very contented with my life, but I could do sometimes with pausing and actually appreciating it and my family/friends. I hope reading this will inspire me to form some resolutions of my own, and take some time to think about my behaviour. I'm sure I'll re-read it in the future - it'll go on the shelf alongside The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman, the Screwtape Letters, and various other useful books in a similar vein.

OK, I'll go back tomorrow and see if it's still there!

Scribbly as someone who suffers from awful claustrophobia and has put off an MRI for far too long because of it, I completely get where you are coming from with the diving bits.
Terpsichore I would have snapped that up. I have it on Kindle and definitely want / need the actual physical book!!

terpsichore I’d have spent that just for decoration - the cover is so pretty!

Now I know there are “diving bits” in Manhattan Beach I’m rethinking again!

I too am awaiting The Female Persuasion from the library.

I really liked The Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven, toomuch. Will be interested to hear what you think in due course.

A confession: I didn't buy a hardback copy of Circe for £2 today. Did I do a bad thing? I'm really not one for myth and legend, but the miser in me was sorely tempted. What a dilemma

Yes, excellent freebie book haul splother.

I loved all the diving bits in Manhattan Beach, gave me the absolute heebie-jeebies mind, the thought of being in an iron suit at the bottom of the ocean with someone else being on a boat up top responsible for pumping air down to me

Female Persuasion and Unseen World have been on my favourites list this year too whippetwoman, well on my favourites list not including Vanity Fair which is on its very own special sparkling plinth of Most Favourites. A very lovely massive physical copy of which arrived in the post today. Four more volumes of Nausicaä Manga madness to read back to front through and then I can settle down and read VF all over again, but this time with Explanatory Notes. Yay!

I read a sample of Manhattan Beach and wanted to carry on reading so I'm a bit torn. I think I heard some critics tearing it apart on Radio 4 a while back, but am quite tempted.
Have ordered The Female Persuasion from the library on the back of this thread. I'm really looking forward to it coming in. I also have this thread to thank for having read The Unseen World which I loved.

Where you work sounds excellent Toomuchsplother! Good haul.

Scribbly there was lots I really liked about Manhattan Beach. When I first started it I thought it was going to be one of my standouts but it lost it's way. Still pleased I read it though.
Currently getting stuck into Mythos By Stephen Fry. It is like having Fry's voice in my head while I am reading. Very very strange!

Have nipped into work and found someone has left a pile of books 'free to good homes.'
Fatal!
Came back with :
Human traces, On Green dolphin Street, A fool's alphabet- all by Sebastian Faulks. The bean trees, Animal Dreams, Pigs in Heaven - Barbara Kingsolver, A closed eye - Anita Brookner , The story of Lucy Gault - William Trevor.

splother yes, I had seen that too about LitPun finishing on YouTube. Quite sad about it as she is by far my favourite booktubers and I always enjoyed watching her reviews. She loved The Idiot, just goes to show how marmitey that book is.

Interesting to read your thoughts on Manhattan Beach. I really loved it. I think I know which bit in the plot you mean being unbelievable but by that point in the book I was so involved with the characters and was simply enjoying the story so much that I didn’t care. Looking back on the Women's Longlist it was the only book on there that felt like it didn’t come with an agenda. For me it was one of those ‘steady hand on the tiller’ jobs where after a few chapters in I felt safe that the author wasn’t going to suddenly unleash a whole world of weirdness or Very Important Political Points at me. I looked back on my reading history and I listened to it after reading Ministry so that’s another reason why I probably thought it was ace.

Talking of weirdness I'm currently reading the complete Nausicaä of The Valley of the Wind, all seven volumes in an attempt to enter the minds and bond with my dds who are obsessed with all things Manga and Anime.
So you have to read these backwards (R to L) and there are giant multi eyed sentient bugs and everyone is fighting everyone in crazy planes above an aggressive toxic forest. I am really struggling to understand what the blithering heck is going on and I’ve seen the bloody film!

Oh I love Hearts in Atlantis

I couldn't get past the first 20 pages of Goon Squad. There are so many books that people tell me I will love and I grind to a halt with - looking at you, Wolf Hall and My Brilliant Friend.

Onto a book I did get on with...

88 Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
"There are also books full of great writing that dont have very good stories. Read sometimes for the story, Bobby. Don't be like the book snobs who won't do that. Read sometimes for the words - the language. Don't be like the play it safers who won't do that. But when you find a book that has both a good story and good words, treasure that book." This paragraph got me right in the gut - it's everything I think about reading and what makes a good book. And while I'm not convinced Stephen King is the greatest writer of our times, he's certainly one of the greatest story tellers and this book has both a good story and good words. It's not a novel but a novella, a long story and three much shorter stories, linked by characters through their lives, loosely woven around Vietnam. The first is classic King - childhood conceived and written about brilliantly, links to the Dark Tower, menace and loss. The others are quite different but it all works wonderfully. One of my favourite reads this year.

Manhattan Beach had to go back to the library before I’d read it toomuch, I don’t think I’ll bother getting it out again. I was ambivalent about Goon Squad which seemed to be well thought of generally.

Thanks whippet I will keep an eye out. I do quite like Ondaatje’s writing, particularly his memoir Running in the Family

Hmm, I'm keeping an eye out for Snap if/when it appears as a Kindle deal, or in a charity shop.

Latest from me: 58: Victorians Undone - Kathryn Hughes

I think this has appeared before on this thread. Anyway, as it's non-fiction and about the 19thc it was pretty much guaranteed to be up my street, and indeed it was, but with caveats.

Kathryn Hughes had obviously decided that, since her brief was to ferret into areas of history that nobody ever talked about - the physical appearance of specific historical personalities (mostly literary figures), and how they conducted their most intimate relations - she needed to be racy and irreverent. So there's a lot of hearty slanginess which is sometimes quite funny but other times a bit forced.

Having said that, she uncovers a good deal of arcane information which I really enjoyed reading about (rural butter and cheese-making was surprisingly interesting), and teases out connections between most of her subjects. Not only this, she uses the information about physical appearance that drives the book - Darwin's beard, George Eliot's allegedly oversized right hand, etc etc - to explore themes of class, respectability, sex (a lot of sex), politics and crime.

So, all in all, I liked it a lot once I'd understood that it presents itself more as a 'popular' history book, but has a serious purpose underneath.