50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Two

1. Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce.

I enjoyed this book set in wartime London. Emmeline Lake wants to become a wartime journalist but finds herself working as a junior typist at Woman's Friend magazine. Her boss, the formidable agony aunt Mrs Bird, will not respond to any letters containing any form of 'Unpleasantness' eg women who have Gone Too Far with the wrong man or who are Not Good Sorts. Emmeline feels compelled to write back to these women signing herself off as Mrs Bird.

The book begins in a light-hearted manner but becomes deeper as the story unfolds.

Checking in.

1. Killing Eve (current read)

Thanks for the new thread, South.

Grim, Dream of Ding Village looks really interesting, have added it to the list. I read Do not say we have nothing last year and a Peter Hessler non-fiction, set in China and have a list of books and about China to read recommended by posters on this thread. Too many books, too little time!

Pepe, Snap! I’m reading, and listening to on Audible (36 hrs 😮), a massive Stephen Pinker too - The Better Angels of our Nature*. What are you reading?

My list so far:

1. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson.
2. Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker.
3. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.

And
6. Milkman by Anna Burns.

Listened to this book on Audible with a Northern Irish narrator. At the beginning I really was not sure I was going to like it but by the end I was sold. Claustrophobic, threatening atmosphere of a community always under threat of violence which leaks into relationships. I loved the no-names, the characters, sad parts, funny parts, maybe-boyfriend, third brother-in-law, her mother in love with Real Milkman and stealing all her daughters’ clothes, the wee sisters. Loved it.

Keith, I missed your review on Bitter Orange - did you like it?

I'm usually awake for three or four hours reading during the night as I either can't sleep or wake up about 1am.

The Last Hours by Minette Walters
A village try to survive as the Black Death arrives in Dorset.

Thanks to virginqueen for mentioning this at the end of last year and toomuchsplother for pointing out the sequel at exactly the right time. I really enjoyed this, good characters, plenty of intrigue and enough going on to keep the pace up. I will definitely be reading the next one.

My list so far

1. Normal People by Sally Rooney
2. The Core by Peter V Brett
3. Murder never misses by Faith Martin (a Hillary Greene detective novel. I love Hillary Greene!)
4. The Wife by Meg Wolitzer

And I've started 5) Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver.

No stand out books so far. In fact I've trudged through them except for the Hillary Greene one which is light reading. I liked the beginning and end of The Wife but I think the middle could do with being 40 pages shorter.

Next book is Cactus as recommended by a poster in thread one. Or maybe just mentioned and not actually recommended

KittyMcKitty I read every night before going to sleep too aboiut half an hour on average. But I also commute three times a week which is a hour each way. That adds up to quite a bit of reading time...

We bold names and titles in conversations as lots of people might be having separate discussions about different books at the same time so easier to pick out.

Anyone not obeying these rules will be thrown overboard it won’t be mentioned

I know olly dh and I had a couple of years where we managed to see some pretty good theatre pre-kids and I’m glad because it’s gone completely out the window in the 8 years since. I also saw PS in The Tempest he was a wonderful Prospero and didn’t say “make it so” once.

Hallelujah! Finished number 2 The Shadow of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. If I read all books as slowly as this this year, I'm doomed!

I did enjoy it but it is very very convoluted : maybe the Spanish writing style is more intense? It was a dutiful read as DS1 and 2 both study Spanish; DS2 read this in English (I now feel a bit awkward having recommended it as it's quite sexual in places!). He has now just read one of Zafon's YA books which he enjoyed(again, he didn't read the Spanish.)

On to Michelle Obama after an education book : hopefully those will be more speedy!

Thanks, Fortuna- some of that I'd figured out, but some I hadn't!

FranKatzenjammer

Bold tends to be used when discussing what you have just read and what you are currently reading or talking about so it stands out.

When a new thread starts some of us like to bring across a list of what we have read so far, partly to keep track and also to placemark the thread in I'm On / Watching links. When doing a whole list we tend to use bold for books that are your standout reads and italics for anything you thought was dreadful. Normal text for any other books.

There are no rules though. These are just habits formed over time.

Gosh, these threads move quickly! So far I have finished:

1. Bird Box- Josh Malerman
2. Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool- Peter Turner
3. The Road- Cormac McCarthy

and I currently have four books on the go:

Memory Songs- James Cook
Why Mummy Drinks- Gill Sims
In the Days of Rain- Rebecca Stott
The Tattooist of Auschwitz- Heather Morris

I'm now slightly confused about when to use bold type- can someone confirm please?!

I was lucky to see Waiting for Godot performed by Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen and don’t think I can beat that. Absolutely nothing happens but it was riveting*

I can't think of any two actors better suited to these parts! So jealous that you saw them.

I mean thanks terpsichore and museumofham

I was lucky to see *Waiting for Godot performed by Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen and don’t think I can beat that. Absolutely nothing happens but it was riveting.

alias Cider is a family member’s favourite Book but I have to say I felt the same as you about it.

I will put Michael Frayn on the ever growing list, thanks

Wow new thread already

My list so far:-

1. The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
2. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
3. Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans
4. Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
5. Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets
6. How to Go Vegan by Veganuary

Currently reading Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan. So far, I'm enjoying this.

Thanks for the second thread southeast

Oh dear oh dear 2nd thread already and I’m already slowing up.Probably because I’m reading Cider With Rosie which, whilst it has beautiful poetic writing, there’s not a lot of plot! I’m a narrative girl through and through so I’m finding this lovely, but not exactly a page turner and so I only manage a few pages before drifting off.

I’ve read

1. Tied up in Tinsel - Ngaio Marsh
2. Nine Lessons - Nicola Upson
3. Bookworm - A memoir of childhood reading - Lucy Mangan

And today just finished 4. A History of Britain in 21 Women Jenni Murray - I listened to this on audible and enjoyed it. I don’t think there’s anything particularly new or groundbreaking so the chapters on Women I already knew quite a bit about weren’t wildly interesting although you can tell me the same stuff about e.g. Elizabeth 1 every day of the week I’ll still be happy to listen, but there were plenty of chapters on Women I knew (to my shame really) very little about so that was interesting. Reminded me a bit of listening to the In Our Time podcast (some of the women have been featured on In Our Time so I guess that’s why) - same level of information covered ie a good introduction and a few interesting extra bits, but not particularly in depth.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell is a 99p deal today, so is The Keeper of Lost Things and The Rumour, also Crazy Rich Asians is 99p again for folk who didn't get it at 99p last time, ditto Snap

Oops, sorry for pasting fail on the list

@hugandroll I thought she might have said that, what an unfortunate name.

Just checking in on the new thread. My list so far is:
1 Ada Palmer Seven Surrenders
2 Thomas Levenson Newton and the Counterfeiter
3 Chris Brookmyre Places in the Darkness
4 Andrew Caldecott Rotherweird
5 Andrew O'Hagan The Missing

Now reading the third in Ada Palmer's series The Will to Battle, which is enjoyable but suffers 'middle book in a series' syndrome somewhat with lots of minor action but not much really moving forwards.

I've already fallen down on my 'no new books' resolution by ordering the second Viv Albertine book from the library following reviews on here (and slightly randomly discovering that my friend's dad played with the Slits at one point in his career & had a walk-on part in Girls Girls Girls)

MuseumofHam and Satsuki - Michael Frayn is well worth exploring. Someone (in the last thread, I think) mentioned his early novel Towards the End of the Morning, which I'd definitely recommend. And his memoir My Father's Fortune is simultaneously hilariously funny and deeply poignant.

Lovely review, Waawo.

Waiting for Godot is one of my favourite plays (although I must admit, I think his Endgame might be even better). I read and liked the sample of A Country Road, A Tree and must give it a try at some point. I'm afraid I absolutely detested Longbourn though.

1: Unnatural Death – Dorothy L Sayers
2: The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck
3: So Disdained – Nevil Shute
4: The Princess Bride – William Goldman
5: Lethal White – Robert Galbraith

No stand-outs at all yet, sadly. Still reading Erebus, which is almost certainly going to be a stand-out, unless something goes horribly wrong in the second half, plus a Miss Silver mystery by Patricia Wentworth, which I'm thoroughly enjoying so far.

@brizzledrizzle she actually states that she's nothing to do with them in the chapter where she basically lists all the fuckwittery they've done.