50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Four

Was also hot-footing it here to let you all know about This Thing . Quite possibly the best 99p you will spend this year.

Ha! Cotehas beaten me to it but I urge everybody to buy This Thing of Darkness immediately and then thank us later.

I got to the end of my tbr pile this week. And then all my pre ordered books arrived! Pile now rather large again....

21. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett. This is a collection of autobiographical essays, most of which were written in the past by Patchett as stand-alone articles and published in various magazines / newspapers, rather than for the purposes of this book. I found them really fascinating - particularly the ones about how to be a fiction writer, her relationship with her grandmother, her love of opera, her two marriages and the time when one of her books became an unexpected source of controversy in South Carolina. I was already a big fan of her fiction (loved Commonwealth and State of Wonder, enjoyed Run), and I have now added two more of her books to my to-read list. A stand-out for me.

This Thing of Darkness is Kindle Daily Deal today! AFAIK it is an absolute masterpiece and the only book that 50-Bookers have ever unanimously agreed on, so don't miss it at 99p

Oh heavens, given the sudden direction the thread's taken, I'm going to introduce a note of mild controversy now

29: Normal People - Sally Rooney

I charged through this in a day (it's very short, though), and whereas I found Conversations with Friends pretty uncomfortable going - and thought all the characters repellently self-obsessed - I liked this. Really liked it. I thought it was significantly more mature, had more depth, was quieter and sadder (desperately sad) and wiser and, for all those reasons, far more readable. And I just wonder whether the mega-hype around Sally Rooney would have been anything like as great if this had been her first book...would she even have got published?

Thanks, Sadik.

Sorry you're not well, Satsuki. The image of a broken kindle and broken lamp is so pathetic though that I yearn for somebody to put it in a novel. Really hope you feel better soon and so do your symbolic props of Unwell Reader. Or please treat yourself to new ones for medicinal purposes.

Sorry to hear you're not well Satsuki Hope you're feeling better soon

Am I the only one who hasn't read any Kate Atkinson? Can't decide if I am missing out or not!

You’re not alone, Mog. I’ve not read any either, although Transcription was one of the choices at a recent book club session. (Unfortunately we went with the godawful The Psychology of Time Travel instead. Rant Review to come. Spoiler: I hated it.)

I’d like to try the Jackson Brodie books I think, but it’s not immediately obvious where to start.

I fell of the thread again - having a nightmare reading wise. Unwell and unable to stay awake for more than a few pages, then Kindle stopped charging so unable to finish the few books on there I’m half way through, and bedside lamp also broke and I haven’t yet replaced either and it’s really quite jarring how quickly I’ve got out of the habit of reading over the last month I feel not quite myself. I’m now stuck into a couple of promising library books though and have a holiday next week so hope to finally rejoin the procession.

Welcome allouta

Agree Re Normal People. The female character was a cut out woman I feel I’ve seen represented a lot and was disappointed and irritated by that aspect of it.

19. English animals by Laura Kaye
A young Slovakian woman starts a job at an English country house. She befriends the couple and gets into taxidermy.

I loved this debut. The main characters are well rounded and I liked the writing style. Definitely would recommend.

I was so relieved that Normal People didn't make the Women's Prize short list as I am a bit anal about reading that.

I texted my friend a review after reading Conversations With Friends : "Meh. Millennial drama llamas"

Grim I feel the same way. I can appreciate the writing but if that is the voice of a generation...

Now I've calmed down after my excitement earlier ( ) I can say I don't like Kate Atkinson's books at all. I tried one and couldn't get into it.

Am I the only one who hasn't read any Kate Atkinson? Can't decide if I am missing out or not!

Gosh I sound grumpy! In fact I think I am just older than Rooney's intended audience....

Welcome @AllOutta and I'm totally with you and @toomuchsplother on Sally Rooney. I couldn't finish either of them and I aim to trudge through and finish (nearly) everything I start. I think I am irrationally annoyed by all the massive hype and there's something about her writing that makes me think of Lena Dunham in Girls bleating "But I'm the voice of my generation. Or at least, a voice of my generation".

Welcome AllOutta and your reading of Sally Rooney is the same as mine

Welcome to the thread AllOuttaIdeas . I think I joined half way through a year a couple of years back.

I visited Lingham's bookshop in Heswall today and found the new, very beautiful and signed by the author Underworld by Robert Macfarlane today. Sitting right next to it was the new, beautiful and also signed by the author Still Water by John Lewis-Stempel. I obviously had to buy both of them immediately.

I am having the worst reading year. Ali Smith's Spring is sitting a quarter read next to me now and has been doing so for about a week. I love her books but I just am not in mood to read anything even remotely verging on literary fiction at the moment. I've decided to start rereading A Song of Ice and Fire alternating with lovely nature writing to see if that helps the giant can’t be arsed reading funk I'm in.

AllOuttaIdeas (and any lurkers), it's never too late to join, and there are no prizes for early joining of thread, for number of books read, frequency of posting, or literary quality or otherwise of said books. Join in anytime simply to enthuse or to administer a well-earned kicking, or anything in between.

Stop what you are doing!! There is a new Chocolat book out by Joanne Harris. How did I not know this?!

I picked up The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald, From Source to Sea by Tom Chesshyre about walking the Thames and Zadie Smith's essays in the May deal. Not sure when I'll get to read them though...

I am very happy to have finished these two:
42. Of Wolves and Men - Barry Lopez and 43. Landfill - Tim Dee. So two books about maligned animals - wolves and seagulls. Wolves win out here. This was a (forgive the pun) meaty book, looking at every aspect of the wolf; natural history, biology, relationship to native American people, its persecution and its representation in literature and folklore. There were two very long and very depressing chapters on exactly how many wolves were slaughtered and the ways in which they were slaughtered, all in the name of progress. Whole species wiped out over a few years. Glad to have read this and there is some hope for the future.

Landfill was a slog to be honest. I did enjoy the chapter on representations of gulls in the media and discovering why gulls are so much a part of our urban landscape (our fault) and I can say I have learnt a lot. Dee knows his stuff and can write very well indeed but there's only so much time I can spend pondering the taxonomy of gulls. If you're into birds, the taxonomy of gulls is A BIG ISSUE.

I think my next wolf book is going to be a random trashy werewolf romance read. I like the description of this one: He’s forbidden fruit with a supernatural secret. She’s a prize he’s compelled to claim

Is it too late to join halfway through the year?! My list so far below, not hugely original. I read both the Sally Rooney books to see what I was missing, but just don't find them at all convincing. Both seem to feature very beautiful, fragile/damaged, supposedly hugely intelligent people, who don't seem to actually do or say much to demonstrate said intelligence, who waft around in self-indulgently 'complicated' relationships. Just didn't find them believable and couldn't relate at all ... although I admit her writing is compelling. Anyway..

Becoming - Michelle Obama - loved this
Birdcage Walk - Helen Dunmore
Conversations with Friends - Sally Rooney
How to Build a Girl - Caitlin Moran - surprised me by making me howl with laughter in a couple of places, as previously not Moran's biggest fan
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
Normal People - Sally Rooney
Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Stroud - just loved this, gorgeous book
The Hearts Invisible Furies - John Boyne
The Lie Tree - Frances Hardinge
The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock - Imogen Hermes Gowar
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory - not brilliant writing, I know, but what a great yarn, couldn't put it down
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole - Sue Townsend - must be 5th/6th reading, but still as funny as it ever was
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton - really hard going, and by the end, I just didn't care!

Have some fab recommendations from this thread, so on my 'to read' list:

Educated - Tara Westover
Ready Player One
My Family and Other Animals
Reservoir 13 - Jon McGregor
Bookworm
A History of Britain in 21 Women
The Fortnight in September by RC Sheriff
Bel Canto
Valley of the Dolls

14. Return to the little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
A warm and friendly, quick and easy read. Didn't enjoy it as much as the previous book but a very pleasant way to spend a few hours. I've noticed that I'm inexplicably drawn to books set in Afghanistan!