50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Five

38. Fall of Giants Ken Follett A telling of the political motivations of WW1 through the eyes of 5 families across the world. I’ve not really read much historical fiction and I found it fascinating and will definitely read the next in the series. I was however, gobsmacked to learn that it was written in 2010 as I assumed from the style it was older. Some of the language felt unnecessarily out dated (not just Busty Bingo). For a global narrative that is covering more of the 20th Century in the trilogy I was disappointed with his decision to not include any families who weren’t white.

I’m about to DNF number 39 after 200 pages, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Read.

Just utter trash. Like reading a copy of heat magazine with less insightful writing.

Probably mentions the size of the main characters breasts every 5th page and so far the storyline is completely vacuous. The narrator is supposed to be a journalist but she has zero investigative skills (I think I would of preferred the story just from Evelyn’s point of view, really getting inside her character).

I skipped ahead and was right on both plot twists but have no investment in these characters. Such a shame as a novel set in the time of big studios sounded great. I bought Daisy Jones and the Six in the 99p deal but not sure I can be bothered now.

Pepe - from your mention of Malala and Crazy Rich Asians, it sounds like she may be interested in books set overseas? How about The Kite Runner?

The Handmaid's Tale for the feminist aspect?

At her age I loved The Pursuit of Love and The L-Shaped Room (as well as I Capture The Castle mentioned above). And I remember reading The Bell Jar but was probably a bit older by then.

Has she read To Kill a Mockingbird?

Pepe I loved Lace as a teenager, plus Jilly Cooper and Judith Krantz! I think Whippet's suggestion of We Were Liars is a great choice.

I wonder if she might enjoy some of the Terry Pratchett books? I love all the witch ones and the 'Guards' series. Very funny but also very cleverly done. Or Good Omens perhaps?

My other teenage classic that I still love to this day is Dodie Smith's I Capture The Castle but it may be a bit old fashioned for her.

46. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Now that's more like it. A welcome change from turgid SF.

You've probably all read this already but it you haven't, it's fantastic and lives up to all the hype. Apparently a modern reworking of Antigone (I have no classical education and only know Greek plays in which Kristin Scott Thomas has appeared on the London stage...), this is a beautifully written, short (hurrah!) novel about a young man who joins ISIS, and the consequences that ripple out around him. Well, that's the plot, but like all good novels it's about much more than the basic story. Exploring family and romantic love and duty in all its forms, it also has a bloody good ending. Which I appreciate after the debacle of my last entry.

Not much in the way of boobs, though.

I've finally finished 68. Acceptance by Jeff I don't really know what I'm writing about Vandermeer. So my advice is not to read this, unless being monumentally confused is something that you enjoy. I had to keep reading the Wikipedia page to follow the plot. Such a shame as Annihilation is genuinely a good read (way superior to the film of the same name) and I love the concept of Area X and all the missions there. Great idea that went downhill with each book.

@PepeLePew my reluctant 17 yr old reader surprised me by suddenly reading We Were Liars, which she loved and has just read One by Sarah Crossan, which is sort of a poetry form. I saw her eyeing up Rupi Kaur in the bookshop too. I don't know if any of those would help at all?

I left a stack of books out this evening for her to look through - no pressure, just “see if any of those appeal and if not we’ll get some others”. All rejected as dull apart from The Bad Seed. Which is an odd choice for someone who said she wanted Crazy Rich Asians, but who am I to judge?

I’ve never stopped her reading anything. I read all sorts of inappropriate and odd things at her age and think it’s all part of working out what you like and what you don’t. The issue is when she says “I’m not reading because I don’t have a good book and I’m bored of the ones I have” I try to give her things I think she should be reading. So then she’s even more bored, because inevitably the ones I give her aren’t to her taste. She can read whatever she likes - I think she has just temporarily forgotten how.

Got a bit behind in my reading over the past few weeks due to some General Shitness going on in real life so not quite over the halfway mark yet, but very much enjoyed the latest:

24. I'm Not With The Band - Sylvia Patterson A highly enjoyable and surprisingly moving account of the music journo's life, taking in a tricky upbringing, working at Smash Hits in its poptastic heyday, NME as it started its slide to closure, and lots of other much-loved mags. Disclaimer: I worked at one of these mags so partly read this for the gossip about old colleagues but I'd recommend this to anyone who grew up with and loved "ver Hits" and the music press.

I let my teenagers read whatever they want.

at Lace. Prepare to field questions about the goldfish scene...

Oh yes, and she's also listening to Twilight because “OMG yeah because it’s so bad it's hilarious, I mean, like, OMG, Bella is such a complete embarrassment, I'm so embarrassed for her, and Edward OMG just OMG” , and I nod and make vague agreeing feminist noises and then when she's left the room dd1 whispers “SHE TOTALLY LOVES IT. SHE TOTALLY SHIPS BELLA AND EDWARD.”
Snort

Thank you all, some very sensible suggestions here. I think pushing the books I and the school think she should be reading isn't the right thing to do so we had a chat tonight where I said "I'll stop worrying about what you read and you tell me what you do want to read, then I will give you those books, and you can see if they get you back into reading".

She's asked for variations on Crazy Rich Asians and Malala's autobiography, so I have given her Karamo Brown's book (not quite Malala ) and Lace to be going on with (told her my mother strongly discouraged me from reading it at her age and she jumped on it so the banned shelf may well be the right approach) from my Kindle downloads and said we will go to a bookshop at the weekend where she can pick what she wants.

She claims to hate audio books but I think I may suggest Michelle Obama for the upcoming holiday as I think she will enjoy that and she gets car sick if she looks at a screen. And I think she would really enjoy Caitlin Moran as well as she does seem to quite like non fiction when she is in the mood. We shall see.

Any other ideas for a Crazy Rich Asians/Malala mash up very welcome!

My DS came home with Hunger Games at age 11 and said his teacher had asked my permission for him to read it because she thought he'd engage with it. I had a chat with her and then told DS that he was not allowed to read it. He couldn't put it down

Pepe I have a 14 year old Sims and Love Island addict/reading refusenik. The only things she will willingly read now are graphic novels (Umbrella Academy got the thumbs up), Manga and literature pertaining to Stranger Things.

Terpsichore that interesting about Gordievsky and Private Eye. Impossible to know if it’s true without further verification from the Russians, and that ain’t never going to happen. Gordievsky (if Macintyre's book it to be believed) was a trusted and reliable source of info on who the KGB had in its pay, but he is, so far, the only source.
Still, it made for a good “what have you been reading then” chat with dh in the pub. He too responded with several bloody hells.

Pepe my friend's daughter hardly reads but engaged enthusiastically with Caitlin Moran's book about feminism and Girl Up by Laura Bates - they seemed to draw her in in a way that fiction doesn't at the moment.

Loved the Overstory

Thanks, Grim. Not sure if it's peri or menopause, but pretty sure it's one of them! Hope you find This Thing worth it.

@PepeLePew would she engage with eformats? Most libraries now have both audiobooks and ebooks (to read on tablets/phones) so she can browse and choose for free?

Ooh, sneaky, summer!

the overstory is going to change the ways you see trees, EmGee!

G'day all. I fell off the thread wagon yet again shortly after posting my last reads. Rather disappointed to hear that the third Kingsbridge tome is not as good as the others. Oh well, it will do for a holiday read!

32. End of the world (? 2nd Kingsbridge book) Ken Follet

33. Milkman Anna Burns. Struggled a bit to concentrate on this despite finding it a fascinating read. Sent me off down a Google warren hole doing some research about the Troubles as I read; always the sign of a good read IMO!

34. Ladder of Years John Boyne. Humph. Nowhere near as good as his other books. The premise was a clever one (reminiscent of The Talented Mr Ripley ) but it was executed in a clumsy, amateur style. Which was a shame. Still, it was readable.

35. Normal People Sally Rooney. Preferred this to her other one (Conversations...).

36. A Quiet Life Natasha Walter. This should have been a fascinating read (communist spies in post WW2) but I just didn't get into it. No idea why! Maybe just one of those 'wrong book at the wrong time' moments.

On the TBR pile for the summer:
The Overstory - Richard Powers

Set up a shelf of books at home that she is 'banned' from reading.

The only thing I can think of is to unleash her in Waterstones with a generous book token. She has to want it for herself rather than have it urged on her.

Pepe could audiobooks be a way to get her back into it? Maybe something more passive than active to start with. She could just be brain weary at this stage of the school year and can't give the head space to even consider it, but will be a bit more open after a week or two of nothing.

What sort of things has she enjoyed in the past and is there anything at the more teen chit lit end of the spectrum as an easy in?