50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Six

62. The Magicians Land by Lev Grossman

Conclusion to the Magicians trilogy. I can’t say much about it without spoilers for the previous books, but I found it a satisfying read.

63. A Chalet Girl From Kenya by Elinor M Brent-Dyer

A re-read of an old childhood book when I was in the mood for something familiar and unchallenging.

64. The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey

Zombies have overrun the world, with just a few pockets of unaffected humans left.
Some zombie children have been found who, unlike the other zombies, have retained some normal brain functioning, and they’re being studied in the hope of finding a cure.
Melanie is the star zombie pupil, and the main focus of the book, as things start changing for the worse for the unaffected humans.

I enjoyed this for the most part, although I did think that the ending was slightly too optimistic. I can’t see things

Have been away for 10 days and am catching up on the not-so-shiny-and-new thread – thanks southeast!
Really sorry to hear your troubles splother and meg. Hope you’re able to find some strength in those around you
Frankenhammer – I’m not sure I’d bother with the sequel to Coffee shop in Kabul. I really quite enjoyed the first one but the sequel deals more with the protagonist’s life after she leaves Kabul to be honest. I did read them a couple of years apart so maybe that didn’t help.

Here's my concise reading list so far this year:

1. Featherboy – Nicky Singer
2. Three Cups of tea - Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin
3. Bookworm: A memoir of childhood reading – Lucy Mangan

1. Fasting & Feasting – Anita Desai
2. The Millstone – Margaret Drabble
3. A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare
4. After You – Jojo Moyes

Currently reading A little Friend by Donna Tartt and it is taking me forever!!

Oh, that is sad.

Sad breaking news: Toni Morrison has died.

93. Those People, by Louise Candlish
Nice middle-class street is disrupted when noisy neighbours move in. First there is loud music. Then the deaths start....
The author enjoys portraying people pearl-clutching about declining property values. Enjoyable enough as a sunlounger-type read.

95. Flash Count Diary, by Darcey Steinke
A woman meditates on the changes wrought by the menopause. I liked the bit about her mother, but there was more about killer whales than I expected (post-reproductive females lead their pods as matriarchs). As I've mentioned before, I do like women writing about their lives, but if you're not an existing fan of the genre, this won't convert you (unless you're very interested in killer whales).

A quick round-up of my latest books, as life has finally slowed down a little.

41. The Female Persuasion – Meg Wollitzer

Much reviewed on here and I believe the general reception has been a bit luke warm. I really wanted to like this, and felt the story had lots of potential. Sadly I found this to be a well written but strangely dull read.

The story was slow and with one notable exception, lacked punch. Characterisation was reasonable but nothing special. I can’t put my finger on what this book lacked – too many characters, unsympathetic characters, a not very interesting story? Who knows. Not dreadful, just a bit meh .

42. The Remainder – Alia Trabucco Zeran

A good contender for my strangest read of the year. Paloma, Felipe and Iquela, three adult children of Chilean dissidents stage a macabre reuinion, following the death of Paloma’s Mother. Paloma seeks to carry out her Mother’s dying wish for her body to repatriated to Chile. When the coffin is detained in Argentina because of adverse weather conditions the three friends commandeer a hearse to drive over the mountains to recover the body. So ensues a drunken and drug addled road trip. All three attempt to reconcile themselves with the traumatic events of the past with varying degrees of success.

Very dark and very weird, perhaps a bit too much so for me. Beautiful prose though. I would be interested to see what this writer does next.

43. Prayers for the Stolen – Jennifer Clement

I really enjoyed Gun Love by the same writer, which is so far one of my books of the year. This was good too, but in my opinion not in the same league. Written in a very simplistic style befitting of the young teenage author, here Clement explores the story of Mexico’s stolen women and girls.

Ladydi (great name, and yes, she is named after the Lady Di) and her Mother live a precarious existence in a remote and lawless mountainside village in rural Mexico. Ladydi and her friends are in constant fear of being kidnapped by criminal gangs, so much so that they learn to hide in holes dug into the mountainside when they hear the SUV’s approaching. Ladydi’s determination to escape to what she perceives as the relative safety of the city turns out to be tragically misplaced.

Fantastic descriptions of the natural world and moments of dark humour were the highlights for me in this often disturbing tale of the Mexican underworld. Ultimately I think Signs Preceding the End of the World which I read earlier this year covers very similar ground and does it in a more interesting way. Definitely worth a read though if you are curious about this part of the world.

44. Some Luck – Jane Smiley

I picked this up in a second hand book shop because it had a large and sprawling family tree in the front cover, and I love family sagas.

The story begins in 1920 in the American Midwest. Each chapter covers one year in the lives of the Langdon family, concluding in the mid 1950’s. This the first book in a trilogy, which I understand will bring the story right up to the present day. This was an easy and gentle read. There were lot of characters, and given that this part of the twentieth century was a very eventful time, there is also plenty of action. Despite this the story was easy to follow and felt undemanding. I think Jane Smiley writes very well, in quite a subtle understated way, which I enjoyed.

I’m undecided as to whether to continue with the trilogy; perhaps because the sheer number of characters mean I’m not very invested in them, or perhaps because I’m less interested in American history post 1950.

45. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk

I think this was probably a case of the wrong book at the wrong time, as I have had an insanely busy couple of weeks and found I was reading this in short bursts and finding it difficult to get back into it, so probably not doing it justice.

Eccentric animal lover Janina Duszejko lives in the Polish countryside and attempts to make sense of the world through astrology and the poetry of William Blake. When a series of strange murders take place in her community, she and her neighbours and friends try to make sense of it all.

I quite liked this initially but soon began to feel as if reading it was a bit of a chore. It was however, funny and entertaining in places, although unfortunately not enough to redeem it for me. Requires concentration and uninterrupted reading time.

42. The Hearts Invisible Furies John Boyne Much reviewed here and everywhere but this was fantastic. Tells of the life of Cyril Avery growing up gay in 1945 (onwards) in Ireland. This was gut wrenching with every scene packing a punch. I only saw the film of The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas but this definitely had a similar reliance on coincidences although I didn’t mind it at all here. It reminded me a lot of Any Human Heart by William Boyd which I loved a while ago.

Sometimes I found the jumping ahead every time something dramatic happened a bit frustrating. Not experiencing the fall out of some of the bigger set pieces distanced me from some of the characters. Particular Alice. I also would have loved to feel more engaged with the main romantic relationship (we just didn’t get to know enough about Cyril’s partner).

All of this aside - I really loved it and can’t wait to read more of Boyne.

What???? I could've sworn this said it was a new thread! Going bonkers.

I liked the god/surgeon joke.

And now feel free to ignore me!

Thanks South. Am on a very rushed holiday at the moment with no time for reading but will try to catch up later.

Desdemona and Fortuna - thank you I will give it a try. Unfortunately don’t seem to be able to get it through my library’s BBox so adding it to the physical library books to request list.

SimplySteveRedux I'm so sorry to hear that you have ME. I know how debilitating it is as my cousin is also a sufferer. Sending you very best wishes.

I enjoyed The Good People but agree that it wasn't as good as Burial Rites.

Alias you may love The Good People, maybe it would be better read rather than listened to and I quite often seem to be at the odds with what others like 😬

FranK - I use BorrowBox but sadly The Pleasure of Reading doesn’t seem to be available on mine. It has spurred me on to go to the actual library though - apparently I have to reconfirm my address for some reason before it will let me log into the catalogue online (I’m not sure why this is unless it’s because it’s been a couple of months since I took out any physical books - still been using BorrowBox ok though) and I’ve kept forgetting to get round to it so it’s my first job tomorrow, then I’ll see if I can reserve a physical copy of the book.

Frederick Forsyth's excellent autobiography The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue is £1.99. It's definitely worth reading.

33. Slade House by David Mitchell

l have been a huge fan of David Mitchell since Cloud Atlas, which is not news to anyone who has been following 50-Book threads and honestly believe that the man can write a shopping list and it will be a pleasure to read it. I've been disappointed by The Bone Clocks which felt like a bad copy of Cloud Atlas, imitating the latter's structure, themes, and main points, but Mitchell is back in great form with Slade House.

Slade House is not just a mystery, and not just a SF story about immortal soul vampires à la Carrion Comfort (by Dan Simmons). It is great literature - each sentence is a pleasure to savour.

I recommend it to everyone here.

Remus - What's the difference between a surgeon and God?
God doesn't think he's a surgeon.

Suzanne O'Sullivan's All in Your Head

I admit I'm likely over invested as an M.E suffer but go watch Unrest on Amazon and that's pretty much my life. Psychosomatic my ass, and CBT / GET have been removed as treatment options as they actually make things worse. Anyway...back to Henry!

Thanks, Grape! I read The Pleasure of Reading on BorrowBox, but I think it depends on what content your local library subscribes to (and whether you have that app, of course).

InMyOwnParticularIdiom wrote:
"Re: Suzanne O'Sullivan's All in Your Head - yes, she did argue that many illnesses are psychosomatic. However, I thought her whole aim was to stop 'psychosomatic' being a dirty word and show that, while the origins of the illnesses may be mental, the symptoms are still very real and debilitating. They just need psychological, rather than medical, treatment - and this should not be a source of shame."

That was my understanding from reading her book, too.

A few long train journeys with my Kindle for company, so can update:

90. Smallbone Deceased, by Michael Gilbert
A police procedural first published in 1950. Its vintage means it has acquired a patina of period charm, eg. male characters are regularly introduced with reference to their war record. A few quirks, but nothing wildly memorable.

91. Lost Dog, by Kate Spicer
London journalist pours out her woes at her superficial life (I don't know how she'll have any friends or boyfriend left after her rather unflattering descriptions). Things look up for her when she gets a dog, but he then gets lost and there's a looooong account of trying to find him. I rather enjoyed the account of Life Before Dog (woman feels bad after cocaine bender - shock) but overall it felt a bit padded out. I didn't need to know every conversation she had with a random stranger about her missing pet.

92. The Cost of Living, by Deborah Levy
I was delighted to see this in the monthly deal, but didn't enjoy it as much as expected. The novelist writes about her life post-divorce. It might have been cathartic to write, but it wasn't particularly compelling to read.

Also good luck with the op FranKatzenjammer

I like the sound of The Pleasure of Reading so shall look out for that, thanks FranKatzenjammer

DesdemonasHandkerchief I’m a bit gutted the Hannah Kent wasn’t that good, I too really enjoyed Burial Rites and wouldn’t mind giving something similar a go right now.

139. The Madonna of Bolton- Matt Cain I stumbled upon the audiobook on Borrowbox: initially I thought it was a memoir, but actually it’s a novel. It describes the life of a young man called Charlie, his enduring love of Madonna and how he comes to terms with his sexuality. It was quite fun as an audiobook, but I don’t necessarily think I would have wanted to read it. I enjoyed the first half, but the second half became increasingly irritating and I was glad to finish it.

140. The Pleasure of Reading- ed. Antonia Fraser A stellar line-up of 43 writers (including Judith Kerr, John Fowles, JG Ballard, Margaret Atwood, Germaine Greer, Sue Townsend and Kamila Shamsie ) write about their childhood and adult reading experiences, their favourite books and what reading means to them. Unsurprisingly, the same books are mentioned again and again: Winnie-the-Pooh, Just William, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Ivanhoe, Anna Karenina, Bleak House, Ulysses etc. As you would expect, it is beautifully written. I think it will inspire me to read books I haven’t yet tackled (and some I hadn’t previously heard of).

141. How Far Can You Go?- David Lodge This novel tells the story of a group of Catholic friends and acquaintances and how they navigate relationships, marriage and sex in the 1950s to 70s. It is cleverly written by David Lodge, who breaks the fourth wall in very unusual ways. However, the ending falls a bit flat.

I’m having an operation tomorrow: I’ll still be reading but might not update for a while.

If anyone has an Amazon Echo in their homes and fancies a trip down memory lane Anne Of Green Gables is being read free of charge for the month of August, you just need to ask the device to read it to you. This was my favourite childhood book and it's beautifully read by Rachel McAddams I'm really enjoying this unashamedly sentimental wallow. (Keep tearing up, and that's before I get to the actual sad bit!) but a lot of humour that probably went over my head on first reading too. I'm really enjoying it

34. The Good People by Hannah Kent, listened to this via BorrowBox, choosen because it was the same author as Burial Rites. Set in the 1820's this deals with the superstitions and pagan beliefs practised at the time in rural Ireland. 'The Good People' of the title are actually Fairies. Not the delicate, amiable mythical creation of more modern times but malevolent sprites that need to be appeased and contained with traditions and rituals to keep them at bay and stop them bringing down misery and chaos on the community. Those who descend into madness, illness or simply disappear are said to be 'swept' by the Good People, who often leave a changeling in their place. This is based on true events and obviously has been well researched and beautifully written, just like Burial Rites, but sadly was not as captivating as her first novel imo and by the end I just wanted the story which had grown repetitive to reach its conclusion. The synopsis is: Nóra, bereft after the sudden death of her beloved husband, finds herself alone and caring for her young grandson Micheál. Micheál cannot speak and cannot walk and Nóra is desperate to know what is wrong with him. What happened to the healthy, happy grandson she met when her daughter was still alive? Mary arrives in the valley to help Nóra just as the whispers are spreading: the stories of unexplained misfortunes, of illnesses, and the rumours that Micheál is a changeling child who is bringing bad luck to the valley. Nance's knowledge keeps her apart. To the new priest, she is a threat, but to the valley people she is a wanderer, a healer. Nance knows how to use the plants and berries of the woodland; she understands the magic in the old ways. And she might be able to help Micheál. As these three women are drawn together in the hope of restoring Micheál, their world of folklore and belief, of ritual and stories, tightens around them. It will lead them down a dangerous path, and force them to question everything they have ever known.

Thanks for the new thread southeast - not that new now I suppose I’ve not been getting much reading done so I missed the first 5 or so pages, just been enjoying a good catch up. Sorry things are so tough splother and meg

I’m having another bash at finishing From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and their Tellers Marina Warner. It’s been hanging around by the side of my bed for years and I should in theory love it because I’m interested in the subject and it’s well written and researched. For some reason though I just can’t seem to get through it, keep abandoning it and then trying again.

Bringing my list over:

1. Tied up in Tinsel - Ngaio Marsh
2. Nine Lessons - Nicola Upson
3. Bookworm - A memoir of childhood reading - Lucy Mangan
4. A History of Britain in 21 Women - Jenni Murray
5. The Mystery of Three Quarters (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries #3))

1. Cider with Rosie - Laurie Lee
2. Mythos - Stephen Fry
3. The Bear and The Nightingale - Katherine Arden
4. Heroes - Stephen Fry

Just finished 38. Hotel World - Ali Smith Not my favourite Ali Smith, five characters whose lives are connected to the Global Hotel, the narrative switches between the five - I found it quite patchy and really enjoyed some parts whilst finding others just a bit tedious.