50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 2

[Southeastdweller]

Thread two of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The idea is to read 50 books (or more!) in 2015.

Previous thread here

Remus - I think I would have liked it as a teenager, too.

1. Stoner by John Williams. This is the story of William Stoner who was a man from a simple background who went to university and became an English lit scholar. He is in a loveless marriage and while some aspects of his professional life are very successful he has to deal with professional disappointments and academic rivalry. It is a very simple story but beautifully written. It made me cry and will stay withe me for a long time. I read part on my kindle and synced with the audible version. The narration was excellent.

1. The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Flier. I didn't expect to like this but I did. It is the story of a young man with schizophrenia and describes his descent into illness. The author dealt with a really complex subject with great empathy and skill. I usually hate books that deal with these issues because it is so easy to get it wrong and sensationalise disorders in a way that increases social stigma but this book got it right and if anything will increase understanding and empathy around these disorders. It would be really hard to read this and not have your heart opened and broken just a little bit.

10. A Crack in Everything by Ruth Francis Long. This is an urban fantasy based in Dublin with fae, angels and humans. The fae realm exists parallel to the human realm. I liked the development of the fae characters but the angels and human characters did not impress me. It was okay and not a bad read but but I wouldn't read it again.

I am still listening to Terry Pratchett's The Night Watch. Next up has to be fantasy/science fiction or thriller so it's a toss up between Storm Front (Jim Butcher) and Dwarves (Marcus Heiz) or Snow White Must Die (Nele Neuhaus).

at Soot and her power-wielding elderly ladies.

cote, i would certainly say that the other two books are worth reading. The second one, Authority, probably the best of them, is written in a more conservative manner and gives a good bit of background. It's probably easier to engage with than the others. I personally found the third rather unsatisfying, you never really find out what the hell is going on or what it all means for the characters, humanity or whatever Area X is. The experience is disjointed, you're v restricted ultimately by the points of view. The story as a whole I think could have been far more developed into a much bigger tale. These modern authors have no stamina!

Glad i didn't buy Flowers for Algernon now

Another big taker outer of books from the library but not reading them and keeping them for weeks and weeks and weeks ... you can take out 13 books at my library for 3 w and renew them I think 15 times!!!

No joy with my kindle but I'm counting

9 American Gods by Neil Gaiman anyway because I was almost there when catastrophe struck. Really enjoyed this though I don't know much about mythical gods so had to do some sleuthing. It has a magical effect, I loved the idea of gods springing literally from people's minds and struggling to survive when that belief wanes. The old gods were much more realised than the new, you side with them because Shadow does, a natural affinity with the old. They are not "good" however, nor heroic nor out to save the world. The books also has a lot of tangential plots which usually annoys me if they have little to add to the main plot but here they tended to serve to add insight to the gods' creation and history and were engrossing. The contrast between the old complex mythic gods with their huge human themes of war, sex, lies, death contrasts hugely with the new gods America has produced which are ill defined, unnecessarily malevolent and shallow. The America of this book, despite all the gods, seems curiously godless. Great read.

10 Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch; a library book! Enjoyed this much more than the first actually, PC Grant chases jazz vampires all over London and falls in love, he's getting better at magic and there's a lot of action. Good read.

whew, epic post, thanks for reading!

Wilting - if you liked, 'American Gods' you'll almost certainly like, 'Anansi Boys' too. I liked it even more than, 'American Gods.'

11. Bring Up The Bodies - Hilary Mantel Beautifully written. I enjoyed this more than Wolf Hall, probably because I felt more for the character of Cromwell than in the previous book. He became a lot more human. I thought the portrayal of long term grief was extremely touching. Cromwell really seemed to come alive, and I couldn't wait to read on. The second half was very gripping.

Noted and tracked Remus

Bring up the Bodies is sitting on my kindle aaaaaageees Bella. Read the first few pages and just couldn't face it. Really must give it a proper go.

1. H Is For Hawk - Helen Macdonald

I did really enjoy this; it's the story of how the author trained a goshawk named Mabel, while stricken with grief by her father's sudden death, and intertwined with the writer TH White's darker relationship with his own goshawk, Gos. She thanks Robert Macfarlane in the acknowledgments and there are similarities in style; I did find her prose a little heavy-handed in parts but overall well worth reading.

I noticed that similarity in style too *Meg. I had the audiobook read by her so didn't know about her mention of Robert Macfarlane. He mentions her in The Wild Places when he's goes hawking with his friend Helen so assumed they must know each other.

I thought the was she wove THE H White 'so story into the book had similarities with the way Macfarlane wove in Edward Thomas 'so in The Old Ways.

Stupid autocorrect
T H White's, Thomas's, way etc ....

Yes I thought that too, Duchess -but then I think they both borrow very highly from Iain Sinclair who is the original (and best imo) at this kind of writing - see Edge Of The Orison

I see what you mean, Meg - just had a look on Goodreads. Another one to add to my tbr list :o

15. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

Ritually murdered corpses have been found in Cincinnati, but these horribly mutilated remains are humans apparently being transformed into something else. A human hate group is trying to create demons in an effort to wipe out all Inderlanders (witches, vampires, werewolves, etc) and Rachel Morgan is called in by the IS and FIB to investigate.

Even after everything that has happened in this series, Rachel seems to still hold onto a stubborn streak a mile wide that leads her into greater difficulties than necessary. That apparently unchanging aspect of her character is annoying under the circumstances, but I suppose it's one device to move the plots on and to up the danger levels. Still a good series though. I think I only have a few more to go - this was book 10.

Checking in as not updated for a bit!-

1.we were liars
2.wr are all completely beside ourselves
3.child 44

1. The diary of a playground mother
2. Elizabeth is missing- I enjoyed reading this and thought Elizabeth was a good character but not really memorable for me
3. Girl on a train-this was gripping and entertaining but didn't have much depth and I found it very predictable

At the moment I am reading everything I never told you, this is great so far, right up my street! I also have The Cuckoos calling on the go on audible which to be honest isn't my cup of tea but I'm going to persevere with it!!

I'm missing The Goldfinch reading All these books and nothing will live up to it. Miss Theo and Boris!

This ones definitely an easier read than Wolf Hall wilting. I'd stick with it, it does pick up.

12. Running Wild - J G Ballard

Ballard is one of the few writers who have the power to turn your world upside down, and I love him for it. He doesn't have the best prose, but his ideas are original and often profoundly disturbing - not as horror stories at all, but with the cracks they find in modern society, especially regarding our relationship with technology.

This is not one of his best books IMHO, and it is quite short and simple for a Ballard book, but it is still worth reading. The story is about the aftermath of the bloody murder of all 32 adults in a wealthy suburban gated community where all children are missing, presumed kidnapped. The mystery is solved about halfway into the book, but I am still reluctant to give spoilers.

Book 11 - when hitter stole pink rabbit. A lovely book giving a completely different perspective of life during that period

6 - Greyhound – Steffan Piper
Two days before his 12th birthday, Sebastian Ranes is sent by his mother, on a 2,000 Greyhound bus journey across America. He is on his way to live with his grandparents. He meets danger from several sources, people and situations. He also meets kind and caring people. I really enjoyed this book.

7 – Yellow Crocus – Laila Ibrahim
Mattie, a slave, is parted from her infant son to be the wet nurse and carer of Lisbeth, the plantation owner’s daughter. The book takes you from Lisbeth’s birth to early adulthood. It was an emotional and moving story’

8 – Greenhouse – Audur Ava Olafsdottir
This was an unusual book. After the sudden, tragic death of his mother, Lobbi leaves his Icelandic home and travels to a remote monastery to restore its once famous gardens. He has a baby daughter in Iceland, the result of a one night stand. The child’s mother arrives unexpectedly at the monastery, bringing the child and asking Lobbi if he could care for his daughter while she completes her studies.

9 – The Miniaturist – Jessie Burton
Lots have people have already posted comments about this book. I loved it, I thought it was well written and intriguing.

10 – The Mussel Feast – Birgit Vanderbeke
This is a very short book. It is written as a monologue told from the daughters point of view. One evening a mother and her two teenage children are awaiting the fathers return from work. It is to be a celebration as a promotion is expected. Unusually the father is late. The description of the wait is interspersed with recollections of the past and gradually a picture of the father – a sadistic tyrant and bully is revealed.

1. Queen Lucia - EF Benson - this is the first book in the Mapp and Lucia series recently on TV. I enjoyed the book once I got into the gentle flow of it, a number of the storylines were in the recent tv show so I was familiar with them. A pleasant gentle read, not an absolute page turner but that was partly due to my frame of mind. I will read the other books in the series but will space them out with other things over the next year or so.

Just started The Devil in Marchalsea by Antonia Hodgson which I am very enjoying so far so hoping to finish it quickly.

14. The Miniaturist, Jesse a Burton Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam in 1686 to take her place as woman of the house, but nothing is as it should be: her wealthy merchant husband is friendly but distant, her sister-in-law cold and secretive, the servants forward and free. And then a mysterious, anonymous crafter starts sending her miniatures to fill a dolls house; miniatures that bear an unsettling resemblance to objects and events in real life. How does the miniaturist know so much about her house, the life within it and the future that unfurls there?

I loved how Nella matured in herself, how Marin softened, how the friendship between Nella and the maid Cornelia blossomed. Compelling, gripping, richly atmospheric and beautifully written. I adored this novel.

1. The Undertaking by Audrey Magee. World War 2 from the German side. I found this so cold. Especially after reading The Narrow Road. I thought the characters were one dimensional and the story just lurched abruptly from one disaster to the next. It did, as ever, prompt me to think if I would act as the selfish central family in their situation. I guess you never know. I thought this 'meh'.

My local library is excellent. I love going there with my two boys. I regularly borrow up-to-date audiobooks, DVDs and magazines. I started using it a lot more over the past year as I was tired of ordering/spending money on lots of mediocre books. Try not to have too many books in the 'to read' queue as I just get overwhelmed! Our library is all digitalised now and I can easily reserve books on-line - excellent for both me and the boys.

Still listening to (and really enjoying) Americanah.

1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - now up there as one of my favourite books. The writing is lovely, very descriptive and I wanted to relish every word.

Not sure what to read next, I don’t think I'm ready to put my last read aside yet.

16. What Maisie Knew - Henry James

I lost the will to live reading this, I really did. I'd been looking forward to reading it for ages. However, I persisted and read to the end without skipping but b'gad I was tempted to skip. It's quite a sad story really about a child whose parents divorce and she is shunted between them. The parents are vile but poor Maisie is lovely. The long-winded Jamesian prose just got too much for me in the end.

1. The Telling by Jo Baker.

Has 2 stories told in parallel. Modern day Rachel is clearing out a cottage following her mother's death. In the mid 19th century, a lodger who's active in the Chartist movement moves in with Elizabeth's family in the same cottage. I didn't think that the two different stories tied together very well. I thought the modern day bits were a bit dull. The historical bit was definitely more interesting than the modern day stuff.

1. Kimberly's Capital Punishment by Richard Milward.

I thought this was a terrible book and would not recommend it to anyone. Kimberly decides she doesn't want to be with her boyfriend Stevie any more, so decides to be as vile as possible to him so he'll end the relationship. Stevie then kills himself, Kimberly blames herself, and decides to atone by being altruistic. It all goes horribly wrong and ends up with a selection of different fates for Kimberly. The characters are all very unsympathetic and have very few redeeming qualities which made it very difficult for me to care about the horrible fates (mostly involving far too much gratuitous sex and violence) the author inflicted on them.

Breakfast Of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut is £0.99 on the Kindle.

I also just bought Law's Strangest Cases: Extraordinary But True Tales from over Five Centuries of Legal History by Peter Seddon for £0.99.