50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 3

[Southeastdweller]

Thread three of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2015, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. It's still not too late to join, any type of book counts, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

First thread of the year here, and second thread here.

Brilliant that your brace is off Lammy, hope your recovery comes along a-pace! Duchess, boo to more appointments, but at least they are working at it. Hope the waiting ends soon. Cote have added my name to the yoga/pilates/tai chi request. Need to get my arse back into gear and MN have a good record for that. I get my Xray result tomorrow morning - have had my wobble, now just need to know

Reading two books atm - one my book club selection and the other to do with writing and finding/following your dream.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you for tomorrow Joyless. Good luck.

15. South - Ernest Shackleton

Absolutely gripping account of his Antarctic expedition of 1912-17, during his ship the Endurance was crushed by sea ice and the crew had to escape across sea ice in unthinkably inhospitable circumstances. Made all the more moving by the fact that so many of the survivors lost their lives or were badly injured in WW1 immediately after they made it to safety.

Joyless - Good luck with your diagnosis. And thank you for your support to the worthy cause of a Yoga topic on MN

Fingers crossed for Joyless, really hoping you get good results today!
Thanks so much to Duchess, Cote and Whippet :) It is a great relief alright and I know I will do well, I have the stubborn positive mentality!
Cote I will join the yoga thread too, I asked my Indian Consultant about Tai Chi and he was delighted and recommended it and/or yoga. Like yourself I work on computers a long time and read a lot so posture can be improved. I was always "bendy" (in fact it was the only test I passed the one time I joined a gym lol) so hopefully I will get this back with yoga.
Cheers everyone, you are a great bunch!

Lammy - It was when I was recommending yoga to you on here that I thought we need a Yoga topic on MN. Great that you'll be joining. I wonder when MNHQ will answer the thread on Site Stuff.

I would also highly recommend yoga to anyone with back problems. I have been doing yoga on and off for years and I really notice the difference.
19. The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen. This was a book group choice but a re-read for me as I first read it years ago. I couldn't really remember anything about it and having read it a second time I realise why!. It is just so waffly, going in to far too much superfluous detail and off on a tangent. In amongst the waffle there is a good story in here, even though with the exception of the father, none of the characters are particularly likeable. I also found it very "American" with lots of references to American brand names, which annoys me in books!
It tells the story of mid western family The Lamberts, mum, dad and three grown up children who have all moved away from their home town. Enid, the mother wants to get all the family together for one last Xmas together, the fathers mental and physical health is rapidly declining and the kids all have their own financial and relationship issues.
I actually skim read a lot of it. However, I am looking forward to discussing it at my book group as the characters, although not appealing, have lots of issues which will be good to discuss with others.

20. The Owl Killers - Karen Maitland. I was really looking forward to reading this after The Corrections as it sounded my cup of tea but I really struggled to get into this and it was a real effort to get through it. I can't even understand why as I usually love historical fiction but this just didn't do it for me. It is narrated by 5 different characters so perhaps this didn't help it to flow or develop for me. Very frustrating for me as I usually know why I did or didn't enjoy a book! It is set in 1321 in a Norfolk village. A beguinage has set up (which was a community of women who did not want to marry and did not want to become a nun and who farmed and supported themselves). They are treated with suspicion by the villagers. The pagan Owl Masters of the village wish to get rid of them and it tells the story of their conflict.

Having watched the first episode of the BBC adaption of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell has inspired me to re-read this. I read it a long time ago and loved it and feel I will get more out of the TV series if I refresh my knowledge of the story. At nearly 1000 pages it may be some time before I post again

Eleanor - Come & join us on the thread in Exercise. And please write a note of support on Site Stuff thread where we're asking MNHQ for a Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi topic

Meanwhile, I'm reading a book called The King In Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, a collection of short stories published in 1895. It is surprisingly good and FREE on the Kindle.

If you have watched and loved True Detective, you will be intrigued to hear that these stories feature a play called The King In Yellow ("Yellow King") that takes place in a place called Sarcosa "where black stars hang in the heavens; where the shadows of men's thoughts lengthen in the afternoon, when the twin suns sink into the lake of Hali..."

I read two weird and amazing stories in this book and have eight to go

Welcome to Newbies ! And hope all the injured are gradually recovering ?

I've finished 25) Hyperion by Dan Simmons, great cracking good read, old fashioned story telling, really enjoyed it. Follows a structure modeled on the Canterbury Tales (each character tells a story) which was putting me off a bit as I usually find that quite disjointed but it works wonderfully here, each character has an engaging and intriguing tale, I was riveted! Poor children were hushed and frowned at in their efforts to get my snared attention , never mind I surfaced reluctantly eventually and the sequel is a bit pricy at mo so I guess they'll have my attention again now for awhile...

Also finished 26) The Children's Act by Ian McEwan which was another great read. V tightly written, follows a Judge through a personal crisis and her deep absorption in her working life. She makes a connection with the subject of one of her cases which unexpectedly resonates and impacts upon her at a vulnerable time. I was expecting some kind of denouement at the end obviously but have to say I didn't actually see what happened coming at all and was a bit shocked. I really liked the depiction of her relationship with her husband too and their drawing back together. Really v good, possibly one of his best I dare to say but I have not read all his work. Enjoyed it far more than I expected.

Not sure what to follow those two up with now... seem to be reading a lot of science fiction lately, have Spares and The Three Body Problem but Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is looming accusingly at me every time I flick through my kindle and I know if I leave that tome too long I just will never go there.... Anyone following the series? I've recorded it but it is sitting there unwatched at the moment...

wilting - You seem to be enjoying quite a few of my recommendations so now I just have to insist that you snap up Red Rising for £0.99

I've read quite a bit this week :)

54. The Small Hand by Susan Hill. One of her ghost stories. Creepy, but not scary.

55. The Artist's Widow by Shena Mackay. This is the second of her novels I've read now, and I loved it. The novel is an interlinking series of stories about a group of friends and relatives who all live and work in North London, the central character is Lyris who is the artist's widow and an artist in her own right, but who had been overshadowed by her late husband. Set in the late 90s, it ends on the day of Princess Diana's death and the characters' reactions to that. Poignant, beautifully written, witty and clever. Will be looking out for more by Shena Mackay.

56. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson. I listened to the audiobook of this, the sequel to Life After Life. I enjoyed this one more than Life After Life. If anyone is tempted to buy the audiobook of it then I recommend it - excellent narration by Alex Jennings.

And finally -

57. Black Sheep by Susan Hill. So so sad, bleak, unrelenting misery set in a small mining village somewhere in England (possibly Yorkshire, it doesn't say). Beautifully written, as you'd expect from Susan Hill (I'm a massive fan of her novels :)) but I really need cheering up after this.

Book 65 - 'The Mill Mystery' by Anna Katherine Green
A 19th century American mystery story in the true sensationalist style. I enjoyed it hugely, but occasionally she lets her sentences run away with her!

Hope the results today were OK, Joyless.

36. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell. Wow, I think this is going to take me a few days to absorb so for now I will just say that I loved and hated bits of it. Very complex. Favourite part was the Orison of Sonmi 451.

How were the results, Joyless?

27. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. This is a story about a woman writing the biography of a popular author who has always been secretive about her personal life. In doing so, she uncovers the secrets, and confronts her own demons too. I enjoyed this.

No 47 I think

Heather Gudenkauf
One breath away

Grim subject - it's a fast paced novel with well drawn out characters, each one has issues & flaws but all of them are interesting .the plot is grim but it is gripping . The story is told from the perspective of five characters involved in a school hostage situation . Teachers , kids , parents & detectives .It's a page turner & you just want to keep reading until you find out what happens . I recommend it .

No. 48 Red Rising

As recommended by Cote.

This is one of the very few books I've read this year that I couldn't put down. Absolutely fantastic, great world building and writing. The story is well paced and both the characters and the dialogue are believable without being cliched.

Loved it so much I bought the second in the trilogy - at the highest price ever on my kindle, too. But the first one was 99p, so if you average it it comes out at £4.50 per book. I started reading the first book on Wednesday and I'm already 30% through the second - definitely a sign of a good book.

Has anyone else read Funny Girl by Nick Hornby? Not sure what to think about it so far. Finding it a bit dull. Loads of 60s culture references not doing anything for me.

Clash - Told you so! I'm also still reeling from having forked out £8.49 for a Kindle book. Brilliant series, though. He has recently completed the 3rd book, apparently, so hopefully we won't have to wait for long to read the end of the saga.

Meanwhile: The one God I worship, Neal Stephenson, has published a new book called Seveneves. The Kindle version is £12.92 and I just can't bring myself to buy it. Maybe in another month or so, when its price comes down to single digits.

I haven't posted for an absolute AGE so have far too much to catch up on - I won't leave it so long next time.

Pleased to report that I'm finally on maternity leave and am awaiting the baby's arrival. I've had a few twinges and have been wondering if something is about to happen but no consistent signs of labour just yet...

Hope all of you waiting for test results or who have been ill are feeling better - Lammy, Joyless, Cote, Duchess - hope I haven't missed anyone.

Anyway, here are my books 31-40:

31. Sane New World by Ruby Wax. Recommended by a previous poster. Sensible, interesting and entertaining. I found elements of the style a bit painful but I couldn't help admiring the honesty and practicality of Wax's writing.

32. The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks. Yes yes yes, excellent read, highly, highly recommend. Particularly resonated due to my pregnancy but even without this I would have loved the writing, the often raw but highly touching storyline and the vivid characters. Racism and rampant sexism both highly uncomfortable, but evocative of an era, and the sexism at least is central to the storyline.

33. The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The first play on my list and worth the switch in genre. Captures the madness of misguided group thought and mass delusion through a depiction of the Salem witch trials as an allegory for McCarthyism. Clever, shocking and, quite frankly, frightening. Would love to see this on the stage.

34. The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell. Another recommendation from a previous poster - thank you, I loved this. I'm a huge 'Secret History' fan and this fell into the same literary basket in many ways.

35. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. This was groundbreaking at the time of publication for its depiction of a young woman's spiral into depression and attempted suicide (a journey Plath herself took). A tough, raw read, particularly the second half, but I knew the subject matter and was prepared to push through it; the book has been on my 'intend to read' list forever so I'm glad that I eventually took the plunge and was brave enough to give it a go. Not a holiday read but for anyone trying to tick off a few modern classics it's worth the effort.

36. The Hours by Michael Cunningham. Excellent book, so very very clever but also accessible. I loved Cunningham's pastiche of Woolf's stream of consciousness, particularly at the beginning, and thought his intertwining of three story lines worked incredibly well. A highly successful modern take on Bloomsbury values. Which led me on to...

37. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. I had read bits of this before but never cover to cover. As you may have guessed from my book choices I am interested in feminist literature and Mrs. Dalloway's trip out to buy the flowers herself has always resonated with me as a symbol of independent womanhood. The narrative's constant slippage between different mental strands captures so beautifully the vagaries of thought, and in a strange way made me think of how the characters could benefit from some of Ruby Wax's Mindfulness practices (cf book 31).

38. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. Quick, fun read. Too many coincidences but it's Just That Kind of Book and it's such a good yarn that I willingly suspended my disbelief and allowed myself to be carried away. Would recommend.

39. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. Not for me. Japanese couple become obsessed with their neighbour's cat. I'm a dog person.

40. The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield. Loved Delafield's dry, witty take on life. Many of her observations still ring true and raise a laugh even 83 years after its first publication. Light, fun and a blessed relief after that damn cat (cf book 39).

p.s. if anyone has any recommendations for books particularly suitable to read at 3am whilst feeding a newborn, I would love to hear them in preparation for No. 2's imminent arrival!

I read The Girl Who Played With Fire (#2 in the Millennium series after The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) while at the hospital before & after DS's birth by ElCS. I was breastfeeding him while reading the book and getting dagger eyes from my mum. I devoured #3 in the series The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest at home, in the week that followed.

Yay Atticus, how exciting! I read all of A Suitable Boy when breastfeeding. I hope everything goes well. I have read a lot of Sylvia Plath poetry this year and am awaiting for Amazon to deliver her short stories. I am also going to make sure I read a play this year.

42. Erewhon, or Over the Range - Samuel Butler. Sort of a hybrid between Utopia and Gullivers Travels but not as good as either. Basically an intrepid young man discovers an unknown civilisation beyond a mountain range then discourses at length about the laws and customs. However, there's an interesting philosophical discussion about the destruction of machines and their intelligence which is well ahead of its time considering this was written in 1872.

I read my way through the whole of Jilly Coopers Rutshire books when I was in labour and breastfeeding. Both times.