50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 4

[southeastdweller]

Thread four 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 can count, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

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

Happy reading

84. Mrs Ames, by E F Benson. Predates his Mapp and Lucia books, and has some of the same great set pieces (the ball where all the more mature ladies turn up as Cleopatra is great). He hasn't yet gone for the utter frivolity of his later books, and there are more serious hints of middle-aged ennui, the joy of throwing yourself into a cause (the Suffragettes) and the real possibility of marital breakdown. If you were to read only one book by this author, this wouldn't be the one to read - probably more for existing devotees.

wilting, you were asking about my idea of acerbic female voices. Maybe acerbic isn't so much the word as unillusioned - I was thinking of non-fiction such as The Poets' Daughters by Katie Waldegrave (sympathetic yet surprisingly funny about how poor all Dora Wordsworth, as she lay dying, had to put up with all this well-intentioned advice about how to have a Good Death) and Young Romantics by Dora Hay (if you thought a Byronic lover sounds attractive, think of poor Claire Clairemont with Byron himself. He was vile). But I also like mid-20th century writers - Thank Heaven Fasting by E M Delafield evokes what it's like when catching a husband is your only way of validating your adult life; Barbara Pym describes how unrequited crushes are more satisfactory than marriage (Muriel wondering if she wants to be doing this man's washing up forever in Excellent Women; the least romantic elopement ever in Crampton Hodnet). Elizabeth von Arnim is patchy, but at her best, she can really show how husbands and domesticity can grind a woman down.

EM Delafield, she wrote the Provincial Lady series I think? I read and enjoyed that years ago and actually have a copy on my kindle for when the mood strikes!

Haven't read any Barbara Pym or the others, will check them out.

Yes, she wrote the Provincial Lady books, which I also love. Another good one of her along similiar lines is The Way Things Are.

Barbara Pym is my absolute favourite writer - I'd suggest starting with Excellent Women or Some Tame Gazelle. (I'm very nervous about recommending books because tastes vary so much - I won't be offended if none of these are to your liking....)

60. The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah. I read all the Agatha Christie books when I was younger but I rarely re-read so it must be at least 15 years since I read a Hercule Poirot book but I don't think that this was a particularly good attempt at one. The plot was really far fetched and there isn't even the tiniest bit of humour in the whole book. There is no logic to the way Poirot solves the mystery either. I'd say this might the most pointless book I've read this year.

mmack - oh that is disappointing, I did like the Christie books and am always annoyed I've run out of them when I'm after something a bit "cosy murder mystery" (usually after i've finished reading something harrowing/full on/intellectual!). I saw this and thought it would be good. Pity to hear it's not.

I'd also been wondering about that Sophie Hannah book. Don't think I'll bother now with taking it out from the library.

I just don't think Sophie Hannah is the right person to revive Poirot. She is good at complicated plots but doesn't have the lightness of touch. All the characters in her Simon and Charlie series are quite unlikeable as well.

Those of you who like Agatha Christie, have you read Patricia Wentworth. Cosy mysteries with Naice people. I really enjoy them .

Not checked in for a while and can't remember where I got to last time, but here's my most recent reads:

26. Mrs Hemingway, Naomi Woods - absolutely loved this. Very similar in style to The Paris Wife (and obvious overlap of story) but she covers all four of Hemingway's wives. Beautifully written.
27. The Children Act, Ian McEwan - interesting set-up but as with his other books I couldn't warm to any of the characters who feel as if they are just there to illustrate as issue and show off all the research he's clearly done.
28. Tigers in Red Weather, Liza Klaussman - set in post-war New England, a murder takes place in a small community where two cousins have a summer home. Lots of tension over the cocktails, and a couple of very creepy characters.
29. The Language of Dying, Sarah Pinborough - a woman looks after her father in his last days, as her sister and 2 brothers, all deeply troubled, visit and fail to be of any help. She sees a weird and unexplained supernatural vision at critical moments but otherwise little in the way of story. Found it relentlessly depressing.
30. Snowblind, Ragnar Jonasson - crime novel set in a remote coastal part of Iceland which is only accessible via a tunnel through mountains, and which becomes cut off in the winter. Atmospheric and quite slow in a good way - feels very much like Scandi crime TV such as The Killing etc.
31. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami - nearly lost the will to live during this and came to the conclusion that however good a writer Murakami is, he is just not for me. Very long, and an odd combination of surreal events and mundane things described in great detail, which I just found dull.
32. Electricity, Victoria Glendinning - historical fiction set in late 19th century in which a woman accompanies her engineer husband to a country estate where he is installing electricity, has a relationship with the owner, loses her husband and turns to the highly popular world of spiritualism to make her living. Well written and some fascinating detail.
33. Early One Morning, Virginia Bailey - set in Rome in 1943 when Chiara impulsively claims that a Jewish boy who is about to be transported with his family is her nephew, thus rescuing him, and 30 years later, when - having lost contact with him - she receives a call from a Welsh girl who claims to be his daughter. Very moving, great story and well developed characters. Highly recommended.
34. Dundee International Book Award - a collection of extracts from shortlisted novels.
35. Crusoe's Daughter, Jane Gardam - a reread of one of my all-time favourites, about orphan Polly Flint who is sent to live with elderly maiden aunts and muddles through her long life with an obsession with Robinson Crusoe. Funny and wise.
36. All the Light we Cannot See, Anthony Doerr - follows blind Marie-Laure, daughter of the locksmith at the Natural History Museum in Paris, and Werner, who is sent to a Nazi training school and becomes a radio expert tracking down resistance fighters through radio broadcasts. I absolutely loved this - it's a real page turner, alternating between the two characters with very short chapters, until they both end up in St Malo in 1944 when the city is under siege. There's also a whole sub-plot about a fabulous - and cursed - diamond smuggled out of the museum, which sounds rather hokey, but it all adds to the tension. Brilliant writing and satisfying story - can't recommend this one highly enough.

26. Julia Quinn - Just Like Heaven

Regency romance. As fairly standard with these, it's clear from the first chapter which 2 characters are going to be blissfully united by the end of the book. Entertaining enough, although I was wondering how historically accurate some of the medical stuff in the middle of the book was (the hero has a badly infected leg wound. The heroine's mother saves his life and his leg with some minor surgery).

froglet All the Light We Cannot See looks excellent. I see it won the Pulitzer Prize among other awards, however I'd never heard of it. Have ordered it now - thanks for the review.

48. Blood on the Altar by Tobias Jones

Book about Danilo Restivo focussing mostly on the case of the girl he murdered in Italy before he came to the UK. Ultimately this is unsatisfying in that the author feels the need to pad the book with lots of detail about the history of the region of Italy in which Restivo lived.

49. One of Us: the Life and Lies of Anders Breivik

This is a great book; thorough, moving, horrific an shocking. It tries to set out what drove Breivik to the murders; however, my only criticism would be that I would have preferred a greater focus on the victims and survivors than on Breivik himself.

50. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Disappointing. Not very well written, lots of garbled thoughts and lists of speech. Definitely of the time it was written in terms of the views on race. Certainly not a classic and not a book I'd ever be moved to read again. I can understand why it was never published before.

Book 51 is Kate Mosse's Labyrinth which is a book group choice. Am kind of struggling with why it was chosen (I wasn't at this group) given the shocking reviews on Amazon. So far it's a bit silly.

How did your H find the Savile book Remus?

Provencal - I have got Labyrinth sitting on my bookshelf, unread. Bought it when pregnant with DD, so 10 years ago now . Didn't get round to reading it then and haven't felt compelled to do so since. I blame pregnancy hormones because it really isn't my kind of book! Couldn't get through the imho awful tv adaptation of it a couple of years ago either.

Oh, stay away from Labyrinth. I resent the time I won't get back.

For anyone looking for cosy mysteries, I'm currently reading one by Hazel Holt. It's not great literature, but it has retired ladies fretting about tea urns, which frankly I could read forever.

Hello all, just checking in to say I'm still here. Currently reading 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' which is excellent but slightly brain-hurty so is taking me a while.

Still following the thread and enjoying your recommendations (and otherwise!)

highlandcoo Hope you enjoy All the Light we Cannot See! I could go on for ages about how brilliant it is, but won't.

Provencal and Duchess I read Labyrinth a few years back (was visiting Carcassonne) and really wanted to like it but it just wasn't for me either. A bit silly - exactly. The timeslip thing felt too contrived. A shame because her passion for the city and the history of the area does come through.

Provencal He's not read it yet. I think he's saving it for our holidays. He says that I have to tall you all to read, 'The Establishment' by Owen Jones.

I thought, 'Labyrinth' was an abomination btw - dreadful book.

tell not tall

My book group is normally ok at choosing so I am surprised by this one. Hey ho if I'm not enjoying I may stop as don't want the whole of my holiday to be taken up by it.

Froglet - I loved All the light we cannot see, I have been recommending it to my friends and they have so far all loved it too. One of my top books of the year.

24. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali - autobiography of a Somali woman who grows up as a devout Muslim, but decides to run away from an arranged marriage en route to Canada. She ends up in Holland and becomes a political activist but has to go on the run after the director of her short film on Muslim women's oppression is murdered. Amazing story about a very brave woman. She has written more books since and I believe she now lives in America. Really interesting book and very topical at the moment. Ali has very strong views on Islam!

Froglefsmum

I agree with you re Murakami: I know people rave about him but I just can't seem to get into his books

I read Norwegian Wood by Murakami this year and I wasn't that impressed either. I think it was supposed to be charming and quirky but I just thought it was unbelievable and a bit creepy.

Book 43: Go Set A Watchman - Harper Lee. There's no doubting she wrote it, its Scout's voice in both books. But TKAM is vastly superior for many reasons. I've bored for Britain on my blog about it www.bunnyandthebloke.com

I'm glad I read it - its been really interesting and useful to examine the differences in writing craft between something so brilliant and something so average.

Murakami's, 'Wild Sheep Chase' is one of the most ridiculous books I've ever finished. Dp liked it, but he likes Ian McEwan too, so I'm not convinced he's entitled to an opinion!