50 Book Challenge 2015 Part Five

[southeastdweller]

Thread five 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, third thread here, and fourth thread here.

Happy reading

Remus - It could be. I don't think I've ever seen you review a book like this one so can't say for sure, but you would probably appreciate the madness (with a method), the wit, and sociopolitical commentary.

82. The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters

Everyone has an inner Chimp, which can be your best friend or your worst enemy. The Chimp is the emotional side, which can react a heck of a lot faster than your Human, the rational side. Sometimes the reactions of the Chimp will be good, but a lot of the time it can be unhelpful. This book is about recognising when you are allowing your Chimp to take control and learning to manage your Chimp so that your Human is more often in charge.

Very simplistic summary, and the book itself is quite simplistic (almost to the point of being patronising) at times, but it is an interesting read and I certainly recognised many of my own traits and behaviours in here. For me, my Chimp has tended to be in control for a while (it reacts much faster than your Human, remember) so I think I may well find the strategies helpful. It was recommended to me by a management coach my work is paying for me to have sessions with, so there was an element of having to read this! But it was pretty thought-provoking so that's a good thing.

84. Troubles by J.G. Farrell. A WWI veteran, Brendan Archer, becomes involved with a very eccentric Anglo-Irish family in their decrepit hotel in Wexford as the Irish War of Independence gathers momentum. I really liked this-it's hilariously funny in parts and it's also an insightful look at Irish history from an English point of view.

85. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. A very, very overwrought novel about an amazingly brilliant man struggling though life after surviving terrible childhood abuse. It was discussed on a recent thread and I think people either loved it or hated it but in the end I think I'm more bemused by it than anything else. It's like a cross between Angela's Ashes and a Jackie Collins novel.

It's a few years since I read Troubles mmack but I remember finding it funny how he wants to talk to the girl but somehow can't. And the vines growing through the house. Have you read Siege of Krishnapur?

Book 53 Adventures on the High Teas by Stuart Maconie. He goes 'in search of Middle England' and why is it sometimes seen as a good thing and sometimes a bad thing. An entertaining travelogue. Written before the rise of UKIP which I assume he'd cover if he was writing it today.

Book 54 Meadowland by John Lewis-Stempel. I picked this up because people mentioned it up thread so thanks for the recommendation. Enjoyed it. Compared with A Buzz in the Meadow this is a book of observation and description whereas A Buzz is a book of observation and science and facts. Good companion books because although the cover the same topic they take it in different directions.

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes and condolences.

It's been a very tough week. He died at home, and was found by his carers (the very morning I didn't go to check on him), the Police were called and I had a Policeman turn up to give me the news. The Coroner has been involved, and there was a post mortem earlier this week. We're still waiting to find out, in the next couple of days, whether the Coroner wants an inquest or whether he is going to rule it natural causes. Very stressful time for all of us, and many tears have been shed.

In the meantime, I have finished reading The Dinner by Herman Koch, which is Book 111. Not the best read for that particular time.

Duchess

Duchess xxxx

No 82
Stolen Child by Laura Eliot

A pyschological thriller

The novel centers around Suzanne and Carla. Suzanne, after many devastating miscarriages finally has the baby she's always wanted. Carla has just given birth to a healthy baby girl who goes missing at 2 days old. You can't help but feel for all of the characters involved. The multiple point of views and backstory of the many characters involved was easy to follow. However, I felt it was a little drawn out at times. We follow the characters over many years and see how their lives develop and intertwine. There are some good twists though

So sorry for your loss and the circumstances, Duchess.

I have been in a go-slow with reading. Still might just make it to 50 though.

42. Mr Mac and Me by Esther Freud

Audiobook. This is a slow paced story of a village in the south of England in 1914 particularly following a boy of 11/12yrs called Thomas and his fascination with a visitor to the village, Mr MacIntosh, along with changes to the village following the start of World War I. I really wanted to like this book and it was beautifully written but I just found it a bit dull.

43. Disobedience by Naomi Alderman

Audiobook. Interesting book about Orthodox Jews but also about relationships and what is important in life. Excellent narrator. I really enjoyed this audiobook.

44. Gallipoli by Alan Moorehead

Non fiction account of the Gallipoli campaign of World War I. An excellent description, highly recommended. What a different time, all those men lost. It has certainly inspired me to read more non-fiction.

Book 131 - 'The Road to Little Dribbling'
I'm a big Bryson fan, and if this was by anyone else I'd have probably loved it. As it is though, I was a bit disappointed.

It's fine; there's nothing actively wrong with it, but I didn't think it was very exciting and it didn't do anything that he hasn't done before, except remind us how old he's getting. He seemed to spend a ridiculously long time down on the South Coast, and then try to cram the rest of the country into the last third or so of the book.

I liked the Derbyshire section a lot and it made me laugh a couple of times, but it wasn't him at his best. I get the idea that it was written more for his publisher than because he was interested in it, and that he didn't really want to be away from home very much.

Just logging back in to say that David Mitchell's books Black Swan Green and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet are both 99p on the Kindle today until midnight. AND The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet's Audible narration is also 99p. I got both

Duchess Best wishes. Please be kind to yourself.

"The Chimp is the emotional side, which can react a heck of a lot faster than your Human, the rational side."

Isn't that usually called your Lizard side? As in, gut reactions coming from your amygdala, often referred to as the lizard brain. It is part of the limbic system and deals with emotional reactions.

That's just how I felt Remus.

No 74 Blacklands - Brenda Bauer. This was fantastic, a thriller told through the eyes of a 12 year old boy whose uncle was murdered as a child by a serial killer. The body has never been found and he spends his weekends out on the moors searching for it in the hope it will bring peace to his grandmother. In desperation he contacts the killer in prison. It was ecpxcelkent in the relationships between boys and I think she nailed the two central characters.

Quite possibly Cote. Peters is using the chimp as part of a wider analogy and is trying to provide tools for managing that side of things, but I would assume it's the same sort of area.

19. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Sausages - Tom Holt. Thoroughly surreal tran-dimensional time-travel story featuring a pig, many chickens, lawyers and a magic pencil sharpener. I can't even begin to come up with an explanation of the plot. If you like fantasy, if you like Jasper Fforde then you may like this.

Chillie - It's called "lizard brain" because it is the simplest/lowest type of brain in evolutionary terms, that even lizards have. "Chimp" isn't a good analogy because chimps are similar to humans with complex emotions and inner lives, and their brains are much more evolved than just the amygdala.

I'm being a pedant, I know

He really has just used it as an analogy as part of his working model to help people improve aspects of themselves Cote, rather than writing a more academic analysis of the human mind. He talks about the 'planet of others', the 'moon of instand stress', and the 'planet of success' with its own three moons aas well, for example. I did say it was simplistic!

It has been a while since I posted. Here is my updated list:

46. Assassin’s Quest – Robin Hobb. This is the last book in the Farseer trilogy and continues the story of Fitzchivalry looking for his missing uncle Verity, the Elderlings and finding a way to stop the Red Ship Traders while trying to assassinate his uncle Regal who has seized the throne after Verity went missing. Really enjoyable finish to the trilogy. It did drag a little for me in the middle but I look forward to reading the rest of Hobb’s Fool and Assassin books.

47. The Shepherd’s Crown – Terry Pratchett. This is the last STP book published and is a real coming of age for young with Tiffany Aching. I won’t go into too much detail as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who has yet to read it. I enjoyed it - parts of it really, really sparkled and there were parts where it seemed that STP’s failing health were evident. However it was still a remarkable book from a remarkable author who will be much missed.

48. Playing With Fire – Derek Landy. This is the second Skulduggery Pleasant book and features Skulduggery and his apprentice Stephanie (aka Valkyrie Cain) fighting against the evil Baron Vengeous, Dusk the vampire and Billy Ray Sanguine the knife using assassin. I read this with the kids and we all loved every single word. Looking forward to the next installation. I should add these books are targeted at the 9+ age group but are a cracking read for anyone who is interested in the fantasy genre.

49. Mort – Terry Pratchett. One of the earlier works – very enjoyable re-read which really develops DEATH’s character and gives us background into the Mort/Isobel relationship that resulted in Susan being DEATH’s grandchild.

50. Landmarks – Robert Macfarlane. Definitely my read of the year. I first bought it on an audible daily deal after seeing it reviewed here and as soon as I had finished I went out and bought the hardback which is now beside my bed. It is so beautifully written and the language used is so incredibly evocative. I just loved it.

51. One Summer America 1927 – Bill Bryson. This was an audiobook. Very enjoyable romp through the summer of 1927 and the period leading up to it and the aftermath looking at Charles Lindbergh and transatlantic flight, the period before the Wall St Crash, Babe Ruth and baseball, the rise of Al Capone and Edgar Hoover to name but a few.

52. Station Eleven - Emily St. John Martell. I know this has been reviewed a few times so I won’t go into it in too much detail but it was only meh in my opinion. I loved apocalyptic/dystopian fiction but this just didn’t do it for me. I just didn’t buy the story development or the idea that all of these characters connected to the actor guy were among the few to survive the flu apocalypse and would all manage to find their way to this airport somewhere was just not at all believable or compelling. Characters were not really developed and there were all these loose ends – what was purpose of the actor’s friend publishing a tell all book for, if we were not going to find out what was in the book (maybe I sleep read through that bit). After all the rave reviews I was really disappointed in this one.

53. The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century – Ian Mortimer. Bought this as an audiobook on a daily deal and was so good that I am also buying the hard copy. My 12 year old has even listened to it twice. If you like history and you are a fan of this period it is well worth picking up. I really enjoyed it and it gave a great insight into life at that time.

54. The Magpies – Mark Edwards. This was a psychological thriller about Jamie and Kirsty who buy their first home together and start to plan their lives together. Then things start to go horribly wrong with one small thing happening after another before they realise they are being terrorised by their neighbours. Nice short and easy read with a bit of tension thrown in.

Next up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in paperback, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves on Kindle and Bill Bryson's At Home: A short history of private life on audio.

61. Fathomless Riches: Or How I Went From Pop to Pulpit - Reverend Richard Coles

Memoir from the ex-Communard who's now a Reverend, this was intelligently written and he's clearly a very self-aware person, but though I realise the religious element in the last third of the book was necessary, I wasn't engaged with it at all.

62. A Life Like Other People's - Alan Bennett

Extracted from his Untold Stories book, this is an unsentimental family memoir, mainly about his parents. The writing is top-notch, typically Bennett - occasionally hilarious, occasionally deeply poignant, always absorbing and clear. The harrowing and unsettling passage near the end when he recounts his visits to his elderly mother where she's in a home is unforgettable. This is easily one of the best books of the year so far for me - I must read Untold Stories soon.

Now on I Capture the Castle.

May I join, very late? Wiltingfast suggested it on the non-fiction thread a little while back - I tend to read non-fiction and hadn't realised it 'counted' on this thread :)

I've just finished 'Do it like a Woman' by Caroline Criado-Perez - really liked the introduction and the fact that she's tackling the question of how we reconcile moving beyond stereotypically feminine attributes without devaluing those attributes and implying that they're lesser because they're traditionally associated with women. However (and it's a hard question, so fair play to her for trying) I wasn't sure that the rest of the book quite rose to the challenge.

I'm now reading 'Fixing the System' by Adrian Kuzminski. I'm trying to work my way through my shelves either reading or ditching things that have been sat there unread for ages. I've started this one before, it's an interesting premise again (a history of populism, and trying to draw out a distinctively different political movement) but I think I may be defeated again by (a) very tiny text - showing my age - and (b) his insistance that what he is describing isn't anarchism and has no relation to it, and hence the fact that he ignores lots of useful thinking around the subjects he's talking about.

I've also while taking a break from that read 'Carry On' by Rainbow Rowell which DD just bought. It's an amusing pastiche of fantasy and fanfic tropes, based on the snippets of fanfic her main character writes in Fangirl, fine for a Sunday afternoon light read.

Calfon, I recently read Station Eleven (given me as a birthday present). I quite liked it, but IKWYM that it didn't really live up to the things said about it.

Welcome, Sadik

Calfon - I enjoyed One Summer in America but got a bit bogged down in the baseball chapters, think I'd probably have enjoyed it more as an audiobook.

49. Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee - listened as an audiobook with Reese Witherspoon and the narration was very good. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I did enjoy it, she writes beautifully, it seemed more character than story driven.

50. The Enchanted April - Elizabeth Von Armin - recommended by various people on here I very much enjoyed this gentle uplifting book.

41. Yes please! By Amy Poehler - autobiog of American comedian who is a writing and screen partner of Tina Fey on Saturday night live and was the star of Parks and Recreation. I really wanted a laugh out loud book and she is pretty funny, but I just didn't really see the point of her writing this book (other than to make a quick buck?) especially as she goes on quite a bit in the book about how hard it is to write! It's kind of a self-help book with some funny anecdotes. Ho-hum

Maybe that's it Sadik - Station Eleven just didn't live up to the hype. I suppose it seems harsh but I really expected to be swept away when really it was just alright - it was enjoyable but forgettable imo!

whitewineandchocolate I can imagine the baseball might make parts tedious alright but it worked really well as an audio. At times I had to rewind to catch some thing that I missed but that happens to me when I am listening to all non fiction audiobooks if I lose concentration for a moment.

Neal Stephenson's world-building mind-boggling multi-verse masterpiece Anathem is £0.99 on the Kindle