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

Book 148 - 'Operation Mincemeat'
LOVED it. Will definitely read more of his.

'Station Eleven' is such a Marmite book. I absolutely detested it.

All this talk of Station Eleven made me revisit my comments on it earlier in the year No offence to those who have enjoyed it (to each their own and all that) but it really was very weak for those of us who have read a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction.

CoteDAzur Fri 17-Jul-15 16:34:24

39 Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel

Well, this was very disappointing. Not that I held such high expectations for (1) a 1st book, that was (2) written by a woman, and (3) was much raved about by several friends who never read sci-fi and instead usually read "women's contemporary fiction". I can only imagine that people who have adored very weak sci-fi like Never Let Me Go might like this book. Or those who have never read any sci-fi.

It was disjointed, devoid of a real plot (let alone an engaging and/or clever one), improbable, and with complete lack of worldbuilding. A viral flu kills off most of the world's population and the the ones left alive somehow manage to find food, shelter, and clean water very easily which leaves them free to procrastinate and whine all day long. That's pretty much all the book talks about anyway.

None of it made much sense. A viral infection that becomes symptomatic in several hours and kills in a day is the easiest disease in the world to contain, since it would burn itself off very quickly. Just broadcast everyone to stay indoors for 1 day - what seems to be the problem?

The post-apocalyptic world rings completely false, as well. All of it falls apart too quickly, and the author has given no thought to what such a world of few survivors would actually be like. "Schools" where kids are taught about the lost world and its comforts made me laugh. Surely, you would try to preserve knowledge of math, chemistry, physics, biology etc rather than stories of past comforts.

96. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

I decided I wasn't actually in the mood for the book club secret Santa book so decided on a re-read of this one. A bit of Agatha Christie always works!

Linnet Ridgeway is a young woman who has everything - a vast fortune, style, beauty, and a brand new husband. But when Hercule Poirot encounters her on her honeymoon in Egypt she is also being disturbed by her new husband's ex-fiancee, who has taken to following them around and appearing where they least expect it. Then, on a cruise down the Nile, Linnet is shot dead in the night. The obvious suspect, Jacqueline de Bellefort, has a cast-iron alibi. So who could have done it?

In the spirit of Cote's post, I've also dug out my review of, 'Station Eleven.' Apologies for the language - it doesn't make for pretty reading!

"My biggest problem with it (other than the fact that it is boring as fuck) is all the banging on about that actor geezer and his love life. I don't object to feelings as such, but I honestly have no interest in feelings that happened years before the time that the story is supposedly set in, of a character who's dead on the first page.

And all that crap about the first cello likes the fourth flute but the fourth flute doesn't like the 17th drum and on and on and on interspersed with loads of lines from Shakespeare (so the writer can Google Shakespeare quotes - awesome!) then meandering back to the night when an actor who's been dead for 20 years was having a glass of wine and a shag 20 years before THAT is really, really not what I want to be reading.

I'm getting angry just thinking about it, as you can see! Tosh."

Remus and Cote I'm really cheered that you both hated Station Eleven too. Thought it was just me.

91. 'Dying Fall' - Elly Griffiths, Dr Ruth Galloway no 5. Still enjoying these very much.
92. 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed' - Jon Ronson. Fairly interesting but ultimately I was a bit disappointed in this thought provoking look at online mob justice.
93. 'There's Something I've been dying to tell you' - Lynda Bellingham. Not my usual fare but was a Kindle Daily Deal. Not particularly well written, I didn't think but still very moving.

Got SPQR on the go at the moment and have started The Universe versus Alex Woods but not liking so far. Should I persevere?

Yes yes to Station Eleven being a Marmite book - I loved it! Recommended it to very bookish friends who loved it too.

The negative reviews do make me laugh though, I haven't had many books I've hated that much!! (ok maybe Before I go to Sleep, seriously shit)

The only people I know in RL who loved Station Eleven are those who never read sci-fi and almost always read fluffy "women's fiction".

There are so many smart & plausible post-apocalyptic books that Station Eleven frankly looks like it was written by a dim child in comparison.

To name a few: World War Z, The Flood, Interrupt, and The Passage are far superior to this book in detail, plausibility, realistic scenario, and scientific accuracy.

I struggle to think of another post-apocalyptic book that is so unambitious and so stunted in vision and scope, tbh. Maybe Swan Song and On The Beach, but those at least have the excuse of having been written many decades ago.

I have to say I was just a bit 'meh' about Station Eleven - I did finish it, and there were parts I liked, but I wouldn't say I felt that strongly either way.

I suspect you'd hate many of my favourite sci-fi novels, Cote . . . (Not necessarily the other way round, though, I think looking at things you like I'd mostly enjoy them.)

72. And When Did You Last See Your Father? - Blake Morrison

Outstanding and very moving memoir (or as he calls it 'Life Memoir') about the author growing up with his father, how he saw his father when he was dying and the feelings he had after his father died. The story is compelling, feels honest, and his writing is often so beautiful it almost took my breath away. I really can't fault this book at all, it's easily one of the best memoir's I've ever read.

In need of a light read, next up is the fourth Adrian Mole book.

Yup .Cote I never read Sci-fi except John Wyndham as a teen. Interesting I would not have categorised Station 11 as Sci-fi - more YA dystopian type (or is that Sci-fi? Haven't a clue really 😄)

"Dystopian" is a sub-genre of sci-fi.

A book that talks about a future where a virus kills most of the human population is sci-fi, of course

Book 149 - 'Storm Front' by Jim Butcher
The first in a fantasy/crime series. Harry Dresden is a wizard, and private investigator. This was okay - quite diverting, satisfying ending, short and sweet. Not terribly well written, and I'm not sure I liked it enough to bother with any more in the series, but I did quite enjoy it.

120. Genghis Khan, by John Man. The "wrong" GK book. An overview of GK's history tied in with travelogue (a genre I like but it isn't for everyone) and musing on China's co-option of him as proto-Chinese hero. I mildly liked it - it felt a bit longer than it needed to be.

Cote is The Flood to which you refer written by David Sachs? - currently 99p on Kindle?

Just finished two books in one day (although I fell asleep and woke up about four times finishing To Be A Cat)
28: The Secret Adversary – Agatha Christie
A short-ish story about two seemingly regular people who suddenly become spies for the British Government, sort of reminded me of Our Man in Havana. It’s a good book if you like giggling at the way language has changed. For example one character calling his gun his “little willy” – I’m a child I know but it made me laugh.

29: To Be A Cat - Matt Haig
Actually picked this one up at the library from the children’s section when I was there with my children. I’ve read a couple of Matt Haig books and this was really enjoyable too. It's basically about a boy who becomes a cat and about how all around us are people who were once cats. I know it’s a children’s book but nevertheless it still had me wanting to know what happened at the end. For age 9 plus apparently!

Ah given all the chat I have also dug out my old review of Station Eleven;

"Station Eleven by emily st john mandel. This was ok. I didn't find the overnight collapse of society that credible somehow. And there was no focus on the immediate aftermath at all. Just all a bit unsatisfying. Why all the focus on the actor? Maybe I was missing something. I did read it all, it was a reasonable read, just not what I expected."

I was really rather restrained.

Unlike cote I would not call it sci fi.

There's is nothing to suggest this is somehow in the future. Whether it is or not does not actually matter to the story, at all.

The back death killed a lot of people, a virus killing a lot of people is not enough imo to render a book automatically sci fi.

I'm also rather doubtful on the dystopia label. Setting aside the plausibility of the story, they all seem fairly content to me!

What sci fi are you into Sadik? Another teenage John Wyndham reader here!

Wilting - not being a Sci Fi/YA Dystopian Society genre reader this was a whole new avenue for me. Setting aside the plausibility of it (and I did wonder why they taught the kids about the "lost world", where the fresh water came from and how they ate etc) it captured my imagination and I have pondered long about surviving such an event - I even dreamt about it FFS!
So, Yes I did "enjoy" it and I wouldn't describe myself as "always reading fluffy woman's fiction" either

Maybe I'll look at reading some of the ones suggested by Cote in 2016.

Sonnet - No, The Flood that I read is written by Stephen Baxter. It is a bit slow in the beginning as its setting the stage, but turns into a very interesting and totally plausible apocalyptic/ post-apocalyptic novel.

I'm not saying you read fluffy women's fiction, Sonnet I did say "people I know in RL".

I'll happily admit to reading fluffy women's fiction .

wilting, I started in my early teens with the old standards, Foundation, Stainless Steel Rat, Arthur C Clarke, John Wyndham, that sort of thing (basically whatever I happened to find in the library), then in my later teens/20s read lots of Philip K Dick, JG Ballard, 70s/80s feminist sci-fi, various cyberpunk authors.

Books/authors from back then that I still re-read - Ursula le Guin, Suzette Haden Elgin's Native tongue books, Joanna Russ, Woman on the Edge of Time et al. Recently I've enjoyed the Ancillary Justice books, liked the Gemsigns books, quite liked Leviathan Wakes (though it had rather a lot of irritating plot holes), liked some China Mieville (his more sci-fi-y ones) but not all.

I read a lot of fantasy, too (especially fluffy fantasy ), and I guess I like my SF more character driven, interested in how different types of societies might work, rather than science heavy.

Cote The Flood by Stephen Baxter is on my reading list for 2016 Although, like Sadik, I think I may prefer SF to be more character driven than science heavy so I may not get on with it. I am willing to give it a try though.

The Flood is not very sciencey and especially the first part is a bit too "character-driven" for my liking, if that's the right term for it. I thought it plodded on for a while in the beginning for no good reason, but maybe it was doing that character stuff at that time Anyway, once I got past that initial bit when nothing much is happening, it got quite interesting.

It is not the best sci-fi I have ever read, but I gave it as a good example of apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic novel to compare & contrast with Station Eleven. Read it and then let's talk about how silly Station Eleven's vision of a post-apocalyptic future is in comparison