50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Four

[southeastdweller]

Thread four of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2016, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, it's not too late to join, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

First thread of 2016 is here, second thread here and third thread here.

How're you getting on so far?

23. The Face Of Battle - John Keegan

This was a fascinating read; a study of the battles of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme, from the specific point of what they would have been like for the individual soldiers on the battlefield. It was written in 1976 so is a little old-fashioned in syntax and in some of its predictions for the future of battle, but nonetheless a very interesting and enlightening read.

megbusset I used the face of battle as one of the texts for my history dissertation. It was to me a very useful text. If you are interested in the social aspects of war Lynn Macdonald has written some very good books about World War One.

31. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files book 3. Harry is being kept busy as all across Chicago ghosts are wreaking havoc. Not the usual door-slamming variety ghosts either - these ones are tormented and deadly. Harry and the Fist of God, aka Michael, a fairly ordinary working family man aside from the fact that he is literally a holy warrior (and has the sword to prove it), set out to discover who is purposely stirring up the spirit world and why so many of the victims are linked to Harry himself. Expect vampires, demons, and Harry's very own faery godmother.

I'm taking a brief break from Dresden because The Girl in the Spider's Web is out in paperback, and while I am dubious about someone else having continued with Stieg Larsson's creation I have heard enough good things about it to reserve judgement until I've read it.

chillie i read The girl in the spiders web and found it slow at first but actually well written and in keeping with the characters (there are a lot though so be warned).

Book 44
Sad Cypress by *Agatha Christie
Hmmm. This was just okay. A girl is accused of poisoning her love rival, but it looks as though lots of people are lying and could have had access to the poison. Poirot didn’t seem to have much to do or say and the ending felt a bit of a cop out. Not recommended.

Although I did read it a lot faster than the Berlin book!

Thanks cote, nearly missed that, been waiting for Into Thin Air

Glad to have helped. It's one of the very few books that Remus and I have both loved, so rather special

21. The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country by Helen Russell

It's not the world's greatest book but I really enjoyed this. I have close family members who are Danish and I had always wondered about their smugness pride, contentless, and all-around balanced way of life. This book has been very informative. It is also quite funny and had me laughing out loud in several places.

Yes to 'Into Thin Air' - well worth a read!

Cote - Charles Cumming's A Colder War is £1.99 on Kindle at the mo. Do you think I'd like it? I picked it up in Waitrose when it came out in paperback and wasn't taken by the first couple of pages, so didn't buy it. Should I give it a go?

Yes Remus, it Issa good read, re introducing the spy character Tom Kell.the book is a sequel but can be read as a stand alone.

Well, I liked it Remus but can't say if it will be one of those rare fiction books that we both like. I thought it was a good story - modern & realistic in a way that you just don't get in older generation spy books.

Most of the story takes place in Istanbul (a city I've lived in for a good few years) and I have to say that I was quite impressed by the accuracy of the details and the spelling which almost never happens. I'd say "buy it", especially at that price.

Thanks, Booklover - have bought it.

Crossed posts, Cote. Cheers - have bought.

39 Storm Front by Jim Butcher.

This has been reviewed by lots of people already. I generally like urban fantasy, so was expecting to enjoy this. It took me a while to get into it (unlike the Benedict Jacka books where I warmed to the characters straight away) but overall I thought it was a good read, and I'll definitely read the sequel some time.

16 Evil under the sun by Agatha Christie book number five in a row of Poirot. I'd rate this third best out of the five. The best was Murder on the Orient express then The murder of Roger Ackroyd, then this one.

Poirot takes a nice holiday somewhere and predictably someone gets murdered. Incidentally I have noticed that if you ever go on holiday and he rolls up, then I'd go home straight away if I were you.

A beautiful wife is murdered on a secluded beach but just who murdered her? Is it her husband after her money? His daughter jealous of her step mother? The evil fearing/hating vicar? The overenthusiastic American woman who likes knitting? The random Irish chap who she might be having an affair with? The 'always the bridesmaid never the bride' who quite fancies the husband? One of the servants (there's always servants)? A serial killer? Poirot himself (I always suspect it might be him)? You'll just have to read, or listen in my case, and find out.

Oh Lord, dragontrainer, I couldn't stand Ethan Frome when I read it! I thought the ending was appalling - neverending punishment for everyone is just so bloody depressing.

37. Foreign Soil by Maxine Beneba Clarke. A collection of short stories, mostly about black communities in diaspora. Incredibly well-written, set in places like Brixton, Jamaica, and Sydney. Just flows beautifully and has a real emotional punch to it. Loved it.

38. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Longlisted for the Baileys Prize, and I really hope it makes the short list too. It's sci-fi, but with a strong focus on characters, motive, and social politics. It's also funny, tender, and included a scene of female camaraderie that made me want to punch the air and yell "YES!" It's a meticulously written feel-good book, one of the rarest combinations I know!

39. The Turning Tide, by Brooke Magnanti. The woman behind Diary of a London Call Girl wrote a thriller! And damn, it is good. It focuses on political maneuvering, and an unhappy marriage, and features a heroine who's both super-competent and humanly vulnerable. I was very impressed; I don't ordinarily read thrillers, but I'll be reading the sequel (assuming Magnanti publishes one. I expect she will.)

1. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

2. The meaning of everything; the story of the OED by Simon Winchester;

3. An astronauts guide to the universe by Chris Hadfield and

4. The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro;

5. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar

6. The Skeleton Cupboard: The Making of a Clinical Psychologist by Tanya Byron

7. Golden Son by Pierce Brown

8. The Hot Zone: The terrifying true story of the origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston

9. The Day Without Yesterday by Stuart Clark ;

10. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan ;

11. Overlord, D-Day and the Battle for Normandy by Max Hastings;

12. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson;

13. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym; This was a well written gentle kind of book, lots of observational and telling detail . It focuses on 4 co-workers who are all single and coming to retirement age. It's about what it is to grow old alone in the 1970s and how the different personalities deal with this and the various challenges life throws at them. A lot of reviews say it is funny but I didn't find it funny really, humorous yes in spots, but not funny. I suspect it depends on your age and how you relate to the characters. To me ultimately, it was quite sad to see lives so limited and people so rigid in how they related with each other and with outsiders. The characters are all very honestly and sympathetically done and I did enjoy it. Would recommend to fans of thoughtful fiction

14. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood; Hmmm. I'm a fan of MA but this is not one of her best. The premise sounded intriguing and ripe for exploration (society falling apart, couple living in car get a second opportunity but it turns out to be a poisoned chalice) but really, it was all done quite superficially. Of course, there's no context or back story as to what is actually going on in society at large or why. It is bankrupt in more ways than one. The dynamic between Charmaine and Stan is interesting but the plot is completely ludicrous at times (sex with chickens? sex with Elvis robots? unthinking murder?). I suppose the book has something to say about nature of need, need for safety, need for sex, need for love, need for money but ultimately I found it unsatisfying. Wouldn't really recommend it unless you are a die hard fan.

15. Brilliance by Marcus Sakey; Ah thank god, a book I really enjoyed! This is a thriller, very well written and pacy. I thought the premise of a group of people who were "different" and hunted for that difference had some extra resonance with all the anti Islam rhetoric currently emanating from the US in particular. It was extreme but plausible. I did see the twist coming but only just. It is rare in my experience to find a thriller this well done, even if you are not into sci fi, really the book is a political thriller in an alternative reality and I think any fans of that genre would enjoy it. I'm looking forward to reading the sequels.

Thanks for the review of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, Grendels. It's been on my 'to read' list for a while, but I'll bump it up higher!

wilting - I'm glad you liked Brilliance Its sequels are pretty good, too.

If you like that sort of thing, don't miss Lexicon. I loved it & am waiting to forget it a bit more so I can read it again

I read a Charles Cumming earlier this year and really enjoyed it. My buying finger is twitching. Damn.

Thanks Ham - started it on my commute today. It's okay. I'm not loving it yet but I'm also not wanting to hurl it out of the window!

Trying to catch up after the Easter holidays, here goes:

13. Very Good Jeeves, PG Wodehouse - lovely as always and not sure I've read this one before. It was my mother's extremely ancient copy so a bit hard to read as print was quite faded. A lovely jolly frothy palate cleanser of a book.

14. High Rise by JG Ballard - pretty much the complete opposite of the Wodehouse! I don't think I've read Ballard before but based on this book I really would not want to live inside his head (or read any of his other books). I really disliked this novel, which is essentially Lord of the Flies for adults living in a high rise apartment building. Society breaks down, every one starts acting barbaric and anarchy prevails. Absolutely horrible, and his view/treatment of women is just appalling. The women are treated as second class beings, mainly submissive and in thrall to the men. I would never call myself overly sensitive to sexism but this book portrays ALL the women as incompetent and passive, while the men are strong and clever. Yuck. Don't get me started on the treatment of animals.... And this may seem a bit simplistic but why didn't they just LEAVE THE BUILDING??? They weren't on an island fgs. (And breathe..... )

Thankfully the 2 books I am currently reading are great so far, I'm about a third of the way through Pillars of the Earth and I am LOVING A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre.

pterobore - I have Evil Under the Sun sitting on my bookshelf, I might need to give it a go once I've finished my doorstop of a book!

Satsuki - I've not read Fitzgerald's letters as a collection, just bits and pieces. I really should though. Have had a look at the Monroe book you mention - thanks, it looks really good. Have added it to my ridiculously long wish list. Am also glad it's not just me who reads stuff by my ex-lecturers, even though it's been over a decade since uni! In my reading of This Side of Paradise I think I might have got slightly carried away claiming it was a close second to Gatsby. Am at 40% and don't think it's quite that good, but it is really interesting as a precursor - lots that crops up again in Gatsby, in a more developed way. Am also enjoying reading it knowing what was going on in Fitzgerald's life with Zelda at this point - spotting the semi-autobiographical bits!

wilting - Oh dear, I have The Heart Goes Last waiting on my Kindle. I thought it sounded quite good, even though the reviews were mixed. It sounds like I'll be disappointed...

Have just finished:

23. There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake - the third one I've read from the Carnegie shortlist. It's about a 17 year old girl, who lives with her very over-protective (to a ridiculous level) mum. She is hit by a car and, when she is discharged from hospital, her mum tells her they have to leave their previous life behind. The reason her mum gives makes her question everything she previously thought she knew. I quite enjoyed this one although it was a bit predictable in many places. An easy read though and the parallel plot to do with myths and fairy tales made it a bit more interesting than it would otherwise have been.