50 Book Challenge 2016 Part Six

[southeastdweller]

Thread six 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.

The first thread of 2016 is here, second thread here, third thread here, fourth thread here and fifth thread here.

Catching up a bit after the summer hols.

24. Bitter Lemons of Cyprus - Lawrence Durrell. An autobiographical acciunt of Durrell's three years in Cyprus - part travelogue, part historical. It was published in 1957 and at points is a little dated in style but an enjoyable read.

25. The House By The Lake - Thomas Harding. An unusual account of life in Berlin pre -WW2 up until the modern day told brought the lives of five families who lived in the same house. Thomas Harding wrote the novel to save his family's house from demolition in order to highlight the historical relevance of the house. The novel includes a lot of historical fact as well as the stories of the families involved. I think what came across most to me was how swiftly normal people's lives were changed both when the Nazi regime came into place and post-war when the Allies took control of Berkin and the city was divided.

26. The Improbability of Love -Hannah Rothschild. Mumsnet book of the month so a big discussion on that thread of the plot. I liked the characterisation of the 'players' in the international art scene and once I got used to the author's use of 'Moi' the painting's voice was an effective way of describing the painting's history.

27. Call the Midwife -Jennifer Worth. Following this thread reminded me I wanted to read these books. Although I enjoy the TV series I found the book is more interesting in describing daily life in the East End.
    Next read is Shadows of the Workhouse.

I couldn't recall an explanation anywhere to the effect that they had been genetically modified into passive acceptance of their fate so agree that should have been made clear to the readerweIt does kind of make more sense if they were. If they weren't then there was nothing to stop them disappearing. Were they tagged to make them traceable? We didn't know that either.

It left me with so many questions when I had finished and I suppose that's what I liked - having something to think about and question.

What we need is for MNHQ to invite Kazuo Ishiguro back for a good grilling about NLMG :o Bet he wouldn't come!

Correction (autocorrect fail) - to the reader ... It would have made more sense etc

"how strongly conditioned they are as children not to question anything, to obey rules, to have (and be happy with) limited options"

French education system, in other words

I'm not joking when I say this: My DC's schools are far more brainwashy about not questioning anything, obeying rules, etc than the clone school in this book.

The way these clones go willingly to slaughter, they clearly have no instincts of self-preservation and this oddity is not at all explained in the book. Which frankly left me with the feeling that it's perfectly fine to kill them because they are not human, not even animal, not even insect - all of which would run if they know you'll kill/butcher them.

My, I seem to have missed a really interesting discussion on NLMG. At the time of reading, I agree that the book left more questions than answers and I presumed that was the point. Having been tutored into reading more in the (proper) science fiction line, I could now be more annoyed about things being left "open" as evidenced by my review of His Bloody Project!

Book 54: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien. Family saga, weaved into tumultuous Chinese history with haracters you care about, loads of showing and not telling. Whoever was interested in music in terms of structure and format, this could be for you. I found those sections a challenge but this had enough going for it to get 4/5. The Tianamen Square ending was a satisfying peak. This book gave me a real insight into how their awul history has impacted on the psyche of the Chinese people.

Joyless I'm about 17% into His Bloody Project and absolutely loving it so far.

I'll be interested to see what you think Remus. I found the last third or so (after the first person narrative has finished) much weaker than the first part. But then I preferred The North Water which hasn't made the Booker shortlist while His Bloody Project has, so what do I know?

Interesting discussion about Never Let Me Go. I read it yonks ago but remember being annoyed by their passivity too.

61. The Lamp of the Wicked - Phil Rickman. One of the Merrily Watkins books, I found this a bit odd. The author was tying in Fred West & Cromwell St to the main plot, the idea was that Fred's spirit was lingering around. There was some interesting bits, I don't know that much about the ins and outs of the West case but apparently there were far more bodies than were ever uncovered. T o be honest I think I'd read a non-fiction account if I wanted to find out more about them. I'm don't think it really worked as a plot device, and it was all a tad unconvincing.

58. The Birthday Party Club by Anne Fine. This doesn't really count as its a children's first chapter book, but I love Anne Fine. I'd have loved this to have been longer, like A Pack of Liars.

If there is anyone here who hasn't read Bill's New Frock, you should do so immediately!

Those of you who want a more rebellious group - there are humans bred for organ harvesting (amongst many other genetically modified humans) in the Gemsigns trilogy. However they are also kept under slavery level conditions, and provided with hard-to-dye flourescent hair to make them identifiable in case of escape (specific colour depending on the biotech company that 'made' them, rather like tractors), so perhaps a rather more realistic scenario . . .

The othe book, or part of a book that comes to mind about clones is The Orison of Sonmi-451 in Cloud Atlas where the clones are

Sorry, didn't mean to post that - was halfway though thinking out what I wanted to say and it needs some more thought on my part .

Wasn't one of the points that this was a group with an experimental level of freedom? A freedom that wasn't being allowed going forward?

The Fireman by Sam Hill is 99p. Do I want it? I have it on my watch list, someone here must have sung its praises???!

10. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters. I finished this today on audiobook, slightly miffed at Audible who tacked a lovely interview with the author onto the end, I was delighted to hear it but it meant I was totally unprepared for the end of the book and thought I had another 30 minutes left of story and then it was suddenly The End. I did struggle with the reverse nature of the storytelling, in that the story starts at the end and goes back further and further in time to explain things as it progresses. I had half forgotten where we left the characters at the 'end' by the time the book finished, and I felt rather flat and full of longing to know more. I very much like WW2 so a book set around this time in London (which I also love) was enjoyable but the unsettled feeling from the narrative seeming unfinished permeated everything. A good read but not my fave of hers. I'd still recommend it though, I grew very attached to the characters.

11 Love's Executioner by Irvin D Yalom. I tore through this and absolutely loved it, basically tales from a very experienced psychiatrist which are based on real patients although heavily disguised to protect their privacy. He wrote all 10 chapters with each patients permission. I enjoyed his writing style and his self depreciating honesty about himself and the mistakes he makes at times, and it moved me how very invested he becomes with each patient by the end, even the ones who are maddening. Each chapter is like a little story of its own and he always gives as much closure as possible on the outcome which is satisfying. Highly recommended non fiction read, I've already downloaded the follow-up but on audiobook this time as I had some audible credits.

And now I'm just starting Mothers Who Can't Love - A Healing Guide For Daughters which is about as much fun as it sounds. I've been putting off reading it for ages but I do need to, and I'm making myself plough through it before I read anything else.

wilting - do you mean The Fireman by Joe Hill?

I hope so - I've got that out from the library at the minute, but have only had the time to get about a quarter of the way through it, it's due back Monday, and I can't renew it for any longer as someone's reserved it. I was resigning myself to at least a month's wait before getting the chance to finish it, as far too much on this weekend to allow for much reading.

So far I'm thoroughly enjoying it, the basic premise seems well thought out, I want to know what's going to happen to the characters, and if the rest of it is as readable as the first quarter, then it's well worth snapping up at 99p IMO.

I do stitches my alert is misleading me though, it's actually 8.99 maybe it'll drop at midnight cause I really don't have enough to read at all

I've just been on my kindle now, and The Fireman is showing at 99p in the bookstore for me?

It is an extra £7.99 to add Audible narration though, are you maybe looking at the combined book + audio price?

hoping I haven't just spent £8.99 instead of 99p

An Orison of Sonmi-451 is indeed a great story about clones, grown not for their organs but for use as slaves. Although a short story, it is quite detailed and credible - internally consistent in a way that NLMG definitely isn't.

BS

Will go look again stitches

Feck still £8.99

Weird. It's definitely showing up as 99p on my kindle.

87 The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Reviewed a few times upthread. Overall a disappointment given the good reviews / awards this has had elsewhere, and given that it's the sort of light SF that I usually enjoy.
I thought it read very much like Firefly fanfic (one character was basically a carbon copy of Kaylee) - and to be fair, if I'd read it chapter by chapter on Wattpad or the like with a couple of weeks gap between each episode, I'd have probably raved about it. Overall I'd say that it shows up quite clearly the role of - and here lack of - a professional editor in turning a great universe, interesting characters and a reasonable plot idea into a proper book.
Having said that it did pick up towards the end (ie: something happened), and if dd - who liked it a lot - buys the sequel I'll probably read it.

Does anyone else get the urge to join in debates on books they haven't read? I'm itching to have an opinion on NLMG!

Just go for it Satsuki I'm still only about a third of the way through, but am listening on audio, and don't get an opportunity to do that at the weekends. I'm going to a two day conference in another city next week, so hoping to hide from my colleagues at the station, so I get plenty of listening time on the train.

Agree Cote - An Orison of Sonmi-451 is a beautiful and precise piece of writing about a clone whose kind have been lied to about their fate, so they go willingly to it. It is the section of Cloud Atlas that has stayed with me the most. NLMG is a beautiful, but infuriatingly vague, piece of writing, that is a different animal altogether, and one I am still trying to work out.

Yay it's 99p this morning.

Museum, if NLMG is infuriatingly vague, definitely don't try The Unconsoled