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.

All Quiet on the Western Front inspired by the discussions above I dug this own out of the bookshelves and am very much enjoying it! Hadn't realised it was First WW which I wenjoy a bit more than the endless interminable Nazi/French Resistance/Land Girls/Blitz Spirit soaked WWII (Nancy Mitford excepted as she is just perfection). Not far in so the deaths haven't quite piled up yet but I find the characterisation brilliant and it's a wonderful example of the importance of skill in writing over plot.

I used to adore Dick Francis. Who writes that sort of book nowadays? They were just a perfect length, never too long and always an easy, entertaining read.

Remuslupinsbiggestgroupie I am intruiged by your selections, particularly those to do with Berlin. I loved Stasiland and anything like this - what's similar on your list or anything you'd reccomend please? Have you read The Nazi Officers Wife?

Barbie Not come across that before, but it sounds right up my street. Expensive on Kindle though.

If you want an absolutely amazing book about Berlin, then Ghosts of Berlin by Alan Ladd is the one I'd recommend, but it's fiendishly expensive on Amazon right now. Keep an eye out - I got it v cheap on Kindle a while back.

67. Forgotten Voices of The Great War - Max Arthur Testimonies of the men and women who lived through the First World War. This moves through the war year by year with a short history at the start of each year but mostly allows the contributors to speak for themselves. Wonderful book although I would have liked to know more about the people themselves.
68. And 69. The Eye In The Door and The Ghost Road, second and third books in Pat Barker's Regeneration Trilogy. I disliked the second one which focussed on conscientious objectors and the last was ok. I thought they were very muddled books.
69. Three Lies - Liane Moriarty - Daft but enjoyable story of triplets.

96 Evicted: Poverty and profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond. Listened to as an audiobook.

This is really excellent, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. The author follows 8 individuals & families through the process of (in most cases multiple) eviction, but also spends time with landlords on the other side of the equation.

Although it's obviously written about the US, it feels like things are headed the same way here (to the extent that they're not there already). Its interesting that the author is a big fan of housing subsidies equivalent to our housing benefit (rather than large scale social housing provision) - whereas I guess from the UK viewpoint we can see the downside of that approach. But that's a minor point and just comes in his summing up chapter.

I also found the final section on his research methods both thorough and fascinating. The audiobook narration was very good, overall I couldn't fault this one, & it goes in my highlights of the year.

63. We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver - Had this on my Kindle for ages. It's written from the perspective of Eva, whose son Kevin has been jailed for killing several students and teachers at his high school. It's written as a series of letters to her husband, Franklin, and reflects on their life together before Kevin was born, as well as through his childhood. It makes for quite thought-provoking reading in lots of ways and made me think about the whole nature vs. nurture idea as well as the extent to which labelling someone in a certain way might make them live up to that label. Obviously the subject matter is quite dark, and in places quite uncomfortable, but I thought it was manageable until the last couple of chapters, which were brutal. I'm glad I read it though, both as a parent and as a teacher.

On a separate note, am now re-reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver after a couple of people mentioned it on the thread. I first read it 16 years ago, when I was 17, and remember loving it but don't remember much beyond the basic idea of what it was about. Am about 150 pages in at the moment and loving it again but, bizarrely, last night I had a very, very vivid dream (ahem) about the boy I'd just broken up with at the time I first read it. My sub-conscious making connections between what I'm reading and real life maybe?! Slightly unsettling to say the least...

Looking I remember the very end of We Need To Talk About Kevin as being really moving to me although my memory of it has now become somewhat overlaid with the film starring Tilda Swinton (which is also very good).

I have now finished listening to Affinity by Sarah Waters and the ending was much as I expected with a few slight things I didn't expect. I can't give away plot details but on the whole I enjoyed this less than the other books I have read by her. Mainly because the whole novel felt weighed down by a kind of gloomy sadness and it was a bit depressing. Very good though and still worth a read.

In the absence of that I have gone back to listening to Shantaram which I was about half way through, and I'm really engaged with it again. I just needed a break. A mammoth listen (42 hours) but a brilliant book very well written about an Australian escaped convict's life in India in the 1980s.

Meanwhile, in reading Death's End and have to agree with wilting: This is a fantastic book brimming with ideas and enough plot to fill a 10-book series

61. Ghostwritten by David Mitchell Astonishing that this was his first novel. It uses that now familiar structure of almost standalone stories that are woven together by the appearance of characters, occurrences, themes. I was absorbed immediately into each of them, and loved spotting the connections. I was all set to give this a glowing review, but the very last section didn't really work for me. Rather, it kind of worked, knowing where he goes with Bone Clocks. But Bone Clocks didn't exist when this novel was written, so to my mind the last section did not provide a satisfactory ending to this novel as an entity in itself. Just a minor quibble, it's still an amazing book, and I'd happily read it all again too see if I'm wrong about the end.

Has anyone read Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde ? If I'm about 20% in and finding it tedious, long-winded, unfunny, and annoyingly based around the assumption that even in a future made up world the default human being is a posh English male, should I just give up now? Does it get better? Does anything happen?

Ham - I tried Shades of Grey after somebody recommended it on here. I thought it was bloody awful and didn't finish it.

I enjoyed thinking, talking and writing about Heart of Darkness more than I actually enjoyed reading it. Probably should reread, but the horror, etc..

Decided not to lug my hardback of The Son away with me over the weekend, but didn't have time to read much anyway so feeling jittery and eager to get back to it. Did start American Wife though which I'm liking more than I expected to.

"Does anything happen?"

It's never a good sign when you ask that question

Phoenix - I agree, the very end was moving, although my cynical side found it chilling too. It was the lead-up to that in the last couple of chapters that I found brutal - and I don't mean that in a bad way, just that it was hard reading emotionally.

God, shantaram is the book I have detested most in my entire life. What a total wank fest. I finished it but I'm afraid it gets the 🙄 from me

I enjoyed Shantaram (although started to get a bit bored towards the end). I agree the main character is a bit of a twat, but it was still a good read IMO.

Ah I loved 'We need to talk about Kevin'. I read it in hospital years ago and I had a lovely nurse looking after me, who'd like to ask me questions about it. Once I was better I left her my copy as a thank you.

26. Hurrah for Gin: Guide for imperfect parents, Katie Kirby

As a long term fan of her blog I was desperate to read this, however being such a fan I was familiar with most of the drawings and a lot of the stories. I still love her, and highly recommend anyone who hasnt seen it, to find her post on camping. The book unfortunately isn't quite as good as her blog though.

Thanks Remus and Cote, think I was just looking for some enablers for giving this one up. I don't give up books lightly, and if I did it would be only my second DNF of the year. The first truly was a pile of pish.

You clearly haven't read John Dies At The End, The Master and Margarita, or On The Beach

I enjoyed Shantaram. It was a fun, light book. Beach read, no worse than I Am Pilgrim.

That was to Free, who said "Shantaram is the book I have detested most in my entire life"

27. The Glorious Heresies, Lisa McInerney

Had so much promise from the Kindle description and it started well. Unfortunately midway through, it becomes too crude and try hard with street language. Then to really annoy me, the book just stops. Unfortunately by that time I'd given up being all that bothered, so it didnt leave me wanting more like the publishers wanted.

I Am Pilgrim was abominable though. I'd far rather read John Dies at the End or On the Beach.

No you wouldn't, Remus! Wash your mouth keyboard with soap!

I will be the first to point out I Am Pilgrim's shortcomings but John Dies At The End was the biggest stinking pile of crap ever to have been transcribed onto paper from the sick, pimply, juvenile mind of an adolescent jerk-off.

Just one example:

“Identification please.”
John smiled. “Assey Cocklord.”
It turned to me, repeated the question.
“Felipe Enormowang.”
“Identification not on database. Please state your habitation sector.”
John: “Your Ass.”
Me: “The suburbs west of Your Ass.”

Free - Now you know why I said you haven't read John Dies At The End, if you haven't read a book you hated more than Shantaram

And don't get me started on On The Beach. You know what happens when you do

But it's so funny when you get started!