50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Three

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2017, 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 the year is here and the second one here.

I have some sympathy with 11122aa on Pride and Prejudice - it's good but not sure its high literary ranking is justified. Not a patch on Middlemarch in my opinion.

I didn't,! I recommended Northern Lights -which is for ten year olds so totally counts as a book for ten year olds- and when Cote said she'd already read it, I recommended A Dog So Small.
You will be unsurprised to hear that I do love The Secret Garden tho.

Curses, why do my crossings-out never work?

Not a patch on Middlemarch in my opinion.

What is?

Austen didn't aspire to high literary ranking though. And Middlemarch is boring (lights touchpaper and runs!).

Oh great. Nobody will even own up to recommending Secret Garden to me. chickens

"I recommended Northern Lights -which is for ten year olds so totally counts as a book for ten year olds"

Funny sentence

Is that why it's taught to teenagers at school?

10. The jewel garden by Sarah and Monty Don. Huge, huge, massive Monty Don fan and was really looking forward to it. It was a pleasant enough read but light on detail.

Re the discussion on children/YA books, I still have many of my childhood books and read them regularly. I was a solitary, bookish child (still am actually!) and I had a conversation with someone recently about how I think that characters like the Famous Five, Darrell Rivers, Katie Carr, Pollyanna et al became my friends. As an adult when l feel life is too much I turn to my old friends. I agree that I pick up moralising etc in a way now that I wasn't aware of as a child, but I've no doubt that it must have had an impact upon me.

No idea what to try next; disappointed that my rate is so slow but struggling to find the time. I have a couple of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on my TBR pile, might try one

I like to think I'm reasonably "well-read" but two books I'd missed, and prompted to read from posters here :

11. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque just wow! What a moving book that will stay with me forever. Really touched me.

12. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute For some bizarre unknown reason I thought this was a western. Loved this one as well, although didn't quite break into my soul as much as the above. Very enjoyable and quite uplifting. (Yes sexist and racist but did make me realise how that would, hopefully, not be tolerated to the same extent now).

So thank you to people on this thread for enriching my life by recommending these two books. I worry that people won't take me seriously on Goodreads because I give all my books such high ratings these days!

Now reading Commonwealth by Ann Patchett which I think is a recommendation from you lot and listening to Bruce Springsteen's autobiography (read by the boss himself) on Audible.

You're quite right, sorry cheerful. It was another poster who also said Secret Garden. Again I will emphasise cote took that as a recommendation at her own risk

I disagree that Northern Lights is for ten year olds. I'd have liked it as a ten year old, sure, but would have missed a lot of its finer context. I think 13/14 plus would get far more out of it.

Glad to see some love for Alice and All Quiet.

I like Middlemarch, but I actually think Austen is often underrated in literary terms in regard to her innovations in narrative and impact on the shape of the novel as a whole. I think there is a lot of focus on the wit and romance, and the characters she created, but not so much on stuff like how she uses point of view. For me, her characters and dialogue feel real in a way that few others manage, as well as being entertaining and well-observed.

Does Goodnight Mister Tom count as a children's book?

We did that at school in Year 9 when we were learning about World War 2, so when I was 13 or 14. I'm thinking of it as one that's aimed at teenagers or at least overlapping into younger teenagers for that reason.

I agree that it's a very good book though, and one that moved me to tears in places. I wasn't an overly sentimental teenager either.

Re: Northern Lights my niece is 10 and has just finished the Potters and wants another series but I'm holding off a couple of years before getting her the Pullman.

Loved All Quiet and quite liked Alice

I recommended A Dog So Small.

I remember that book Muddler. I loved it! (And co-incidentally I was just thinking about it a few days ago.) I am also a fan of The Secret Garden.

I recently finished Middlemarch on audio. Enjoyed it, and Crime and Punishment. Next two audio were The Mayer of Casterbridge and Jane Eyre. I started to fin them tedious - I think I'm audio-classiced out at the moment.

Satsuki I read a brilliant book about Austen's writing - her sentence structures, language etc. Can dig out the title, if you're interested.

I'm interested Remus

I'm normally a lurker on this thread, but will de-lurk to admit to recommending The Secret Garden

The Language of Jane Austen by Norman Page - it's expensive on Amazon but ABE books have a coupe of cheap copies.

No don't go allthelight! Recommended is a strong word. Suggested. Mentioned. Much better. Less responsibility Do join in though, seriously

Yes please, remus

Thank you remus. Race you, happy

11122aa I'm too young to have watched the 1995 adaption.

I think you should probably give that a go then. It doesn't actually feel like 6 hours when you watch it and David Bamber will forever be the best Mr Collins. Slimy little man!

Have you liked any other "classics"?

Satsuki