50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Four

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth 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, the second one here, and the third thread here.

What are you reading?

[FortunaMajor]

stilllovingmysleep thanks for that recommendation. I've put it on my library list. I just loved it. There were parts that I was grimly chuckling along to, as although not technically funny I knew exactly what she meant. And so frustrating that all these years later women are still asking themselves the same damn questions. It really struck a chord.

I really need to work through my 'books I should have read' list. After years of unwillingly studying literature I went for full avoidance and found it hard to read for pleasure. Although I did get the torture joy of studying some of the greatest works of French, German and Spanish literature in the original language. I'm aiming for one classic/must read a month.

[spinningheart]

28 Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift. I'm certain this has been more thoroughly reviewed upthread and I realise from reading all the other reviews that I am a bit all over the place with my own reviews. Anyway, here goes.. Takes place in 1920s, about a maid who is having an affair with the son and heir of a neighbouring great house. The affair has gone on for 8 years and at the time of this story the maid's lover is engaged to be married to a girl of similar social standing. Don't want to say anymore about the story as it's such a short book. I liked this - until the last quarter and then I wondered why so much of the last section was about Joseph Conrad. It felt like it was a means of filling space.

Really enjoying The Wangs Vs the World so far.
Hope everyone has had a nice extended weekend!

[MegBusset]

16. Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire - Iain Sinclair
    
    I've reviewed several Sinclair books on here before, but for those not familiar with him, he's a psychogeographer - writing about the interaction between people and place (usually but not always London) through walks, myths, and encounters with local literature, artists and architecture. His work is a big influence on Robert Macfarlane (who has a cameo in this) and I'd recommend him to anyone who likes intelligent and occasionally challenging non fiction. Anyway, in this book he's on home turf, writing about Hackney where he's lived for decades, and all its weird and wonderful characters and communities.

[FairytalesAreBullshit]

Yay, such a minor achievement, but I've read my first book does a dance

I found a book on Haunted Liverpool, there's loads of books, I chose a few at random, I was glued. Not the wisest idea at night, but I survived.

[MuseumOfHam]

That sounds interesting Meg .

22. Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham Well paced police procedural thriller. First in a series introducing policeman Tom Thorne. Given this came out in about 2000, when Rebus was at the height of his popularity, I did wonder how derivative this was: Thorne is a maverick, gets taken off the case, lives alone, likes a drink, we get told what record or CD he is listening to. However, I thought this book stood up for itself, with sections from the point of view of the murderer and one of the victims. The victim's sections are particularly well done. I didn't like the ending but that may be more my problem than the book's. This was on my dad's kindle and I see he has another couple from this series on there, which I am definitely going to read.

[CoteDAzur]

15. Heartstone by C. J. Sansom
    
    Oh wow, this was amazing! I like Shardlake books, I really do, but this one went far beyond my (already quite high) expectations. It's been extensively reviewed already, so suffice it to say that the story was very well researched and meticulously crafted (better be, at over 700 pages) and every single character was given a personality and depth.
    
    Now I don't even want to read the other Shardlake books because they surely can't be better than this one

[southeastdweller]

New thread here

[stilllovingmysleep]

Fortuna I really like your idea of 'one classic / must read book a month' and will go for it too, as for some reason I've been reading lots of fluff lately (didn't use to in the past). So on to my list

1. Bee Wilson, 'this is not a diet book'
   
2. Harry Potter & the chamber of secrets (with DC)
   
3. Jennifer Weiner, 'all fall down'
   
4. Lauren Sandler, 'one and only'
   
5. Rene and Goscinny, the Nicholas Book (children's book)
   
6. Katja Rowell, fussy eating book
   
7. Nicola Yoon, 'everything everything' (YA book)
   
8. JD Robb, 'echoes in death'
   
9. JD Vance, 'Hillbilly elegy'
   
10. Jonathan Kellerman, Heartbreak Hotel
    
11. Haemin Sunim, The things you can see only when you slow down
    
12. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie We should all be feminists
    
13. Sarah A. Denzil Silent Child
    
14. Anna Bell The bucket list to mend a broken heart
    
15. Elin Hilderbrand The Rumor
    
    15 Elin Hilderbrand The Rumor Utter fluff. Not sure why I'm doing this to myself and reading such things. Anyway, not sure this is worthy a review. A beach read, set in Nantucket US, about rich people leading rich lives / having affairs / redecorating their massive homes / getting in trouble / going to private clubs / raising design hens/ buying range rovers for their kids etc. I suppose one redeeming factor involved the scrumptious descriptions of meals al fresco in Nantucket gardens eg:
    
    "Grace served a cold roast chicken, a fresh head of butter lettuce, a crock of herbed farmer's cheese & fat, rosy radishes pulled from the garden. She cut thick slices of bread froma seeded multigrain loaf with a nice chewy crust, then she went back to the fridge & pulled out sweet butter, a jar of baby gherkins, a stick of summer sausage & some wholegrain mustard".
    
    There's a lot of that! And also many detailed descriptions of (expensive) gardens!

[Stokey]

Just reading back to see where I was, I spotted your kind offer of A Little Life, Keith, I'd definitely take it off your hands. Once you're done with it let me know and I'll send you vast amounts of postage!

24. Breakfast At Tiffany's - Truman Capote. Recommended by you lovely lot, I really enjoyed this. Holly Golightly is a great character and the book is a lovely vignette on the war years. I'm going to look out for the film now.

I've moved on to the last Iain M Banks books, it's been a while since I've read one but I used to love the culture. This one is the Hydrogen Sonata - there's an elevenstring instrument that needs to be played by a four-handed individual ideally, you may like this Cote!