50 Book Challenge Part Five

[southeastdweller]

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

What are you reading?

If I can find my book I have I'm happy to post it on, it cost about £15 but it like new.

As I said, Cote, for me those questions were immaterial. For me, what was most important and most interesting was that the citizens just had to try to learn to cope with the system imposed on them by the city/cities. None of those living remember anything different, and have therefore accepted its weirdness and don't question it. They know people disappear if they breach, so they generally don't try. It's the wall in the head syndrome. And I didn't notice anything in the novel that caused me to think the 'artefacts' had any special powers.

oh, I've downloaded The City and The City and planning on reading in the next few weeks, will be interesting if I'm team Remus or team Cote - I have agreed with both of you about books in the past!

Chillie - that series sounds interesting! Might try to find the first.

I've just finished:
24. Inspector Hobbes and the Blood - Wilkie Martin - crap and annoying local journalist sent to shadow a local policeman who turns out not to be completely human, and there's lots of other non-human woo types about. Aimed for amusing, often came off as annoying. Bit crap, quick read. There's better 'mental chewing gum' books about, don't bother.

Kitten
Can't wait to see what you think! :)

I really enjoyed the City & the City too Remus ,I just accepted the status quo too - maybe I don't have an enquiring enough mind Cote but I liked the oddness & cold war feeling. I lived in Romania for a bit just after Ceaucescu had been overthrown & we weren't meant to mix with any Romanians - hard when you're living in their country - & had to report any conversations we had with them. It reminded of that in a much whackier way.

26. Surface Detail - Iain M Banks. I'd loved the Hydrogen Sonata so thought I'd read another Iain M Banks. I didn't enjoy this as much. It's roughly about a virtual battle between pro-Hell and anti-hell factions. I found it a bit long-winded & the main villain was a caricature with no redeeming features.

27. My Sister and Other Liars - Ruth Dugdall. This was a 99p kindle buy. An anorexic girl who is in hospital is reviewing what happened when her sister was knocked out by an unknown assailant the year before and she tried to investigate. It's OK,thought it was a bit obvious and possibly upsetting for those who have experienced anorexia.

I've moved on to a non-fiction book The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds. Suitably bonkers so far with lots of stuff about Robert Anton Wilson, The Illuminati and Discordians.

Re. The City & - I didn't find those questions problematic either, I read it more as an allegory than a 'could be real' sci-fi novel.

Just got a replacement copy of Imperial Life in the Emerald City by
Rajiv Chandrasekaran for a re-read (mine got 'borrowed' ages back) - now there's a deeply surreal world.

"I didn't notice anything in the novel that caused me to think the 'artefacts' had any special powers."

Loc 1482 / Page 110:
"You understand these pieces are unique, Inspector"
"I think so. I've heard all the rumors, of course."
"You mean their magic powers?"

Loc 4224 / Page 324:
No, they can't sell it, I said, that's not what this is about. We had all heard rumors about Precursor artifacts. Their questionable physics. Their properties. They want to see what's true.
_

And then none of it is explained. This sort of thing pisses me off in a book.

I am amazed that some here are not bothered by the many unanswered questions raised in City & The City. AIBU To expect an author to write a story that makes sense?

Especially, though:

What does it mean that there are two alternate realities/dimensions/cities when (1) they all see each other clear as day, (2) they can physically cross over whenever they want, (3) they have to "unsee" in time not to get run over by cars in the other world, (4) they can only tell who is in which city from their clothes, and (5) even viruses cross over all the time.

So basically there are no different cities. All these people live on the same city& walk around each other pretending not to see each other It makes no sense whatsoever to me.

Wasn't I right when I said you would love it, Remus? Funny how our tastes in fiction books are such polar opposites!

I have City too. I going to have to read it because I barely understand the reviews it sounds so bonkers

And I wrote something barely understandable there...

And I wrote something barely understandable there...

I think you're hugely missing the point, Cote. Geographically, there is only one city. But it has been 'cleaved' into two because of some unknown political/religious/somethingorother schism. Thus it is two cities.

Except it isn't, geographically.

Except it is, politically/religiously/everythingly.

It's a joke/metaphor used to explore the idea of otherness by making the 'other' co-exist in the same place. If a reader's mind won't accept that central metaphor, then the novel obviously won't work for that reader.

I thought it was really clever - so clever that I forgave it the less effective elements, which, in my view, were some inadequately controlled sentences and a not terribly effective ending for a 'who-dunnit' (I actually thought the villain was a) obvious from v early on and b) rather Scoobydoocartoonish). I forgave those because I loved the central premise so much.

If it's a joke, I didn't find it funny.

In that case what the hell does it mean "to cross over" to "the other city"? Why can this only be done in some places and not others?

And how can it be a crime to see people in the other group?

They can only 'cross over' through official channels in Copula Hall (v well named). Otherwise it's breach/illegal.

And it's a crime because it's been decreed a crime, just like the Nazis could decree that Jews owning telephones etc was a crime. Equally ridiculous. That's the point!

Hello all, new to this! Love to read, here's what I've managed so far:

1. Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami (outstanding)
2. Stuart Maconie - Cider with Roadies
3. Lemmy Biography - Mick Wall

4: Anger is an Energy - John Lyndon (highly entertaining!)

1. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt (on MN recommendation- adored it)

6: Music fir Torching - AM Homes (not my fave of hers) 7: Whit - Iain Banks (long overdue read, really enjoyed it) 8: Human Croquet - Kate Atkinson 9: Until I Find You - John Irving ( big fan of Irving but this one was disconcerting)

I have a book about North Korea to read next. Currently reading Girl on the Train along with half the world! for an undemanding read.

If your interpretation is what the author intended, the book is sillier than I had originally thought

If it's al the same place, what does it even mean to "cross over"?

Bonkers.

Welcome Curly

It's only the same place geographically! For somebody who can deal with concepts such as people mining on Mars, adolescent astronauts growing potatoes on Mars, Virals that can live virtually forever etc, etc, I can't understand why that is so difficult for you to deal with, unless you're just being willfully obtuse.

Welcome, Curly.

You've just reminded me how much I detested Human Croquet!

Cote
Are you old enough to remember overhead projectors? Imagine a cityscape printed/drawn onto one of the clear sheets, let's say in red ink. Then draw the same city on another sheet in blue. Then rub out, at random, bits of each city. Then put the two sheets on top of each other and try to only 'see' one of the colours. That's the city and the city - but if you're Blue you're only allowed to notice the blue city, and if you're Red you're only allowed to notice the red city.

You think it's impossible? Now imagine you'll die horribly if you're caught seeing red when you're only supposed to see blue. You'll try damn hard not to see red then, yes?

And some bits of the layered overhead projector sheets will be both blue and red at the same time, so then you have to try even harder to only see the 'right' colour.

Remus - I sort of remember that we are the same age Yes, that sort of intermeshed overlay was what I was thinking of, but then you said it's all the same place and the "separation" is but political/psychological. So no separation, really.

It's all a bit silly and, in the absence of any explanation, ultimately pointless. Don't see those people of we'll disappear you. Err OK then

It could have been an interesting book if it actually talked about two realities that diverged some time ago, with two cities with different cultures actually occupying the same place at the same time. Some thought would have to be spent on the details & a coherent plot, though

Of course there's separation. Imagine the Berlin wall. You're on one side of it and I'm on the other. We're separated. Now take the wall away physically but keep it there in your head and in the fact that you'll be 'disappeared' if you don't. Still separated.

Anyway, we're going round in circles (nothing new there with us and fiction!).

Welcome curly.

Enjoying an old school remus and cote throw down