50 Book Challenge 2018 Part One

[southeastdweller]

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

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2018, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

Who's in for this year?

Gettingthere love worlds wife. I too am waiting for Burial Rites really enjoyed The Good People

stillloving - I have had my eye on that Jacqueline du Pre biography for quite some time. Good to hear that it's worth reading.

2. The Midnight Line by Lee Child. If you are already a fan of Jack Reacher, this is a good solid one, better than the last IMO. If you haven’t read one before it probably isn’t the best one to start with!

Those of you who were concerned for his personal hygiene on the last thread will be glad to know he uses “a whole bar of soap” in one shower, twice (I think it must be one of those tiny hotel bars!).

Finished first one of the year - 1. The Penelopiad - Margaret Attwood - really enjoyed it and now feel I need to read The Odyssey to see what the original myth was about.

Currently on 2 & 3 simultaneously Eleanor Oliphant on audible and The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst which was a Christmas present and not one I would have chosen. I feel I have read more than a few about upper class gents of uncertain sexuality at Oxbridge so I'm not feeling the love yet.

This link was sent to me today and has cost me ££ already. BBC books 2018 - what will you be reading?

Ooh that carol Ann Duffy book sounds really up my street.

She's one of my favourite poets (despite the best attempts of my English gcse teacher to bore us to death with her) and Mrs Tilscher's Class is one of my favourite poems.

Thanks, Chessie. It looks lovely. Have got the sample and will be hoping it goes down in price soon!

I thought I'd posted these earlier today, but couldn't see them on my scroll through, so maybe I didn't.

2. Walking in Berlin: A Flaneur in the Capital - Franz Hessel Written in the 1920s, this is a guy walking around Berlin, describing what he sees and giving a bit of its history. This had been on my ‘want’ list for a long time, and I was glad to finally read it. I enjoyed it a lot, and it was fascinating and rather sad to think how much of what he describes would so soon be damaged/obliterated by war. Also interesting to imagine the modern city and how some streets seem to have retained a similar vibe, whilst others have changed immeasurably. I found some of the footnotes a bit po-faced but really liked this.
3. Death at the Dolphin by Ngaio Marsh – I started this before Christmas but was finding it all rather long-winded and dull. A guy nearly drowns in a ruined theatre, is rescued by a weird guy who turns out to own the theatre and allows nearly drowned guy to organise its restoration and write and direct a play there, made all the more exciting for nearly drowned guy by an amazing discovery weird guy reveals. Unfortunately the first half of this was really dull – it picks up a lot after the murder finally happens, but I wouldn’t recommend this. A shame, because Marsh’s books are always cheap on Kindle and there are lots of them, but they need so much culling that I’m not sure I can be bothered with another of hers.

Tanaqui - a whole bar of soap in one shower? Was he exceptionally dirty when he decided to get washed?

So finished 1. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie enjoyed the first three quarters which felt real and human. The last part of the book I felt unbelievable, the difficulty in adapting Antigone into a modern story became very apparent to me.

About to start 2. Artemis by Andy Weir who wrote The Martian

I've just added Walking In Berlin to my wishlist. I'll read almost anything relating to Germany, and especially Berlin. This thread is lethal for my bank account.

I might have to add the Jacqueline du Pre book too. I can't play a note, and know little about music, but I love listening to classical, and I really enjoyed the film 'Hilary and Jackie.'

If you want Germany/Berlin recs, I have many! Would love to know ones you've enjoyed too.

I'd love to hear your recommendations when you have time, perhaps on another thread if that's more appropriate. (We'll just ignore the fifty plus that I have downstairs that I've yet to read.)

Of the top of my head,
The Ghosts of Berlin - Brian Ladd - This examines Berlin's buildings, and how decisions were made about whether to preserve, rebuild, destroy post war/wall. Absolutely fascinating.

Faust's Metropolis - a HUGE history of Berlin - over 1000 pages I found the first section a bit of a slog but once it hits 1900 or so it's utterly brilliant.

Berlin - Rory Maclean - a kind of biography of the city. Quirky and clever.

Also Germany: Memories of a Nation – Neil MacGregor
NM was/is somebody important at the British museum iirc. Each chapter focuses on an object as a basis for exploring German history. Excellent.

Thank you so much for the recommendations. I really appreciate them. I'll share a few of mine tomorrow as the laptop has thrown a hissy fit and MN mobile has a habit of letting me write long posts out only to refresh the page just as I'm about to post.

The majority of my books relate to the GDR as that's my pet subject,but I'll try to select a few more general ones that you may enjoy(though you've probably already read them.)

On the Berlin theme - The Wall Jumper by Peter Schneider is close to the top of one of my to-read piles. Anyone read it already?

As much as I don't need to buy any new books I would love to have a few ideas in my list.

So, I enjoy reading most things but tend to go through phases and read a lot of the same type one after the other.

Do any of you have recommendations for books I might have missed in these genres

Dystopian
Concentration Camps (I don't want to say I enjoy these as that sounds a bit off, but I like to read these and cry a bit whilst doing so)
Fiction set in Ireland but during the poverty of the early 1900's
Any sort of disaster fiction book.

God, that list makes me sound so much fun doesn't it, but as much as I enjoy a chicklit sometimes I want to read something that makes me think Thank God my life is Ok. (If you know what I mean)

Cote if I'm correct, there are 2 other biographies of Jacqueline du Pre too, apparently this was the first one written by Carol Easton who knew Jacqueline during the last years of her life. One other biography was written by Jacqueline's sister Hillary & I hear it takes a very different angle, focusing much more on family relationships. The biography I read (by Carol Easton) was excellent in terms of being a good read and had lots of info on various aspects of Jacqueline's life, but had surprisingly little on family relationships (I mean within Jacqueline's family of origin).

So in the last ten minutes catching up on the thread I have aded 4 books to my wish list.

I have Burial Rights on my pile. I went on a reading spa at Mr B's Bookshop in Bath last year for my Christmas present and spent a ridiculous amount of money, my DH asked if I wanted to go again this year but will go next once I have got a bot further through my boxes of books to read.

I've just finished Just what kind of mother do you think you are? by Paula Daly.

With hindsight, I should have seen the clue that was dropped but I missed it. It was a good book though the ending seemed a little rushed - perhaps because I was keen to finish it before I went to sleep though.

Sorry, that should have been Just what kind of mother are you? My mistake.

Finished 1. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Rick Riordan - it’s YA and not quite inkeeping with the other stuff on this thread but it was quite fun all the same. I got given the entire series for Christmas- no idea why really as I’ve never expressed an interest and it’s far from my usual taste, but thought I’d give it a go. Enjoyed it for what it was.

I haven't read The Wall Jumper yet Exexpat, though it's on my wishlist, but I'm very interested to hear your opinion when you've finished it.

I'm currently also working through a never expressed an interest in Christmas gift The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - tetchy review incoming about a day or two from now.

Teufel I benefitted from Remus's Berlin recs when I went on a trip last year. On the fiction front, I read Berlin Noir which was a marvellous evocation of the city, but unfortunately I took a (possibly irrational) dislike to the main character.

Tanaqui I find myself thinking about Jack Reacher's personal hygiene often, so glad to hear about the soap.

Lucky you, FiveGoMadInDorset! I'd love to do a Mr B's reading spa. Would you recommend it?

Have you read Giants: The Dwarves of Auschwitz, JustTrying15?