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?

1. The Falcon, Emma Bull.

Less gripping than War For The Oaks - bit more disjointed. More science-fiction rather than fantasy - heavy overtones of some of Anne McCaffrey's stuff (not sure which is first - this was written in 1989) with gestalt mind links between humans and spaceships, genetic modifications to enhance psionic ability etc. I enjoyed it - plenty of feeeeelings!

Next up: The Common Years, Jilly Cooper, which I am ridiculously excited about - I'm a massive JC fan but I've never read any of her non-fiction, so this is a first.

Finally finished my first book of the year - This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson - an account of the voyages of The Beagle and the friendship and differences between Captain Robert FitzRoy and Charles Darwin. Think everyone else has already read it, so probably nothing new to be said except I really enjoyed it.

700 posts in the first week! Impressed by you all.

1. Eleanor Marx: A Life, by Rachel Holmes
Biography of the daughter of Karl Marx. A very different way of being a Victorian woman - cigarettes and flyaway hair and laughing and serious intellectual discussions and falling for romantic revolutionaries. I skimmed some of her committee work for the promotion of international socialism, but overall it's a good read. I enjoyed the account of her childhood, and the account of how she and her sisters fell for men, who in one way or another, brought them down (it's strongly suggested here that her common-law husband murdered her).

2. Poverty Safari, by Darren McGarvey
Account of growing up with an alcohol/drug-addict mother in the Gorbals. He says freely that he's telling you the misery memoir elements so he can talk about the politics of deprivation. He gives a compelling account of the emotional stress caused by living such an environment. While he identifies as a leftie campaigner for social justice, he also talks about how people need to take responsibility for their own lives rather than passively wait for someone else to impose solutions. This came across as a thoughtful account by someone who had lived what he's talking about, and was ready to be self-critical about his own prejudices and failures as well as society's.

So far I have read 1. A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen (a sequel to her previously similarly titled book The Yorkshire Shepherdess). I knew nothing of heafs, gimmers and yows before. I find two children hard enough work, so what it is like having nine of them, as well as running a farm, doing cream teas for walkers and writing books I cannot imagine. It was written in a warm and engaging style with plenty of amusing anecdotes and her great love for Ravenseat and Swaledale shines through.

1. Autumn by Ali Smith. I was given this for Christmas and proabbly wouldn't have read it on my own volition as I really didn't enjoy The Accidental. This one was much better. A lot of the cover blurb described it as the first Brexit novel, but there wasn't a great deal about Brexit in it, instead more about a little-known artist called Pauline Boty, Christine Keeler, and the relationship between an old man and a woman in her early 30s.

1. I started reading Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillippa Pearce to my son (7) as it was one of my favourite books as a child. He didn't really take to it as I think it was a bit hard-going for him, so hopefully he can read it when he's a bit older. In the meantime I finished it off myself - lovely story.

I haven't read or wanted to read Amanda Owen's books, did she actually work with the sheep while she was pregnant, as all medical advice is to avoid sheep while you are pregnant as they can cause miscarriages in women.

I wasn't bothered by The Little Friend, despite loving both of Tartt's other books. Just never really got going for me.

2. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. The Queen stumbles across a mobile library paying a visit to palace staff, and becomes utterly hooked on reading, at the expense of her usual duties. I rather enjoyed this, and found the initial premise far more believable than I'm sure it's supposed to be, as Bennett draws people so beautifully.

I think she did work with the sheep while pregnant but it appears to have done her no harm.

She was very lucky then

4 The One From The Other by Philip Kerr

This is the fourth in Kerr's Bernie Gunther series. Published 15 years after the third book it picks up in post war Germany where Bernie Gunther has retired as a detective and running his late father in laws hotel in Dachau while his while is in a mental institution in Munich. He puts it on the market and moves to Munich to restart being a private detective which is where his troubles begin. Its a fast paced read, very much has a feel of the original 'noir' detective stories, historically factual and interesting, and although you can figure out going on before does
you can forgive both Bernie and the author. very much recommend this series, start at the beginning with March Violets.

I tell a lie that was book number 3

Gosh I'd forgotten how quick this thread can move....
3. The Cold Calling – Phil Rickman - I first read Phil Rickman’ Merrily Watkins series a few years ago on a recommendation from ChillieJean on this thread and I’m so glad I did. This is the start of a series ( I believe) where crime meets the paranormal.
Blurb: Life isn't easy for Detective Inspector Bobby Maiden. Death is even harder. When Maiden is revived in hospital after dying in a hit and run incident, his memories are not the familiar ones of bright lights and angelic music, only of a cold, harsh place he has no wish to revisit...ever.
But his experience means that Bobby Maiden may be the only person who can reach The Green Man, a serial murderer the police don't even know exists...a predator who returns to stone circles, burial mounds and ancient churches in the belief that he is defending Britain's sacred heritage.
Meanwhile, New Age journalist Grayle Underhill arrives from New York to search for her sister who's become obsessed with the arcane mysteries of the Stone Age.
The bloody trail leads to a remote village on the Welsh Border...and to people who know there are more crimes in heaven and earth...
The rambling start to the novel and the abrupt switches between characters which were not linked took me a while to get into the novel but once I did I was hooked. The appeal for me is the folklore and supernatural which is woven into all his stories. DH has just reminded me I still have three of the Merrily Watkins books to read
4. Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
Blurb: When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. Then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She assumes it was a terrible accident - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove one happened in the first place.
Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally), Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects and use all the cunning and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?
I chose this as I need a straightforward read on Audible as I’m often flicking on and off throughtout the day. A little Agatha Christie – ish and an easy listen although I found the racial references cringe worthy. (it was set in 1930)

I've finished the silver sword. I enjoyed it, being a childrens book it didn't take very long to read. This was another book I had got for dd1 but she didn't like it, I'll encourage dd2 to give it a try but she's all about horrid Henry.

So I'm starting book number 9 the liar, another what on earth is this on my kindle book. It's probably a daily deal I've picked up at some point so it could go either way.

I'm still going with the winter of the world and the life she was given as well. I'm enjoying both of those.

2 - Grandad, there's a head on the beach Colin Cotterill
Girl finds severed head on beach, girl happens to be a crime reporter who gave all up to move to coast and run a motel with family as the mother is in early stages of dementia. Set in Thailand, there's piracy, slavery, violence, murder and a police force who will happily take a bribe. Said girl discovers people are going missing and rumours are that they are being taken out to big fishing boats to work. Boats that are fishing ilillegally. She enlists help of various members of community and her family to save the lives of the missing people.

It's an okay story. Passed a good few hours instead of doing housework.... whoops

Five I read the Yorkshire Shepherdess last year and if I remember rightly she does talk about the advice to stay away from sheep while pregnant but basically says living on a remote farm she had no choice!

1. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

I'm glad I read this, it's been on my tbr pile for ages. Very well written, very powerful. I agree with PP's that I wasn't massively involved with any of the characters. I think I need to read something a bit lighter now though!

Super Jilly is slightly annoying me by acting like a total victim re uncontrollable dogs - does it never occur to her to put them on a lead?

3.) The Penny Heart, by Martine Bailey -- In the 18th century, Mary Jebb is caught in the midst of a con trick and is transported to Botany Bay. Five years later, Grace a naïve but wealthy young woman marries the feckless and unreliable man responsible for Mary Jebb's capture.

Resounding meh to this I'm afraid. It started off well, and I was enjoying it, but it went on far too long, and I found the ending far too over the top to the point of being ridiculously silly. It might have worked better if it hadn't been a dual narrative, and had stuck to Grace's first person viewpoint. Shortening it so it was faster paced would have helped a bit too. As it was, the various pieces just didn't hold together for me, and I didn't buy the ending at all.

The men were pretty much all a bunch of frigging useless, wet, hapless knobheads as well.

Next up, probably Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology.

Marking place, so I can remember how much of the thread I've read.

Now reading and so far enjoying The Berlin Wall: My Part in its Downfall. I thought he wasted too much time writing about himself pre-Berlin, but now he's there, it's good.

Yes, I wasn't all that interested in that part either, but the rest of it was worth it.

4 D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton

Romped through this this afternoon while I was meant to be cleaning out rooms. I still want to be Kinsey Milhone, she is just so cool, but I think I would want a bigger house. Very sad that Sue Grafton died last year.

7. Sugar Money - Jane Harris I have really enjoyed her other work and this one didn't disappoint either. Set between the islands of Grenada and Martinique in the 1700's it tells of the treatment of slaves at the hands of both the British and the French. Based on a true story of disputed Slave ownership. Two Mullato brothers are sent by French Friars to persuade slaves on Grenada to run away from their English masters to work on Martinique. Really well written, engaging and as so with novels set at this point in history utterly horrifying.

Hello - I would like to do this this year! I am reading Christine Falls by Benjamin Black. Book 1 of the year... going slowly due to having a nasty virus.

I haven't done this before so thought I'd join in. I always do my own book challenge on Goodreads, more as a way of recording what I read but have only set a goal of 30. Going to include what I read out loud to my eldest to get it nearer 50 though :)Tend to read a lot of kids books and YA for work (part time Primary Librarian) so might be useful for others too :) First book I finished this year was The Christmasaurus which was carried over from last year. Really great book, whole family loved it. Then I read Neil Gaiman's Stardust for our bookclub which was much older than the movie. Im 3/4 through Jane Green's Patchwork Marriage, though it's definitely not my fave of hers. Lastly I've just picked up to read the highly recommended The Hate You Give. Excited by that!

1. Lincoln in the Bardo. That was fucking AWESOME. Unbelievable. I got stuck a couple of times but the last 200 pages, oh ... [weeps]

Annadale a person after my own heart. I am still raving about it months later.