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?

annandale - you finished it? I admired what I read of it but started it months ago and although I loved it line by line I didn't feel the drive to keep going. I'll give it another go. He's one of my favourite authors in all his short fiction. A genius.

Will whoever recommended A Place Called Winter to me in last year's thread own up come back and talk me into continuing? I don't mind gay sex but gay rape is not quite what I was expecting to read about when I started this book.

& talk me into starting?! It’s on my to read pile on the kindle ...

I'm 43% in. This is way past the point where I can reasonable question whether a book is with continuing!

Reasonably

Worth

I hate AutoCorrect.

I think probably motivated to finish because of this thread

Gosh this thread is moving quickly. I was back at work on the 2nd jan and have had a slow start to 2018 reading, but have finally finished my first one:

Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell (Saxon #6)
I do like this series, and I am a big fan of Bernard Cornwell, but I thought this one was a bit weak, lots of politics and moving about the country.
I decided I'd give the next one (The Pagan Lord) a couple of chapters before deciding whether to carry one with the series, and it is much better so I'll carry on for now.

Disappointed to read the comments about The Rosie Effect as it's on my TBR pile. I read The Rosie Project back when it first came out and remember quite enjoying it - was hoping for more of the same in the follow up but haven't got round to starting it. Might make that my next read...

I wasn’t impressed by The Rosie Effect either, not as good as the Rosie Project.

Book 1/50: Falling by Jane Green. Easy to read, heartwarming, with a twist I didn’t see coming. I like Jane Green, I think she’s the intelligent side of chick lit. A few cliches but enjoyed it, 4/5.

1. Autumn by Ali Smith. An interesting novel about a woman in her thirties and her relationship with her elderly neighbour and her mother. It is set in Brexit vote time and also in the past. I enjoyed the writing. The current setting made it resonate more. I’m looking forward to reading Winter but will have a break first.

3. Just what kind of mother are you? by Paula Daly. I read this one after someone up the thread mentioned it was 99p on kindle. A stressed mum forgets she's supposed to be looking after the friend's daughter, who then goes missing.

It zips along quickly and I enjoyed it.

Book 5: Restaurant Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones

I quite enjoy these "Babylon" books. This was read in one night as it is a really easy read but gives a bit of a glimpse behind the scenes in a busy London restaurant.

#2 Love Nina by nina stibbes. Listened on audiobook & narrated by auther. Its a serious of letters to her sister. About her time as a nanny in London in eighties.

3. Once upon a time in the east, by Xialu Guo

Just on the closing pages of this non-fiction account of growing up on China. The author is similar in age to me, but her early childhood with her grandparents in a fishing village is like a different century (grandmother with bound feet, beaten by her husband, no name of her own as she was called Second Sister in Childhood, then Wife, and eventually Grandmother). This is not an affectionate and lyrical account - the author frankly hated growing up in such a shithole (her word) and the mistreatment dished out to peasant women. She eventually moves to the UK and gets a novel published in English, despite struggling to acquire fluency.

It's interesting and worth the read, but it's a cold and angry account. Reminds me of the lines about "Too long a sacrifice/Makes a stone of the heart". (Which also occurred to me when people here were talking about not warming to the characters in The Underground Railroad. What room could there possibly be for human warmth in such circumstances? Although I found the final section about Cora's mother heart-stopping if hardly heart-warming).

I loved Lincoln in the Bardo but I loved his short stories even more. If you like short stories (which I really, really do) then I recommend Tenth of December. Some are a bit sci-fi, others not. I also liked Joyce Carol Oates book of short stories *Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories'.

I've added Sugar Money to my wish list TooMuch - I think I'd enjoy it. Thanks

Just started Book 5: Small Island by Angela Levy

Thanks whippet. I’ve read the odd one of his before but wanted to read more so great to have a starting point. Never read any Joyce Carol Oates...

1. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman quick easy read, very enjoyable. Similar in style to Gaiman's children books.

1. North and South by Gaskell for mumsnet book club. Very enjoyable, similar style to Austin a bit more political - which I feel was shoe horned in a bit at the beginning but soon gets into her stride. Some great characters.

Debating what to go for next, probably the Book of Dust

*Austen

On to book 2. Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. Absolutely determined to clear some of these 'to read' piles from my bedroom this year so I can move again! There must be over 300 books. Yet still I couldn't help buying another when dropping off a bag of donations at the charity shop this morning

I read my 11th book yesterday. The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler

It's set in Austria in 1937, a young boy moves from the lake district to Vienna to become a tobacconist's assistant. One of his regular customers is Freud and he befriends him.

The book was ok, but I was rather disappointed. Although it was a turbulent time and world changing events were taking place, they feel very much in the background and barely touched upon, in spite of supposedly being the main premise of the story.

I was about 60% of the way through the book before anything major happened, and it felt very rushed when it did. The ending also felt rushed and fell flat for me.

I'll admit that I don't tend to like real historical figures being shoehorned into books unless the book is specifically about them. It just feels very unnatural to have them interact with main characters who didn't exist. That's a personal preference though.

I'll probably read it again in future, but while the premise had potential, it didn't really deliver for me.

Whippetwoman have added Tenth of December to my list. Read Civilwarland in bad decline last year and thought it was genius. He is an amazing writer and a very interesting bloke when interviewed.

Sonnet have you read The Long Song by Andrea Levy? Another story about slavery but beautifully written.

Book number 1 done.

The Keeper of Lost Things
A really different book with a lovely concept. A bit too cosy and predictable but an easy read and a happy start to this year's reading.

Book 2 tbc. I don't know how some of you have read so many! I'm on maternity leave and quite a quick reader but obviously don't read often enough.

bibliomania you might find Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See an interesting read to follow Once upon a time in the East. A poetic title and a beautiful cover but not a girly book, it's a fictional exploration of cultural issues as well as dealing with friendship, arranged marriage, and motherhood. Includes much detail about the practice of foot-binding which still chills me now years after having read it.

Sonnet and TooMuch, I have Sugar Money waiting to be read. The Observations is one of my favourite books, and I also enjoyed Gillespie and I, so looking forward to Jane Harris's latest soon.

On the subject of slavery, I would also recommend Homegoing by YaaGyasi; I think it was mentioned upthread. And I am planning to reread Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth (set on a slave ship) which made a huge impression on me over 20 years ago. Anyone else read it?