50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Two

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second 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, 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.

What are you reading?

No the conflict is between a regular life and his vocation, I believe, not between er, wanking and more wanking. Like Ballykissangel goes down under.

3. The keeper of lost things - Ruth hogan
   I know this one has been talked about lately. It was ok. A bit too contrived in places. Felt the author shoehorned in a bit too many story lines, but was fairly enjoyable otherwise. Wouldnt read it again though.

4. A Family Secret - Josephine Cox
   Widowed Grandma has a secret that could ruin her granddaughters life.

This was utter tripe. I've never read a Josephine Cox book but thought I'd give one a bash, see why people love it so. But oh my god, why did I bother?
So many cliches and obvious set pieces dropped in. Just too unbelievable for me.

Meh, well onwards to book 5. Did a spot of tidying and found Harry potter & philosopher's stone. It's a well read copy but will soothe me after the past two books.

1. Jacob’s room is full of books. A year of reading by Susan Hill.

I loved this. Susan Hill records her reading and thoughts for a year January- December. There is lots about birds and various friends. I enjoyed the author’s company and there was something refreshing about reading the views of someone you often disagree with. There are so many authors who were famous in the past that I’ve never heard of. She does do several particularly delicious scathing one liners. I hope she writes another volume.

Signing up! Saw last years thread & thought there's no way I could do that & without trying much I did & several of them were epic. So far this year I've read

Sweet pea (ok)
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine (Vg)
Good me, bad me (pretty good)
My brilliant friend (vg)
The sequel - the story of a new name (loved this)
Now on the third of the trilogy-those who leave & those who stay

Remus, can you imagine the lovely Richard Chaimberlain partaking in anything unsavoury? No, certainly not. Well he plays the priest in The Thorn Birds mini series. It’s all passionate longing looks and head grasping turmoils over bibles on mahogany desks. No trouser rummaging whatsoever.
I loved the book.

Eucalyptus by Murray Bail is also lovely. Has an antipodean fairy tale feel to it. Charming and lovely to read,

Lovely lovely lovely.
[must come up with new descriptive term]

I haven't been keeping up with the threads at all this year (too much RL ), but have finally finished book no. 2

How to Survive a Plague: The story of how activists and scientists tamed AIDS, by David France.

This was a seriously heavy read, but I found it both very moving and extremely interesting. It's a history of a social / protest movement, a personal history of what it was like living in a community of young people where so so many people were dying on a daily basis (100,000 in New York over the period from the early 80s to when effective treatments finally became available in the mid-90s) and a history of the science.
Not unreasonably given the amount of content already there it mainly covers events in New York, particularly around ACT UP, and I'd be equally interested to read a book about the period covering the gay / HIV positive community in Europe. Definitely recommended but not a quick and easy read!

Was ther no trouser rummaging at all? I must be misremembering.

Richard never rummaged. My mother just rewatched the tv series and she would have mentioned it.

it’s many years since I watched that/read the book - must have been the 80s.

There may be some steamy moments between characters, but I think it's specifically solo trouser rummaging, and specifically by priests, that gives Remus the willies, and I don't recall any of that.

The Thorn Birds!! Sigh! My Grandad was in love with Barbara Stanwyck and my mum was in love with Richard Chamberlain, so it was win win on a Sunday evening. I read the book years later and rewatched the box set of videos when on Mat Leave with DS1.

For a different Australian perspective have you tried Kate Grenville's work. The Secret River and Sarah Thornton stand out from memory.

Oh yes, The Secret River, that's a really good book too.

I’ve just located my copy of The Thorn Birds and flicked through to that scene and it’s all very tastefully done. Finishes with a very pleasing sea/ rising tide simile.

Remus - for not too depressing, I loved the hearts invisible furies-especially good on audiobook -I love an Irish accent 😄

Or the power of one. Or this must be the place. Or the kitchen God's wide. Or any Lianne Moriarty. And especially Eleanor & Park. Really good YA.

I loved skellig too. Not exactly light but Patrick Ness, a monster calls is also good. I've just started his chaos walking books-first one is the knife of never letting go. Too early for an opinion as yet!

specifically solo trouser rummaging...that gives remus the willies

For new ahem, members, this assertion does have a context, that is to do with a book.

Yes the tv series! The Thorn Birds theme was one of the first things I played on the piano.

Oh, I loved The Thorn Birds! But Ralph would absolutely give me the rage nowadays letching over Meggie - wasn’t she about 8 when they first meet? It is really really good, though - it is a very cynical take on goddishness, as I remember. And I love Fee and Justine and Auntie Mary - I think it was the first book I read where female characters behaved exactly as they liked without caring if it made them look attractive or not.

Right another two books added to my wishlist.... Into thin air and a thing of darkness.

Book number six is sweet little lies
By Kaz Frear

I bought this by mistake, thinking it was something else someone had recommended me.

It was a happy mistake though, as it's actually a decent book.

Kinsella is a police officer on the murder squad, investigating the killing of a seemingly normal lady in London. She has a fairly dysfunctional family background and suspects a link between her father and the disappearance of a young girl in the past.

My synopsis makes it sound a bit shit, but the characters are actually really interesting - the author plays with the stereotype of the aging, jaded, cynical maverick (in this, Kinsella is a mid-twenties female) and the dialogue is believable. It's well paced, and although not entirely unpredictable, is certainly an entertaining read. I'd recommend and would probably look for other books by the author.

Currently reading American God's. It's a reread but I originally read it on holiday so was pissed

I’ve never watched the TV series though.

10. Eight Cousins, LM Alcott.

Re-read (baaa!) but this time I was annoyed by the sickly sweetness of everyone living Rose so much and the contrast with poor Phebe who actually does have a tough life. Am in a generally bad move due to fucked-up house purchase, though (fx it gets sorted tomorrow - last day before supposed date of entry) so could just be grumpy.

Loving! I hate my crap phone typing!

1. The bookshop on the corner by Rebecca Raisin

Not a great book, I found it quite slow and not at all gripping.

It's about a small town and the shop owners there including the bookshop owner Sarah, it seems the most excitement the town sees is when a reporter arrives from New York to write an article about the town.

Beyond the Black Stump is nowhere near as good as A Town Like Alice (definitely one of the lesser Shutes), but it is madly Australian outback.

It is basically all one-room schoolhouses and lizards and no air conditioning and rugged American engineers (I can't remember if he's an engineer, but he's something madly Nevil Shute) falling in love with sunburnt Australian girls in slacks.
There isn't much plot beyond "the Outback is a bit shit and the Wild West was probably a bit shit too back in the day, so take your judgy pants off" (there's also a whole bit set in the Midwest) "and oh, by the way, I'm never leaving, sorry." So, basically the setup of Alice without any of the Malay stuff or the awesomeness that is Jean Paget.
And no wanking vicars. Though plenty of horniness.

A work in a school and by coincidence a consignment of the children's book Skellig, landed on my desk this week, so it became book number 3, after all the love for it on this thread.
Two children befriend and nurture a strange being, Skellig. We never find out exactly what he is but the nearest description is part human, part angel, part bird. He in turn influences and nurtures them in his own way.
It's a strange one, it felt very much a children's book, but despite that I felt that some of the underlying messages & symbolism were going over my head. It was okay, I think it could make a good film, but I didn't love it.