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?

12. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine picked this up yesterday as I'd spotted it was the book of the month for mumsnet book club and had see its much reviewed on here. I really enjoyed this, very engaging style and a good book for reading in one setting. Felt at times that the protagonist's kookiness was a bit overdone, but in general I enjoyed her observations. There was some interesting themes touched upon about loneliness, modern society etc. I want to avoid writing any spoilers incase anyone is thinking of reading it so will leave it at that.

7. N or M? - Agatha Christie
A rare thing, a Christie book I hadn't read before! Tommy & Tuppence are brought out of retirement for WWII to track down some fifth columnists suspected of being in a small coastal town. I worked out who it was early on. Nice, unchallenging brain fluff - just what I needed (both dcs are ill so I've had no sleep for a few nights)

Matilda2013 Day off work and no kids helped! great book. Made me realise how great it is to get a book with engrossing characters and a fantastic plot. Good plots seem to be in short supply in a lot of things I have read recently.

@ellisisland my goodreads app tells me I managed it in ten days... it definitely felt longer!

Ellis 11/22/63 might be good for the Time travel prompt on the Pop sugar challenge

Book 14 Animal Farm by George Orwell
So I got all my numbers muddled up and I have now finished book 14. A short one I started last night and finished this morning. It always seems a bit silly to be reviewing such a classic but it is a classic for a reason. Simply told and packs a punch.

Matilda2013 there is a tv series with James Franco as the lead on Amazon which I might watch. As it’s got pretty good reviews.

5 Into Thin Air by Jon Krakenauer

No review needed of this thread favourite. I realised just after starting that I'd actually read it before in the late 90s soon after it was published, but unquestionably well worth a second read.

14. Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein. I listened to this as an audio book and think it would be mush better as an actual book, but the library only had the audio version. The first half was fascinating, and it is unsurprising that it influenced politics, notably I believe Obama, but the second half was mainly applied to America and therefore I found it less personally interesting. I would recommend a look if you have a passing interest in behavioural economics.

12. Arrow's Flight by Mercedes Lackey

I think you're all right, these probably are YA. I hadn't realised when they were written since the ones I have are clearly recented released editions - I've got two omnibuses of three novels each. Certainly I can see that the casual use of same-sex relationships in fantasy would have been quite revolutionary in the 1980s.

For this one, Talia has completed her training as a Herald and earned her Whites (the uniform). Now she has to complete her internship by accompanying another Herald on an 18 month circuit of towns and villages in one of the border regions of the kingdom, passing on news of laws and politics and upholding the Queen's justice. But her Gift of empathy has not been properly trained and she loses control of it in a potentially disasterous manner. She and Kris, her senior on the circuit, have to find a way to teach her to control her very rare Gift.

I think the Valdemar books really were pretty revolutionary - I know Tanaqui they are very slash in feel, but they were definitely read by men / boys as well as girls . (To be fair, most of my geeky fantasy reading friends back then were boys so it was a bit of a biased sample - but ML was a definite favourite )

I don’t think I ever saw anyone else reading them Sadik, but I loved them back in the early 90s- and her urban fantasy too. I remember them being hard to get hold of in the UK and getting some in the states, and others in a sf bookshop on Charing Cross Road- can’t recall the name right now, but near Foyles.

I am pretty sure I have read Into Thin Air, but when I try to remember it I get the South America one about the rope cutting with the amazing ending, title of which escapes me (because I thought it was Into Thin Air!).

Tanaqui - is it Touching The Void you’re thinking of?

9. The Master and Margarita As brilliant as everyone told me it was. Weird but excellent.

I think the copies I read came from Forbidden Planet in Cambridge - mostly US imports (maybe from the long-deceased Grapevine Books - that's certainly where i used to get books from the Women's Press sci-fi list).

I think I need to read Touching the Void (and also your rope cutting S American book if it is something different!)

Just finished listening over lunch to the Audible version of

1. The Antidote: Happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking, by Oliver Burkeman

I liked this a great deal. I always enjoy OB's writing, and as someone who is a generally cheerful & contented grumpy anti-social git (as established in conversation in the pub last night), the message was right up my street. The Audible version is read by the author, and he also has a very pleasing speaking voice.

There's a section on the Stoics which I particularly enjoyed - I read a certain amount of Stoic influenced philosophy when I was having a difficult time a couple of years back (marriage break-up + family illness), and found it helpful, should like to explore it more. He also explores buddhist theories of non-attachment, and a range of other philosophical approaches to living a fulfilling life.

I'm not getting on with Three Men in a Boat, so I think it's time for me to bail out.

1. The Third Nero (Flavia Albia Mystery #5) by Lindsey Davis Albia takes on a government contract she doesn't want to make ends meet after her new husband is struck by lightning on their wedding day. One does have to pay the fresco painter after all. Easy reads with likeable characters.

As a sucker for a historical series I'm Shardlaking again. #4.

Thank you Stitches, yes, it Ian Touching the Void! I am not specifically interested in mountain climbing books, but I knew this one had a story you wouldn’t believe in a movie, and I really enjoyed it. Do read it Sadik- and I like the sound of The Antidote.

Is, not Ian, stupid phone.

Have added Touching the Void (and This Thing of Darkness) to my TBR list :) Not sure whether to have another go at Mervyn King and risk my blood pressure or start something else.

I finished The Essex Serpent at last. Really disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it as I had high expectations of a book with such a beautiful front cover! I found it difficult to get into with a lot of irritating characters to keep track of. On the other hand Midwinter Break was great. Now I’m starting Brazaville Beach by William Boyd.

1 Everything I Never Told You Celeste Ng
2 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman
3 Women and Power Mary Beard
4 Where’d You Go Bernadette Maria Semple
5 This is Going to Hurt Adam Kay
6 The Essex Serpent
7 Midwinter Break Bernard MacLaverty

7. The Blackwater Lightship: Colm Toibin
I'm ashamed to say I've had this on my shelf for years, as I just didn't fancy it, and only picked it up after a disappointing trip to the library left me book-less.

Helen, her Mother and Grandmother are forced to spend time together in her Grandmother's remote cliff top home in Ireland at the request of Helen's dying brother. Helen has been no- contact with her Mother, who she finds cold and emotionally unavailable, for a number of years; during their estrangement Helen has established a happy marriage and has two young boys. Helen's relationship with her Grandmother is strained by past events related to her Father's death when Helen was a young child.

This was easy to read as it was so well written and perceptive. The characters were very believable humans, flawed and real. Even though the subject matter was painful and sad, there were moments of black humour which meant it wasn't a depressing read. I particularly liked the way that Helen re-evaluates the relationship she has had with her Mother after having children herself. I think this is something every parent can identify with.

Lady Macnet I felt the same about The Essex Serpent. It wasn't awful, but probably one of the most disappointing books I read last year, in part because it was so excessively hyped.

Sadik have added The Antidote to my wishlist - am trying to read more non-fiction in 2018 and this sounds like something I would enjoy. Thanks!

So funny about Essex Serpent. It seems the hype around it led a lot of people to have different expectations of it. I really loved it, thought it interesting and beautifully written, but knew nothing of it when I read it so it was a pleasant discovery and it is the sort of thing I like anyway. I think marketing sometimes leads you to pick up something that wouldn’t usually be your cup of tea and then you wonder what the fuss is about, happened to me with Gone Girl.

I think Into Thin Air would definite be worth a reread - as I finished it I thought I’d like to go back and pay more attention to the earlier parts where he sets out the roles everyone played in the events, and their backgrounds.

Am finding myself increasingly bored by The Nix but am at 65% so feel I might as well slog on now. Finding the student Faye stuff much, much poorer than the young boys stuff.