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?

1. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

This tale of a lonely young woman who doesn't fit in at work, and has no friends or social life, told in her own words. Sad - it's clear from early on that some trauma in the past lies behind Eleanor's present situation - and sometimes very funny as Eleanor tries to make sense of what most of us regard as normal human interactions. Reminiscent of The Rosie Project. It's not my usual sort of book and I had to suspend my disbelief at times, but as a one-off I enjoyed it.

Vistaverde - You're not alone re Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. See my review below

CoteDAzur.............................Sun 03-Nov-13 21:40:40

38. Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce

One of those books written for women. Faux-profound rubbish full of truisms and inane "insights". I came close to losing my faith in womankind, seeing the silly nonsense hundreds of readers have highlighted on the Kindle

Whatever this book was trying to do, The Alchemist did better. I was 17 when it came out, and I still thought it was superficial faux-intellectual rubbish.

Why do women read stuff like this? I find it really puzzling.

Thank you for letting me get that out of my chest before book club meeting

I wasn’t keen on Harold Fry either (and I often like books written by women and for women).

Saplings is not bad, but a bit of a disappointment compared to Streatfield’s children’s books, which I adored when I was growing up.

11. A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane) by Jill Paton Walsh – I liked this. I haven’t read any of the original ones with Harriet Vane in, but this felt enough like Dorothy LS but with less wittering (although some wittering remained). It’s 99p on Kindle at the moment, and I immediately bought another one of them, also 99p.

26. Priestdaddy - Patricia Lockwood What an incredible book. It was one those rare books that has you laughing out loud one second and almost crying the next.
It is the true story of the upbringing of US poet Patricia Lockwood. Her father was a member of the US Navy who got his religious calling whilst on board a submarine watching The Exorcist! Subsequently he trains to be Catholic Priest even though he is married, exploiting the loophole which allows late converters to maintain their marital status. Her father is a gun loving, guitar playing priest who much prefers to parade around his home in his underpants rather than a cassock.
Lockwood describes how 3 days before she is due to leave for college her father calls her in to his study. Wearing his best, least transparent pants, he informs her there is just no money for her to go to college. Tellingly, just weeks later he buys a guitar made for Paul McCartney. Her mother, Karen, is equally as eccentric. Pro-life and obsessed with germs and satanists in equal measure, she looms large. The irony that the family live, unwittingly, for many years on top a nuclear waste dump is not lost on the reader.
Lockwood's response is to leave home and marry a man she means on the internet. 12 years later the couple married, but in financial trouble the couple move back home.
Too many hilarious and tragic incidents to recount. One stand out for me was her father's belief that all cats are 'democrats' who 'would have abortions if they could'.
Stand out read for me, heartily recommend.

And yes terpsichore re: Persephone it does seem a bit hit and miss which is why I thought I’d ask here, hard to tell what is quiet and intelligent and what is quiet and dull - there’s domestic and then there’s domestic.

tarahumara I guess that’s why the children’s became mainstream “classics” and the others didn’t so much. With the Dickens, it had a bit of a bite to it, and didn’t shy away from “adult” topics, albeit within reason for the time.

Any particular Persephone recommendations? I am going to be near their bookshop in London next month and was thinking of popping in for a browse. My self-imposed January book-buying ban will be over by then, so it could get expensive. Foyles and the LRB bookshop are also nearby...

9 Dave Gorman vs. the Rest of the World by Dave Gorman.

Borrowed this from dh's Christmas pile as I fancied something light and non fiction after Robinson Crusoe. Hit the spot perfectly. Dave (never heard of him before, apparently he's a comedian) travels about the country playing games with people. Board games, card games, skittle type games etc.
It’s a series of little anecdotes where he meets a random stranger, plays a game with them and then comes home. Nothing even remotely profound (apart from maybe an unfortunate encounter with a fundamentalist Christian and his Intelligent Design board game) but enjoyable to read anyway. I was disappointed that he didn’t enjoy Settlers of Catan or Agricola as I love both those games.

10. Over The Moon by Imtiaz Dharker

Poetry collection. Picked this up as I was intrigued by the blurb “Dharker was born in Pakistan, grow up a Muslim Calvinist in a Lahore household in Glasgow, was adopted by India and married into Wales.”
Most of the poems here are set in London, although her other cultural influences shine through now and again. Quite a few poems about train and bus travel which I liked very much. The latter half of the book is obviously inspired by the death of her husband Simon Powell.

Will certainly read more of her work if and when I come across it.

Remus What?! What?! What?! You're reading crappy Paton Walsh knockoffs and you've never read any of the originals with Harriet in?!!!!!

I need to go and have a lie down.

(I detest the JPW follow ons with the force a thousand fiery suns and count Gaudy Night as one of the books which made me who I am today.)

Cote, I am having far too much fun picturing you in the sort of book club that would read Harold Fry ...

exexpat I just read Mariana which I will review later and asked for other Persephone recs and got quite a few suggestions so if you scroll back a page you should find them

Thanks for the review Toomuchsplother I have Priestdaddy in my to read pile so good to know its worth reading.

Satsuki - not mid-century, but have you read the Molly Hughes London Family books? The first two are my favourites, A London Child of the 1870s, then A London Girl of the 1880s. They're autobiography, and just beautifully written (and include the author's time at the North London Collegiate school under Miss Beale & Miss Buss). They're sadly out of print, but our library had all of them, & they're available cheaply on abebooks

Another in the same vein that I love is Period Piece by Gwen Raverat (one of Charles Darwin's grandchildren).

In fact have just looked and Persephone have A London Child of the 1870s

Of the Persephone list, exexpat would also recommend Diary of a Provincial Lady if you've not read it.

Satsuki Oh God, now I need to go and buy that one too ... I'm just back from my local Waterstones buying Hostages of Fortune!

Cheerful

Sorry! But the JPW ones are 99p and Gaudy Night is seven English pounds. SEVEN!!!!

1. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff - on audiobook as recommended by Mumsnet! I really enjoyed this little gem. An exchange of letters between an American author and a very traditional British book shop. The book starts post Second World War when rationing was still in force and I loved the hampers sent from the States. Very touching and understated.

WhiteWine - It's just beautiful, isn't it? Everybody should read it!

It’s such a lovely book. Very odd it’s still not on Kindle.

Sadik I love Period Piece too. An old favourite.

Carried forward from previous thread:

1. Mythos - Stephen Fry
2. Origin Dan Brown
3. Mitford Murders - Jessica Fellowes

Paris - Edward Rutherford. It was ok. I thought that the sections about the Eiffel Tower were reminiscent of "Pillars of the Earth" and that the opening sentences of the chapters set during the Revolution were trying to be a homage to a "Tale of Two Cities" (but not quite working). Much preferred "London" but at least I read "Paris", have started "Russia" so many times and not got past the 3rd chapter. Very formulaic and the coincidences are far fetched, but a fun read.

Not sure what to read next - too many unread books to choose from! Think it will be a Phil Rickman - The Magus of Hay.
Off to find out what a 'magus' is......

Ah, so the Ted Chiang was your rec plus3 - thank you! I had to Google blind date with a book. I'm too mean to pay £7.99 for any book, let alone one of not guaranteed identity, however beautifully wrapped. I'm also not a big surprise fan.

Currently on a thought provoking Poverty Safari , bumped up the list as I'm going to hear the author speak in a couple of weeks.

Thanks sadik I’ve made notes of those, got a list to take to the library tomorrow. The Molly Hughes sounds interesting and think they have a copy in the main library so will order when I’ve got through my current batch of reservations. I’ve got Miss Pettigrew and Charing Cross Road coming from Abe books. And breathe.

I adore Miss Pettigrew. If you enjoy it, the film is good too.

14. The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley

A bit of a change of pace. This is the third in a series about six adopted sisters, based loosely on the Pleiades. I read the first last year and surprised myself with how much I enjoyed it since it's really not my usual reading, but haven't read the second yet.

Following the death of their adopted father, the enigmatic (and very, very rich Pa Salt) each of the women was given a clue to their true origins. Star has always lived in the shadow of her sister Cece, not talking much and largely dominated by Cece, but needed by her as much as Star needs her sister. But she is now feeling stifled and even though she is scared of breaking out of her comfort zone she follows the first clue to an antiquarian bookshop in London and an eccentric group of characters tied to it. She has been told to ask about Flora MacNichol, who lived in the Lake District a hundred years earlier. Circumstances outside her control lead Flora to London to live in the home of Alice Keppel where she feels herself to be a pawn in a game where everyone but her knows the rules. The novel reveals the connections between the lives of the two women and Star's own voyage of discovery about herself.