50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Three

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third 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 and the second one here.

What are you reading?

I love Daunts so much - I could happily spend an entire day drooling over the Germany shelves.

exexpat ooh what did you get?!

Hostages to Fortune came in the post today so thank you to whoever recommended that to me (the thread move so fast) I’m looking forward to it.

remus even as a youngster Forever was my least favourite Judy Blume; I found it a bit depressing. I got it from the library and remember my older sibling casually flipping through it then shouting out in indignation “Mum, did you know Satsuki’s reading this? There’s a bloke in it who’s nicknamed his tadger Ralph! She shouldn’t be reading this!”

Just finished You Play the Girl - essays about representations of women in media, will review later.

I came out of Persephone with Saplings, Mariana and Princes of the Land, while DP bought their book of short stories, which I may also nab when he's not looking. I could happily have bought the whole shop, including all their suffragette-related merchandise, nice mugs etc.

Daunts is also a very dangerous place. I tend to gravitate to the Japan, China and Australia sections, but can't avoid getting sucked in to various bits of Europe too.

I didn’t know there was an actual Persephone shop!

1. The Keeper of Lost Things : Ruth Hogan

I felt like something light and this was. Anthony is an author who has been collecting lost things since the death of his fiancée. Laura has just left a controlling marriage and has got a job as Anthony's assistant. This is light and fluffy with a ghost and some dogs. Dull.

The thing that has (I think) stayed with me from Forever was not to much the sex but the scene where the girl's mum comes home late and has been drinking - she's stumbling around and saying "willya willya willya". I say I think as I haven't re-read it in the last 30 years and may have mis-remembered, or got it confused with another book, but in my head it was in Forever and I found it a strange and disturbing scene when I read it.

Keith - that scene isn't in Forever.

Satsuki - I may be wrong, but isn't "Ralph" slang for being sick in the States? It seems a very odd nickname for one's 'member' in that case.

Personally the Fudge books were always my favourite Judy Blume books. I can still quote bits of them, over thirty years later!

Very vivid memories of Forever. Seem to remember my favourites were Are you there God? It's me, Margaret and Blubber.

Yes that is one of many things odd about it remus

The Fudge books were my favourite too. The other ones I remember most I think were Are You There God and Deenie, where the girl had to wear a back brace for scoliosis. So true how vivid they have remained.

Persephone shop sounds great exexpat. Hope you enjoy Mariana and look forward to your reviews of the others.

I haven’t had a good bookshop browse for a long time

I read Are You There God to the dds last year. We all had a right laugh doing “I must, I must, I must increase my bust” elbow pumps.

I liked Deenie and Tiger Eyes made me cry. Such a good writer - I wonder how much they've dated.

I could remember the storyline of Deenie but not the title. Apparently Judy Blume was 80 this week!

I still can't take the name Ralph seriously. I remember one copy of Forever doing the rounds at school, and having to hide it from my Catholic father when it was my turn.

Suspect Judy Blume is best left in the past, although I remember loving them at the time. Sadly, I have a DS so limited chance of living them vicariously through him - we're all admit How To Train Your Dragon and Alex Rider at the moment. Worth reading or leave him to it?

I loved Deenie - I used it as inspiration to write my own story at school.
Also enjoyed Are You There, God?.

Wasn't that bothered about Forever. It was a bit of a let down I felt - however I was reading Jilly Cooper and Jackie Collins at 14.

Finished 14. the hairy bikers, blood sweat and tyres Wow they have had some really bad luck in their lives. Finished the book amazed they are still with us. Made me feel really lucky.

Now reading A Death in Valencia by Jason Webster Not read this writer before just picked it up because I fancied something with sunshine in it. Will let you know how I get on.

I loved Judy Blume as a tween and teen. Has anyone read her recent adult book? Am
also inspired by this thread to plan a trip to Persephone soon, as I’ve got book tokens from Christmas and am slowly working my way through my “to read” pile, which is starting to look a bit depleted.

19 Mythos by Stephen Fry - I read this aloud to ds, who got it for Christmas. We both loved it - he knew lots of the stories already and enjoyed the extra detail and the humour. I am a Greek myth dunce and enjoyed learning more about them. We were both disappointed it didn’t cover the heroes - I was hoping for some Ulysses and Jason and ds wanted Perseus but nonetheless it was very good and the narrative voice was wonderful. I occasionally edited what I was reading for 10 year old ears but only lightly.

You are obviously all younger than me - I remember selling piles of Judy Blume books - especially Forever - when I had a Saturday job in a bookshop as a teenager. (Though that would have been mid-late 80s, & a quick google suggests it was published in the 70s . . . maybe just took a while to make it to the Midlands?)

Ohhhhh I wonder which book that scene came from? I was sure it was in Forever!

I read the Judy Blume adult book about the plane crash. It was a great idea for a book but a disappointing read :(

Ah, Google found the scene - it's from Sally J Freedman

Oh I liked that one - was it the one set in the 40s?

Sally J Freedman was my favourite, I must have taken it out of the library at least 50 times as a child/young teen. It's the one where she has a kidney infection and becomes convinced Hitler is alive and living in their building, right?
I might have to hunt it down for a re-read. I loved that book.

I’m another who loved the Judy Blume books as a tween/teen but was disappointed by her recent adult book.

Yes Hound that’s right!

Remember the title of Sally J Freedman but can't remember the story! Might have to reread.

Another Judy Blume fan here - I still have most of them upstairs and do reread on occasion! Haven’t read some for a while though so might have to revisit.

28. The Child by Fiona Barton

I didn’t think much of The Widow when that came out a couple of years ago, but thought I would give her another go. This was better, but I found it hard to get into at first (there are lots of short chapters told be several different people and it took a while to work out who was who) plus I worked out the twist early on then got very frustrated with the characters when they hadn’t worked it out! I did want to keep reading though to find out how the twist happened.