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?

Correction : that was book 16.

18. Sarah Bakewell - At the Existentialist Café

It has taken me a while to get through this one, which I picked up a couple of weeks ago in Waterstones on a whim, but it was well worth it. Basically, it's a biography of existentialism in terms of the development of the key ideas from phenomenology through to existentialism but not in terms of the arguments themselves. Rather, it focuses on the key figures and their lives as well as their thoughts. So as well as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau Ponty there is Edmund Hesserl, who founded phenomenology, Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers and many others. It does cover the actual philosophy but not in a heavy way. It's absolutely fascinating and extremely readable, and I've subsequently picked up Beauvoir's The Second Sex, which will also take a while to read.

Incidentally, for some reason I had always assumed Heidegger was 19th century so was surprised to discover he only died in 1976. Turns out he also had an unfortunate history as a Nazi sympathiser in the mid-1930s which, it seems, he never attempted explain post-war. Also, Sartre and Beauvoir initially supported the Soviet Union, but even after turning their backs on the Soviets were pro Mao and Pol Pot, so lots of problematic associations.

That sounds good, Indigo. Sadly, though, I now live a long way from London and going to the theatre is a dim and distant memory .

Maybe it will be something along the lines of Shirley Valentine? I did see that at the theatre - just one woman monologue. The film was very different.

Chessie - Hope you like Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. I have bought it, as I borrowed it from dd1 before and would probably like to re-read at some point.

chillie I can’t see Heidegger without thinking “was a boozy beggar who could think you under the table” I quite like the Very Short Introduction books for the philosophers - recommend them for lots of subjects actually - I had one for Martin.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes looks great, but I just can’t do it

I have bought Smoke Gets in your Eyes for my kindle and will probably hate you all for it - you have been warned!!! ;)

piggy I give you number 13 - lucky for some :)

indigo Thanks for the review. I like the sound of Testosterone Rex - have added it to my wish list...

OOooh... thanks nicemum !

That is Tall Oaks. No idea. It could be shit. Picked it up in Waitrose. Looks a quick read, so that'll make a change!

Yes, The Philosophers Song kept running through my mind as I was reading it, Satsuki!

I’ve only read 4 so far:
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer - borrowed it off my mum. OK, a bit contrived
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively - really enjoyed this one
Espedair Street by Iain Banks - not my favourite of his but still enjoyed
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - loved this and learnt a lot about the Biafran war.

piggy not my kind of book - don't blame me if it's shite :) I just picked the number!

curlyshabtree I really thought that I'd already read Half of a Yellow Sun but now I'm not sure I have... added to my list :)

No blame can be attached to a randomly picked book nicemum : fear not!

20 - Home Fire by Kamila Shamsi

I didn't make the Antigone connection until I read the reviews, but the book works even without knowing the story of Antigone and her brother. This was a great novel, the kind I often hope I am about to read, but rarely find. I loved the characters and the way the story unrolled. I thought the movement between jihadism, and what it means to be a British Muslim, and a love story, was well done, although I missed Isma's disappearance from the story towards the end of the book. The writing was really well done, and the ending took my breath away.

21 - Endurance by Alfred Lansing

Easily my book of the year so far, and the only book that, having listened to on Audible, I have gone out and bought a copy of straight away. If you'd asked me about Shackleton, I'd have said his ship got stuck in the ice and they weren't rescued for a while. Which is sort of true but oh my word, what a story. It's the most extraordinary story of survival and perseverance imaginable, and yet extraordinarily not one of them died. I looked at the distance from Elephant Island to South Georgia this morning and couldn't believe they managed to row there after a winter on the ice pack and all the hardships they'd endured. And then just as you think they've made it, they have to climb an almost un-climbable mountain not even knowing if there would be anyone on the other side to help them. Really it is an incredible story and the book is very well written. I find audiobooks can be a bit tricky to follow, as I usually listen to them while I am doing other things, but I had such a clear sense of geography at all times and the misery and elation they all experienced.

(1) Witch is When Life Got Complicated by Adele Abbott
(2) Witch is Where It All Began by Adele Abbott
(3) Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller
(4) Die Last by Tony Parsons
(5) Restaurant Babylon by Imogen Edwards Jones
(6) The Sugar Men by Ray Kingfisher
(7) The Hospital by Barbara O'Hare
(8) Fade Out by Rachel Caine
(9) Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim
(10) Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
(11) Would You Like Some Magic With That by Annie Salisbury
(12) The Ride Delegate by Annie Salisbury
(13) The Magdalen Laundries by Lisa Michelle Odgaard
(14) Just What Kind of Mother Are You by Paula Daly
(15) Amber Earns Her Ears by Amber Michelle Sewell
(16) Breathe by Sarah Crossan
(17) Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine
(18) Ghost Town by Rachel Caine
(19) A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams by Jeff Pearce
(20) Dead Man Running by Martin McGartland
(21) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(22) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Again nothing to say, nice easy read which got me out of a slump

15. Midnights Children I can see why this has the reception it has, but while I loved it to start with I found the last third a real slog

1. Eleanor Marx by Rachel Holmes

Really readable biography of Karl Marx’s youngest daughter. I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of her but she achieved so much in her (too short) life. Lots of interesting commentary on the misogyny and anti-semitism from her fellow socialists (plus ça change as we say in France). Next book is likely to be extremely lightweight!

That sounds fascinating Chilli, I have just downloaded it but I think it might take me a while to read! Do you think any previous knowledge of philosophy would be helpful?

You'll be fine without prior knowledge Tanaqui, I didn't really know anything about existentialism and hadn't come across phenomenology at all. There are explanations of the key ideas as they come up so it is a good introduction to the subject and I liked how it was all put into context of what was going on in the world at the time.

If you are aware of either/both, or bits of earlier philosophy (mainly Descartes) then it might be useful, but it's not essential.

@TheTurnOfTheScrew Was that the one where the man falls down the cliff thingy? I think all the Agatha Christies have sort of blurred together in my mind. I did have a phase of reading loads for a few months a couple of years ago - finished my two local libraries' collections but haven't bothered to branch out any further. I wonder how many she wrote in total...

cheminotte the Eleanor Marx book is in my wishlist to be bought next month so it is good to hear that you enjoyed it as it costs a bit more than I usually can spend.

I sent the Eleanor Marx book to my mum in America and she said she enjoyed it. It's in my own Amazon shopping list and parked in my secondary tbr list (which is the books I haven't bought yet/ can't quite face at this time because too long [A Suitable Boy and War and Peace...]

queen Midnight's Children is on my list for this year. One of those books I know I should have read since I blag knowledge about Rushdie whilst teaching Arundhati Roy...

Started it a few times and never managed to keep going. Determined to do it !

I very rarely buy new books Kikashi and this one was a specially requested as a Christmas present. Could you see if it’s available at your library or second hand from Amazon? I’ve had a number of books for about £2.50 from there (I.e. 99p plus postage) when I’ve been after a specific book.
I believe she has also written a book about Emmeline Pankhurst but that will have to wait.
I still have £10 birthday money to spend and can’t decide between A woman’s work (Harriet Harman’s autobiography) or Caitlin Moran’s book. Opinions welcome.