50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Four

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth 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, the second one here and the third one here.

How're you getting on so far?

splother nodding away here at “humorous” Victoria Wood dialogue gone flat. Spot on.

Did you see the recent article in the Guardian about ’Up Lit’ fiction, which Eleanor and Elsie are recent examples of. So it’s a thing now, fiction to lift the soul 😐

I wouldn't say Ready Player One is cyberpunk in feel at all. If you want a good intro to cyberpunk that is an easier read than Snowcrash (fabulous though it is), I'd suggest the short story collection 'Mirrorshades' put together by Bruce Sterling. (Since AFAIK it's long out of print, try googling 'Mozart in Mirrorshades pdf' for a free read of the sort-of-title story.)

18 An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

A sort-of-mystery novel set in Oxford in the 1660s. Robert Grove, a fellow of New College dies in unexplained circumstances. The book is made up of four separate accounts of the circumstances surrounding his death. It's a classic unreliable narrator experience, and there were a lot of things about the book that I liked a lot - particularly the political & religious elements. I felt the author did an excellent job of writing from the perspective of people for whom the absolute truth of religion is a central part of their life. I did find it very, very slow to get going - its 700-odd pages, and it took me until well into the second narrator's section to be gripped. There was also a bit too much 'look how much I know about life in the 16th Century' for my taste. But overall, a good read - it's the second book of his I've read, & I'll definitely read more at some point in the future.

"So it’s a thing now, fiction to lift the soul "

I may be old fashioned, but if I want fiction to lift my soul, I'd go for something like The Screwtape Letters . . . (and that's despite being a dyed-in-the-wool atheist).

Scribbly Thanks for the article. I did think of Rachel Joyce while I was reading Elsie.
The fact that this article concentrates heavily on Ruth Hogan - author of The Keeper of Lost Things tells me everything I need to know. That book was so bad it still gives me unreasonable rage when ever I think about it. Give me a bit of misery!

Cyberpunk features antiheroes, often hackers (hence "punk") living an underground existence in an urban setting. Computer technology and internet are indispensable elements (hence "cyber").

I was pondering it purely on what cote said here ^^ sadik and thought it might be a possibility. I haven’t really read much in general myself.

Sorry Satsuki, wasn't meaning to be critical, and I can't say why Ready Player One isn't Cyberpunk (sure Cote can be more analytical), but I'd say it doesn't have that feel to it at all.

Sadik. Anything attempting to be overtly cheering gives me the absolute splayed toe. See also under Mama Mia singalongs and fancy dress parties. Might have to revisit The Screw Tape Letters it’s been years and years since I read it last.

Good to know splother

19. Perfect - Cecelia Ahern

The sequel to book 17 on my list. The story continues for “flawed” girl Celestine North.

I had a week off work and this was escapism. I enjoyed the story and thought it worked well as a YA book.

That’s all right sadik I was just clarifying my suggestion (and my ignorance of the genre!)

I agree about uplifting things - I think they are a lot harder to write a successfully without it feeling contrived and syrupy or superficial. Some otherwise quite heavy stories of tragedy or endurance or endeavour are often most “uplifting”. I do like funny and happy stories though but it is difficult to find good ones.

After reading that article, 'uplit' sounds like a transparent and somewhat laughable way that publishers have come up with to describe chick lit with social issues. I've read one book mentioned in that article (the ubiquitous Eleanor Oliphant) and it was so awful I won't bother with the rest.

12. How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen Joanna Faber and Julie King Strategies for dealing with small people (don't punish, try and find solutions together, acknowledge and articulate feelings, be playful, remove sources of conflict/take child away from difficult situations if possible, treat children's emotions with respect). The relentless American sample dialogue was a bit over-cheerful and it did get a bit repetitive, but this is basically how I try and parent already, so I agreed with most of what they suggest. I think my mother may have read a similar book, as I remember the 'let's come up with a solution together' tactic being brought out when I was a kid and how annoying I used to find it. "Why do I have to do all the work? Just fix it already!" Some good ideas though - I liked their thoughts on how to deal with telling tales and I could definitely use more playfulness with DS. Remus I honestly think that passage is one of the most erotic things I've ever read. Which is pretty good going for a description of a man reading.

Yes - it is very sexy.

1. Music In The Baroque Era - From Monteverdi To Bach by Manfred f. Bukofzer

This was a fantastic reference book with in-depth analyses of the music, themes, harmony, social structure etc during the Baroque era. It was very good in the details, especially regarding the subtle changes between the times and places, in the evolution from Renaissance into Early Baroque with Monteverdi et al, all the way to the Late Baroque times of J S Bach, Handel, and Rameau (my favourite composers).

There is a great chapter comparing Handel and J S Bach, with examples of their work. I also found the part on castrati (castrated male singers) very interesting.

A must-read for anyone (anyone?) interested in this subject

1. The Harpsichord and the Clavichord by Raymond Russell

I borrowed this one from my harpsichord teacher. I don't know how she read it as it was very detailed & technical, and she speaks no English

This book was about the different kinds of keyboard instruments that came before the piano (or piano-forte, as the first examples were called): Clavichord, Virginal, Spinet, and of course Harpsichord. In it was all kinds of very detailed information about how exactly each instrument works, their different registers/stops, and differences in how they were made in different countries.

I found particularly interesting the two-page discussion about Handel's harpsichord and the list of J S Bach's keyboard instruments as found in his will.

And bringing my list over:

1. Music In The Baroque Era - From Monteverdi To Bach by Manfred f. Bukofzer
2. Deep State by Walter Jon Williams
3. Bach à Son Temps by Gilles Cantagrel
4. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
5. Killer Instinct by Joseph Finder
6. A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
7. High Crimes by Joseph Finder
8. Would They Lie To You? by Robert Hutton

9. Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance
I listened to this on Audible after it got lots of mentions on the 50 books threads last year. I suspect it's release coinciding with Trump coming to power with lots of focus on white, working class Americans probably increased interest and helped sales.
It is described as 'A memoir of a family and culture in crisis', and when it combined both of these threads, I found it really interesting. Some of the sections that are purely family stories didn't hold my attention as much. I knew very little about the 'hillbilly' culture that the author describes, but when he used examples from his own life to make points about the wider culture of his family background, I found his insights interesting and could see parallels with my local community (though there's far fewer fast food outlets and gun related incidents where I live!).

11. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. Already recommended by several people on this thread, and I'm happy to add my voice to the chorus. This is Noah's memoir of growing up in South Africa as a mixed race child (black mother, white father) at a time when this was illegal. His personal stories are interspersed with more general commentary on Apartheid. Really interesting.

12. The Silence Between Breaths by Cath Staincliffe. Fiction about a group of people of different ages and backgrounds; the thing they have in common is that they are all on the same train from Manchester to Euston. This was quite good - not bad, not brilliant.

Born A Crime is being made into a film now I think.
I absolutely loved the book

51. Amsterdam- Ian McEwan Cold and snowy today, inside reading while DS1 'revises '(!)
Now I have got to the end of this I think I have read it before. McEwan and I have a tricky relationship. This one wasn't too bad. It was short (under 200 pages), favoured dialogue rather than the long self congratulatory descriptions that McEwan likes to indulge in and his arrogance worked well in the context of the story.
Begins with the death of a successful 46 year journalist, attractive and brilliant. Follows 4 of her lovers, equally successful as their egos begin to compete and destroy them,

19. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. (Audible)

Non fiction account of the persecution of the Osage American Indians and a brief history of the beginnings of the modern FBI. Depressing in its reality, the book describes the targeting and killing of rich Osage Indians for their oil fortune and the collusion of government, local businessmen and ‘upstanding’ citizens in the persecution. Told in three parts and by three narrators, I thought the middle story was the best. Eye-opening.

20. The Risk of Darkness (Simon Serailler Book 3 by Susan Hill.

Crime thriller. DI Serailler solving the case of child abductions but also about his family and relationships and a peripheral case. Quite liked it. It certainly help pass a train journey which should have been a plane journey. Thank you to the shitty randomness of EasyJet who cancelled my flight with no reason. Note to self; EasyJet are cheap for a reason. Rant over. 😤

I have added the two graphic novels, The Arab of the Future and My Favourites Thing is Monsters to my Wishlist. They look very interesting.

26/ A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Think this has been reviewed a few times already. This is a modern reimagining of Shakespeare's King Lear set in Iowa. The story follows the fathers sudden decision to hand over his farm to his three daughters and the aftermath.
I'm also currently reading King Lear.

11. Swedenborg’s Garden of Theology by Jonathon Rose A short, well written overview of the work of 18th Century scientist, philosopher, mathematician, writer, inventor and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg. I had heard of Swedenborg because I am interested in theology and psychology and decided to learn more about his experiences and teachings. There is overlap with near death experiences which I have also read a lot about and Swedenborg’s work is fascinating and challenging. I have other books on him in my to be read list.

I'm annoyed with myself because I was in a great reading groove, but it seems to have disappeared.

However, have just finished 23: Still Waters - Viveca Sten

If you can have such a thing as cosy Scandi crime, this is it - handsome detective Thomas investigates a series of baffling murders on the idyllic Swedish island of Sandhamn. It’s like a sort of Scandi Midsummer Murders, but so alluring on a miserable snowy weekend, with its descriptions of the beautiful Swedish archipelago in summer, and lovely picnics amid the blueberry bushes etc etc, that I forgave it everything, including the fact that I guessed whodunnit within about ten minutes. And I’ve now got the next two in the series on my kindle, sorry not sorry

12 The Wisdom of Near Death Experiences by Penny Sartori
Written by an ITU nurse who did a PhD in the area do NDEs this is an excellent and measured introduction to this fascinating aspect of human experience. It is totally unlike many of the other books on sale which are usually written by someone who has experienced an NDE and has a particular worldview and interpretation to sell. Sartori discusses many accounts of NDEs which she has been given during the course of her work and includes a chapter on the many and varied explanations for the NDE experience. The book is fully referenced so that readers can follow up anything that interests them and is academic in flavour.

19 - the establishment and how they get away with it - Owen jones

I did enjoy this but it's nothing I didn't know already.

Next up is buddah of suburbia which I'm hoping will be a bit lighter than some of my other recent reads