50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Five

[southeastdweller]

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

How're you getting on so far?

17. Madame Bovary -Gustave Flaubert

First time reading this, and what a treat - on the surface a cautionary tale of a young wife who, out of dissatisfaction with her provincial life, embarks on a series of ruinous affairs and spending sprees; but it tackles issues of class, love, family relationships, medicine, politics and religion while remaining elegant and tremendously readable.

I shall look into that sadi . Thanks.

32 A Very English Scandal

Account of the Jeremy Thorpe affair, reviewed by a number of people already. It's taken me ages to read this, and I didn't enjoy it as much as others. I think partly that may be because I knew the outlines of the story already, partly because I just found it painful how appallingly badly and incredibly, unbelievably stupidly so many of those involved behaved.

One thing I thought was missing was a real sense of what it was about Thorpe that inspired so many people to be so incredibly loyal to him - clearly he must have been an exceptional character to inspire such devotion.

Meg if Madame Bovary had had Mumsnet she would have been flamed and too right!

41.) The Outcasts of Time, Ian Mortimer -- It's 1348, and two brothers dying of the plague are offered a Faustian pact: either to die at home or to spend the next six days travelling forwards through time in 99 year increments, one day at a time, searching for redemption.

Wow, this was an odd one, although I should qualify that by saying upfront that I very much enjoyed it. Still... odd. It's by Ian Mortimer, the author of the Time Traveller's Guide series, and that shows. Most of the people the main character runs into seem rather more prone to expositionary dialogue than is perhaps realistic, and this often reads more like a novelised series of history lessons, heavy on social history... But I frigging love social history, so I really enjoyed this. The real joy is seeing the way the world shifts and changes through the centuries and seeing history from another perspective. Very interesting indeed.

~~

Next up a Ngaio Marsh, but I'm not sure which one off the top of my head. Whichever one it is that comes after A Surfeit of Lampreys.

Piggy, I totally agree re SVH. I was a voracious reader of rubbishy teen books and loved Judy Blume, Jan Mark, Lois Duncan and the whole series of Pan Horizons. SVH is mentally filed alongside New Kids on the Block for me as something I was just a bit too old and cool to ever be interested in. And I'm exactly the same age as Lucy Mangan (though I haven't read the book yet).

I was born in 1974 and I definitely read the Sweet Valley High books. Probably when I was about 11 - 13. Also read Judy Blume.

I am about 1/3 if the way through This thing was of Darkness. Loving it but absolutely starved of reading time at the moment - even resorted to reading in the car whilst my DH unloaded the car at the tip today!!
Going to try and push through tonight!

I read SVH pre 1989 - was a bit old for them myself, but dsis (born 1973) had some, so they were definitely around in the UK in the mid 80s. Also seem to remember loving Caroline Cooney about that sort of time, and again I was possibly almost too old for them. (also loved Blume, Duncan; and Jean Ure, and of course DWJ!)

39. The Break by Marian Keyes I love Marian, and I did enjoy this, but I thought it could have done with a bit of a heavier hand on the editing - some bits were fab (the daughters, the mother, Alastair and Tim), but others (the non linear time bit, Matthew) didn't add anything. Also, annoyingly I am only very slightly older than the narrating character, but I really didn't relate to her - I felt older! Even though I like online shopping!

Blackest Streets has been snatched back by Overdrive, and I don't know whether to dutifully re-order or breathe a sigh of relief!

I liked the non seeing metaphor in TCATC, but didn't watch it (have no BBC licence). Was it good? I like David Morrisey (he was fantastic in Julius Ceasar recently).

Absolutely loving Bookworm. The memories of my childhood books are like meeting up with old friends .

I can’t remember exactly when I read SVH and Judy Blume but I would have guessed late 80s. A bigger memory for me was reading It at around 14 or 15 (early 90s). And that starting a Stephen King-a-thon..

29. The Endless Summer by Madame Nielsen.

This is one of the books DH gave me for my birthday. It’s a translation from a Danish book, written in extremely long flowing sentences similar to the style of Elena Ferrante. The heady youthful Endless Summer with its endless possibilities and passion contrast with the later lives of the characters, it definitely had the Scandinavian sadness. Overall, though, I liked it; there were some nice thoughtful moments.

18. The Mabinogion

Been reading this in bits and pieces over a couple of months. The oldest British prose stories, they feature a collection of Arthurian legends, Welsh folk tales, and lots of knights galloping from one castle to another with lots of feasting and fighting. Interesting to see their influence on some modern literature (such as The Owl Service which directly draws from them) although tbh I kept thinking of Monty Python and the Holy Grail

I keep meaning to jump back on the thread but my list is embarrassingly short compared to most and also just embarrassing - being full of light, easy books, mostly.

However here goes:

1. Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
2. Mord am Morgen by André Klein
3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
4. Christmas at Thrush Green by Miss Read
5. The School at Thrush Green by Miss Read
6. The Year at Thrush Green by Miss Read
7. At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read
8. A Woman's Work by Harriet Harman
9. If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot
10. It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot
11. To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey
12. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves
13. Spark Joy by Marie Kondo
14. Oliver's Travels by Alan Plater
15. The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
16. The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey

I'm currently reading Bonnie Dundee by Rosemary Sutcliff and I should finish that today - lined up is Bonnie Dundee by Andrew Murray Scott

Just finished 31. Little Fires Everywhere : Celeste Ng.

This is a much lauded book and popular on Mumsnet. I was certainly a page turner and a quick read. I found the Mrs Birlingesque Mrs Richardson probably the most interesting character but I don't really know what is considered so great about this book. It doesn't have the literary merit I thought it would have and reads similarly to the grown up Judy Blume I read, or Chris Whitaker or Jane Harper : all good writers but not great. I liked it but no more than that. I am not sure I like American books : I did conclude this some time back. Not sure why as some American books are all time favourites of mine and I grew up on American literature. Maybe I wanted more high pathos and more comedy. Everyone was rather po- faced... and I really couldn't picture in my head at all the photographs that kept being described.

Onwards to Gillespie and I remus !! Enjoying it thus far but it's a 600 pager!!

It really is years since a book has really grabbed me. It's got to happen soon.

I managed to get both 'Mermaid' and the new Bernie Gunther from the library and have had a Kindle splurge too, so hopefully this lot will keep me quiet for a while. Must admit that I'm not terribly taken with the Kerr so far. Am also half way through a pretty dull Georgette Heyer which I've forgotten the title of.

There seems to have been lots of time for reading recently. All dcs have exams coming up so I’ve been in the back garden reading while they revise this weekend. Am looking forward to more of that tomorrow, and am planning to move on to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings which is my May “reading project*...a bit like a book club for one person where I read books I wouldn’t necessarily choose.

52 Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
I was spurred to read this by this thread. And very glad I did. I found the section on intersectionality particularly interesting and it’s something I’m really guilty of when I think of my own feminism and what it means. I’d love to think this book starts the conversation she says she wants but wonder if she’s badged by the media as “angry black woman” as she alludes to and whether that holds back proper debate.

53 Strangers Drowning by Larissa Macfarquhar
This was recommended by a colleague, and looks at why people practice extreme altruism - from giving away their entire salary to NGOs to donating kidneys and adopting and fostering numerous children. It’s a quirky and fascinating book with some extraordinary stories, and she weaves in moral philosophy effectively and lightly to shed light on what is going on. I’d really recommend this as something totally different and thought provoking.

54 - The Private Lives of the Tudors by Tracy Borman
This didn’t tell me much I didn’t know about Tudor history (and I’m far from an expert), and wasn’t hugely well written but when it did in fact focus on the private and personal aspects of the Tudor monarchs - from sex and clothing to friendships and medicine - it was pretty interesting.

55 - Gone by Min Kym
This was recommended upthread by karmatsunami85. It’s Kym’s account of her life as a violin prodigy and then the impact on her career and wellbeing when her Stradivarius was stolen. It’s a passionate and really well narrated book; for me, it was less the story of her childhood that captivated me and far more the way she told the story of her love affair with her violin. I found it quite thought provoking - she is very honest about the toxic relationship she was in at the time of the theft and the way the theft and relationship played off each other. It’s a wonderful book and a highlight of this year’s reading.

23. Stranger Karen David YA novel. A girl in 1904 befriends a boy who stumbles naked out of a Canadian forest, while in 1994, her great-granddaughter struggles to come to terms with her decision to have an abortion. I enjoyed this. Quick easy read.

Coming back to this a bit late - I read SVH endlessly and I was born in 1983. In the mid 90s they started publishing mini series and the quality went up (relatively speaking!) and I loved those. I think they had a new ghostwriter who actually had some better ideas. I remember the TV series starting but never watched it because the twins didn’t look right.

13. Lion: A long way home - Saroo Brierley

I'm sorry to say I found this a very dull book. Whilst the story of the little boy getting lost the way he did and surviving in terrifying conditions is amazing, and various parts of his story are heart-warming I just didn't like the way it was written. Extremely repetitive. One of the rare occasions when I wonder whether the film was better than the book. Anyone seen it?

I'd forgotten all about Sweet Valley High. What a blast from the past! Might have to add Bookworm to my wishlist...

38. Tom Holland - In the Shadow of the Sword

An incredibly absorbing account of the rise of Islam and the Arab Empire, set in the context of the decline and fall of both the Roman and Persian empires at the end of the age known as late antiquity. The bulk of the book covers the latter, examining the wars and internal struggles of Roman and Persia as well as the religious developments in Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Judaism, before turning to the rise of the Arabs into a dominant power alongside the development of Islam as a global religion and ending with the fall of the Umayyad caliphate to the Abbasid caliph in around 750. Really interesting read.

64. Thornlost, Melanie Rawn. Book 3 of the Glass Thorn series.

I'm too lost in the happy experience of reading these to manage to be particularly critical. I have a vague idea that a lot of this book is filler (such as detailed descriptions of pranks played by Mieka) and on a re-read I might find it all dragging, but on a first reading I sailed through it relishing the detail. Am I the only person that does this - really enjoys something on 1st reading, only to come back to it subsequently and then start noticing all the flaws? I am saddened to discover that the final book in the series (book 5) is not yet available on Kindle, and the hardback was an eyewatering £17. I have found a used copy for a fiver but it won't be delivered for 3 weeks so I am now reading book 4 somewhat more slowly in an attempt to spin it out.

remus, I have to report I am enjoying Gillespie and I, probably because it's set in Glasgow and has a bit in Helensburgh, two places dear to my heart. The woman saying 'Herriet Bexter' made me choke on my tea. Maybe it's a Scottish thing... I have a mug that says ' It's a Scottish thing... you wouldn't understand.'

I’ve seen Lion NiceMum ( but not read the book). It’s a really good, powerful film, though I was surprised it was a PG as it’s not something I’d be happy even my 10 year old watching. He has seen some 12s (StarWars, the Martian) that were less scary.

I watched Lion last week. I cried throughout the first half when the little boy was getting lost (because I kept imagining my own DS at that age) but found the second half a bit dull tbh.

30. Th3 Crow Trap -Ann Cleeves first of The Vera books. I thought I’d read all the Vera books but must have missed this one. Excellent who dunnit.

Piggy- the old woman is the best thing in the whole book, imvho.

53: Greeks Bearing Gifts – Philip Kerr
Sadly, Kerr died earlier this year, so this is the last Bernie Gunther book. Also sadly, it wasn’t very good. It's set in 1957, in Greece, and I must admit that I am far less interested in the ones which are not set in Nazi Germany. It also had huge writing to fill up a big hardback, but was actually pretty short on content. Dialogue was often unconvincing and sometimes just there to provide back story or show off some historical research, and the whole thing was a bit of a disappointment. I’m assuming that Kerr was already very ill whilst writing it, so feel bad being so critical, but it felt patchy throughout, was often dull and the ending would have been an anti-climax except that the rest of the book wasn’t much cop either.

26. The book thief

I ADORED this. I resented having to put it down at points. What a stunning book.