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?

I hated The Children Act. Dire, manipulative, dreadful book.

Ah sorry, what I meant was I wasn't sure whether the things that annoyed me about TCA were the known things that people find annoying about McEwan, or just my own idiosyncratic annoyances :)

I didn't hate the book - it was certainly readable and stylistically poised. Just annoying

Oh I see. readable and stylistically poised. Just annoying - McEwan in a Nutshell

46. A Very English Scandal by John Preston

Reviewed on here several times. It was certainly an interesting read. I'm surprised that I had never heard of the Jeremy Thorpe scandal despite it occuring in relatively recent history. While the writing was certainly easy and engaging I felt the tone was a bit too light hearted and Billy Bunteresque. The case is another example of how men of the establishment during the 60s and 70s were able to get away with appalling crimes (the child sex abusers Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith are both mentioned) by people also in power looking the other way and protecting their own interests. I don’t feel Preston really pushes this point though. Instead we get a detailed account written in a rolling eyes ‘silly boys’ manner.

Perhaps I'm being over critical as my last read, A Spy Among Friends about Kim Philby is very similar in its themes; rich, powerful men getting away with appalling crimes because the establishment could not and would not believe one of their own capable of such behaviour. This book is written in a style more in keeping with the seriousness of the events told, and the story far, far more shocking than that of Thorpe's.

Nevertheless I’m looking forward to watching the BBC adaptation.

I hate Ian McEwan after reading Sweet Tooth. It was dire.

I like Ian McEwan!

Overdue catch-up:

46) The Making of the Wind in the Willows, Peter Hunt
I'm intrigued by the story behind the creation of certain children's classics - Alice, Peter Pan etc, so was very keen on this. I'd previously read a quite dated biography of Kenneth Graham, and I find it deeply poignant that The Wind in the Willows, that quintessential story of male friendship, was written for his son, nicknamed Mouse, who doesn't really seem to have friends, who was sickly and bullied at school and committed suicide shortly before he turned 20. Unfortunately, this slender volume didn't add to what I already knew. It's a pretty book, with lovely illustrations, but very slight.

47) Gulp, by Mary Roach
Popular science book about the digestive system. I've enjoyed some of her other books. This one had some interesting anecdotes, but she relies too much on jokes about scientists' names for the humour, and it was a bit wearing.

48) Uneasy Street: The Anxieties of Affluence, by Rachel Sherman
Sociology book about how New York elites perceive themselves. They need to see themselves as hard-working (so even if not currently working, they invoke the fact that they used to work, or could work if needed, or someone close. eg. husband is hard-working), reasonable in their expenditure (big spends are portrayed as rare treats), and contributors to society - they're not like those rich assholes over there, oh no. Gives me a new perspective on certain Mumsnet threads....Found this immensely readable.

49) All Clear, Connie Willis
The follow-up to her earlier book about historians from the future who end up stranded during World War II. Together the two books go on and on for over 1200 pages, which felt a bit too long at various points. However, I'm glad I stuck it out, because I did feel quite invested in the characters by the end, and was moved by their eventual fate. Not as light-hearted as the Chronicles of St Marys - quite evocative of ordinary life against the backdrop of war.

50. The Dark Angel, Elly Griffiths.
Latest in this crime fiction series starring Ruth Galloway, an archaeologist, single mother and sometime lover of the main police officer in the series. This book takes them to Italy, which I enjoyed.

51) Smoke and Mirrors, Elly Griffiths
As I like her Ruth Galloway series, I thought I'd try the same author's other crime fiction series, set in 1951 and featuring a stage magician. Liked the characters, will probably read others in the series.

52. To Throw Away Unopened, Viv Albertine
A stand-out read. Memoir by former musician (with The Slits), looking back at her childhood and how her parents' bitter divorce shaped her. Honest, moving, funny - highly recommended.

53. Old Bones, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Competent police procedural. Ah, the allure of crime fiction - someone competent and ethical who cares is out there, ready to catch the bad guys.

Piggy having enjoyed Gillespie and I I urge you to seek out The Observations by the same author. It's even better.

Seconded. I loved The Observations. It's got some dark themes but the narrator's voice was delightful.

I don't think I've read any Ian McEwan. Rather embarrassingly I always seem to get him mixed up with other authors -- Murakami (always think Ian McEwan wrote Never Let Me go) and Ian Banks. To be honest he's never really appealed, although that might be because of all the criticism of never Let Me Go I've read on here, which... might be the tiniest bit unfair.

And as an aside, I seem to remember some talk of another memoir of childhood reading that wasn't the Lucy Mangan one. Does anyone happen to know what it was, please? Amazon is bugger all help...

It was The Child That Books Built, Corvus.

Yes! Thank you, Southeast

I've managed about 3 pages of The Child That Books Built so far - picked it up in the library while I was waiting for Bookworm, but it really hasn't appealed so far.

I've got A Spy Among Friends on my tbr list Scribbly, so glad to see your good review (I wasn't wildly taken with A Very English Scandal either)

Murakami didn’t write Never Let Me Go either so doubly unfair You’re thinking of Ishiguro?

Corvus, I am not a huge Ishiguro fan (Murakami being another matter altogether ) but I really liked Never Let Me Go. I understand why others find it frustrating but I would encourage you to give it a go and see what you think.

It’s really very good Sadik. I had no idea that so many people died as a result of Philby's spying.

exexpat thank you for reminding me about Lillian Boxfish goes for a Walk. One of the American booktubers I follow loved it last year so while I was on holiday in the States I went into a bookshop to see if I could buy a copy, except I couldn’t remember what it was called.
“I'm looking for a book about an old woman who goes for a walk somewhere please.”
“I see [baffled] Can you remember anything about the title?”
“Um, something about a jellyfish, an old lady name and then jellyfish. ”
“There’s an old lady and a jellyfish going for a walk?”
“No, no her name is something, like Barbara Jellyfish, although it might not be Jellyfish. Something fish I think, and her first name isn’t Barbara it’s like Barbara.”
[blank face]
“Can you remember where she was walking?”
“Um, not really, somewhere in America I think. She's fictional by the way. It's meant to be very good.”
“No we don’t have that book.”
They didn’t even bother to look it up! Lost a sale there.

Ooh is it time to berate Never Let Me Go again?

Argh, yes, Ishiguro. well, that joke backfired, didn't it? On Ishiguro, I quite enjoyed The Buried Giant, although knowing my luck at the moment that'll turn out to have been written by Ian McEwan.

Scribbly, Although now I'm sad that there are probably no books about old women going for walks with jellyfish, and probably never will be. A travesty, it is

14. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill

This "Omnibus" comprised of Volumes I and II of the comic series by the same name. I borrowed it from DD and expected it to be more or less in line with the film, but was surprised to see that it is far more violent and... err... adult. Especially the part where Mr Hyde rapes the Invisible Man made me and question the wisdom of giving DD comic books I haven't yet read.

Anyway. It was not bad but not great, either. Some parts were well done, like where MI6 guy says (re Dr Moreau's half-animal hybrids - I paraphrase) "Why would we need strong men of low intelligence with bare minimum language skills? We already have soldiers".

I was surprised that Mina Harker (of Dracula) seemed to be just some lady with no vampire powers or urges.

I thought it was intentional Corvus

Have now looked at my tbr list and realised it was Enemies Within that I'd planned to read - but actually, A Spy Among Friends looks much better and is much cheaper as not just new out, so have bought a copy :)

On which note, before I splash out a whole £4.29, has anyone read Divided, the new Tim Marshall book (of Prisoners of Geography)?

Is that a book recommendation from Leslie above or spam? I could do with losing a few pounds .

Really enjoying Conclave though it reminds me of something I’ve read before.

@corvus

I’ve just finished Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood, and quite enjoyed it. Will review later.

corvus, tis is fine. I like dark themes

When I marked GCSE Lit, it was fairly standard to call Lord of the Flies Lord of the Rings but Lord of the Dance made me spit out my tea (on to said exam paper ... oops)

The Child That Books Built is quite different. Less giggling about SVH and more musing about the place of the forest in literature aimed at early childhood.