50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Seven

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the seventh 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, the fourth one here, the fifth one here, and the sixth one here.

Welcome lavendar

Update from me:

1. Why Mummy Drinks by Gill Sims.
2. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
3. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie.

4 Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie.

1. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
2. "Blink" Malcolm Gladwell.
3. "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig.
4. "Persepolis RIsing" by James SA Corey.
5. “Guernica” by Dave Boling.

10. “Harvest” by Tess Gerritsen. 11. "Grit" by Angela Duckworth. 12. "The Hive" by Gill Hornby. 13. "The Nix" by Nathan Hill. 14. "That's My Boy" by Jenni Murray. 15. "The Dispossessed" by Ursula K Le Guin. 16. "Room" by Emma Donaghue. 17. "No Logo" by Naomi Klein. 18. "French Children Don't Throw Food" by Pamela Druckerman. 19. "The Martian" by Andy Weir. 20. "Freedom Climbers" by Bernadette McDonald. 21. "From Dictatorship to Democracy" by Gene Sharp. 22. "Children of Time" by Adrian Tkchaikosvky. 23. "Three Body Problem" by Cixin Liu. 24. "Poverty Safari" by Darren McGarvey. 25. "Quite Ugly One Morning" by Christopher Brookmyre. 26. "The Secret Lives of Colour" by Kassia St Clair. 27. "The Dark Forest" by Cixin Liu. Second in the Three Body Problem trilogy. Books like this make me wonder where some people get their imagination. Utterly bonkers. Loved it. Have ordered part 3 from the library and feeling impatient. 28. "Revolting Scotland" by Jeff Fallow. It was raining yesterday so put Frozen on for the toddler and pulled this off the bookshelf (one of my DH's random books). It was published in 1992 so missing some key bits of modern Scottish history but it is basically an illustrated canter through famous revolts in Scottish history. It felt like it was aimed at high school students (it probably was my DH's at school given the age of the edition). Too simplistic for me.

Oh, I loved Doreen too. So interesting to see an adult's perspective on what evacuation did to families, when we're used to reading about it as a stock get-rid-of-the-parents trope in books like Carrie's War and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Did you know we were the only country in WW2 that did it? In a systematic way, I mean, although I imagine individual families took themselves out of the cities in places like Berlin.

Keith, I think it was the obscurity of it that he found most surprising - if we'd all been reading Margaret Atwood or Hilary Mantel or someone he wouldn't have been so surprised. Although, yes, MN, doesn't have a great reputation in the wider world ...

Heartburn is one of my favourite books, how nice to see it being so enjoyed here . In real life, the philandering husband was Carl Bernstein, as in Woodward & Bernstein/ Watergate journalists.

I had a quiet week away with lots of reading time, and finally got round to two books from my TBR pile which have already been much read/reviewed on here, so I won't go into much detail:

54 Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders
As many of you know, this is not written in a normal novelistic style at all - I realised after a while, once I had got used to it, that what it most reminded me of was a Beckett play, particularly the sections with just the main two or three ghosts. Surprisingly enjoyable.

55 Why I Am No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge
There are lots of valid criticisms of this book - the copy editor really wasn't doing his/her job properly, for a start, and there was some sloppy writing and not-very-well-backed-up arguments - but it was still worth reading.

56 The Awakening - Kate Chopin
I picked this up because I saw it had an introduction by Barbara Kingsolver, who is one of my favourite novelists, so her recommendation carries some weight for me. It is an early feminist classic, which I had never heard of: published in 1899, set in New Orleans (and a beach resort not far away), telling the story of a young, married mother-of-two, who experiences a sudden realisation of what her life is and what it could be. She attempts to break free from the constraints of marriage, family responsibilities and convention, but for women of her age, class and position in those days that way leads to tragedy.

In fact, her struggles are still those faced by many women today and the book is in many ways timeless, though there are a few jarring elements and use of vocabulary (particularly coming straight after reading "Why I am no longer talking..."), such as references to mulattos and darkies, but this is a book of the American South in the late 19th century, so only to be expected. Apparently Chopin's portrayal of female desire was scandalous at the time (condemned by Willa Cather, among others), not to mention the idea that a woman might not find marriage and motherhood totally fulfilling. Highly recommended.

Forced myself to finish The Summer of Impossible Things. One impossible thing : that anyone could think this is a good book. I need to stop being drawn to chick lit books by their covers. I never enjoy them.

I am overruling the random number generator to start Vanity Fair next, in advance of the ITV adaptation, and on the recommendation of fellow readers!

I hadn't thought of Bardo as Becket-esque on reading it, because I was too busy being annoyed by the enormous member, but YES!

I've just read the sample of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris and really liked it, but is it worth six English pounds?

I've just restarted Vanity Fair Piggy. I splashed out and bought a lovely Oxford World's Classics (a la Bleak House) because I like all the additional explanatory notes.

42, and its not even Douglas Adams... Read The co-ops got bananas by Hunter Davies which is an account of growing up in the 40's 50's. Contains some really good social history but some of the rags to success quotes on the cover annoyed me. His father (when working) had a good job, his mother read Dickens. Hardly coal in the bath an a slice of lard fer yer tea. But then I grew up up North, and by 'eck we 'ad it 'ard...

scribbly, they are even selling it in Sainsburys now (with one of those horrible TV tie in covers). Wonder if it will fly off the shelves!

Urgh, horrid tv cover, oh no no no, you want a nice old painting with men in uniform on the front don’t you.

Doreen sounds very interesting. Luckily, my library has a copy - I can’t justify spending £15 on buying a copy. Are Persephone books always so expensive?

I’ve signed up for Vanity Fair free on my Pigeonhole app (as well as the new Lisa Purcell one): 35 daily half hour long “staves” makes it seem more manageable!

What is this Pigeonhole app you speak of??

I love Vanity Fair, but I have such a vivid mental picture of Becky, Rawdon et al that I suspect watching an adaptation would just be All Wrong

Sheesh, Persephone have booted up their prices, southeast. I haven't bought any new ones for years - they used to be £9 iirc. I tend to snap up anything I see in charity shops, if I fancy them and haven't got them already glances guiltily at two largish shelves of tastefully grey-backed volumes

Ooh I've just been having a look at Pigeonhole. Murine have you used it much?

Sadik but that’s half the pleasure, moaning and bitching about an adaptation .

Terpsichore - you need to go direct to the Persephone bookshop - I was there earlier this year and it was £30 for three books, with a free Persephone totebag. But then again, maybe you shouldn't...

I am also very well attuned to spotting grey spines of a certain size in second-hand bookshops - my best find was a mint one for £1 at a National Trust place.

I started using pigeonhole in February ScribblyGum, and found the books to be generally much better than I would’ve expected! Catherine McNamara’s short stories were excellent for example, and I enjoy being able to chat with other readers as we read: Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware and Elizabeth Fremantle’s books were great for that, lots of guessing whodunnit!
It’s a free app which releases books in short,daily sections Piggywaspushed, some prior to publication, and a lot of classics too which you can read at your own pace. I like it, there’s been a few books where the author has joined in the chat too which makes it really interesting.

thepigeonhole.com/
Oops, I forgot the link!

Fair point Scribbly - I only ever watch Jane Austen adaptations so I can bitch & moan (has to be with DM for best quality bitching and moaning - I think she could probably recite JA's entire works word for word if put to it and takes personal offence at any dubious interpretations)

Sounds good murine. I only read physical books generally and my Kindle is gathering dust but I quite like the idea for long books.

I don't own a tablet, though , so it may be a non starter!

64 The Unfolding of Language by Guy Deutscher

Exploration of the way in which language evolved, and of the continuing process of evolution. This was very interesting, but quite hard going at times - I'm pleased to have read it, but it's taken me quite a while and I did a bit of skimming at times. Definitely lots of new ideas to think about though (and I've read a fair bit about linguistics in the past).

Vanity Fair is the only book I have given up on ... didn't engage with the characters, the war bits were boring () and it was way too long.

141. Everything About You by Heather Child

I was expecting a psychological thriller from the blurb. However it’s actually sort of sci-fi, set in a future with lots of technology and ends up in some sort of virtual reality game. Really not my thing and I have absolutely no idea what was going on.

142. and 143. Truly, Madly, Greekly and Those Summer Nights by Mandy Baggot

Bog standard predictable twee chicklit. However they are set on Corfu and it was nice reading about the place where I am. Wouldn’t recommend otherwise though.

I’ve got some of my Persephone books from Abe books. Great for finding good condition secondhand copies. Also library and yes, spotting a grey spine on a bookshelf in charity shops.

exexpat grey observation re: Bardo and Becket. I enjoyed Bardo and didn’t spot that until you pointed it out, but agree it is very Waiting for Godot in places.