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.

You've intrigued me with your review of Gillespie and I, Toomuchsplother. I've just bought it on Audible with one of my jealously guarded credits. Generally good reviews on Amazon and Goodreads but seems to be a 'the less you know the better' book, as you said, so I'll look forward to finding out why!

Up dating on my reads:
34. Born A Crime much reviewed autobiography of comedian Trevor Noah growing up in South Africa. Pretty good, and nice to read a celebrity autobiography that has something to say but not a standout for me.

35. Why Mummy Drinks bought on the Kindle daily deal as I thought it would make good holiday reading, but sadly it didn't. I won't be reading the follow up but I wish the author well, I follow her on Facebook and her posts often make me smile but a whole book which basically read like an extended post was a bit tedious.

36. The Handmaid's Tale - really enjoyed this beautifully written dystopian novel. I'm 99% sure I read this as part of a Feminist or Women's Writing module at Uni. I can't believe it didn't make a bigger impression on me at the time, I can only think I either speed read it, or didn't get the concept, or both. I was brought back to this by the recent mini series but the source material doesn't come with any of the negative associations of torture porn that have been levelled at the TV adaptation, and the book also confirmed my suspicions that some of The Commanders actions portrayed in the series were out of character with his character as written. A stand out for me this year.

Back on track with the Bleak House read along having downloaded it on Audible (but not sure I'll be able to limit myself to three chapters a month from here on in) and I've also downloaded Vanity Fair onto my Kindle following all the discussion of both the book on here and the new series on the Telly Addicts thread.

Just wanted to mention The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson. Number 40 for me, and a real joy. I thought it was fascinating, about a real event, which I had never heard of, and featuring characters that I felt I could really identify with. The main character, Asta, struggles with the fact that she's brighter than any of the men she knows. She goes through horrendous events, but never stops thinking and using her mind. I think this is what saves her.
Strongly recommend this to everyone.

Which Wilkie Collins have you gone for, Terpsichore?

Desdemona the pressure!!! Really hope you enjoy it!

Something seriously weird is going on....this whole thread just vanished, causing me to start a TAAT to ask why.....I’m now posting from my phone as it seems that when I log in on my iPad, this entire thread simply disappears! Further investigation needed.

Remus, I’ve gone for No Name. It’s basically about illegitimacy, so pretty racy for Victorian fiction

68 The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, listened to on Audible.
The story of the mass migration of black Americans from South to North from the start of the 20th C through to the 1970s. Reviewed on a previous thread by Dottie.

The story is told mainly through the experience of three individuals - Ida Mae Gladney who left Mississippi for Chicago in 1937, George Starling who moved from Florida to New York in 1945, and Robert Foster, a doctor who moved from Louisiana to California in 1953 (later becoming physician to Ray Charles and featuring in one of his songs). Overall this was definitely a good read (or rather listen), but I felt it suffered a bit from the very small number of case studies. Comparing for example to 'Evicted' by Matthew Desmond, or 'Gang Leader for a Day' by Sudhir Venkatesh, which take a similar approach to telling a sociological story through the experiences of individuals, this felt a bit narrow - it would have been good for me if the author had spoken more about her subjects' spouses / neighbours / friends (who she obviously interviewed extensively for her research) and also brought in some of her wider interview research (she talks in her methodology about having started with a much wider group of subjects). In some ways I found her general sections drawing on other published research more interesting. Still well worth the time (22 hours!) though, and I'd recommend to anyone interested in a pretty un-discussed section of US history.

40. Normal People - Sally Rooney. Loved this character study that follows two people from their late teens to their their twenties, set recently in southern Ireland. It's not a book for those of you for which plot is the most important aspect in a novel - this is about characters, and her characters felt painfully real. Her writing, just as with Conversations With Friends, is sharp, fresh, insightful and intelligent, and I really hope the book makes the Man Booker shortlist later this month.

There's a great review of Discovery of Witches on Goodreads by a woman called Jenne, worth searching out. It starts like this:

Diana: I am exceptionally good at being a historian of science, and I even have a job at Yale! I am also a witch, but I don't use my powers. Much.
Gosh this mysterious manuscript sure is mysterious!

Matthew: I AM TALL. I WENT THROUGH YOUR PAPERS AND THEN CAME TO YOUR HOUSE AND WATCHED YOU SLEEP.
ALSO, I'M AN ANCIENT VAMPIRE.

Diana: Um, okay?

Matthew: SAY WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO SOME VAMPIRE YOGA WITH ME?
THAT IS NOT A EUPHEMISM, BY THE WAY.

A big YY to whoever posted upthread about The Land of Green Ginger, which was a book we loved as children. I'd love to search it out again. On the same note, Emgee, how does Laura Ingalls Wilder stand up to re-reading as an adult? I lived and breathed prairie life when I was about 9-10 but have never gone back to them - I think I'm afraid I will be disappointed.

I've also learned from the this thread that Noel Streatfeild was a woman, having always imagined her to be a man with a love of ballet and ice skating. I'd only seen the name Noel in The Treasure Seekers, so it was established in my head as a boy's name.

Amazon Monthly Deal: I bought The Dark Net which had good reviews here and which I am looking forward to reading.

77. Lord of the Flies, William Golding

Reading along with DS1 who is studying it for GCSE and had to read over the summer holidays. I know it's been discussed several times here before. I'd read it as a teen myself but had completely forgotten quite how scary it gets towards the end. Also found myself noticing elements that had passed me by last time - Piggy's accent, for example. A fantastic book, deserves its place as a classic without a doubt.

78. When I Lived in Modern Times, Linda Grant

This is the story of Evelyn, a young Jewish girl from the East End. When her mother dies shortly after the end of WW2, Evelyn finds her way into British-run Palestine, having been inspired by the Zionist books lent to her by her mother's older boyfriend. She initially joins a kibbutz before moving on to a beautifully described Tel Aviv, where she falls in love with Johnny, a freedom fighter or terrorist. It's a period of Middle Eastern history that I wasn't familiar with and the depiction of time and place is absolutely cracking - Grant apparently immersed herself in letters written at the time to pick up on the details of every day life as well as the speech patterns and slang. It wasn't an effortless read - she does tend to make her characters discuss their politics and philosophy as though they were making speeches, and although those differing viewpoints are the thing that make this so interesting, it can get a bit tiresome. I'd recommend it though, a thought-provoking book about a pivotal time in modern history.

No Name is my favourite Collins, Terpsi. You're in for a treat.

I've re-read Laura Ingalls Wilder as an adult (read the whole series to dd) and I think they stand up really well. I particularly enjoyed Farmer Boy about her husband's early years which I didn't have when I was young.

Although obviously Ma's racist attitudes towards native Americans are much more noticeable now, I think they are actually balanced out somewhat by Pa's more nuanced views (including pointing out that they were there first, that in some cases the Ingalls are on land that was meant to not be settled etc)

Re-reading the series led me into finding out more about Laura's actual life, the extent to which the books were fictionalised / timelines changed etc, which was fascinating.

keith I knew Noel Streatfield was a Woman, somehow always assumed it, but only just discovered Richmal Crompton of Just William was a woman and blew my mind slightly.

Yes agree she could probably have shortened the book considerably pepe I probably will read the others eventually though.
Enjoyed the review Keith don't need to watch the TV show now, she's summed it up perfectly.
35. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell am recovering from a bug and read this today snuggled up under a blanket. Really gripping read, perfect for reading in one sitting. Such a sad tale.

29. The Snow Goose & The Small Miracle - Paul Gallico
The Snow Goose was mentioned on this thread just moments before I stepped into a 2nd hand book shop and saw it :) It would have been rude to refuse!!
2 charming and poignant tales of animals and small humans. What's not to love? Will be handing over to my DDs to see what they make of it.

I've got FOMO for Lonesome Dove so have just downloaded on the Kindle.

Continuing to catch up on my neglected list -

36. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
When I reviewed Everything I Never Told you in my last update, I realised I had not yet updated LFE. For some reason this book came at the right time for me, and I devoured it in about three days and left it a five star review on Goodreads - rare for me. I enjoyed the upheaval foisted upon Shaker Heights and the karma that engulfs the smug matriarch Elena Richardson.

37. Bonjour Tristesse and A Certain Smile by Francoise Sagan
These two novellas were contained in one paperback I stumbled upon in the library. They were both outwardly light but had a darker undercurrent, and oh so French! Originally published in 1954, I am sure it has gone a long way towards embodying the mystique of the French woman. I wish I had read it whilst en France.

38. Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier
We traveled through Portugal over the summer with the kids, and I like to read a book set in the country we are in. Out of my shortlist, this one seemed the best for a 'literary' holiday read. The premise was promising - Raimund Gregorious is a Latin teacher at a high school in Switzerland when he has a mysterious encounter with a Portuguese woman on a bridge in Bern. This encounter sows a seed of fascination for the Portuguese language in his soul, and after finding a compelling book in a bookshop (read aloud to him / translated by the proprietor) he abandons his life almost immediately to head to Lisbon and find out more about the author. The search for details of the authors life is interspersed with chapters from the original book - philosophical insights mostly about life, loneliness, friendship etc.

I enjoyed the parts of Raimund's investigation into the life of the author, which take us back to the time of Salazaar's dictatorship, and the resistance that existed in Lisbon at the time. It was a great novel to read while actually in the country, as Raimund saw Lisbon through the eyes of a newcomer just as my family and I were. I did however find the excerpts from the author's book a bit rambling and tedious at times, and I rolled my internal eye once I turned a page and found another excerpt. Raimund also amusingly taught himself Portuguese overnight! Definitely worth a read if ever in Portugal. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much in my living room...

Just a couple more to catch up on here later. Cracking on with Bleak House read-along - hoping to finally catch up when I read the next installment after finishing the glorious A Fine Balance (which has ground my life to a halt these last two days).

Oh I really enjoyed The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, mamapants. Definitely one of the highlights of my reading this year.

Three more updates all of which are a diversion from One Hundred Years of Solitude which I must finish by the end of this coming week (or at least appear to have done) for book club. Though I reckon I can blag it if necessary - as DH said "for a book where fifteen demented things happen in one page it is strangely without plot". I have never met anyone apart from him who didn't love it so think this must be us not the book, but it is a slog.

Anyway...

94 Tell Me How It Ends by Valerie Luiselli
Short non fiction work about Central American illegal immigrants to the US, framed by the author’s experiences of administering the questions children are asked on arrival by the border forces. This was forceful and angry and while it doesn't attempt to tell the full story or unpick the political landscape it's nonetheless a powerful lense on the situation.

95 Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Brilliantly OTT vampire story - if I'd read it as a teenager I'd almost certainly have fully embraced being a Goth and would have spent my formative years in velvet and lace and moping around to Fields of the Nephilim rather than wearing Doc Martens and listening to punk. Who knows what might have happened.

96 The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
I don't recall where I picked this up from so didn't have any expectations. Sometimes that's the best way. A house is built on a vacant lot next to a smug and wealthy (but not unsympathetic) couple and horrors ensue. This was chilling and real edge-of-seat stuff as the story unfolded and more and more horrible things happened. I loved the way it was constructed - you know where it is heading, more or less, from the start but the ending still comes as a shock and leaves things open enough to be spooky. Would highly recommend for lovers of ghost stories, Southern Gothic or even just good novels.

pepe did really enjoy 100 Years but was 18 when I read it so some of that may have just been being pleased with myself! I’ve never been tempted to reread it though. I preferred Love in the Time of Cholera.

I was probably the only person I knew at that age who hadn't read it. I think I'm just too old...Or too increasingly menopausal to concentrate, perhaps.

Fantastically done isn't it murine. Really enjoyed. Saw someone on here commenting that Eleanor Oliphant was just doing what Esme Lennox did more successfully and I have to agree. Where Eleanor Oliphant was really gripping to read ultimately it felt contrived whereas Esme felt like a true story being teased out.

pepe I read the chronicles as a teenager and was obsessed. There's going to be a TV series soon.

85: Lonesome Dove – Larry McMurty

This was just wonderful. Over 900 pages of cowboys, Indians, tarts with hearts (and tarts without hearts), shootouts, rape and pillage, dry humour, fallings out, men who talk too much and men who don’t talk enough, whisky drinking, grizzly bears, love and loss.

It had a wonderful balance of humour and heartbreak, and tenderness and violence. I thought it ended a bit abruptly, but I see there is a sequel – which I’ve bought immediately.

An absolute belter of a book.

Great review Remus. I didn't know there was a sequel. Will be interested to see what you think of it. What's it called?

There are two prequels as well I believe.

52. In the Distance – Hernan Diaz

The last in my trio of Westerns, and preceded by Blood Meridian and Lonesome Dove.

A young Swedish boy Hakan and his older brother Linus are sent to 1850’s New York by their parents to escape poverty and starvation and make their fortune. Disaster strikes on the journey; they are separated and Hakan accidentally boards a ship to San Francisco finding himself alone, unable to speak a word of English and on the wrong side of the continent. He decides to travel across America and find his brother.

And so begins an incredibly moving and at times unbearably sad (for me, anyway) story about survival and loneliness, against an epic backdrop of the birth of America. Kind of like a Western in reverse, Hakan constantly tried to move east, but finds himself tragically pushed back west again and again. As well as being action packed and a great page turner, the quality of the writing in this book was beautiful, so clean, so precise and without a word wasted. He captures the wild, desolate and unforgiving landscape so convincingly I felt I was actually there.

An impressive debut novel, almost perfect. I have deducted a point because at times I felt it was a bit too harrowing and dark. But overall, a solid 9 out of 10. I will look out for the next one from Hernan Diaz.

Satsuki thanks for that - I'm off to have a google to check those out.