50 Book Challenge 2018 Part Eight

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the eighth (and probably final) 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 and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.The lurkers among you are also very welcome to come out of the woodwork and share with us 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, the sixth one here and the seventh one here.

How have you got on this year?

@VirginQueen, - I really enjoyed The Last Hours too, particularly the strong female lead.

I'm a Kingsolver fan and am eagerly awaiting Unsheltered, but I haven't read her early works yet.

Loved Touching the Void.

The Barbara Kingsolver talk is making me want to read The Poisonwood Bible which I blind-bought months ago and haven't read yet.

Bringing over my list with updates:

1. Sirens - Joseph Knox
2. Winter - Ali Smith
3. Diary of an Ordinary Housewife - Margaret Forster
4. But You Did Not Come Back - Marceline Loridan-Ivens
5. The Dry - Jane Harper
6. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
7. Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout
8. How to Be Champion - Sarah Millican
9. A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House - Shoukei Matsumoto

10. Inside the Wave - Helen Dunmore 11. Postcards From the Edge - Carrie Fisher 12. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell 13. Exit West- Mohsin Hamid 14. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge 15. Women & Power - Mary Beard 16. First Love - Gwendoline Riley 17. The Gender Games - Juno Dawson 18. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro 19. The Good Immigrant - Various 20. Simon vs. The Homesapiens Agenda - Becky Albaertalli 21. Straight Jacket - Matthew Todd 22. Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders 23. Reservoir 13 - Jon McGregor 24. Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real…- Johann Hari 25. Bookworm - Lucy Mangan 26. When Will There Be Bad News? - Kate Atkinson 27. In Therapy - Susie Orbach 28. Black Dogs - Ian McEwan 29. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson 30. Tin Man - Sarah Winman 31. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng 32. Notes on a Nervous Planet - Matt Haig 33. Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret - Craig Brown 34. The Pedant in the Kitchen - Julian Barnes 35. The Blue Touch Paper - David Hare 36. The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne 37. Carrie's War - Nina Bawden 38. Calypso - David Sedaris 39. Nevertheless: A Memoir - Alec Baldwin 40. Normal People - Sally Rooney 41. Transcription - Kate Atkinson 42. One of Your Own: The Life and Death of Myra Hindley - Carol Ann Lee 43. Sabrina - Nick Drnaso 44. Brighton Rock - Graham Green 45. The Red House Mystery - A.A Milne 46. Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

@south The Poisonwood Bible is one of my very favourites. I think it’s her best, though loved The Bean Trees and Flight Behaviour also. I wasn’t as struck on The Lacuna somehow, but I remember it being a weird busy time when I read it and I had to keep putting it down for ages then restart it. I remember being fascinated by the Mexican history and once the ‘main’ story got going but not so much by the boy we see it through , I can’t remember now if he narrated it or was just the main character.

YesILikeItToo - I haven't read The Overstory yet, but I have read pretty much everything else Richard Powers has written, and I would be very surprised if there wasn't a strong scientific basis for what he is writing - it is part of his general style, though of course he may extrapolate.

From reviews I have read of The Overstory, I think a lot of what he writes about trees, for example, is based on research/ideas similar to what Peter Wohlleben wrote about recently in The Hidden Life of Trees.

43. I’m Absolutely Fine I’m not going to review this properly as I picked it up as something light and amusing because I’ve had a tough week and thought it was what I wanted, however I was very grumpy and humourless about it and it may not be the fault of the book. A series of lighthearted articles/lists/vignettes/thoughts on modern womanhood and how everyone is trying to keep it together.

44. Milkman by Anna Burns

I absolutely loved this and adding it to my 5 star reads of the year. I’m so pleased it won the Booker as I may never have discovered it otherwise. It has the feel of a dystopia, set in 70s Belfast in the midst of the Troubles, nobody is named, with everyone defined by their relationships to the wider community, and sometimes by their deeds and choices, or even events beyond their control, and this makes the gossipy network surrounding “Middle Sister”, the narrator, seem all the more suffocating and prescriptive. The narrative voice is urgent, insightful, eccentric and often very funny (I laughed a lot reading this) and is perhaps one of my favourite ever. Burns skilfully builds an atmosphere of pressure and malice as the “political problems” which Middle Sister has been trying to keep herself blinkered from - her head in a book as she walks through the town - nevertheless close in on her ordinary life in a rising tide, as a local paramilitary leader “Milkman” singles her out for attention, and she becomes caught in a nightmarish effort to hold on to her sense of herself under the crushing weight of both his insidious harassment, and the opinions of others. I was so drawn into her world I was thinking about picking it up again every time I put it down, and at several points I was holding my breath at the next development, and ended it with tears in my eyes. It gives a great insight into what life was like for people trying to live their lives in such an intense and violent time, and also into what any confinement, physical or psychological does to a resilient human spirit. It is often bleak but ultimately hopeful and I thought it was wonderful and like nothing else. Unique, creative storytelling. As an aside, having just caught up with Anna Burns own story before winning the Booker, it sounds like the win will make such a difference to her life, it is all the sweeter. In her acknowledgements she says she has so many people to thank for their help along the way to completing the book that she would like to throw a big party one day, though it would have to wait or else they would have to pay for it themselves - I hope she’s had a few parties this week.

I think I’m going to read Melmoth next to get me in the seasonal mood though I have a couple of library books which are due back so should really be getting on those.

Thanks exexpat, that’s helpful. I’m really enjoying it so far, the writing that spans the boundary between the mystical and the scientific relationships surrounding trees is really great.

Great review of Milkman, Satsuki sounds interesting.

Bringing my list over :

1. Someone to Hold by Mary Balogh
2. The Sixth Extinction by James Rollins
3. Sky Key by James Frey
4. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
5. The Reproductive System by John Sladek
6. Malice by Keigo Higashino
7. Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
8. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
9. The Atlantis Plague by A. G. Riddle

10. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino 11. Disclaimer by Renee Knight 12. Walk by Shoto Radford 13. Accidents Happen by Louise Millar 14. Departure by A.G.Riddle 15. Angel of Storms by Trudi Canavan 16. Anxiety for Beginners by Eleanor Morgan 17. Exposure by Aga Lesiewicz 18. The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman 19. The Power by Naomi Alderman 20. Haunting Christmas Tales 21. Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken 22. Uniquely Human by Dr Barry M. Prizant with Tom Fields-Meyer 23. Impact by Adam Baker 24. The Very First Damned Thing / When A Child Is Born / Roman Holiday / Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings / The Great St. Mary’s Day Out / My Name is Markham by Jodi Taylor 25. Lies, Damned Lies and History by Jodi Taylor 26. The Telling Error by Sophie Hannah 27. Starlight by Melissa Landers 28. The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen 29. Autism and the Stress Effect by Theresa Hamlin 30. Zero Day by Jan Gangsei 31. Empire Games by Charles Stross 32. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness 33. The Spark by Kristine Barnett 34. The Girl Before by JP Delaney 35. Lily Alone by Vivien Brown 36. The Expats by Chris Pavone 37. My Sweet Revenge by Jane Fallon 38. Rules of the Game by James Frey 39. My Not so Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella 40. The Apartment by S.L. Grey 41. Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb 42. The Four Legendary Kingdoms by Matthew Reilly 43. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson 44. Did You See Melody by Sophie Hannah 45. Touched by Joanna Briscoe 46. Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly 47. Zoo by James Patterson 48. And The Rest is History by Jodi Taylor 49. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 50. The Six Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly 51. Perception by Terri Fleming 52. Never Alone by Elizabeth Haynes 53. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick 54. The Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly 55. The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson 56. The Hidden Girl by Louise Millar 57. The Silence by Tim Lebbon 58. End of Watch by Stephen King 59. Firestorm by Lucy Hounsom 60. The Clever Guts Diet by Dr Michael Mosley 61. The Equality Illusion by Kat Banyard 62. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler 63. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins 64. Faking Friends by Jane Fallon 65. Reamde by Neal Stephenson 66. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll 67. The Ocean at the Bottom of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 68. Pied Piper by Nevil Shute 69. Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

70. Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Fast paced action packed zombie thriller.

In what has to be one of the most criminally stupid money making scheme imaginable, a man who’s made billions from his pharmaceuticals businesses has bankrolled an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist scientific genius to create a diabolically clever pathogen which, basically, turns its victims into zombies.
What could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile, over in the USA, the Department of Military Sciences and new recruit Joe Ledger, having found some carefully placed zombies, are frantically trying to figure out what’s going on and put a stop to it all.

Stitches well now I'm totally intrigued. How do you make money from a zombie apocalypse (apart from rucksack and axe sales)?

Interesting to read the different reviews on here about Milkman. Definitely want to read it now after your post Satsuki, although it does sound like a book that requires some effort and focus to get the most out of it.

Marking place - am about half way through Tombland. It's a bit slow, but there's plenty going on and I'm definitely enjoying it.

I read a few things about it being difficult Scribbly but I honestly didn’t find it a hard going read at all, once I had my eye in. Yes the first quarter requires a little bit of focus to get into - as with lots of books - but once I was in it wasn’t a heavy, worthy experience. It is a wordy, chatty narrative; someone confiding in the reader what she cannot confide elsewhere. Names aren’t used but despite this it’s still obvious who everyone is. It’s not like Wolf Hall where you often wonder who is being referred to, and it’s always from her point of view. The book is quite dense and the sentences are long, but it is coherent. Mostly the length comes from finding a lot of different ways of saying the same thing, which is sometimes for comic effect (as when she is recreating her Mother haranguing her about various things) and also sometimes represents her anxious, scrolling, mind, and the relentless pressure of other voices surrounding her.

I’m not mad keen on experimental styles and get put off with the best of them (still haven’t got far with How to Be Both) and I found it an enjoyable read, perhaps also because I really identified with the interior world of the main character. As with all books it’s down to what you personally like though and what speaks to you, not really a question of difficulty, and I hope that aspect of the press doesn’t put people off - it won’t be for everyone, of course, but that’s all books really, isn’t it? (Except This Thing of Darkness)

Scribbly - the pathogen has been designed so that one of its parts (a parasite) can potentially be inoculated against.

So the idea is that the US government and a whole lot of others will be terrified by the carefully orchestrated zombie outbreaks, and be forced into diverting loads of money to the pharmaceutical sector (and away from the armed forces) in order to develop and distribute a vaccine against these parasites.

Which is where the criminally stupid part comes in - paying the fanatical evil scientists to create the zombie pathogen just to screw with the economy, and expecting them to be content to stop playing with the zombies there

Great review of Milkman, Satsuki. I don't always get on with experimental styles but I'm tempted to give it a go.

I imagine it would be a good audiobook, with a lovely Northern Irish accent delivering the lines.

I'm listening to Milkman on audible and really enjoying the story and narration. I haven't noticed long sentences or repetition, it's conversational, as satsuki says and stunning narrator. Really really enjoying it and that's from someone who sometimes find these books a bit dull

Very tempted by Milkman after your review Satsuki

75 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Walking home through New York at 3am, artist April May comes across a ten foot tall sculpture of a transformer like robot. She takes it to be a piece of installation art, christens it Carl, & makes a video with her friend to post on Youtube. Next day, it turns out that there are Carls across the world, and they seem to be some kind of alien artefact. April's video goes viral, and she makes the most of it, turning herself into an internet sensation. Although notionally sci-fi the story is essentially about April's new-found fame and the way she deals (or fails to deal) with it.

This was passed to me by dd - the author is John Green's (Fault in our stars etc) brother & a relatively 'famous' youtuber himself. It's his first novel and a bit clunky to start with, but a pretty good read once it gets going in an easy-reading sort of way.

Will do, Best.

In the meantime, I finished the second collection of Patrick Leigh Fermor's letters, More Dashing. My dears, it was a scream. My life feels so bland compared to those in the footnotes. "Bibliomania, known to all as Baby, was an explorer, archaeologist, historian, author and professional dancer. She was married four times to minor members of the European aristocracy before a late and happy match with a Polish stable-boy. Awarded the DSO for exploits behind enemy lines, she was endearingly modest about her exploits, and known for her wonderful hostessing".

It gets a bit sad in the final stages, when it's all about the death and illness, and of course you can pick apart the snobbery and privilege and how difficult all this enforced sociability would be if you were any bit shy.

Have picked through a few library books that I've decided I don't want to read and will return them today. Delightfully liberating.

Satsuki great review of The Milkman. I would be interested to see how it worked on audio book. Interesting to hear everyone's thoughts on it.
127. Raven Black - Ann Cleeves first of the Shetland series . Really enjoyed this. Not experimental or groundbreaking but engaging and well written.

Currently half way through Tombland. Finding it slow too Remus. Jury is out at the moment.

biblio I enjoy deciding to return books almost as much as collecting new ones I love my library, but sometimes they do hang over you when you have changed mood and actually want to read something else.

Thanks toomuch.

Yes, you don't have to play it safe in the library - can take a chance on a book you might hate but you might unexpectedly fall for.

Yes exactly

Carrying my list over from the last thread:

1. Fall Out - Tim Shipman
2. All Out War - Tim Shipman

1. In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl - Rachel Tresize
2. Amy & Isabelle - Elizabeth Strout
3. You think it, I'll say it - Curtis Sittenfeld
4. Last Rituals - Yrsa Sigurdardottir (hereafter YS)
5. My Soul to Take - YS
6. Ashes to Dust - YS
7. The Day is Dark - YS

10. The Silence of the Sea - YS 11. Someone to Watch Over Me - YS 12. Blacklands - Belinda Bauer (hereafter BB) 13. Dark Side - BB 14. Finders Keepers - BB 15. Rubbernecker - BB 16. The Facts of Life and Death - BB 17. Shut Eye - BB 18. The Beautiful Dead - BB 19. Snap - BB 21. Close to Home - Cara Hunter 22. The Party - Elizabeth Day 23. Scissors, Paper, Stone - Elizabeth Day 24. The End of Everything - Megan Abbott 25. Dare Me - Megan Abbott 26. Conversations with Friends - Sally Rooney 27. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng 28. Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge 29. Resin - Ane Riel 30. Hunger - Roxane Gay 31. Women & Power - Mary Beard 32. Broken Ground - Val McDermid 33. Lullaby - Leila Slimani 34. This is Going to Hurt - Adam Kay 35. Notes from an Exhibition - Patrick Gale 36. Who Killed Roger Ackroyd - Pierre Bayard 37. High Rollers - Jack Bowman 38. The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken 39. Transcription - Kate Atkinson 40. Asymmetry - Lisa Halliday 41. The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne 42. You Let Me In - Lucy Clarke 43. Serenity: Leaves on the Wind 44. Milkman - Anna Burns

And my most recent read: 45. The Gunslinger: Dark Tower I - Stephen King. Thanks everyone for all the Stephen King recommendations. After reading this I can potentially see a year of King reading coming up! It wasn't my favourite book of the year, and I thought it lost pace in places, but I had forgotten how King grabs out by the hair and yanks you into the story with the sheer muscularity of his writing. I will read the others in the Dark Tower series (although I might read something else first as I have other books downloaded on the Kindle that I need to get through before I can justify spending more money!), and despite my clown fear I am now quite tempted by It....

Not out, you, obviously...