50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Two

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2019, 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.

What are you reading?

I’m making slow progress. Still only around half way through Cider With Rosie, it’s lovely but meandering with, as I’ve already said, not much plot to get me turning the pages. So I’m doing a chapter as and when rather than devouring it, and I often find myself dozing off - which is not exactly a complaint as it’s pleasant to doze off to!

I have just finished 5. The Mystery of Three Quarters (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries #3) by Sophie Hannah. At some point I must have been wondering what to spend my audible credit on and saw ‘Poirot’, clicking buy before clocking it wasn’t an Agatha Christie. Then I put off listening as I mistook Sophie Hannah for Sophie Kinsella of the shopaholic books and didn’t fancy that particular take on the Belgian detective.
I’m really glad I got round to listening this week as I enjoyed this enormously- just the right level of engaging but not hugely taxing for my snowy/foggy/ generally horrid drives to and from work, and we’ll performed by the reader/narrator (his Poirot was firmly in the David Suchet ‘cosy mystery’ camp rather than the more recent and darker Malkovich interpretation!)

7: Erebus – Michael Palin

Regular readers will know a) how much I was looking forward to it, and b) how obsessed I am with the subject matter! Well, it was wonderful.

Palin is obviously a lovely combination of the practical and the romantic – he likes data and cold-hard facts but he’s also clearly utterly in love with the notion of men boldly going where no man has gone before, or boldly going to sort out the facts from the fiction of those who have gone boldly before them, or boldly going to try to find the poor lost souls who have boldly gone before them.

One minor criticism is that I thought he spent more time than I wanted on the Falkland Islands section, when I’d have liked him to get lost with Franklin faster! But this is me nit-picking – it was glorious.

8: Lonesome Road – Patricia Wentworth

Rachel thinks somebody is out to kill her, and she’s right! That’s a problem. The other problem is that whoever it is, is probably one of her own family, and she’s struggling to reconcile herself to that. Meanwhile, one man has been asking her to marry him for years, and another man has also recently come onto the scene – but who is he, and can he be trusted? This was fun. Miss Silver did herself proud.

Love the claim to fame, Five (and also sorry to hear about your father).

7. Birdbox - Josh Malerman

Already much reviewed on here. Dystopian fiction where a new threat has emerged. Something is driving people mad when they see it leading to acts of extreme violence and suicide. The story follows the attempts of survivors to live in a world where it is no longer safe to walk around without a blindfold.
At first, I wasn’t sure if I would finish this as the writing seemed a bit clunky. The story drew me in however and I read all the way to the end in no time. The premise was interesting but much was left unexplained about this new threat.

Hi all, I was doing my own reading challenge so I might as well pile in here.
So far I've read
1 The Edwardians Vita Sackville West
2 we should all be Feminists Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
3 The Sealwomans Gift Sally Magnusson

4. The Reservoir Tapes by Jon McGregor
This is a companion piece to Reservoir 13, in the form of 15 chapters each centred on a different character in the community of the original novel. I've seen it described as a book of short stories, which makes sense as each chapter is quite separate although some share interlinking events. I've also seen it described as a prequel, but the timeframe is not that straightforward. In parts it reads like the author is taking the chance to experiment (in a good way) - the first chapter portrays an interview entirely through the dialogue of only one speaker, for example. Some chapters stand alone - the portrayal of a fraudster preying on a vulnerable household is heartbreaking. Others show events from different angles and have references to previous tales. These play around with different perspectives, and made me think again about what I'd read previously both in earlier chapters and about events and characters in Reservoir 13. It is a good accompaniment to the novel and it was a joy to read them together.
Now busy at work so my reading pace has slowed right down and some light reads may be required. I'm halfway through The Diary of a Bookseller on Audible.

Theturningofthescrew perfect review of The woman in the Window nonsense. I can barely remember reading it, but I’m confident you summed up exactly how I felt at the time.

I'd love to know what you thought of the Sealwomans Gift please

I liked it brizzle : reviewed it last year. Am biased as I went to school with Sally but I thought it was original, and well written; very elegant.

Ooh! Can I join in? I'm aiming for a book a week this year.

1. The Tattooist of Auschwitz - loved it. It was super sad though.

1. The Meaning of Rice - if you like food, this is great. It made me hungry.

1. Currently reading 'The Thousand Autumns of Jacob Zoet' by David Mitchell. - it took me forever to get into this, the first half of the book was a bit slow, although nicely written. It suddenly picked up though and I'm hooked.

Finished #8 The Moscow Sleepers today. I enjoyed it. If you like spy stories this is a good series to try. However I don't really think it would be great as an introduction to Liz Carlyle and her world. It helps to know the back story as it is referenced a lot and if nothing else would ruin the previous books if you want to go back and read the others.

Started #9 Summerland. So far very readable but a bit odd. Death is no longer the end following the discovery of the afterlife. Summerland is a city for the recently dead and you can contact your friends and family who have died. Different nations are vying for control and influence over this new realm. It's fair to say it's quite different. I'm interested to see how it works out.

Thanks Satsuki it is turning into one of those weeks rapidly!
Turn much better review of Woman in the Window than my feeble effort. Agree about the vast amount of pills and alcohol. And to be honest I think she should have accidentally overdosed at least 3 times - reflected very poorly on the writing and research.
Read The. sealwomans gift last year and really enjoyed it. Will try and find my review as My Brain has checked out tonight...

Taken me ages to finish my 3rd read. The Plague Charmer - Karen Maitland. Listened on Audible - was more acted than narrated, too many silly voices which kept dragging me out of the story. Set in Porlock which is not too far from my home town. Not a bad story about a small town affected by the plague, and how copes with a mix of fear, religion & witchcraft.

stego just about to start The Tatooist of Auschwitz.
I’ve just finished The Nightingale which had me crying buckets at the end. It’s set in WWII as well so might be something you’d like

Review as promised from last

113. The Seal Woman's Gift - Sally Magnusson. Tells the story of 400 Icelandic citizens, from the Western Islands, who were kidnapped and forced into Slavery in Algiers in the 1600's. Reviewed by Piggy upthread, I have spent quite some time deciding if this is one of my standouts or not. It is very, very well written and researched. It is a fascinating episode in history which I had no idea about previously. I was pleasantly surprised by how much natural humour there is in the book. Her characterisation, in the whole is excellent, as is her exploration of how the islanders adapt to their new life and the decisions they face, particularly surrounding faith. The thing that I found hard to connect with was the way she deals with the relationship between Asta and her 'master'. Quite possibly I am viewing the relationship with independent, modern and western eyes, but I found some of the writing uncomfortable and not always believable. In fact sometimes it bordered on the saccharine- think Mills and Boon. And yet, there was so much skill, humour and genuine emotion on balance Magnusson gets away with it...I think.

Hi, just waving to you all from 9% (34 hrs and 15 mins left in book) into The Five Giants. It is fascinating (luckily) and even has some gentle jokes about politicians, civil servants and suchlike to keep one's pecker up. I'll be back....some time.

I love this thread, but it raises such unrealistic expectations in me of what I can possibly read. I've added 6 books to my Amazon list today. Until I give up work and rehome my DC in order to concentrate on reading, I'm not going to get through half of the books to which I aspire.

Thank you piggy and splother I'll certainly look out for it.

MrsAird I add many, many books to my wish list and know I won't get through most of them. I have read a lot of books this year but that's only down to the fact that I either don't fall asleep until the small hours or wake up about 3 hours before I need to get up. Such is the life of an insomniac bookworm.

rehome my DC

MrsAird - My DC are now adults & have NO TIME TO READ as have dcs of their own. And I am now retired ...........

The boot is on the other foot/the last laugh comes to me............ your time will come but don't wish it away!

Museum, I remember Five Giants as an exceptional book. I wouldn’t mind re-reading - I read it in 2001, so was thinking it would be quite outdated but I see there is a new edition.

And only 99p on Kindle! If I ever finish the six books I’m currently mid way through I shall get on to that as well.

Hi, just found this thread and would love to join you all. Trying to read more this year and not spend so much time on phone.

There are some good recommendations on here, so my plan to not buy any more Kindle books till I have read the many unread books already on there has already fallen by the wayside!!

So far I have read:

1. Weaveworld - Clive Barker (Great read, a mixture of fantasy and horror)
2. Animal: Autobiography of a Female Body - Sara Pascoe (Biographical anecdotes were funny, but does also tackle more difficult topics like abortion, FGM. Definitely food for thought)
3. The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Helen Morris (Harrowing descriptions of conditions, brutality etc, but thought the love story a bit unrealistic. I didn't think they would be able to meet up etc the way they did, although didn't realise it was a true story till I read the author's note at the end)

Currently reading Thinking about it only makes it worse - David Mitchell and The things you find in rock pools - Gregg Dunnett.

4 Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood

Post apocalyptic “how did we get here” sort of plot. Basically goes back and follows the lives of Jimmy and Crake.
Ends up with Jimmy potentially being the only human alive.

I can’t quite explain the plot without making it sound silly but this book is incredible. Obviously Atwood is insanely talented but I loved this. Up there with one of the best books I have ever read.

Next up is tony10 which is something a colleague is lending me, it’s an autobiographical account of someone basically losing everything from a gambling addiction

Pepe yes, this edition has been updated to just after the Brexit referendum (I think, I'm still firmly stuck in the 1940s). Do it! It's 99p, what have you got to lose? Apart from approx 40 hours of your life☺

Book 12: A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen (honestly with the courses that I'm taking, I'm spending most of my life reading!) Loved the play, just wish Nora and Dr. Rank could have had a better outcome because the fact that they were going to run away/die was known long before the pay's end, so I thought that both would change.