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 very far behind some readers here. My list to date:

1.Vox

1. Seven Dials Mystery
2. The ABC Murders

4. Dear Mrs Bird - AJ Pearce
Easy reading book set in the second world war. This was engaging, light reading with some sad parts.

Good god, how is it still January? I'm starting to think this month will never end.

10.) Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, M. C. Beaton -- A reread of the first in a cosy mystery series in which a hardnosed ex-PR woman retires to a pleasant Cotswold village. I remember thinking this was fairly dire the first time round; either I was a bit harsh then or I've mellowed a bit, because I seemed to enjoy it a bit more, although I was still rolling my eyes a couple of times.

11.) The Children's Book, A. S. Byatt Historical novel about the Bohemian Fabian society. Lush descriptions and I loved the fairytale themes and how they wove together throughout the novel, which culminates of course -- in the First World War, but overall it was very stop and start: one moment it'd grab me, the next it felt like it went on and on and on and would never end.

12.) Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett -- Delightful. First published, apparently, in 1989. A reread of the first in the City Watch series, and one I've been meaning to revisit for a while. I've missed some of the later novels in the City Watch series, so plan to read them all in order starting from the beginning. I already have Men at Arms lined up. Apparently there's going to be a Netflix series too.

13.) The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, Sam Kean -- Accessible non-fiction which uses cases of illness and injury to illuminate the brain's make-up and how it works.

14.) The Green Man's Heir, Juliet E McKenna -- British urban fantasy about the son of a dryad and a mortal man, who finds himself caught up in a murder investigation. I wanted to like this more. It started off well, went a little flabby in the middle, and then picked up a bit towards the end. Enjoyable enough, but I was hoping for more.

~~

I'm currently reading a collection of H P Lovecraft's fiction, but since that's mostly short stories, I'll probably intersperse it with other books when all that eldritch cosmic horror starts to get a bit samey. Probably Men at Arms first.

Loving the LOTR chat too. Agree that The Hobbit has a very different flavour to the LOTR trilogy and is for a much younger audience. I have also read The Silmarilion twice The Children of Hurin and Tales from the Perilous Realm Love Tolkien.

Meanwhile,

3. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton

An enjoyable read overall. Even if the reader hadn't seen the film first, it was clear from the outset that things were not going to end well. The action doesn't really start until half way through the book with the iconic Tyrannosaurus escape scene.

I enjoyed the tension build up and the foreshadowing of the chaos to come. The cast of characters was relatively small and some contrasted significantly with their film counterparts. It was a shame that of the two main female characters one was a bratty child and the other, despite being introduced to the reader as an expert in her field, played a very insignificant role overall.

Although this was fun, I do not think I will go on to read any of the sequels.

Next up, Whispers Underground - Ben Aaronovitch

ScribblyGum I've just added American Overdose to my wish list. Such a tragedy. Sadly we seem to be following in their footsteps. I believe opoid pescriptions have doubled in England and Wales since 2008.

DaphneCanDoBetterThanFred I enjoyed 11:22:63 and yes I think you are right about It.

I'm further on with Summerland. I think the plot summary could be Cambridge five with spirits. Its set just before the start of WW2 and there is a double agent in the spirit relm who is jeapoardising the real world. It's also part alternate history as the timeline diverges from ours in Queen Victoria's reign when the spirit world was discovered. It's very readable but I'm not entirely convinced. About two thirds through so my view might change...

Bakewell did you see this recent article in the Lancet about the increase in opioid prescription rates in England?
Certainly worrying but thankfully in this country we are a way off the tragedy that is happening in the States. The culture of pain management and prescribing opioids is different here, and because we have a national health service clinical governance and monitoring of prescribing, addiction and death rates is far better.

13. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
I didn’t enjoy this and I think it’s because I watched the tv series first which I now regret. It was a slog to get it finished in all honesty.

I've just finished my third book of 2019:

1. The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder by Sarah J. Harris - I really enjoyed it, murder mystery written form the viewpoint of a teenage boy with autism.

1. This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay a fantastic and insightful read, this was in turns funny, shocking and moving.

I’m listening to my first ever audiobook too (I Found You by Lisa Jewell) and am finding it thoroughly takes my mind off running, especially the annoyance when a main characters age (all of 41!) is constantly revealed by her wrinkly elbows, which remind the handsome, hazel-haired, stray man she finds on the beach (who has completely lost his memory) of his mother’s arms .

5. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

I loved this.

Quentin Coldwater’s life changes when he turns up for an entrance interview to Princeton to find his interviewer dead - and instead is led by chance to an entrance interview to Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy.

A bit like a school for magic meets Narnia, but a darker and more grown up version.

6. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Spensa’s world is under continual threat by the alien race the Krell. Spensa is desperate to become a pilot and defend her world, but first she’s going to have to overcome the stigma of being the daughter of a pilot who deserted his team and was publicly branded a coward.

An entertaining action packed read. It’s got a definite YA feel to it despite being shelved in the adult section in the library.

7. An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor

The most recent in the Chronicles of St Mary’s series.
As usual, relatively light easy reading.
And definitely more cheery than the horrifically doom laden previous book in the series, despite Max being stranded in the Middle Ages with no hope of rescue for most of the book.

Stitches there's also a TV series of The Magicians which is very good (although a bit hard to watch in places). It's been ages since I read the book but I've really enjoyed watching the show so am planning to re-read the book and read the rest of the series this year.

The Greek Myths by Robert Graves is 99p on kindle deal of the day.

I’ve fallen off the thread, because i’ve lost my book. After a week or so of moping about I’ve moved onto something else. Disappointed to have missed ‘the LOTR chat’ mentioned above, must scroll back.

The first five books in Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom series are all 99p on Kindle today too.

Thanks noodle, I’ll look into the TV series once I’ve finished the rest of the series.

I’ve reserved book 2 The Magician King from the library, so hopefully I’ll get reading that before too long.

Good god, how is it still January? I'm starting to think this month will never end.

All the months have around 30 days except January which has 96 - or so my daughter told me yesterday.

Stitchesintime I've added The Magician to my wish list, it looks very different from what I usually read but that's the point at the moment as I want to widen my reading circle. Thanks for the review, I'd have overlooked it otherwise.

Magimedi I've bought the Graves greek myths, thank you.

A vision of light by Judith Merkle Riley is also 99p today, I saw it when picking up The Last Kingdom books (thank you DecumusScotti) . I haven't heard of it before, nor the author but I'm taking a chance as it's described as: A Vision of Light, first in the critically acclaimed historical Margaret of Ashbury Trilogy is a remarkable novel that challenges all of our notions about women’s roles in the medieval era, perfect for fans of Ariana Franklin, Sarah Perry and Jessie Burton.

I'm still reading TIckling the English by Dara O'Briain, it's good but it's not a can't put it down book so it's taking me longer than a book would normally.

Good god, how is it still January? I'm starting to think this month will never end.

I asked someone the date the other day and they told me it was January 74th. I could believe it.

13. The Tudor Crown - Joanna Hickson This is not award winning but as I have said before , and will no doubt say again, Tudor novels are my guilty pleasure/ fiction escape when Read Life becomes all a bit bonkers. This one deals with the exile and return of Henry VII and his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort. Henry was the father of Henry VIII and over threw Richard III. Fairly standard stuff, writing not amazing but kept me out of the world of sicky bugs, broken bones and annoying relatives long enough to maintain my sanity,

YesILikeItToo, I hate it when that happens. I started reading A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell just before Christmas, then lost it. I knew it was in the house so refused to buy another but it was really frustrating. I found it yesterday under a pile of Beanos in a child’s bedroom... “oh, yes...that...”, he said. “I didn’t know what it was but it looks really boring”.

Agree with PP that January is the longest month ever
Stitches i have added The Magicians by Lev Grossman to my wish list.
Have just finished
4. The Things you find in Rockpools by Gregg Dunnett
Murder mystery. A teenage girl disappears from a small island beach town. The story is told through the eyes of an 11 year old boy and one of the detectives working on the case. The twist at the end is great, didn't see it coming until almost at the end of the book. First book i have read by this author, would definitely try more.
Up next is Before her Eyes by Jack Jordan. It's about a woman who has been blind from birth and stumbles across a murder scene.

Sorry to hear you are having a crappy time of it splother
Comfort reads absolutely essential when going through tough times.

I’ve added The Magicians to my want to read list too thanks Stitches. Quite fancy a bit of grown up magic in my life right now.

11. The Wood: The Life and Times of Cockshutt Wood by John Lewis-Stempel. Audiobook narrated by Leighton Pugh

This is the third book by nature writer Lewis-Stempel I have read and I loved it just as much as I did Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field , and The Running Hare: The Secret Life of Farmland.
In this volume he follows the same well trodden path of writing about his observations of the natural world by cataloging the goings on in a wood over the course of a year. Lewis-Stempel has managed this small wood on the Welsh borders for three years previously and during his final year he writes about the changes to the flora and fauna as the year progresses, his struggles of managing the wildlife and a small number of cattle, sheep and pigs the wood and surrounding acres the livestock can support. In amongst his daily observations he weaves poetry, history, the festivals and superstitions built upon the changes in the natural world and also several recipes of how to cook food naturally foraged from an English wood.
If you love trees and birds you should read this book. It’s an absolute delight, a total balm to the soul.
The narrated version was excellent, Pugh's voice adding another soothing element to the gorgeous writing, but I am going to have to go out and buy a physical version now as some of the poetry was so gorgeous I need to read it over and over, and I also definitely need the recipe for elderflower champagne.

1. Home Truths - David Lodge. Random choice in the library. It's a novella which looks at the cult of celebrity against the backdrop of Princess Diana's death which sounds intriguing but the writer doesn't do the story justice in 128 pages. I like his style, though, so will read one of his novels this year.

1. The Fast 800 - Dr Michael Mosley. Another version of an intermittent fasting way of eating, backed up with lots of credible evidence. Persuasively written but I still can't find the willpower to get going on this daily 800 calorie thing.

Now reading Reading Allowed which is the cosy read that I need at the moment. I know the library well that the author writes about but doesn't name (Jubilee in Brighton city centre).

I've also added The Magicians to my tbr list!

ScribblyGum interesting article and yes I hope too that we will learn from the US and the NHS itself means it will play differently anyway.

Just finished 9# Summerland very well written and an interesting idea at the heart of it but in the end left me cold.

DH has just finished Dissolution so I've started that as my 10#. So far so good.

15 Becoming by Michelle Obama
This was an audiobook and much better for it. I was alternately gripped and a little bored by her story - much of it is familiar from news stories already. She’s very good on race, gender and parenting, and the detail of life in the White House and her stories of battling inequality and prejudice as a black woman in her career are outstanding. And she doesn’t pull her punches on Trump; her loathing for him overcomes her natural caution when she recounts most of her anecdotes about politics and diplomacy. I didn’t end up knowing much new or thinking differently about her, but it’s a powerful and moving autobiography. And, you know, Michelle Obama is pretty amazing by any standards but when you think where we are now, I can’t possibly begrudge her the time I spent listening to her story.

16 Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan
The last in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy and more of the same with even more bonkersness (gynaecology exam as a side activity to a prayer meeting?). They are entertaining and easy reads and the constant name dropping is fun - I loved Nigel Barker from ANTM dropping in and was even more amused he was thanked at the back of the book. And given everything else going on in life I am pleased to have had a chance to escape into such a ridiculously fun world.

Am adding things to my TBR list faster than I can read them. And have various half read books which I really should crack on with as well - priority will be A Question of Upbringing” now I have finally found it again, then a couple of short story collections I was given for Christmas. And carrying on with Infinite Jest*, before my sister tracks me down and asks me how I am getting on with it. The answer so far is “slowly, but fairly pleasurably”.

I am two chapters from the end of the print version of Becoming. It's a pretty long read but hope to be done today!