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?

Darn, Pencil , I was hoping that The Shooting Party would be worth the 99p!

Have been surreptitiously reading the Daniel Mallory article at work and got about 2/3 way through. A fascinating story though no doubt extremely hurtful to anyone who tried to help or support him through his "illnesses".

Also there is an insinuation that he copied the storyline from a film.

Eh, I don’t know. I’ve seen Copycat, and from what I gather about The Woman in the Window aside from the set-up, the similarities sound like they’re pretty tenuous. The ones listed in the article could well be coincidental, and a pretty massive reach on the part of the author of the article (although without knowing more about how the plot of the novel plays out... shrug).

The article did make me look askance at Sophie Hannah though. Am I the only one who thinks her behaviour seems even weirder?

(Obviously the behaviour of DM as described in the article IS bizarre, but if he’s a compulsive liar for whatever reason it’s much more explicable. I struggle to understand why a woman who clearly knows there’s something iffy going on wouldn’t distance herself. I read Closed Casket and enjoyed it — with reservations — but I actually feel a bit uncomfortable about it now)

So book #13 is Elantris. High fantasy by Brandon Sanderson. I've loved everything else of his that I've read and so have high hopes. Elantris was a beautiful golden city whose people were gods. But something happened and Elantris fell. This is the story of what happened next. So far so good.

Pencilmuseum I'm sure Y is for Yesterday is the last book in that series. When Sue Grafton died her family said that now the alphabet ends in Y or something similar.

Have just read the New Yorker article, which, a) I am wondering if I can add to my total for this year and, b) was a whole lot more interesting than The Woman in the Window! Good find Satsuki!
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17. A long way from home - Peter Carey.* I am worried I have done this one justice as it has the dubious pleasure of following a really cracking book. I also had to get it read for book club while I was really gazing longingly at lots of other book I would rather have read. Consequently reading it felt a lot like homework.
This was billed as the story of a married couple in 1954 who take off on the Redex Race, a round Australia road race, with their navigator Willie. It is much more than that and has lots to say about Australian immigration and the treatment of its Indigenous People. I should of loved it...but I didn't. Things felt fragmented, underdeveloped and the writing style was really uncomfortable. It felt disjointed and never really held me. Also there were far too many coincidences and chance meetings, and given the scale of Australia it just didn't hang together. Not terrible, not great. Homework done!

Feel like I've a lot of catching up to do!

1. Tombland CJ Sansom. The usual Shardlake fare. Was gripped at the start but my interest wained through the middle of the book. Felt soooo long, could have done with some more robust editing.

1. Angels in Disguise written by Victoria Clarke, girlfriend of Shane McGowan who believed she was having discourse with angels during a particularly bad time in her life and noted it all down. Found it a frustrating read at times but also life affirming and an interesting account into celebrity life in the 90s

On to The Stopping Places, an account of gypsy Britain. Only just started but its an interesting and easy read. Just been bought the latest Murakami for my birthday and can't wait to get my hands on it!

Not sure to read breathing lessons or union street next

Satsuki wow just read that article. I haven't read The Woman in the Window I'm not going to now!

I read the article earlier - never heard of him or the book, but was horrified by all of the lies, and by his attempts to mitigate them.

I re-read the article earlier and I can see now why some people would feel angry about him and the book. My apologies if I came across as insensitive.

prabook.com/web/chris.paling/3744838 suggests that Chris Paling is now a Radio 4 producer and freelance writer.

Muppet sorry to hear about your dog.

11 An Astronaut's Guide to Life by Chris Hadfield

Much reviewed on these threads, a good read exploring the reality of life as an astronaut - which inevitably is mostly spent on earth training, learning, and doing other jobs as part of the space programme.

10. The Atlantis World by A G Riddle

Final part of his Atlantic trilogy. Lots of flashbacks to reveal why the Atlantean aliens have been messing around with humanities genetics.
I found it all rather underwhelming.

I think also you can’t underestimate the impact of working with someone that manipulative, especially if you have some vulnerability yourself, it could send people into mental health difficulties, not to mention how hard it must be for genuine hardworking people to find work in publishing. I couldn’t even think the things he said out loud about his own family. But I don’t really know what to make of it, it’s so unusual. I wonder if there was a real feeling he might present a danger at some point. The book is already a bestseller with a film version in the works, It will be interesting to see what happens to the future book though in the light of all this.

Satsuki, I've just read the article and I found it sad but fascinating - especially the insights into the world of publishing. I think I'll stick to being a librarian!

11 The Wife by Meg Wolitzer.
This has been well reviewed by WelshWabbit upthread HERE & I agree with Welsh & really can't add to her review.

12. Night Heron by Adam Brookes.
    The first in a China based spy trilogy. I'd read the other two some time ago but, for some reason, not this one. I really enjoyed it. It was well written with some interesting insights into modern China & moved at a good pace.

13. The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman.
    I was so excited to find this on the shelves at the library. It's been on my wish list for ages as I loved His Dark Materials trilogy. But I was disappointed. It was very much a narrative & for the length of book little happened. I was left thinking: 'So, what now?' I will read the next two in the series when they come out but won't be rushing to buy them.

17. Mutiny on the Bounty by John Boyne

Hornblower narrated by the Artful Dodger. A rollicking good read, but I can't say more for fear of it giving me the motions.

11 Take me with you when you go, by Stephanie Allen Early

Had high hopes for this as it sounded intriguing. Young Irish girl sent to live with rich sherry family in southern Spain during the 1950s.

Or possibly not, as the first irritation has her talking about going to the cinema with the Spanish family's daughters to see The Sound of Music, which was released in 1965. (She was only there for 2 years)

It didn't do what I expected it to, which was give some insight into life under Franco. So many books set during the civil war, or post Franco...but no. She didn't want to go, she whinges her way through the book, and doesn't really DO anything else. The premise for writing these memoirs appears to have been a bundle of "love" letters she comes across in later years from a man called Javier. These are interspersed throughout the book, dreadfully translated, and he comes across as an up himself bore. (bit like her tbf)

It's billed as a "charming coming of age memoir" but tbh, reads like self-indulgent self published twaddle.

V. disappointing.

Wowsers-that article!

13. my cousin Rachel On audio & thought it was great. Definitely more Daphne du Maurier to come this year.

Just started normal people by Sally Rooney & so far so good!

Wow at that New Yorker article.

1. Heartstone - CJ Sansom AKA Shardlake 5, thoroughly enjoyable. Richly detailed, complex, readable, what’s not to like.

1. The Return Of The King - JRR Tolkien

Final part of LOTR and my favourite, I think (though I had forgotten how long the book goes on for after the Ring has been destroyed). It just can't be beaten for an epic of world-building, with tremendous storytelling and a hugely satisfying, if poignant end.

For the next book I'm taking a break from my rereads as my library reservation of Erebus has arrived - looking forward to it as it's had some good write-ups on here.

My review of The Magicians will have to wait until tomorrow as it has come around again, oh yes, tonight is Hot Tub Book Club night.

9. Diamond Fire - Ilona Andrews 10. Sourdough - Robin Sloan 11. Omens - Kelley Armstrong

1. Bird Box by Josh Malerman. I whipped through this post apocalyptic (but thankfully not too gory) thriller/horror in a couple days of days and enjoyed its tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. This was well worth the 99p price point. Having read a few reviews I was prepared to be disappointed by an open ended conclusion but was pleasantly surprised that more 'closure' was offered than I'd been expecting, although I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if there isn't a 'Bird Box 2' in the offing. I'm now off to borrow my sisters Netflix account so I can watch the movie.

Not sure what book number six is going to be, I keep downloading bargains and now the choice is a bit mind boggling.

Don't your books get all soggy Scribbly?

12. Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass by Darren McGarvie listened to on Audible.

Many thanks to MuseumofHam for recommending this. If George Orwell had grown up in Pollock in the late 20thC and become a rapper before taking to essay writing, I reckon this is the book he would have written.

Polemical where it needs to be (particularly when discussing the 'poverty industry' - and having tangentially been involved in this in my younger days I agree 100%), but also far more nuanced and thoughtful than the title suggests. A stand out, and even more enjoyable because of the the excellent reading by the author (though I may be biased on that one as I'm a total sucker for a Glaswegian accent).