50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Three

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third 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 and the second one here.

What are you reading?

14. When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen

The cosy working environment in a recruitment office is shattered when a hardline new boss takes charge. And it’s all going to end in murder.
The action in the office is interwoven with the story of a historic child abuse case in the USA, and it’s clear from the start that a child from the abusive household is the culprit.
It’s a pretty average psychological thriller on the whole.

15. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

Faith’s family have recently moved to a remote island, fleeing a scandal, when Faith’s father is found dead under suspicious circumstances.
As Faith searches through his papers, she discovers details of a tree that grows and bears fruit if lies are whispered to it - fruit that reveals hidden truths when the fruit is consumed. So Faith decides to use the tree to find out the truth behind her fathers death.

16. The Anomaly by Michael Rutger

Thriller.
A TV crew, led by an amateur archaeologist, arrive in the Grand Canyon, on the trail of a century dead explorer, searching for a mysterious cave filled with treasure.
And after some effort, and a bit of luck, they find a previously unknown cave leading to an underground complex of rooms. All very exciting for them.

Until it goes wrong, and they end up trapped with barely a pack lunch each and a handful of torches. It’s all very claustrophobic and tense.... and then things start to take a serious and deadly turn for the weird.

I enjoyed reading this. Just don’t expect down to earth, rational explanations for anything with this one.

That's interesting Desdemona. I've never been able to watch him on TV because the "ooh here's a £28 little piece of lovingly tended organic goat's cheese I'd forgotten about" irritates, but I've loved his food writing. Until this. I do remember wondering how the whole memoir thing ever got going (complete with TV spin off) as it takes a special kind of ego to think that a not very pleasant, yet sadly all too common family situation is worthy of being told to the whole nation both in book, and TV form.
I wonder if his father and step-mother would remember things in the same way...

I dread to think how the NHS treat their staff now because decades ago when I worked there you didn't admit to any kind of weakness whatsoever as it was a fast path to being managed out. Teaching is less stressful.

38. The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan

This unexpectedly turned up in the post the other day, from the Bookmarks site I’m part of. I think it’s due out in the summer. Jo’s nanny vanished suddenly when Jo was 7. Thirty years later Jo is back at the family home when a skeleton is found in the lake, and she must work out what really happened when her nanny vanished. It’s told from four different points of view and jumps around in time a bit but was easy enough to keep track of. Quite predictable but still a good read if you like that sort of thing. Not quite as good as others of hers I’ve read though.

39. The Explorer by Katherine Rundell

A children’s book about four children who end up stranded in the Amazon and have to try and survive. I really enjoyed this - as it’s for children, reading it as an adult there are a number of areas where you think ‘that just wouldn’t happen’ and a few plot holes but looking at it through a child’s eyes it’s a great story. The ending is a bit rushed though.

40. A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I listened to this on Audible and I think I would have got more out of it if I had read the physical book. I mentioned upthread that I sometimes struggle to concentrate with audiobooks and that certainly happened here so I’m sure I missed a lot of the nuances. Still a really good story though, and it was read by Simon Callow who did a brilliant job. I love the women knitting at the guillotine!

20. Parson’s Nine by Noel Streatfeild. One of her adult books which have been out of print for years (and are now on kindle). You know what is coming if you have read the autobiographical Vicarage family books; or indeed any family sagas that start around 1900, but I did enjoy this because I loved her children’s books and so was interested to see where they came from- it’s easy to see why her publishers suggested she wrote for children. I’ll read the others, but might space them out- I don’t want to spoil how much I loved the children’s books!

Desdemona and Haven't got all day - I feel the same way about Nigel Slater. Not much of a chef or a writer and convinced he is fascinating for some reason. We need to talk about Kevin took me a long time to get into this & I had to finish it, however, repelled I was by it. There is something a bit off with Lionel Shriver going by this one and a few others she has written - I don't bother with her any more. For a start - if you wanted to change your name - why choose "Lionel" - not very musical is it?

I'm on the fence about Nigel Slater despite owning most if not all of his books Toast -phobes won't rush to book tickets for the theatre adaptation, which will shortly be running.....

16 Divided: Why we're living in an age of walls by Tim Marshall

Starting (inevitably) with discussion of the Trump wall, and moving on to the Great Firewall designed to keep the internet in China safely corralled this then continues around the world examining the walls, fences and other hard borders that states have between them. A really excellent read, I felt that the author did a great job of keeping things readable without being superficial. My only quibble was that I'd have liked the concluding section (the 'why' part) to be longer - but only because I found it so interesting.

Anyone who liked Prisoners of Geography, I'd definitely recommend this (and those who haven't read PoG, you probably should).

Actually - I did have one other quibble with Divided. The paperback is very cheaply produced, it's only on its second reading (I gave it to DM for her birthday before borrowing it back ) & pages are starting to fall out, it's cheap nasty paper & the maps are very small and poorly labelled. Definitely one to read on kindle which is a shame as I specifically bought DM the hard copy thinking it'd be easier to see the maps.

19: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

This took a long time, partly because it’s very long and partly because I didn’t always find that I wanted to pick it up again, especially in the first half.

I knew nothing at all about it, other than that I’d seen it mentioned on here with high praise. And I think it does deserve some high praise, but with reservations. I thought some of the comic book stuff in the first half was just too long and at times lapsed into being off-puttingly irritating.

On the other hand, there were so many scenes of such tenderness, such pathos, such joy in companionship and friendship and family, that were just wonderful to read.

I think the main thing I was left with though, was how depressing so much of it was – I knew it was set in World War 2 but I think I maybe expected a sort of comic book triumph of good over bad and I kept waiting for good news that kept not coming. The ending was poignant, but I really wanted to smile more!

It reminded me too much of two books which really annoyed me – Owen Meaney and A Fine Balance - but it was better than both of those.

I'm doing terribly but I will hopefully catch up in the summer.

1. The heart's invisible furies - John Boyne this took me forever to get through. I know lots of you loved it and I didn't hate it and I thought it improved towards the end but I didn't find myself reaching for it and at times it was hard work. Parts of it were wonderful though.

1. The last Mrs Parrish a really easy but very enjoyable read, quite dark in parts I definitely needed a book like this after number 5.

Finished three books in February...
6. My Name'5 Doddie by Doddie Weir
Autobiography of the former Scottish rugby player who announced 18 months ago that he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. I was interested in this as a Scotland rugby fan and because Doddie is a real larger than life character from the Scottish Borders, not a million miles from where I grew up. It is very much written in Doddie's voice, jumping around a bit and with his natural humour.
7. The Lido by Libby Page
Twenty something lonely journalist is asked to report on the potential closure of the local lido and meets eighty something year old widow who has been visiting the lido since childhood. The two become friends and campaign to save the lido. I listened to this on Audible and enjoyed the narration. At first I found aspects of the writing jarring - the present tense annoyed me for some reason and switching between present and past tense seemed an over the top tool to highlight when there were flashback chapters. Some of the speech and characters' thoughts didn't quite seem believable. One character's journey was like a fiction version of all the non-fiction I have read about how to be happier, and the plot was quite predictable, but I didn't mind either of those things. Overall, I had been hoping for an undemanding read and I enjoyed it.
8. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
Much reviewed on here so I won't go into the plot. Another book that I enjoyed well enough. I liked having a change, the first crime novel I've read this year. Figured out most of where the plot was going but not quite all and it didn't spoil the book for me.

I've got a pile of novels beside my bed, probably either Wonder or an Anne Tyler next. Also have a book for work on the go, a Pam Ayres book from the library and think my next audiobook will probably be some kind of non-fiction, maybe A History of the World in 21 Women or something about running. So many books, so little time!

@FortunaMajor that makes a lot more sense. As for your dilemma I don't know. I would miss Orwell’s style which I really enjoy so it's more than the story. i do know what you mean about too many books and I only reread real favourites.

I'm getting along nicely with #19 24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There. Each hour follows another resident and gives a wonderful insight into how they lived and the city functioned. And it covers everyone from the bottom to the top of society. Highly recommended.

Late to the party but joining in the Nigel Slater conversation can't stand him as a person and won't be reading Toast. However his recepies work so I do have and use some of his books.

I can't even be doing with Nigel Slater's recipies.

1. The Five Giants by Nicholas Timmins I invested a lot of time in this book, and I got a huge amount out of it in terms of my own knowledge and understanding, and, thank goodness, reading enjoyment, as quite frankly it would have been a long hard slog without the latter, but it really didn't feel like one. This is subtitled 'a biography of the welfare state', and the five giants of the title are squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and disease, set out in the Beveridge report of 1942 which paved the way for the post-war reforms which became the welfare state. This book very much gives the view from Westminster, and occasionally Whitehall, rather than what was happening at ground level. If it had attempted that, it could have been many times longer, and Timmins had already taken on a mammoth task. It focuses on the politicians, politics, policy and bigger picture considerations which led the services to be shaped in the way they are. It was very interesting to compare this Westminster centric view to what I know about the increasingly divergent picture in the devolved administrations (well Scotland actually because that's all I know about). He doesn't really go into that at all but he caveats that at the start. I could go on, but you probably already have a good feeling for whether or not you'd like to invest 30+ hours reading about the development and history of the welfare state. If you would, I definitely recommend this.

Remus I have bought Kavalier and Clay following your review as I am really intrigued by it. And because I had a last scan through the February monthly deals and it was the only thing that jumped out at me. Another really long book - yay!

17 It Takes Two To Tumble by Cat Sebastian
Fluffy romance set in the Lakes in the early 19thC - harmless fun with the obligatory happy ending.

I've got Circe out on library audio, but I'm not really feeling it - can't decide whether it's the rather breathy narrator, or the book itself. I doubt I'll finish it before my 3 weeks are up - I keep switching back to a relisten to Evicted instead.

I've just ordered the 4th in the Fractured Europe series, & trying to decide whether to re-read the first 3 beforehand, or whether to go for something off my tbr pile.

A few more to add to my list:

1. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. The heroine of this story (I literally only just realised that she is unnamed!) decides that she needs to sleep for a year to recover from the things that life has thrown at her. I really enjoyed reading this but I suspect it won't be very memorable in a few weeks' time.

10. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman. This is very different from the other Pullman books I've read (i.e. his Dark Materials series). It's a rather unusual take on the story of Jesus's life and teachings. Interesting but not really my cup of tea.

11. The Magicians by Lev Grossman. I agree with every word of Scribbly's review back on the last thread. So I am going to take the lazy option and link to that rather than write my own - thanks Scribbly!
    www.mumsnet.com/Talk/what_were_reading/3480434-50-Book-Challenge-2019-Part-Two?msgid=84760171

And one more:

12. Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. This was recommended to me by Amazon (how does Amazon know I have a 13yo??). From my quick read of the blurb I was expecting a teen parenting manual, but it turned out to be more about the science behind brain development of adolescents, with very few direct recommendations of how to parent them. In fact it was exactly the kind of non-fiction book that I like - interesting, accessible, up-to-date and very well-researched and evidenced. Recommended for anyone interested in neuroscience, whether you have a teenager or not.

The Heart's Invisible Furies, much recommended on here and last year's threads, is 99p on Kindle today.

Seconding the recommendation for the wonderful The Heart's Invisible Furies on Kindle Daily Deal. I'm currently reading his latest one, A Ladder to the Sky, which is quite enjoyable so far.

1. How To Stop Time by Matt Haig
2. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
3. Killing Eve by Luke Jennings
4. Power by Naomi Alderman
5. Unwanted by Kristina Ohlsson
6. The Haunting Hill by Shirley Jackson
7. The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood

1. The Corset by Laura Purcell. Finished reading this brilliant Gothic thriller last night. Loved it. I really enjoyed Laura Purcell creepy The Silent Companion so I had high expectations. I was not disappointed. Highly recommend it.

@Piggywaspushed I hope you have enjoyed A Suitable Boy. I loved it when I read it but my word it is a long one. I'm a very slow reader so it takes me ages to read long novels but it's mainly worth it.

Thank you to whoever suggested Blackwell's in Oxford. I used it as a good excuse for a day trip and dragged my older two teens there as part of a general day out in the city. I could have been there for hours and I love the way they organise the fiction, especially the fiction in translation. I may have come away with some books...

Coincidentally I am also reading the first Inspector Morse book Last Bus to Woodstock but am struggling with the sexism. It's really sexist!

Very excited to get The Hearts Invisible Furies for 99p, splashed out on the Audible version for an extra £2.99 as well 🥳 happy days!

Yes I have whippet : it's surprisingly easy to follow for such a long book which must be testament to Seth's characterisation.

150 pages to go!