50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Four

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth 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, the second one here and the third one here.

How're you getting on so far?

Hourly History Roman Empire and Isaac Newton are free at the moment.

24: The Cut-Out Girl - Bart Van Es

Reviewed recently upthread by CluelessMama and others, and snapped up by lots of us when this was a (bargainous) Kindle daily deal.

A short read but a very powerful one. This is the story of Lien, whose survival as a Jewish child in occupied Holland during WW2 seems almost miraculous as the facts unfold - the number of Jews murdered in the Netherlands was horrific: more than double that in any other Western country, even in Germany itself. But many ordinary Dutch citizens quietly set about organising themselves to help save their compatriots, and while there were terrible, sickening betrayals (these are very difficult to read about, especially when they involve small children), there were also superhuman acts of bravery and heroism. Bart van Es's grandparents hid Lien for part of the war, and she probably owes her survival to them. But her post-war story wasn't so straightforward, and this is as much a tale of painful family reconciliation as triumph over wartime danger. I won't forget this book in a hurry.

Just managed to catch up with the thread, holidays and new job have not been very conducive to reading!

18 The Hunting Party much reviewed, finished but didn't like it, hated all the characters which I think you are meant to do but there were very many irritating details such as why wasn't the fire lit or at least laid already and no way would one man take 8 beginners out in a fee stalk by himself and stalking is done either at first light or later on in the afternoon.

But at least I managed to finish that one unlike Night Over Water which is a very poor offering from Ken Follett, not to sure want page I got to but it was 10% on the kindle.

Currently reading The Sisters Brothers which is more than making up for the last two

Just on the offchance that anybody hasn't actually read Crazy Rich Asians , it's 99p for the kindle today.

Just to clarify my comment in the review of The Cut-Out Girl, I meant that the Jewish wartime death rate in the Netherlands was more than double the figure in any other Western country. Bart van Es says it was 80%. Almost every member of Lien's family was killed by the Nazis.

64. The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Platts

Two young girls are found guilty of killing a toddler. Years later, one is still in prison and the other has a new identity and is staying in a hotel when another young girl goes missing. I did want to keep reading to find out what happened, and I did like the twist, but given the echoes to real life cases this is an uncomfortable read.

65. It’s All Relative: Adventures Up And Down The World’s Family Tree by A J Jacobs

I enjoyed this. The author tries to arrange the world’s biggest family reunion, on the grounds that we’re all related if you go back far enough. Along the way he learns a lot about genealogy and his own family history. Interesting if you like genealogy.

66. Blacklands by Belinda Bauer

I’m a bit torn on this one. I can’t say I enjoyed it exactly because it’s another one with lots of echoes to real life cases. However, I thought it was really well written and I raced through it in a day. Stephen is an 11 year old boy who discovers that his uncle disappeared years ago, presumed killed by a man later found guilty of killing other children. Stephen decides to write to the killer in prison to try and find out what happened to his uncle. As I said the subject matter isn’t nice (although there’s nothing graphic mentioned) but written well.

67. Service With A Smile by P G Wodehouse

68. A Pelican At Blandings by P G Wodehouse

Two instalments of the Blandings series, featuring Lord Emsworth being his usual ineffectual self, bossy sister Constance, and a host of guests involved in farcical situations and mainly pretending to be someone else. Hilarious.

I’ve had Cold Comfort Farm hanging around for a while now and never read it, but have been inspired to dig it out based on reviews upthread. I’m only a couple of chapters in but finding it funny so far! Thanks Scribbly

Speaking of Wodehouse, I am reading Billy Connolly's (highly engaging) book and he has little sidetracks at the end of each chapter. In the first one of these he explains why reading and books matter ('A Guide To Literature'). It's a really lovely little bit of the book. And his favourite writer is PG Wodehouse.

I think everyone on this thread would enjoy at least that part of his book!

Cold Comfort Farm left me cold, I'm afraid.

47. Graceland - Bethan Roberts I picked this up after listening to the Backlisted Podcast re: Last Train to Memphis/ Careless Love . The author was one of the panel members.
This is a fictional account of the relationship between Elvis and his Mother, Gladys. Their relationship is well know to have been extremely close and Elvis never recovered from her death related to alcohol abuse just as he entered the Army. Gladys drank to cope with Elvis' fame. She felt cut adrift, without a purpose and often terrified for his safety.
I enjoyed this, it was easy to read, well researched and accurate.

Currently in Berlin; first time here and just loving the city. Finding lots of it quite sobering, visited Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe today. Seems appropriate to start Cut out girl.

Berlin is wonderful. I'm desperate to go again.

I have a serious problem. My kindle is full 😥

I have a serious problem. My kindle is full

😳 I’m simultaneously horrified for you and flummoxed that such a thing is possible given how many books a kindle can hold. How on earth did you manage it?! 😁

I am going to Krakow , and to Auschwitz, this week. I am avoiding The Tattoist based on everyone's reviews so am Taking Cut Out Girl with me on the (by no means full) Kindle.

Isn't it a thousand books that a Kindle can hold?!

(Err, that second smiley was meant to be a friendly grinning one. God knows why it’s gritting its teeth instead)

And, ooh, Piggy, Krakow is beautiful. How long are you there for?

Three nights decumus. Going on Monday.

WTF!!! It’s grinning now! My bastarding smileys are gaslighting me!

32: Morgan’s Run – Colleen McCullough

This was huge (900 pages!) and could have got away with being half as long. It had too many characters and too much ‘Let me prove I’ve done some research’, but I actually really enjoyed it. A great central character and plenty of seafaring, rum, sodomy and the lash, which I always enjoy.

Found I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O'Farrell for £2 in The Works today!

24. The Shortest History of Germany - James Hawes.

Informative and concise history of Germany from the Romans to the present day. Very good.

25. Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy. (Audible)

I love Thomas Hardy’s writing. In this classic, 1800’s rural lower to middle class England is brought to life, with a central love triangle. Tess is my favourite Hardy so far but this was still enjoyable (and thrilling), particularly the development and use of the peripheral characters and how the third person narrative allowed for different points of view. I loved the names of the characters, interesting how names can be important in a book and it made me think about Milkman again.

I liked Cold Comfort Farm, it was one of the first classics I read in my 30’s and I remember being amused/bemused as it was not at all what I expected (my introduction to the book being The Divine Comedy song).

I am off to Rome next week 😊 I have Mary Beard's SPQR currently on the go - and fiction recommendations set in Rome?

22. My Name is Lucy Barton Elizabeth Strout - I have only so far read this and Amy and Isabelle by Strout, and I far preferred Amy and Isabelle. This one was well written and moving if not desperately sad in places, and there were a couple of moments that really affected me. But also, whilst I totally understand that the muted/sparse style was a choice, I just think somehow I need a little more - a few more questions answered, a bit more of a resolution, a bit more agency from the narrator - possibly very thick of me but there we are.

Shake - I fancied that ~German history one, but have read an awful lot of German history and wondered how much it was likely to add to what I've read already. What do you think?

Keith if you haven't already read them, Lindsey Davis' Falco series set in Ancient Rome is brilliant, starting with The Silver Pigs. Wisecracking 'informer' (ie private investigator) Falco is very entertaining company, and the books really give you a feel for the physical layout of the city.

Piggy that sounds amazing - have you read Primo Levi's This is a Man. It is an amazing book about his time in Auschwitz.
Brizzle can't you delete books from the Kindle and then they stay on the cloud?

Need to ask 50 bookers, a Daisy Goodwin has commented on my blog. Do we think it is the Daisy Goodwin? Or am I bonkers??