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?

Stop what you are doing!! There is a new Chocolat book out by Joanne Harris. How did I not know this?!

AllOuttaIdeas (and any lurkers), it's never too late to join, and there are no prizes for early joining of thread, for number of books read, frequency of posting, or literary quality or otherwise of said books. Join in anytime simply to enthuse or to administer a well-earned kicking, or anything in between.

Welcome to the thread AllOuttaIdeas . I think I joined half way through a year a couple of years back.

I visited Lingham's bookshop in Heswall today and found the new, very beautiful and signed by the author Underworld by Robert Macfarlane today. Sitting right next to it was the new, beautiful and also signed by the author Still Water by John Lewis-Stempel. I obviously had to buy both of them immediately.

I am having the worst reading year. Ali Smith's Spring is sitting a quarter read next to me now and has been doing so for about a week. I love her books but I just am not in mood to read anything even remotely verging on literary fiction at the moment. I've decided to start rereading A Song of Ice and Fire alternating with lovely nature writing to see if that helps the giant can’t be arsed reading funk I'm in.

Welcome AllOutta and your reading of Sally Rooney is the same as mine

Welcome @AllOutta and I'm totally with you and @toomuchsplother on Sally Rooney. I couldn't finish either of them and I aim to trudge through and finish (nearly) everything I start. I think I am irrationally annoyed by all the massive hype and there's something about her writing that makes me think of Lena Dunham in Girls bleating "But I'm the voice of my generation. Or at least, a voice of my generation".

Gosh I sound grumpy! In fact I think I am just older than Rooney's intended audience....

Am I the only one who hasn't read any Kate Atkinson? Can't decide if I am missing out or not!

Now I've calmed down after my excitement earlier ( ) I can say I don't like Kate Atkinson's books at all. I tried one and couldn't get into it.

Grim I feel the same way. I can appreciate the writing but if that is the voice of a generation...

I texted my friend a review after reading Conversations With Friends : "Meh. Millennial drama llamas"

I was so relieved that Normal People didn't make the Women's Prize short list as I am a bit anal about reading that.

19. English animals by Laura Kaye
A young Slovakian woman starts a job at an English country house. She befriends the couple and gets into taxidermy.

I loved this debut. The main characters are well rounded and I liked the writing style. Definitely would recommend.

I fell of the thread again - having a nightmare reading wise. Unwell and unable to stay awake for more than a few pages, then Kindle stopped charging so unable to finish the few books on there I’m half way through, and bedside lamp also broke and I haven’t yet replaced either and it’s really quite jarring how quickly I’ve got out of the habit of reading over the last month I feel not quite myself. I’m now stuck into a couple of promising library books though and have a holiday next week so hope to finally rejoin the procession.

Welcome allouta

Agree Re Normal People. The female character was a cut out woman I feel I’ve seen represented a lot and was disappointed and irritated by that aspect of it.

Am I the only one who hasn't read any Kate Atkinson? Can't decide if I am missing out or not!

You’re not alone, Mog. I’ve not read any either, although Transcription was one of the choices at a recent book club session. (Unfortunately we went with the godawful The Psychology of Time Travel instead. Rant Review to come. Spoiler: I hated it.)

I’d like to try the Jackson Brodie books I think, but it’s not immediately obvious where to start.

Sorry to hear you're not well Satsuki Hope you're feeling better soon

Thanks, Sadik.

Sorry you're not well, Satsuki. The image of a broken kindle and broken lamp is so pathetic though that I yearn for somebody to put it in a novel. Really hope you feel better soon and so do your symbolic props of Unwell Reader. Or please treat yourself to new ones for medicinal purposes.

Oh heavens, given the sudden direction the thread's taken, I'm going to introduce a note of mild controversy now

29: Normal People - Sally Rooney

I charged through this in a day (it's very short, though), and whereas I found Conversations with Friends pretty uncomfortable going - and thought all the characters repellently self-obsessed - I liked this. Really liked it. I thought it was significantly more mature, had more depth, was quieter and sadder (desperately sad) and wiser and, for all those reasons, far more readable. And I just wonder whether the mega-hype around Sally Rooney would have been anything like as great if this had been her first book...would she even have got published?

This Thing of Darkness is Kindle Daily Deal today! AFAIK it is an absolute masterpiece and the only book that 50-Bookers have ever unanimously agreed on, so don't miss it at 99p

21. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett. This is a collection of autobiographical essays, most of which were written in the past by Patchett as stand-alone articles and published in various magazines / newspapers, rather than for the purposes of this book. I found them really fascinating - particularly the ones about how to be a fiction writer, her relationship with her grandmother, her love of opera, her two marriages and the time when one of her books became an unexpected source of controversy in South Carolina. I was already a big fan of her fiction (loved Commonwealth and State of Wonder, enjoyed Run), and I have now added two more of her books to my to-read list. A stand-out for me.

I got to the end of my tbr pile this week. And then all my pre ordered books arrived! Pile now rather large again....

Ha! Cotehas beaten me to it but I urge everybody to buy This Thing of Darkness immediately and then thank us later.

Was also hot-footing it here to let you all know about This Thing . Quite possibly the best 99p you will spend this year.

Thanks for the heads up on This Thing. I lent out my paper copy months ago and it is still missing in action. So I have downloaded and hope that DH who will only read on Kindle might give it a go.

Lolita is also on Kindle Daily Deal and highly recommended.

33. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

I am completely unfamiliar with Baldwin (reading up on him after I read the book, it turns out he had a very interesting life) and picked this up because of the film connection. It's a short book but packs a lot in: the story of Tish and her imprisoned lover Fonny; the racial injustice that got him there and the power and love of families. I thought it was fantastically written, particularly the dialogue, and loved the characters of Tish and Fonny. Apparently it was criticised on the basis that Tish's voice wasn't authentic and sounded too authorial, but one of the things I really liked about it was the intelligent thoughtful voice given to a young poor woman - it didn't feel out of place to me. Definitely worth a read.