50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Five

[southeastdweller]

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

You can start a new thread with spoiler in the title and ask it there Piggy. I preferred My Cousin Rachel to Rebecca too, properly gripping hands on the steering wheel tense I was. Can’t say any other thrillers (would you class it as a thriller?) I’ve read since have come anywhere close to making me feel how that book did.

Yes, definitely a thriller. Psychological thriller. That's why Hitchcock loved her so. I do think Du Maurier is an underrated writer.

When you say gripping the steering wheel, I presume you were listening to the audiobook!?

Thanks for the tip . I may just do that but first will test on colleagues tomorrow although they don't read books

AliasGrape, I really enjoyed Amy and Isabelle too. I did love Olive Kitteridge though - I thought the writing was exceptional.

I haven't updated for a while, despite reading the thread. My last few reads are, in brief:
51. Nora Webster - Colm Toibin
I enjoyed this quiet tale of newly widowed Nora and her children, set in the same Irish world as The Blackwater Lightship, though much earlier, in the 1960s. I liked the way she developed and grew in confidence and became her own person, which was not an easy task for a women in the Ireland of the time.

52. Sea Monsters - Chloe Aridjis
The 80s Mexican goth/alternative scene features in this unusual coming of age story in which the heroine makes bad relationship choices in an uncomfortably relatable teenage manner.

53. Leaving the Atocha Station - Ben Lerner
Unlikeable, pretentious American poet lives in Spain on a poetry grant and makes an arse of himself! It was hard to like this but the main character was so admittedly rubbish and flawed that I ended up feeling a little sympathetic.

54. The Gate of Angels - Penelope Fitzgerald
Classic Fitzgerald, understated but rather lovely and includes a ghost story element. Set in a made-up Cambridge college that doesn't allow women, so naturally a love story follows.

55. Do No Harm - Henry Marsh
Much reviewed on here, but I found this to be a fascinating account of the life of a brain surgeon. I remember some posters found him to be arrogant, which I agree he is, but I feel that the job, with all its inherent risks, could only be done by someone with the extreme self-belief and confidence to pick themselves up after making mistakes.

56. Venice Preserved - Thomas Otway
A classic restoration tragedy that I saw at the RSC this week. Death, plots and daggers abound! The stage version I saw set the play in a kind of 1980s blade-runner noir which was fascinating and strange.

57. Forest Dark - Nicole Krauss
I wanted to like this but I found this a slog, despite admiring the sophisticated writing. There are two parallel narratives to this novel, both concerned with Jewishness, Kafka and the notion of metamorphosis. Epstein is an older, successful and wealthy man who casts off his riches and is drawn back to Israel and the desert, and a middle-aged female writer in a failing marriage, who also travels to Israel to find inspiration for her latest novel. I probably missed something here to be honest but it wasn't an easy read.

I was listening to the audiobook , although the lie that I read the physical book and was so overwhelmed with du Maurier’s dramatic tension that I had to go and sit in my car to calm down would have been better.

Yes, I also enjoy Sarah Caudwell - she has a lot of fun with gender stereotypes.

Screw, Celia Fremlin was a new find for me last year, and I'm a convert.

Two short ones from the weekend:

69. Worst Case Scenario, by Helen Fitzgerald
Filed under crime fiction, but it's not your run--of-the-mill whodunit. The main character is a criminal justice social worker (as the author herself was), grappling with the menopause, and assigned to supervise a wife-killer who has been taken up by the men's rights movement. It's a pitch-black comedy, turning on a deep irony, and the effect is as jolting as downing a triple espresso in one go - recommended.

70. A Cure for Heartache, Mary Ann Grant
Quite a contrast: a memoir by a Canadian woman about how she coped with the end of her 25-year marriage by spending time in London and on a writer's retreat in France. It has a whiff of a later-life Eat Pray Love. The author is more impressed at the perspicacity of her insights than I am - she describes working in the British Library, portraying herself as thinking and writing and contributing to the wisdom of the ages, while never rising about the banalities of a mindfulness textbook. Innocent vanity aside, it's clearly all very sincere, and she digs up some good quotes from proper writers, so it's not a write-off.

38. War Doctor - David Nott (Audible)

Memoir of Welsh vascular surgeon David Nott, who has volunteered in many of the war zones of the last 30 years (including Sarajevo, the Congo, Afghanistan and Syria). This is an often harrowing account, with the horrific injuries suffered by children having the greatest impact on Nott and the reader in turn.

He comes across as brave, openly thrill-seeking but also humble, and his dedication to his surgical colleagues in Aleppo was very moving. His efforts to get them out of the besieged city towards the end of the book made for extremely tense listening - these aren't stories where happy endings are guaranteed.

Like the film A Private War (about the journalist Marie Colvin), this has truly deepened my understanding of the inhuman evil of war.

InMyOwnParticularIdiom did you hear David Nott on Desert Island Discs? It was very moving. Recommended listening if you fancy searching for it in the programme archives.

35. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. A reread and the first half left me as bamboozled as a decade ago. I enjoyed the writing but found the text really inaccessible and characters indistinguishable. But something clicked and I fell in love. By the end, well, I haven’t laughed and cried as much in a long time. Flawed female characterisation though.

36. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. Very popular novel from last year which does what it says on the tin. I actually didn’t realise this was based on a true story til the epilogue and couldn’t work out why such an interesting story we written so poorly. All we really learn about the protagonist is he loves women and is charming. Turns out it was a screen play first and that’s exactly what it felt like. The most passionate moment was an afterward written by a relative. I don’t think the author came across well and there was so much waffle about her writing experience - she’s also stayed frustratingly quiet on the criticism surrounding the historical inaccuracies. None the less I haven’t read anything about the holocaust in a while and it’s always good to remind yourself of these atrocities.

Terpsichore - No I haven't heard David Nott's Desert Island Discs, I will look it up, thanks.

TBH I hadn't heard of David Nott before War Doctor came up as a suggestion from Audible (because I listen to quite a lot of medical memoirs), but I'm very glad I have found out about his work now.

[grin]@Piggywaspushed you might be right.

@floraloctopus that sounds simple enough, what could go wrong?!

Thanks @Sadik I had a look and mine doesn’t do BorrowBox but has some sort of equivalent so I’m going to have a go at setting it up.

13. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I find it hard to rate books like this - on the one hand it was a pleasant enough bit of fun, a beach read kind of a book, and I didn’t have any trouble reading it through in a couple of sittings, however my pervading feeling was that it was a bit silly and not very good really. I love the music and the time period that the book centres on, it is obviously inspired somewhat by Fleetwood Mac (though not the same story) following the ups and downs of a band’s fortunes, whilst also taking look at the personal relationships and fallouts going on behind the music. But the thing for me is that it never got anywhere near as interesting in the book as the real life stories behind big bands like FM, and this was fiction so she could have done what she wanted with the premise, and instead chose one long round of repetitive and low stakes drug-taking interspersed with dodgy songs, jangly bracelets, more drugs, with some drunken non-events and braless almost-shenanigans thrown in and it was disappointing. Although I quite liked the idea of the interview style, and gave her a pass on writing Stevie Nicks quality lyrics, some of the dialogue was cringe-inducing, and it was a bit of a bloodless affair generally for a rock and roll chronicle. The other thing that annoyed me was the amount of attention given to the description of the looks of the female lead singer - I felt it was often more in keeping with a 90s/00s perspective on a female pop star, not the rock singers of the era she was writing about who often did not conform exactly to conventional standards of feminine attractiveness, in quite a deliberate way, so she didn’t feel real at all. Every outfit was lovingly described but they were not particularly of era so not sure what purpose it served. It passed an afternoon or two and got me listening to Rumours again so I shouldn’t be too harsh.

that sounds simple enough, what could go wrong?!

SatsukiKusakabe Nothing if we were all in charge

With the present political muppets (of all parties) heaven only knows.

19. On the Cantatas of J. S. Bach - Vol 1 by Hendrik Slegtenhorts

I was hopeful about this but it turned out to be quite basic, focusing on the lyrics of the cantatas it mentions, and the writing was unbelievably awful. I don't think the author's English is good enough to write a book and suspect that this was a self-published Kindle thing. I'm not a native speaker if English either, but have not put together a sentence this pathetic since my early teens: "To build a continuing relationship with readers of like mind and interests is, because of its importance, what I, as a writer, seek."

It wasn't all bad and there were a few insights I'm glad I read but I'm still not recommending this book.

@floraloctopus yes it’s like Lord of the Flies, we’re all stranded waiting for the grown-ups to arrive and sort things out.

Disappointing to hear that about Daisy Jones, Satsuji. It is on my Kindle waiting for a spare indulgent day when I planned to immerse myself in something fun and indulgent. For now, I'm trying to finish off some books I am part way through but with a pause for these two, both of which I galloped through.

64 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
DS insisted I read this because it is apparently the funniest book ever. I didn't have the heart to tell him I found it much funnier when I read it 30 years ago (and didn't want to dwell on the fact it has been 30 years!). It has held up remarkably well and is very acute in its observations of teenage life and all its angst. Plus is a very quick easy read. And perhaps it was never intended to be as funny as I found it once upon a time...

65 The Kindly Ones by Anthony Powell
Book six in DTTMOT, and the best so far. War has just broken out, Nick is trying to get a commission and his friends carry on with their lives. This has an extended, and very funny, flashback to his childhood, an ageing cult leader and an extremely awkward dinner party. And several of my favourite characters from past books. And Widmerpool! I let out a small whoop of glee when he appeared the first time, in all his ponderous horror.

I am loving these, and each one is funnier and better written and more perfectly formed than the last. I suspect I may not wait until July to read book seven (the plan was one a month in 2019).

Satsuki, sorry!

pepe it is fun and indulgent, and I didn’t feel at any point like I wanted to give up, but wished there was more to it and a bit more grit I suppose. It had some good lines and the way it was put together was a nice idea - lots of people telling the same story but with different recollections of the same incidents - but the story could have been more inventive. It was bought for me as a present in hardback which shouldn’t make a difference but maybe slightly raised expectations compared to if it had been a Kindle deal,

62. The Kindly Ones - Anthony Powell DTTMOT #6 (audiobook)

Also just finished the next installment. The book opens with a flashback to 1914 and Nick's childhood before school and concentrates on the 'downstairs' staff. This initially feels very odd and out of synch however is needed to set the context of later events. Nick is now jostling for position before the war breaks out.

I agree that these gets better with each passing book and also think I probably won't be able to ration them out.

I'm glad I'm not the only joyous Widmerpool greeter. He's becoming a bit pantomime villain with that impending creeping up and yell of "He's behind you!"

I do wonder why these are not more popular or known about as they are simply brilliant.

I read the Dance to the Music of Time when I was a teenager, and I remember enjoying it, but not a huge amount else. I really very rarely re-read, but I think I’m starting to plan an exception to this rule!

71. Greenbacks, Dorothy Whipple
An account of three generations of a middle-class family and their struggles with family life, originally published in 1932. I started it ages ago,, found it a bit dull and stalled, but it grew on me. There are some enjoyably awful husbands (well, not enjoyable for their wives) and some satisfying accounts of women finally asserting themselves. There was one plot strand that was surprisingly reminiscent of the second series of Fleabag.

22. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen on Audible, no introduction needed with this one.
    I know the plot well from the film, and this is something of a bonus when listening to a book where there is no facility to flick back and get the facts straight. I do think Emma Thompson deserved her Adapted Screenplay Oscar for bringing this to life and fleshing out the characters, particularly Edward who is a bit of a cold fish in the book. I enjoyed this much more than Persuasion but nowhere near as much as Pride and Prejudice.

23. My Thoughts Exactly by Lily Allen, an enjoyable no holds barred memoir that has an authentic voice. (Just checked the spelling of that expression and discovered it relates to wrestling and I've been incorrectly saying 'no holes barred' my entire life! ) I think it can probably be assumed that she won't be making the big money through singing in the future, her first album sold 2.5 million copies and the fourth album, released a year ago, has to date sold 14,439 copies. Writing is therefore no doubt a profitable second string to her bow, and 'warts and all' is the way to go if you want the big bucks. I'm sure this book has done wonders for her bank balance but I very much doubt it has done anything for family relations. Her parents are depicted as being largely neglectful and her sibling relationships seem tense. Lily Allen has been through some difficult times in her life and she covers the highs and lows in this book. She doesn't shy away from describing her own diva-ish, often drug fuelled, behaviour but there isn't much introspection even when she's describing her 'close friend' and manager quitting by letter, being sued by another 'close friend' who had acted as her booking agent for several years and her entire band quitting - within the space of a few months. I came away thinking she probably wasn't an easy person to work with but that she was an interesting and honest writer.

24. The Hoarder by Jess Kidd. Maud Drennan - underpaid carer and unintentional psychic - is the latest in a long line of dogsbodies for the ancient, belligerent Cathal Flood. Yet despite her best efforts, Maud is drawn into the mysteries concealed in his filthy, once-grand home. She realises that something is changing: Cathal, and the junk-filled rooms, are opening up to her.
    With only her agoraphobic landlady and a troop of sarcastic ghostly saints to help, Maud must uncover what lies beneath Cathal's decades-old hostility, and the strange activities of the house itself. And if someone has hidden a secret there, how far will they go to ensure it remains buried?
    My expectations were low on this one, I picked it up on an Audible 3 for 2 deal and this was the third 'throw it in the shopping cart and hope for the best' book. However I was pleasantly surprised, the writing was good and I was keen to find out the mystery at the centre of the plot. Kidd could be accused of throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it; there's a murder mystery/detective saga, supernatural goings on, dual time narrative (the childhood mystery isn't properly explored and feels a bit superfluous) and the Greek Chorus Of Saints that only Maud can see adds magic realism to the mix, which could be a bit distracting but I really liked, (particularly the lecherous Saint Valentine who was metaphorically rubbing his thighs a la Vic Reeves at every interaction our heroine had with a prospective romantic conquest.)
    Kidd kept me guessing till the end as to who were the goodies and who were the baddies and there are many twists and turns of plot (perhaps too many to properly keep up with in an Audible book) over all though very enjoyable and I will be seeking out her debut novel Himself which most reviewers on Goodreads seem to prefer to this one.

Greenbanks, not Greenbacks.

Not as good as "no holes barred", though Desdemona. I won't even speculate on what you thought the origin of that one was...

I quite fancy the sound of The Hoarder.

I am just dropping in to say I am still here, still reading your lovely reviews and still reading. Life has just thrown me a few curveballs at the moment. Keep meaning to up date and then... currently reading Lowborn by Kerry Hudson and it is very very good.

I know biblio, the mind boggles

44. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

I very much enjoy Wolitzer's writing style and this book was no exception. It tells the story of Greer Kadetsky, a young woman who meets an "old school" feminist, Faith Frank, in a chance encounter at college, and how that experience shapes her life. It also focuses on her boyfriend Cory, and friend Zee, and how their experiences interlink with hers. The central theme is, I think, inter-generational feminism and mentorship, albeit (as many reviewers have commented) from a very white middle-class perspective. It was a very familiar milieu for me (albeit an American rather than a British setting), very enjoyable to read with well-realised characters, but I didn't think it told me anything new. I think part of my problem with this type of moulding/new generation/mentor novels is that I feel Muriel Spark did it so perfectly and efficiently in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie that even very differently set novels like this one feel a bit verbose and lumbering in comparison.

In terms of Wolitzer's own novels, I much preferred The Wife which was crisper, shorter, more acerbic and in my view all the better for it.