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.

58. The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story - Christie Watson I galloped through this well-written nursing memoir. It's the sort of book that makes you realise how lucky you are and to appreciate the good things you have while you have them. Many of the tales in this book were absolutely heartbreaking and the kindness of the nurses, working in very difficult conditions, shines through.

I've really got in to reading memoirs at the moment. I'm finding it easier to read non-fiction for some reason. However, I've just started Acceptance, the third and final part of the Southern Reach trilogy, which I have been reading at the rapid rate of one per year.

35 The Fair Fight - Anna Freeman
I am not usually much of a historical fiction fan, and the concept of a novel based around a female boxer growing up in a late 18th century Bristol brothel is not one that would normally draw me in, but this was a book club pick, so I did read it and ended up really enjoying it.

Freeman has obviously done a huge amount of research in order to ensure historical accuracy, but the book wears it lightly and it didn't seem like I was getting social history/period slang/boxing techniques rammed down my throat, so to speak. It is written in the voices of three of the main characters, not all of whom are particularly sympathetic at all times, but the worst ones get what they deserve (more or less) in the end. A good read.

27. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. Nine friends, old mates from uni and their partners, get together to spend new year's eve in a remote, exclusive Scottish hunting lodge. One of them is murdered and the snowy weather means that it was impossible for an outsider to travel in or out of the estate, setting up a classic locked room style whodunnit. My main problem with this book is that the identity of the corpse (as well as, obviously, the murderer) is not revealed until very near the end, making it much harder to guess whodunnit (as there are too many variables) and hence reducing the suspense which is usually a huge part of this genre. Otherwise, it was an okay read.

Nothing much to add here - just popping in to say hello.

I've read some stuff but it's mostly been very uninspiring and I just can't be bothered to even write reviews of any of it.

I think I got my numbers mixed up before think this is

15. To Throw Away Unopened by Viv Albertine

I really loved this, and I’m not a huge reader of memoirs generally. It centres around the loss of her aged mother, to whom she is very close, and how it brings sharply into focus events from the past, which leads her to confront some truths about her life and family relationships. Along the way she companionably discusses the trials and triumphs of her post-punk, post-divorce life. She looks at herself and her relationships with others with a rare, courageous honesty that is both compelling and endearing. I felt very affected by it. She writes well and with a laid-back artistry, embedding literary and musical quotes throughout her narrative, making it a part of a bigger story of female struggle and success in the arts. I’m definitely going to seek out Clothes Music Boys but seem to keep missing it when it’s cheap on the Kindle.

45 A Buyer's Market by Anthony Powell, listened to on audio

The second Dance to the Music of Time book 2, and I'm thoroughly hooked - they're perfect for listening while working, engaging but slow enough paced that it doesn't matter if I miss a word or have to start & stop the book.

I love the way this thread encourages me to try things I'd never have picked up of my own accord. It's also reminded me how much I enjoy serial novels of this sort - shame neither CP Snow's Strangers & Brothers sequence nor (in a slightly more downmarket vein) Compton Mackenzie's Sinister Street & inter-related books are available on audio.

72. Travels with Epicurus, by Daniel Klein
Non-fiction: American man in his 70s packs up his old college philosophy books and takes himself off to a Greek island to think about how to lead an authentic older life. I could poke some holes in it - there is a whiff of male entitlement (nice for him to sit and think while women still get the dinner on the table and look after those who need it) and a somewhat romanticised view of Greek peasant life (which he acknowledges), but there's a gentle appeal to his musing about what makes for a meaningful old age.

73. My Sister the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Older sister grudgingly cleans up after her younger sister's unfortunate habit of killing men. Enjoyably deadpan about the murders, and an interesting glimpse into prosperous urban African life. It's lightweight, and all the better for it.

I'm reading Clothes Music Boys at the moment (I did get it on a daily deal) Satuski and really enjoying it, I'll definitely be seeking out the follow up after your, and other pp's, positive review. Another author I'd never have picked up without this thread.

I haven't posted for a while so just updating and will then catch up on what others have read and the recommendations I have missed. I seem to have had quite a good run of enjoyable reads recently:

27. We have always lived in the castle - Shirley Jackson

Recommended by others on this thread and I really enjoyed it!

28. I am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes

Not the best written book and had some annoying style quirks but I found it a real page turner and raced through it. Whilst the ending was never in doubt it was the journey I wanted to find out about. Trying not to spoil for anyone who hasn't read it!

29. Last Bus to Woodstock - Colin Dexter

This was a Kindle Daily Deal. I love the Morse television series (and Endeavour) but had never read any of the books. The plot was fine but some of the attitudes in the book annoyed me (maybe of its era) and the style didn't particularly gel with me. Will probably stick to the television series.

30. The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes

I started this a while ago and was quite put off by the opening paragraph and stopped. Glad I came back to it as I really enjoyed this exploration of relationships which was unpredictable and an interesting read.

31. The Quiet American - Graham Greene

I read Our Man in Havana earlier in the year so thought I would try another Greene. This was very different in tone from Our Man in Havana. Set in Vietnam during the war with the focus on a world-weary English reporter, a naive young American attache and a local Vietnamese girl against the backdrop of the different local factions. Really enjoyed this.

32. Black Sheep - Georgette Heyer

My go-to comfort read author. Lucky she was prolific. Thoroughly enjoyable as ever.

Probably back to A Dance to the Music of Time next - Book 6 up next so keeping on track with one a month. What will Widmerpool do next.....?

I have just raced through The silence between breaths by Cath Staincliffe. It's the first book of hers that I have read and I couldn't put it down. It tells the story of several people who are travelling to London with a chapter dedicated to a specific person or family and reveals their personalities and life events. One person on the train is not what they seem to be and they are sussed out by a fellow passenger with disastrous consequences. Bravery features highly in this novel from some of the most unexpected people.

Well worth reading.

36 Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata
Short Japanese novel which seems to have become very popular in the UK. Keiko is a (probably) not neurotypical/(possibly) autistic woman in her mid-30s who has only ever worked in a 24-hour convenience store. She learns how to be a 'normal' person by imitating those around her, but even so she is coming under pressure for not conforming to rigid social norms (still prevalent in Japan these days) by either getting a proper job or getting married.

There are definite hints of Eleanor Oliphant in the main character, which may explain its popularity, though I would have to say she is less complex and less sympathetic than Eleanor (and I was not a big fan of that book). Even so, it is a decent short read which tells you quite a lot about Japanese society.

Just finished Children of Blood and Bone which is a YA historical fantasy thing. I found it very derivative, of things like The Hunger games and Red Rising amongst others and some of the phrasing/imagery was very repetitive. It was very YA with a lot of 'He loves me, he loves me boy's stuff that got a bit wearing. And I thought the ending was weak. Still, it's one of the first things I've read in ages that seems at least worth a review, although I think I might be damning it with faint praise.

74. Herring in the Smoke, L C Tyler
Latest instalment in crime fiction series. It's set in modern-day England, but with a nod and a wink to the Golden Age of crime fiction. It's a playful take on the genre, although not as funny as it wants to be.

I seem to have got into a run of diaries:

38: The Diary of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell

Much-reviewed on here, and one of the few available things on BorrowBox that seemed remotely like anything I'd want to read. I wasn't sure I'd be particularly bothered about this but in fact I ended up loving it. I've spent a significant chunk of my life (as I'm sure most of us on here have) haunting secondhand bookshops and so there was a lot here that spoke to me very directly. I enjoyed his dry sense of humour a great deal. I can't quite believe the jaw-dropping Nicky was a real person, though....

Then on to two related books:

39: Gentleman Jack: the Real Anne Lister - Anne Choma & Sally Wainwright
40: The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister - ed. Helena Whitbread

I'm watching the current dramatisation of these on BBC1 but had seen the diaries for sale (in a secondhand bookshop) years ago, not bought them and have been mildly kicking myself for it ever since. Now, on making up for lost time, they're fascinating for any history-lover. Lister's sexual identity has been heavily trailed as the focus here but the TV adaptation unfortunately goes rather for the nudge-nudge, wink-wink approach - which, as the diaries make obvious, the fiercely-private Lister herself would have loathed. There's an academic case to be made for studying the evidence the diaries provide of the private life of a lesbian woman in the early 19thc, but that has to be in the context of everything else Lister was: a fiercely intelligent, frustrated, capable woman trapped in a male-dominated society, one to which she couldn't/wouldn't conform. The diaries and the companion-book provide a more nuanced picture than the TV series (which, as prime-time entertainment, is far from bad, just not able to convey the full story). I did find the diaries frustrating at times because the notes are hopelessly sparse and don't explain much essential background; the companion-book covers a different time-period of Lister's life but helpfully fills in lots of gaps, so it was good to read both.

25. The Only Story by Julian Barnes
Superficially the story of 19 year old Paul, and the relationship he has over many years with his married, fortysomething tennis partner Susan, this was really more of a philosophical musing on the nature of love, how it changes, and how it changes us. I enjoyed both the storyline and the reflections. Although the narration switched between first, second, and third person, this is very much Paul’s perspective alone, and while this worked, I would be intrigued to find out more about Susan’s experiences, which are hugely significant in how their relationship develops.

As an aside, this was my first ever Audiobook, borrowed from the library, and I’m not sure how I feel about the format. I am quite slow of thinking, and often like to re-read passages, and dip back and forth, which I couldn’t easily do. On the other hand, being able to multitask and enjoy a novel while cooking was a definite plus, although this did mean I missed the odd bit when concentration was elsewhere. And I don’t have sufficient brainpower to “read” two books at once anymore, and didn’t want to listen in bed, so ended up reading travel guides or Private Eye at the end of the day. Perhaps the format might be better suited to a more plot-driven book?

Nothing exciting to report. Doing some easy reads to get my mojo back.

63. A Poisonous Plot - Susanna Gregory (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles #21)
    Medieval murder mystery of usual format. Starting to get quite samey this late in the series, but I like the characters so may as well keep going with only a few left.

64. Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Pérez
    A look at data bias and how it affects women in every aspect of life. Well written, researched and informative and somewhat concerning particularly from a medical perspective.

65. Diary of a Provincial Lady - E.M. Delafield (Audiobook)
    The original Bridget Jones. Compiled from a magazine column, this charming and witty diary observes and pokes fun at middle class life and problems in the 1930s. I laughed out loud in places. Are the sequels worth it?

Fortuna, The Provincial Lady Goes Further is more of the same, and enjoyable. The ones where she goes to America and Russia aren't great. But best of all is "The Provincial Lady in Wartime*. Definitely recommended.

Thanks Biblio I'll definitely look out for the wartime one.

Just dropping by to update.

21. Circe by Madeleine Miller
22. In the Month of the Midnight Sun by Cecilia Elebach
23. My Criminal World by Henry Sutton
24. Stoner by John William's
25. Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey
26. Reservoir 13 by John McGregor
27. Spinning Siler by Naomi Novik

virginqueen what did you think of Spinning Silver?

I saw that in a bookshop today and was quite tempted by the look of it.

After a run of Anthony Powell and non-fiction, I feel in need of a really good and lightweight modern novel - I keep eyeing up various psychological thrillers but I know I will be disappointed. I’m tempted by Worst Case Scenario, bibliomania - thanks for the review.

I’m also happy to see the Viv Albertine love. I must have bought ten or more copies of her books as gifts for friends - they are the perfect “be comfortable with middle age and angry with the world” books in my view.

Meanwhile, I’ve finished off two books I have had on the go for a while...

66 Woman: An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier
This purports to explore the essence of what it means to be female. The first half is a highly entertaining review of the different components of the female reproductive system, what we know about them, and what we don’t know and the second section is more focused on hormones and the effect they have on us (or not). It’s part science, part memoir, and for the most part was engrossing. Angier is a well respected science writer so I was surprised there weren’t more references. In places her views get in the way of a dispassionate assessment of the evidence - she is not a fan of HRT - and although I mostly enjoyed the style it was somewhat overblown in places. I am glad I read this - women’s bodies are amazing and there is so much we aren’t taught about them in school. One for the sisterhood, for sure - have left it in dd’s room in the vain hope she will pick it up!

67 The Character of Physical Law by Richard Feynman
Seven lectures from the sixties by the celebrated theoretical physicist Richard Feynman. His genius lay in part in his ability to communicate about science and these lectures are excellent, as he explains to a public audience how we understand the universe and what we know about the laws of physics. There’s philosophy and humour and almost no maths, and although they aren’t entirely easy reads they are very accessible to non-scientists if you’re willing to go carefully through some sections and think about what he is saying. The lectures themselves are on YouTube, and I enjoyed watching some of them and reading along. I feel smarter now; I have had the second law of thermodynamics explained to me several times but this time I actually understood what it means, in a way that will stick.

StitchesinTime
I really liked Spinning Silver but I think Uprooted was even better. It's the same idea - turning a fairy tale on its head and having a completely new take on it. I hope she writes more

I'd differ from Biblio and say all the Provincial Lady sequels are worth reading - I like the one in America just as much as the others.

The book now sold as 'The Provincial Lady in Russia' was originally titled 'Straw without Bricks: I visit Soviet Russia', and isn't a Provincial Lady book as such, but rather EM Delafield's own reportage. I think it's a fascinating read, but it's quite different to the other books.

104. Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

One of DD’s books about two girls at a boarding school in 1934 investigating the murder of one of their teachers. Despite being aimed at tweens I still didn’t guess whodunnit!

105. On Rereading by Patricia Meyer Spacks

A good idea - writing about rereading books she loved, hated and read at particular times in her life - but it didn’t work for me. The writing style was very dry and almost like a textbook, and I hadn’t read most of the books she writes about.

106. The Overdue Life Of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

Got this free as a Kindle First deal. Glad I didn’t pay for it! Amy’s husband returns three years after he left her to look after their kids for the summer. Amy goes off to stay with a friend in New York, gets a makeover, goes on dates etc. Predictable and Amy was very annoying.

107. Into The Blue by Robert Goddard

Listened to this on Audible, this is another of Goddard’s best. In this, Heather disappears from a mountain in Rhodes, and her friend Harry tries to find out what happened to her by following clues from the photos she left behind (it was written in the late 80s!).

108. Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford

Gradually working through her complete works since buying them on daily deal a while ago. This is one that is particularly of its time - it was written at the outset of WW2 and is a comic novel about Nazi spies disguising themselves as British. Doesn’t read very well now we know the outcome of the war.

109. Finding Grace by K L Slater

Psychological thriller about a missing child. The storyline wasn’t very original and it wasn’t very well written but it killed a few hours on a train.

110. Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause

Another Kindle First freebie. The blurb says it’s ideal for fans of Eleanor Oliphant, but Eleanor did have a hopeful ending whereas this one is just sad really. It’s also rather confusing to read as the time period it’s set in isn’t made clear - it is all explained at the end but it does make it tricky to follow going along.

111. Forget My Name by J S Monroe

I was attracted by the premise of this - a woman turns up at a cottage claiming she’s forgotten her name and everything else about herself, but is convinced she lives there. The couple who do live there disagree. Unfortunately it’s all fell apart quite early on because everyone starts behaving very bizarrely - the couple of live in the cottage take her in, and on her first night there she goes to a pub quiz! Why not? It’s the first thing everyone does when they’ve lost their memory, isn’t it?! It just gets progressively more bonkers from there - I was quite gripped though simply to see where it was going to end up!

112. Around The World In 80 Novels by Henry Russell

Does what it says on the tin - descriptions of 80 books that are particularly representative of the countries they’re set in. Gave me a few to add to my list!

66. An American Marriage - winner of the the Women's Prize and deservedly so. This book looked at the breakdown of a young black couples marriage after the husband is accused of a crime he didn't commit.
67. Know No evil - this one I read for an up coming blog tour so can't say too much yet. Police procedural, if you are a fan of Ann Cleeves this one might be for you
68. Remembered- Yvonne Battle Felton - longlisted for the Women's Prize. Story of Spring and her son who is dying on a coloured ward in Philadelphia after being accused of running a streetcar in to a store front. As he dies Spring sets about telling him his history. Excellent book that tells the story of a plantation of mainly women slaves that take control of their futures by making sure no more children are born into slavery. Echoes of Toni Morrison - recommend.
69. Out Little Secrets - another upcoming blog tour. Crime drama set in Edinburgh, looking at gangland culture and bent police.
70. Lowborn - Kerry Hudson - this is fantastic. Author grew up poor, in a household with an single mother with alcohol and mental health issues. There was a stepfather who popped up in their lives occasionally and when he did this meant moving. Hudson attendees numerous schools, was sexually abused, had two abortions by the time she was 18. Much of her childhood was spent in B and B's and living on emergency loans from the government. She writes this to look back at the towns she grew up in, to see their issues and if they have changed. She is also trying to come to terms with her own past. Recommend