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.

The Outsider, Stephen King
A terrible and brutal murder is committed, all the evidence points to one man, but he has proof that he was in another city at the time. I've not read much King, not being a horror fan but thought I'd give this thriller a go. This starts off really well and I loved the first half but I'm afraid the conclusion was disappointingly predictable and just felt like a bit of a cop out. I did enjoy the pace and writing though so might be persuaded to give some more King a go.

Vox, Christina Datcher
A dystopian future where a extremist christian government attempts to remove women's voices by restricting them to 100 words a day. This book is about as subtle as curing insomnia with the swift application of a blunt object to the back of the head. If you hated the Handsmaid's Tale then steer well clear because this is basically a rehash of that. That said the writing was decent enough and had some nice bits in. I didn't love it but I didn't absolutely hate it either. If I could have given it half a star it would be a possibly overly generous 2.5 stars.

I've got Evening in the Palace of Reason from the library - got a long train journey coming up next week and looking forward to reading it :)

Do you have a printed copy Sadik or an ebook? I meant to say my ebook copy (from Overdrive) had a lot of typing errors - ii for ü, m for rn - I think it had been badly scanned and not proof read!

47. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

You've all read this, right? If you haven't, read it. And get your teenagers to read it. I loved it. And might still be crying a bit.

I've got a printed copy Tanaqui, sounds like a good thing!

PowerBadgers, I love Stephen King but endings aren’t his strong point. I forgive it (mostly) because I enjoy the journey but I still hold the ending of Under The Dome against him.

If you liked it but don’t want horror, I’d really recommend 11.22.63. Or The Stand which isn’t really horror as such, though quite alarming.

And Terpsichore, I’m delighted you liked Moondust too. It’s a gem of a book. I think I loved it even more because I found it on one of those bookcases on a tube station so it had a serendipitous element to it, but I think I’d have loved it if I’d had to pay ready money for it.

60 The Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein

Sequel to The Steerswoman, reviewed upthread. I didn't find this as strong as the first one - for a large part of the book Rowan, the Steerswoman, and her companion Bel are travelling, and there's little forward movement to the plot. Having said that, things pick up again in the last quarter of the book, and I'll definitely read the next one at some point.

Thanks for the recommendations PepeLePew I'll keep an eye out for those in the library. I did really enjoy the writing so am up for giving some more a go.

Pepe, yes, loved Moondust but have to confess that I’m onto my third copy...first one mysteriously disappeared - must have been accidentally culled - then I rebought as I was determined to read it, but still hadn’t got round to it. I’m away at the moment and succumbed to a copy for £1 in a charity shop - where it’s going back shortly now I’ve finished it!

Family staying with me at the moment, so I'm not reading as much as usual. I'm sleeping in the sitting room so I don't have a proper reading light.

I'm re-reading Unseen Academicals, by Terry Prattchett, which is, as always, a joy. He's not just funny, but compassionate. I'm sad we won't get any new adventures in Discworld.

I'm also reading, in slow installments, Smallbone, Deceased, by Michael Gilbert, a 1950s detective novel, which is proving to be an enjoyable period piece.

Oh sweet Jesus and all his little pixies. Don't get me started on the ending of Under the Dome.

Just noticed that all the Michael Innes Inspector Appleby books are on Kindle Unlimited for anyone who has it & likes Golden Age mysteries.

Unhelpfully (not having KU) I can't remember which ones I've read, except that I've definitely read most of the the ones that are cheap!

Having said that I thought to look - and almost all are on Borrowbox from the library as both audio and e-book :) (Should keep me occupied for a while!)

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson.
Audiobook narrated by Nathan Osgood

I on the whole enjoyed this revisit of Byson to the UK. He meanders all over the place, mostly bitching and moaning about stuff in poor towns and falling over himself with praise for nice pubs and museums in well off parts of the country. It felt a bit like shooting fish in the barrel by the end. Blackpool is a lazy target for your snobbery Bill. However it did make me laugh out loud several times. I do love his padded cell of the mind where he imagines foul mouthed retorts and violence at fools and jobsworths he meets along the way.

Did the National History Museum ever have a t-Rex in the entrance hall? I thought it was a brontosaurusy type of dinosaur.

I’ve just started Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. Is this going to be crap? Do I pull out now?

Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard is on Kindle Daily Deal today.

As is The Power for anyone who hasn't read it - I think it's definitely worth a read.

48: The Lost Man - Jane Harper

I'd been keeping an eye on this and pounced when it came down to £1.99 on Kindle the other day. The body of Cameron Bright is found in an isolated spot on the family property. Under the brutal Australian sun, miles from any source of help and without shade or water, death was inevitable - but why was he there, alone and without any of the safety precautions he would never have ignored? Cameron's brother Nathan reluctantly returns to the family property as secrets start to be revealed.

A short and fast read, and while it's not especially complex (I guessed the twist fairly quickly), I enjoyed this. The setting, with its vast distances and punishing climate, was mind-boggling and well-evoked.

DD has just this minute give me a copy of Women and Power.

Just finished Elizabeth Macneal's debut The Doll Factory which I think a couple of other have reviewed. It is better than a lot of the glut of historical fiction with female protagonists but I found the stuff about women in art undeveloped . The nastier bit of the book (which I won't say too much about) is actually more my cup of tea but it is very much a book of two halves. The thread that ties it together is the objectification/ imprisonment of women. The author is clearly interested in Victorian literature and has studied Victorian love of 'clutter' so that comes across in the book definitely. She is yet another alumna of UEA Creative Writing Master's!

I am perplexed by the title! There is a doll factory in the book but it is certainly not the most important location or central to the narrative!

40. This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson.

Dark, depressing and uncomfortable fictional story centred on the famous journey of Captain Fitzroy and Charles Darwin in the 1800’s. It packs a lot in - sea-faring, colonialisation, science, racism and the destruction of the indiginous populations of South America and New Zealand. I felt let down by the characterisation although not enough to feel disappointed that I’d read this book but neither is it one of the best books I have read this year.

41. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.

Enjoyable fantasy.

78 The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman
Like Fran upthread I thought this was very good. Lots to ponder and a great debunking of most self help philosophies. I too thought “do
I have a problem right now?” a very useful prompt when worrying about things.

79 Dear Ijeawale by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
Set of short essays to a friend’s daughter on how to raise a feminist. Nothing earth shattering there but a good reminder and one I’ve shared with dd as I think her teen sensibilities will appreciate it very much.

80 The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
This was (I think) a recommendation from here as I can’t think why or how I’d have come across it otherwise. A detective, stuck in hospital, enlists friends, friends of friends and the medical staff to help him explore whether or not Richard III murdered the Princes in the Tower to secure his claim to the throne. Odd but engrossing.

81 Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau
The same story told 99 different ways. This was playful and challenging and a brilliant translation. I’ve gone back to the French and am in awe of the skill with which this was done.

82 My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
I’m disappointed by this. Not because it was terrible - it wasn’t - but it felt very lightweight compared to the other Women’s Prize shortlisted books. I thought it promised much but didn’t quite deliver. It was fine for filling gaps while I was away for a few nights at a conference but I couldn’t quite love it.

83 Let The Right One In by John Lindqvist
Recommended by a friend as a “must read Swedish Salem’s Lot”. A boy is bullied and lonely in a bleak housing estate until he befriends a strange girl who seems to have come from nowhere and only appears at night. This is unbelievably brutal and dark and although it meandered a little in places it was a well done vampire tale, and perfect for a long flight at the end of a tedious work trip. Has anyone seen the movie? And would they recommend it?

Off to Cornwall next week. I plan to lie around watching the children on the beach and do lots of reading. Any recommendations for that part of the world? I have read most Du Maurier, I think, apart from Frenchman’s Creek, which is packed and ready to go.

Pepe, Let the Right One In, the original Swedish film, is excellent (I also enjoyed the novel very much). Let Me In, the English language remake, is OK too, but is a bit lacking in comparison to the original.

The Five: the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the ripper is the daily deal on audible today £1.99.

The Spy & The Traitor is 99p daily deal on kindle today

We saw the stage version of Let the Right One In in London a few years ago - it was really well done. I liked the book a lot, except I thought the ending was a bit silly. Not seen either of the films, but dp rates the first one.

Pepe I enjoyed the film version of Let the Right One In - it's definitely worth seeing, I'd say. I haven't read the book (though I think I've got it, somewhere....)