50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Six

[southeastdweller]

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

I must be the only person in the world who couldn't stand The Handmaid's Tale, so I won't be bothering with The Testaments.

30. Big Sky - Kate Atkinson. The fifth in her Jackson Brodie detective series, and perhaps the darkest as sub-plots in this book are human trafficking, a paedophile ring, and historic sexual abuse. As usual with this author, there are many coincidences with her various stories that are tied together but as always, they're never distracting because hardly anyone writing these days can get inside the minds of her character's quite like she can and the mostly brisk storytelling, full of wit and hugely relatable deep sadness, carries you along. I could have done with fewer characters, or a who's who at the beginning, but otherwise this is my favourite novel of the year so far. As with A God in Ruins, KA mentions MN, which makes me think she could be on this thread...

yes, I think so too! Hi Kate!!

I don't like Handmaid's Tale either btw.

Finished Frannie L. There were the kernels of a decent story in there but it was very flawed, to the extent that it all got quite ridiculous. Too often, writers try to cram in issue upon issue, and image upon image, losing subtlety and style in doing so. It read very much like a Creative Writing course novel, I thought.

107. Temporary Kings - DTTMOT 11 - Anthony Powell

This one concentrates on the arts scene of the time. Nick adopts a more cynical and melancholic air to friends old and new as he enters his 50s. The usual gorgeous writing and wonderful insight into people and events.

108 The Testaments - Margaret Atwood

Set 15 years after the end of Handmaid and without any reference to events in the tv series. Three women connected with Gilead give their testimonies of events as the regime starts to unravel and their part in it. Deliberately not saying much to avoid spoilers.

Written with the usual Atwood quality and gets along at a decent pace. I enjoyed it, however I think it lacks the shock factor of Handmaid. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut when I read that as it was non too far fetched. This didn't really deliver with the same impact for me and I'm not sure it really does anything other than appease the fans who wanted more. I found the 'prequel' parts most interesting as it added more to how Gilead came about. This continues the story but doesn't have the insight or fear factor. Events come about far too easily and conveniently. The characters are also not as well written. It had a completely different feel and the plot lacks any real tension or surprises. As much as I did enjoy it, it's a sequel that could and probably should have been left unwritten. I think the tv series despite the flaws delivers more than this. I will be interested to see what others make of it.

Discerning - my book club were much more enthusiastic about Perfidious Albion than me (not difficult!) so if you like dystopian literature maybe worth a go!

53. The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King Recommended to me on here earlier this year when I confessed to being a relative newbie to King books. Trisha is a 9 year old (whose big for her age). Whilst walking with her mum and brother on the Appalachian Trail she nips off to have a wee and gets very lost in the woods.

This took a while for me to get into but it was excellent. The fear and heartiness of the little girl faced with genuine and imagined peril at every corner was gripping. It’s very short so a good entrance King’s work.

It wasn’t quite a 5 star read for me as, as with previous King works I felt a slight disconnect with the writing style. I think it may just be the sheer American-ness of it, if I’m honest (and I didn’t understand the baseball elements at all!). However, I’m looking forward to my next King (the JFK one I think).

54. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn.

A homeless couple walk The South West Coastal Path in their 50s, with very little money whilst coming to terms with some big life changes.

I’ve been saving this for my current camping holiday in Cornwall and it was a totally worth the wait. I’m not sure I’ve ever had another reading experience like it. Reading about camping in a storm whilst camping in a storm, reading about salty blackberries whilst foraging for them, walking (small parts) of the trail that Ray did. Beautifully written. Pretty Life-changing. (Pic of blackberry bushes on the path)

Ps I love a tote bag and Starter for 10.

56. People Like Us: Margaret Thatcher and Me by Caroline Slocock

Caroline Slocock (later CEO of the Equal Opportunities Commission) was one of Margaret Thatcher's private secretaries in the 18 months leading up to her resignation, and this book is her account of her time in that role, combined with her reflections on it much later in life. It is also what she describes as the first feminist consideration of Margaret Thatcher (well, in book form anyway). I was intrigued by the premise because, as a precocious, politically interested 11 year old I thought Margaret Thatcher was awful, but when I saw her crying when she left no. 10, I cried too. Even then, something in me hated the idea that this woman had been forced out by a bunch of men, no matter how much she needed to go. Caroline Slocock was no fan of Thatcher's policies, coming herself from a more left wing, feminist perspective - but as a civil servant her job was to implement government policy. I found the book fascinating as she clearly became fond of Thatcher as a woman, and had a similar (but obviously much more personal and engaged) reaction to the circumstances surrounding her resignation. It was interesting to read about Thatcher's personality and for me the book filled a gap in that respect, at least in part because I refuse to read Charles Moore's autobiography because I can't stand him and his writing. But I think even now, 30 years later, we still have a tendency to view Thatcher very much through the prism of (mostly male) views on her, and this was a refreshing new angle.

I wouldn't say the book is particularly well written - it's a bit clunky in places - but I raced through it and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is interested in a more personal, female view of Margaret Thatcher.

With some trepidation, I report that This Thing of Darkness is next on my order of purchase list, although I am probably going to intersperse a crime novel I got for my birthday, as the friend who gave it to me would like to read it at the same time as me.

David Nicholls: I am not a Daily Mail reader, and the only fabric tote bag I own has "The Guardian" printed on the side, but I thoroughly enjoyed One Day. Us and Starter for Ten not so much.

The above should of course refer to Charles Moore's biography of Margaret Thatcher, not his autobiography, which as far as I am aware, remains unwritten.

Palegreen your reading experience sounds fab! I have The Salt Path too, and similarly am saving it up to read during an upcoming walking holiday in England, however not to the same area. Also my first solo respite break in forever will NOT feature camping, but instead an en-suite bathroom, tiny toiletries and full English breakfasts.

45. Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson Part two of the Fractured Europe Sequence. I loved this. It's an interesting time to be reading these books, but I don't think they benefit from drawing too close parallels with the current situation. The timeline in these books diverged from our reality some time before the B word was even a thing. This instalment became more overtly sci-fi. The characters felt real and nuanced, and you can feel their fear and frustrations about the situations they find themselves in. He's still not the best at writing women, but this was an improvement on book one. I already have the third book Europe in Winter from the library and am looking forward to re-joining the story of Rudi the chef turned coureur from book one.

46. Dreams Before the Start of Time by Anne Charnock Set in a near future where people have more choices about how their families are made, but those choices say something about who you are, this wore its sci-fi credentials very lightly. If you strip out the fact that some of the kids are grown in labs, some only have one genetic parent, some are conceived normally, this would just be a very middle class family saga, with a confusing cast of characters. It didn't feel like there had been any major shifts in society, for these people anyway, and we never really discover what is happening outside their middle class bubble, apart from one token minimum wage worker. According to the author's notes at the end it started out as a short story, which maybe explains why, when expanded up to novel length, it felt like something was missing. My review seems a bit harsh, I did actually quite like this (with the above caveats), and I will read more Anne Charnock, as I really enjoyed A Calculated Life.

That looks gorgeous palegreenstars

Remus are you still in a reading funk? I've just picked up Micheal Veitch's Hell Ship and thought it might be your sort of thing. Non-fic, arduous sea voyage, a bit of plague and some political history of the time. Written by the great great grandson of the ship's surgeon's assistant. It gets decent reviews.

60: The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt

I read a Kindle sample of this and my interest was snagged by the narrative voice, so I bought it when it came up as a daily deal. The titular brothers, Charlie and Eli, are hired killers in 1850's America - smack bang in the middle of goldrush fever. Their orders, from the mysterious 'Commodore', are to find and kill one Hermann Kermit Warm. Eli, the younger and subservient Sisters brother, narrates the story of this quest.

I really liked the characterful use of language here, and its individuality reminded me of 'The Observations', which has a similarly well-drawn narrator. The sheer brutality and awfulness of the American West was vividly evoked, and I was happy to go along with this....until things flagged a bit and it lost momentum. It's also, in my view, not in any way a comedy - though it has its moments - despite the odd view of some reviewers that it's a laugh-out-loud job.
So not 100% successful for me, though worth reading, I think. Not recommended if you love horses, however. DeWitt doesn't hold back on the gruesomeness...

Thanks, Fortuna. Arduous sea voyages and plague are exactly my cup of tea. Will check it out immediately.

It doesn't seem to be on Kindle.

That's annoying, it came out last year. I have the audio version.

MuseumOfHam your upcoming break sounds fab. Enjoy!

Just popping on to say I did go for TTOD, 11% in on the Kindle so far, and loving it!

Welshwabbit I was a TTOD naysayer initially and did find it hard going in places, but I do find myself thinking back to the book now and really appreciating it so I’m grateful to this thread as I’d not have bought it or at least not have stuck with it without the recommendations here.

61. A Murder Is Announced. - Agatha Christie. One of the better Miss Marples (I’m a more of a Poirot fan). I really liked the post WW2 setting.

Now reading a lovely book I got in the monthly sale
Old Baggage - Lissa Evans
The old baggage of the title is a former suffragette who decides to form a girls club (The Amazons) to educate young women and fight the rising tide of pre-World War Two British fascism. It’s her companion, The Flea, a health visitor who interests me more with her visits to the east end and her escape from a relatively poor background It does have comic moments but is very moving on the losses of WWI and the politics of feminism. Love it so far.

43. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by Philippa Perry. Parenting book with a catchy title! I didn't agree with some of the things she says, but worth a read overall.

tarahumara It wasn’t quite there for me either, but the thing by I liked was the wider approach she took, bringing in the parents’ relationship and the effects of their upbringing, and the look at these bonds in terms of being lifelong; so many books only focus on the child’s behaviour and not where the parent is coming from or the family dynamic as a whole.

Satsuki yes, I agree with you that those were the most interesting bits - and tbh, from the blurb, I had expected a bit more emphasis on those aspects.

Yes, me too.

50. Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh. This was one of her best I think- it revisits characters from one of her earlier books, Allen has a minor part, and the murder is surprisingly grim. Quite pleasingly it is the last one for my 50th book! (Although I couldn't get hold of Black as he's Painted).

The Margaret Atwood talk was interesting - mainly focused on The Testaments, but she came across very well, very bright, articulate, well informed, feminist and with great nail varnish!

I'm reading Old Baggage too, but must admit I'm finding it very hard to love the central character.

Morning all - gloriously autumnal here.

34. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Had this one from the library when it was first published, picked up for a re-read on Kindle deal. A mother's retelling of the childhood of her troubled, troubling son. I know this is quite a divisive book, and I think the criticisms are valid. The unreliable narrator here is totally lacking in self-awareness to an incredible degree, and the epistolary form is clunky and seems to be used only to create an entirely predictable twist. But the story is still gripping and there's some decent refection on the different experiences and societal expectations of parenting for mothers and fathers.