50 Book Challenge 2019 Part Seven

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the seventh, and possibly final, 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, the fifth one here and the sixth one here.

How've you got on this year?

Chessie I’ve read a couple of Amanda Owens books too. I agree light and easy yet interesting.

79: Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee - Casey Cep

Non-fiction (why do American books always have to have these immense explanatory titles?!) about Harper Lee's apparent attempt to write a 'true crime' book, following in the wake of her old friend Truman Capote (years before, she'd done a lot of the research for In Cold Blood ).

The case concerned a black preacher, Rev Willie Maxwell, 5 of whose family members had mysteriously died while he'd had large insurance policies out on them (ermmmm...). Nobody could pin the deaths on him although his involvement seemed pretty conclusive. Finally he went on trial for the 5th death, only to be shot dead in the courtroom by a distraught relative.

Cep tells the tale of the case first, then separately describes how Harper Lee, world-famous author of a single novel, thought this might be the case to get her writing again....except it wasn't. She did heroic amounts of research and spent time in the small town where the deaths took place, but ultimately there was no book.

This was an interesting read and the story of the original case was jaw-dropping (the 'Reverend' seemed able to casually kill people and collect thousands in insurance with total impunity), but ultimately it seemed to peter out and somehow lacked a sense of tension - perhaps to do with the way it was structured, in two separate halves. It did reinforce my conviction that the American South is a place I'll never warm to. The racism described in the book was repellent.

I'm not interested in Three Women at all. I like reading about women's lives, but their relationships with men are rarely the most interesting thing about them.

Sort of a segue, I'm late to the discussion about Mary Shelley, but I heartily recommend Young Romantics, by Daisy Hay When Percy Shelley ran off to the continent with Mary, they were accompanied by Mary's half-sister Claire Clairmont, and I find her fascinating. The sisters had a complicated relationship. Poor Claire, she wanted a romantic poet of her own and, disastrously, set her cap at Byron, who was heartbreakingly awful to her. It's a fantastic book. (Not about Mary Shelley, but another wonderful book about women on the periphery of poetic circles is The Poets's Daughters, by Katie Waldegrave about Dora Wordsworth and Sara Coolidge. Beware poets, my child).

Dashed through a couple of old favourites by Barbara Pym as a palate cleanser after Rosewater and I'm about to start on Ghostland, by Edward Parnell, which looks right up my street.

50. (Yay!) Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. This follows a year in the life of Jason Taylor, a 13 year old growing up in the 80s and coping with school and family issues as well as trying to overcome his stammer. This is more accessible and less unusual than the other books I've read by this author - Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks - but still demonstrates his superb writing skills. Excellent (although some of the bullying bits made for uncomfortable reading ).

I left the thread earlier in the year. I've just completed my 200 book challenge for the year.

@Terpsichore

The film of Persepolis id very, very good. One of the few films from book that worked for me.

Just to add to the discussion upthread, all three of the Rosewater trilogy are published. DH is a fan and rushed out to buy the third one the other week. I haven't read any of them yet.

65 Melmoth by Sarah Perry
I know this has been reviewed a lot on this thread this year. I found it creepy, enjoyable to read but didn't find the ending convincing.

66 Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively
Lively discusses gardens in fiction and non fiction, intertwined with her experiences of gardens/gardening over the years. She covers the history of landscape gardening on a grand scale and the development of allotments. She explores how writers use gardens in their fiction. Very readable.

Ah, many thanks, magimedi , I'll definitely seek it out.

Wow, 200 spacepyramid! That's impressive. I'm still only on...

67. Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

Mary Renault's celebrated account of the early years of Alexander the Great has I think had a bit of boost in recent years with the popularity of Madeline Miller at al. I struggled with it, I suspect mainly because of my almost complete unfamiliarity with events. Very little was explained and a lot of knowledge is assumed so I had to keep looking things up which spoiled the flow of the story. The writing is beautiful but a bit too lush for me. However I did get swept along with the battle scenes and also caught up in some of the more intimate moments. Probably my failings rather than the book's.

Insomnia and train commutes means time to read.

Here's the list - excluding the work related books as that's not interesting to most people. It's in reverse order. Highlights in bold.

1. Island on the edge, Anne Cholawo
2. The light in the hallway, Amanda Prowse
3. Her mother’s lies, Rona Halsall
4. The empty nest, Sue Watson
5. Liquid, Mark Miodownik
6. 100 places you will never visit, Daniel Smith
7. The forgotten village, Lorna Cook
8. The readers of broken wheel recommend, Katarina Bivald
9. Christmas at the gingerbread café, Rebecca Raisin
10. Twas the night before xmas, Adam Kay
11. Table for eight, Elizabeth Puruto
12. Shore feet, M.K. Saunders
13. Journey to a dream, Craig Briggs
14. Book, John Agard
15. Grumpy old gits guide to life, Geoff Tiballs
16. Dear Leader, Jang Jin-Sung
17. Around the world in 80 cruise ships, Julia Verne
18. Swimming with stingrays, LJ Clayden
19. Cruise ship stories, Guy Beach
20. The patron saint of lost souls, Menna van Praag
21. Restless legs, M.K Saunders
22. First wave, M.K. Saunders
23. The butterfly storm, Kate Frost
24. Tell me the truth about life – poetry
25. Ship of darkness, Joshua Kinser
26. The truth about cruise ships, Jay Herring
27. The hull truth, Joshua Kinser
28. Christmas at the crescent, Veronica Henry
29. Cruise ships do funny things to me, Joshua Kinser
30. The language of kindness, Christie Watson
31. New Zealand’s best trips, Brett Atkinson
32. Chronicles of a cruise ship crew member, Joshua Kinser
33. Hard pushed, Leah Hazard
34. New Zealand’s north island, Rough Guide
35. Are you the fucking doctor, Liam Farrell
36. 1000 facts about space
37. London call out, Alex Rudd
38. Stolen sister, Linda Huber
39. Together apart, Natalie Martin
40. Exam answer fails
41. Confessions of a community nurse, Lucy Spencer
42. Very British facts,
43. Preserving patients, Tom Parsons
44. The woman in our house, Andrew Hart
45. The summer holidays survival guide, Jon Rance
46. Going round the bend on the QE2, Nicholas Walker
47. The bookshop, Penelope Fitzgerald
48. Don’t come back, Adam Fletcher
49. 3000 country facts, James Egan
50. The fun knowledge encyclopedia, Bill o’Neill
51. Paramedic in stitches, Penny Lang
52. 1123 hard to believe facts
53. The enemy of ignorance, Elsmere Gracey
54. 1000 facts about countries, James Egan
55. Why mummy drinks, Gill Sims
56. The red quest, Jason Smart
57. East of Croydon, Sue Perkins
58. The school run, Helen Whitaker
59. Moeen, Moeen Ali
60. 1000 facts about historical figures, James Egan
61. My patients and me, Jane Little
62. The giant book of obscure, Jake Jacobs
63. Bizarre England, David Long
64. Lost Britain, David Long
65. 1000 mind bending facts
66. Love the girls, Jo Atherton
67. Rude health, Robbie Guillory
68. Flight risk, Stephanie Green
69. The couple next door, Shari Lapena
70. Scandinavia and Northern Europe, Rough Guide
71. To St Petersburg with love, Mel Cornican
72. The diplomats travel guide to India, Mohan Pandey
73. St Petersburg, David Burgess
74. Drops of reality, MA Moss
75. Holiday SOS, Ben MacFarlane
76. Hold on to your kids,Gordon Neufeld
77. A mini guide to the Baltic capitals, Julia Oscar
78. A mother’s mistake, Ruth Heald
79. Parnips. Buttered, Joe Lycett
80. The secret teacher, anonymous
81. Little darlings, Melanie Golding
82. You’re being ridiculous, C.E.A Forster
83. Coming home to cuckoo cottage, Heidi Swain
84. It’s on the meter, Paul Archer
85. Invisible girl, Jill Childs
86. Coconuts and wonderbras, Lynda Renham
87. The silence between breaths, Cath Stainliffe
88. Next door, Blake Pierce
89. Emergency admissions, Kit Wharton
90. The house across the street, Lesley Pearse
91. The storied life of AJ Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin
92. Rachel’s pudding pantry, Caroline Roberts
93. It’s just four times round the village, Helen Stothard
94. The Travel book, Roz Hopkins
95. 10000 things you need to know
96. Good ground, Tracy Winegar
97. The things we keep, Sally Hepworth
98. Understanding the British, Adam Fletcher
99. The chain of curiosity, Sandi Toksvig
100. The 86 fix, Keith Pearson
101. The 100 greatest novels of all time
102. Silent tears, Kay Bratt
103. The bookshop that floated away, Sarah Henshaw
104. The secret lives of librarians
105. Adolf hitler, hourly history
106. War of the roses, Patrick Auelbach
107. King George IV, hourly history
108. The sleep of reason, David Smith
109. The Mayflower, hourly history
110. A thousand paper birds, Tor Udall
111. Florence Nightingale, hourly history
112. In France we eat sofas, Adriano Capuano
113. The wife’s shadow, Cath Weeks
114. The next big thing, Rhodri Marsden
115. The donor, Helen Fitzgerald
116. After the crash, Michel Bussi
117. The secret mother, Shalini Boland
118. Read all about it, Paul Cuddihy
119. The perfect child, Lucinda Berry
120. The dark side, Andy Thompson
121. Postmodernism, Richard Appignasni
122. Estonia, Latvia, Lithunia, Lonely Planet
123. The lighter side, Andy Thompson
124. Prince George, Brian Hoey
125. Up Sticks, Tim Thomas
126. Kept,Gregory Burford
127. The birthday, Carol Wyer
128. Hello World, Hannah Fry
129. Unbelievable, Jenny Crompton
130. Cottage by the sea, Debbie Macomber
131. Reading allowed, Chris Paling
132. Tickling the English, Dara o’Briain
133. The librarian, Sally Vickers
134. The wheel of justice, Steven Livingston
135. I’d rather be reading, Anne Bogel
136. Crossing the bridge of autism, Stephanie Maddux
137. Beneath the surface, Heidi Perks
138. Triple crown, Felix Francis
139. The best friend, Shalini Boland
140. James Acaster’s classic scrapes
141. The old man and the sea, Ernest Hemingway
142. This is going to hurt, Adam Kay
143. 101 bets you will always win, Richard Wiseman
144. Stephen Hawking, hourly history
145. Rosa Parks, hourly history
146. Cruise ship SOS, Ben Macfarlane
147. So disdained, Nevil Shute
148. From source to sea, Tom Chesshyre
149. The rhythm of the tide, Ruth Saberton
150. I know nothing, Andrew Sachs
151. Hokkaido highway blues, Will Ferguson
152. The Diary, Vikki Patis
153. Girl in the corner, Amanda Prowse
154. Notes to self, Emilie Pine
155. A school year of caring, Betty Mermelstein
156. All creatures great and small, James Herriot
157. Blackbird, Jennifer Lauck

Interesting to see your list, space ( brizzle as was, I think?)

Thanks biblio

51. The Confession by Jessie Burton. This is a dual timeline story with one character in common - Constance Holden, an author aged 38 in the earlier part of the story and 73 in the later part. We gradually find out more details of the link between Constance and the main character, Rose, who is seeking to discover her own past.

I listened to this on Audible and I think maybe it's one that would have been better suited to the written word. I did enjoy it though.

Hi space, welcome back.

Tara, I have a troubled relationship with David Mitchell but I loved Black Swan Green without hesitation or reservation. Cloud Atlas, on the other hand...

I have been hiding from the world in books, and have finished several that were being read in parallel. Updates below. Am toying with Ulysses as a project...Any words of wisdom (including "don't!") would be welcome.

120 Me by Elton John
Entertaining romp through his career laced with catty asides and some surprisingly moving stories. I’m not an enormous Elton John fan but he makes excellent company while telling his life story.

121 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
My favourite novel of the year. I need more books like this, that you fall into and can’t wait to pick up again. So many stories woven together so cleverly and every single one of the women felt much more real to me than any of Lisa Taddeo’s characters despite being briefer and fictional. I loved the way threads came together and people’s stories were told, and the writing is beautiful. Would highly recommend this and it was a deserving winner of the Booker.

122 Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell
Eleventh book in Dance to the Music of Time. Much more melancholy and less humorous than previous books as they all contemplate ageing. Pamela Widmerpool for me is shaping up to be the new Widmerpool - she is even more ghastly than her husband, and even more believable as a character. I have thoroughly enjoyed these and am so glad I took on the one book a month challenge.

123 Three Elegies for Kosovo by Ismail Kadare
This is translated from the Albanian as part of my “read a translated novel a month in 2019” project with my sister. It tells the story of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 between the Ottoman Empire and a contingent of what we would now call Balkan armies. It is a strange and short book, and very lyrical. It’s been accused on Goodreads of a heavy handed and one sided approach to politics but I think that is unfair. It certainly does put the conflicts of recent years into context but it doesn’t labour the point. It made me think how little I know about the history of that part of Europe and how much of what we struggle with today comes in part from centuries-old conflict.

124 A Mathematician’s Apology by GH Hardy
I’m not a mathematician (although many of my friends are) but nonetheless would recommend this to anyone with even a passing curiosity in the subject. It is very accessible (there are only a couple of pages of maths and although he is acerbic in his dismissal of anyone who can’t cope with them they can easily be skimmed over) and does an outstanding job of explaining what maths is and why people do it. It is also very very sad, written towards the end of his life and during World War Two, which also colours his writing. It’s another short strange book but no worse for being either of those things. I know YesILikeItToo read it recently and I should thank Yes for prompting me to pick it up and read it. So, thank you!

Pepe I'm one of those people who never gives up on a book once I've started it - literally maybe two or three in my life - and Ulysses is one of them! However, that was many years ago and I keep thinking I should try again.... so if you decide to give it a go and want a reading buddy, let me know!

I'd love a reading buddy! I'm in if you are.
I have a plan. I'm going to listen to the Re:Joyce podcasts by Frank Delaney as I go. He died before he finished them but they are 5 minute (thereabout) slots that talk you through the book in detail. I asked a friend who teaches English Lit who said "not only will it be almost impossible without a good guide but with Delaney you'll be sucked in right from the start and won't want to put it down".
So I am going to give it a go. Will call in to our local bookshop tomorrow and see if they have a copy!

I read Ulysses many years ago, probably in my pretentious youth but recently I read a book (can't remember the name now, I'll look on my kindle later) which discussed reading Ulysses and it said to remember that it was originally written as a serial and to treat it like that as it made it much easier to read. I'll be interested to know what you think - in fact I might join you in a reread.

224. The Rumour by Lesley Kara

Desperate to make friends in the small town she’s just moved to, Joanna spreads a rumour she’s heard that a notorious child killer is living in their small town under a new name. Needless to say things get out of hand. This started well but the ending fell apart a bit.

Ok I'm in! Anyone else want to join us?

42. Nine perfect strangers - Liane Moriarty
Nine perfect strangers head to a holistic 10-day retreat, each with their own agenda. The crazy lady running the health resort has her own agenda however... let madness and mayhem commence! I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this novel and then it got a little too unbelievable for me. This is my 3rd book by this author, and despite the disappointment, won't stop me from reading more by her.

I read Ulysses a few years ago and enjoyed it - you can too! My only advice is not to worry too much about whether you get it or not as you’re going, just keep reading anyway and remember a lot of it is supposed to be funny (and is) has some delightful turns of phrase (I always remember cheese: corpse of milk) and is about an ordinary man going about his day.

225. The Brontes Went To Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson

Well, this was weird. It’s about a family of three sisters and their mother in the 1930s, who make up fantasies about people and things. This includes a fantasy friendship with a real-life judge. Then they really do make friends with the judge and his family and from that point on I had no idea what was real and what wasn’t. The Brontes do feature in their fantasies but aren’t the main focus of the book. I think this is one of those books that you just have to ‘get’ - if you do you will probably love it, if you don’t you will probably just be completely baffled. I was baffled. On the plus side it’s very short - I probably would have given up if it had been longer.

68. Different Class by Joanne Harris

Thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to Gentlemen and Players, Harris's first novel set in the creaking old-fashioned St Oswald's School. The Latin master, Straitley (Harris has a penchant for Dickensian names), returns as our narrator, one year on from the events of G&P and more twisty-turny fun awaits. The story is told by Straitley in the first person, interspersed with extracts from the diary of one of his (disturbed) former students. The new headmaster is a former student who was involved in a scandal many years previously, which ended badly for a friend and colleague of Straitley's. Pretty much no-one is who he or she first seems and in other hands this could become ridiculous, but Harris adeptly juggles all the balls and the ending is satisfying.

Definitely worth reading G&P first if you fancy this, though - had I not I think I would have been totally confused.

26. Cathedral Cats – Richard Surman

This was an absolutely charming little book and anyone reading it that has ever owned a cat would find themselves nodding along to the witty observations made by Surman. He captures their haughty aloofness perfectly.

The reader is given a brief introduction to each cathedral, noting interesting historical and architectural points before moving onto mini biographies of the cats and the mischief they get up to. Surman is a professional photographer and has filled the pages with beautiful images.

I was thrilled to find my home town cathedral, as well as neighbouring ones included between the pages.