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?

Best, what excellent news, the Elton John will be much more fun than The Testaments! I've got it on hold at the library and it looks like it will be in in the next couple of days so I can't wait to settle down for a nice gossipy read.

I didn't get any books for Christmas but it's my birthday next week so perhaps I'll get a few then.

Now off to comb through the 12 days of Kindle, thanks Keith.

I was quite pleased.

Any good recommendations from the Kindle sale? I've lost my reading mojo pre Xmas, so looks for some new reads.

Have downloaded the sample of The Familiars to try. Anything else?

Happy Christmas! I am so sorry but I have completely fallen off this thread real life has been a bit of a rollercoaster over the last few months and I have been in survival mode.
I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised by the Kindle sale and got a lovely stack of books from my DH.
No point in trying to update you all on my reads. But hoping I can be welcomed back into the 50 Bookers fold with a promise to do better next year

A list of books to look forward to in 2020!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50463141

I shall be getting the Sally Magnusson definitely. Quite a few of us enjoyed her debut.

I will also snaffle the new mantel and the Richard Osman. The Hamnet could be interesting. I shall give the Libby Page a swerve, though....

249. Profiles in Power: Hitler- Ian Kershaw The least Christmassy book ever (although I finished it a few days ago)! This isn’t Kershaw’s huge tome, but a much slimmer book published in 1991. Written in roughly chronological, themed chapters (rather than as a biography) it explores such issues as how on earth Hitler gained enough support to put his ideas into practice and how he made some catastrophic errors which caused Germany to lose the war. Never having studied Hitler for either my GCSE or A level History, I learnt a huge amount.

250. The Go-Between- LP Hartley I really wanted to read this novel, having seen it referenced in several other books recently, but amazingly, in my large city only one copy was available in any of our many libraries. I reserved it, but when it arrived it was tiny, only about six inches by four inches with minuscule print, so I almost didn’t bother reading it. I’m glad I did, though- it was wonderful! I loved the protagonist, the story and the writing: one of my favourite books I've read this year.

251. Whatever Love Means- David Baddiel I read most of this one today: it’s a quick but meaningful novel about love, sex, infidelity and death. It begins with Princess Diana's death and has a few electric guitars thrown in for good measure (I liked the guitars best).

After rushing around madly yesterday cooking and organising the Christmas dinner for assorted family, I've had a pleasantly inactive day today reading book no. 91: In Pieces - Sally Field - an admirably honest and thoughtful memoir (99p on Kindle the other day) that's a cut above the usual showbiz autobiography. It wasn't the work of a ghostwriter; Field wrote it herself, and is searingly honest about her early life, the abuse her stepfather subjected her to, and the ambivalent relationship she had with her mother as a result.

Hi Splother. What have you got in the Kindle sale?

Belated Happy Christmas!

Sadik, I am sorry for your loss .

I think Waterstones will usually let you swap a new book Piggy! (I knew the quote- English degree but not from Cambridge!).

66. First Thrills ed. Lee Child. Short story collection- I'm not usually a fan of short stories, so maybe I'm too judgemental, but I felt most of these were weak, and it didn't inspire me to look up any of the authors.

Hi Remus I picked up Mudlarking and The way of all flesh. Trying to restrain myself but a few more I have my eye on.
Just started one of my Xmas books - a collection of short stories Salt Slow - Julia Armfield

Looking forward to reading your reviews, Splother.

Welcome back Splother! I also nabbed Mudlarking, along with The Dutch House and All Among the Barley.

Will they tanaqui ? Even if not bought from them?? Interesting....

Noodle - I listened to Tom Hank's read The Dutch House on Audible. I loved it.
Would also recommend The Murder of Harriet Monckton

Good evening everyone, I hope you all had lovely Christmases. My DH bought me an amazon voucher, so that is essentially books!

I have also fallen off the thread a bit, but have had an enjoyable afternoon catching up. I love this thread, but rarely contribute anything new to it - most of my TBR pile are recommended by you lovely lot. Today I have bought The Hunting Party - Lucy Foley and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

I like the look of some of those 2020 books. Thanks for the link Piggy.

I still haven't got round to Bring Up the Bodies, but will definitely want the new Mantel. Also looking forward to the new Eimear McBride.

Agree re Hamnet and Libby Page

I have been quite restrained in the Kindle sale, bearing in mind that I have vouchers burning a hole in my pocket.

I've cross referenced against our local library ebook service who turn out to have quite a few of my wish list in stock, even with a 17 month waiting list.

I've bought Mudlarking (almost asked my sister to buy it for me full price last week - glad I waited), The Familiars and The Talented Mr Ripley, along with two I hadn't heard of before but which caught my eye : Red at the Bone and Putney

I've had no books yet for Christmas but expecting a couple from my dad who k am seeing tomorrow. They're usually (with my blessing) second hand from charity shops or library sales so are either excellent or terrible 😁

Hi all and merry Christmas! I've had reader's block for a lot of this year due to IRL stuff so didn't make the 50 this year (think I got stuck at about 36). But going to start afresh in January, have saved up some new books on my Amazon list and about to look at the Kindle sale.

Welcome to new joiners and returners alike!

The Kindle sale is baffling. How do they decide what to put in? It’s always such an odd mixture of thrillers, chick-lit then all these serious books thrown in seemingly at random. I’ve bought a few titles, including Pretty Iconic and Homegoing although I really don’t need any more books in my TBR pile!

Catching up on reviews this morning...

132 The Whicharts by Noel Streatfield
Thanks for the recommendation (to Tanaqui, I believe). I must have read Ballet Shoes at least two dozen times. I remember getting a copy for my seventh birthday, reading it when teenage love affairs went wrong, reading it to my daughters and nieces, reading it on a beach in Thailand...I could quote chunks by heart so this was a disconcerting experience in some ways. Really interesting to see the elements of the story she kept, and those she amended for a younger audience. I thought this was terrific, and will be recommending it to friends. Shame it isn’t available in hard copy.

133 Queens of the Kingdom by Nicola Sutcliffe
This is a series of interviews with Saudi women from all walks of life, together with short articles on different dimensions of life as a woman in Saudi Arabia. I don’t know how this ended up on my kindle - if it was a recommendation from someone here then thank you. I thought the diversity of voices made for a really thought provoking account of what it is like being a Saudi woman, and the different responses to things we find hard to fathom (the driving ban, guardians, etc) quite nuanced.

134 The Odyssey by Homer
This was a Christmas (re)read - a book a day for the 24 days of December before Christmas Day.
Much debate with DP over which translation to go for and in the end I went for the Emily Wilson one, while he opted for something less contemporary (my suitors “squeak” while his “gibbered”. Consensus was that Odysseus is kind of a dick, and should probably stop telling us all how smart he is all the time, and definitely should not have killed the slave girls, which is still shocking. But this is storytelling at its best and the Wilson translation is clear and accessible and elegant.

I agree the books picked for kindle sales always seem to be a weird mixture. I don't know how it works behind the scenes but I assume that at least some of them are being promoted by publishers/authors so they pay Amazon to include them or agree to give Amazon an even bigger chunk of the price than usual in order to get visibility for the books and push them up the 'best-seller' lists. Does anyone here work in publishing and know how it operates?

I bought Three Women in the sale (after the tip-off earlier on this thread), and had a quick flick through a few more but was not inspired and am not going to look again as I have hundreds of unread real and kindle books to get through.

252. Lucky Jim- Kingsley Amis This has a few amusing moments, but overall I was a little underwhelmed.

I'm not feeling massively inspired by the Kindle sale, but I've downloaded some samples, of which A History of Loneliness by John Boyne is looking the most likely to tempt me.

Hello to everyone, hope you all enjoyed the holidays :)

I can't remember when I last posted, suspect it may have been thread 2 - it's been quite a strange year all in all. Too much work and too much uni work and a growing autistic daughter meant less and less time for reading. I did manage to get to 52 books somehow though, list posted below.

There were a few highlights, if I had to pick one it would be Lowborn by Kerry Hudson which just resonated so much.

Next year I have three reading "resolutions":

1. Discuss more with other people both on and offline
2. At least even up the male/female ratio (this year: 58%/42%)
3. Read more in translation (this year, a pathetic two books!)

The year ended in a somewhat surreal way. For my partner and I it felt like we had stepped into The Monkey's Paw. We had organised a trip away - nothing too decadent, just two nights in an AirBnB a couple of hours outside London - with eldest daughter back from uni to look after youngest daughter. 'Twas to be literally the first days and nights we would have spent together without any kids in seven and a half years. The day before, I got word that my father died that morning, and we took off to my parents' home in Wales instead. So we did end up spending some time without any children, but not at all in desired circumstances.

1. Edward St Aubyn - Bad News
2. Anonymous - The Secret Barrister
3. Raynor Winn - The Salt Path
4. Stephen L. Dyson - In Pursuit of Ancient Pasts
5. Michael Shanks - Classical Archaeology of Greece
6. Roald Dahl - The Twits
7. Sally Rooney - Normal People
8. Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
9. Roald Dahl - Revolting Rhymes

10. Cressida Connolly - After the Party 11. Ted Hughes - The Iron Man 12. Susan Cain - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking 13. Stephen Grosz - The Examined Life 14. Roald Dahl - The Enormous Crocodile 15. Will Self - A Plague on All of your Houses 16. Roald Dahl - Dirty Beasts 17. John Holt - How Children Fail 18. Sylvia Tara - The Secret Life of Fat 19. Patience Thomson - 101 Ways to get your Child to Read 20. John Holt - How Children Learn 21. James Whitley - The Archaeology of Ancient Greece 22. Susan Alcock & Robin Osborne (eds) - Classical Archaeology 23. University of Leicester - AR1554 Classical Archaeology Course Reader 24. Adrian J Walker - The End of the World Running Club 25. Ayisha Malik - Sofia Khan is Not Obliged 26. Ali Smith - Autumn 27. Ali Smith - Winter 28. Dr Richard Ferber - Solve your Child's Sleep Problems 29. David M. Gwynn - The Roman Republic A Very Short Introduction 30. John Holt - Teach Your Own 31. Neil Gaiman - Norse Myths 32. Kerry Hudson - Lowborn 33. Ali Smith - Spring 34. Sayaka Murata; Ginny Tapley Takemori (Trans) - Convenience Store Woman 35. Robert Wicks - Kant A Complete Introduction 36. Jo Swinson - Equal Power 37. Mary Beard - Women & Power 38. L.T.C. Rolt - Narrowboat 39. Gary Forsythe - A Critical History of Early Rome from Prehistory to the First Punic War 40. Paulo Coelho; Alan R. Clarke (Trans) - The Alchemist 41. Sarah Knight - The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck 42. Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - Good Omens 43. Bryan R. King - Successful Relationships with People on the Autism Spectrum 44. Christina Dalcher - Vox 45. Mike Carter - All Together Now? 46. Matt Anniss - Create Your Own Podcast 47. Matthew Nichols - 30-Second Ancient Greece 48. Lucy Mangan - Bookworm A Memoir of Childhood Reading 49. Shaun Bythell - The Diary of a Bookseller 50. David Baldacci - The Christmas Train 51. Jill Newton - Le Jour de Sport dans le Jungle 52. Radhika Menon - Ligne et Circel

Just finished Salt Slow by Julia Armfield. It's a collection of short stories, all in one way or another about the power of women and bodies of women. They are quite bizarre, heavy overtones if magical realism but I thought they were bloody brilliant! Unusually for a collection of short stories there was no stand out 'weak link' but I think my favourite was Stop up your women's ears with wax all about a strange gothic girl band who incite great longing, passion and violence in their fans. Highly recommended

@Waawo so sorry about your dad.

Great resolutions! Need to have a think of some