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?

37. The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
In her Afterword, Morrison says “… I know that this is a terrible story about things one would rather not know anything about.” Very true. Beautifully written. My first Morrison. I will certainly be reading more of her work.

Alias totally agree with your review of The Binding.
Anyone else hoping the extra hour this weekend will mean more reading time?!
Started This Isn't The Sort Of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You by Jon McGregor last night. Only on page 17 but loving it so far.

Thanks, south, for the new thread. Here's my list: some are rereads or audiobooks, and I've changed one or two of my stand-out reads according to their lasting impression (or otherwise):

1. Bird Box- Josh Malerman
2. Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool- Peter Turner
3. The Road- Cormac McCarthy
4. The Tattooist of Auschwitz- Heather Morris
5. Why Mummy Drinks- Gill Sims
6. Memory Songs- James Cook
7. Read All About It- Paul Cuddihy
8. The Boys are Back- Simon Carr
9. How to Make Great Radio- David Lloyd

10. The Revenant- Michael Punke 11. Every Song Ever- Ben Ratliff 12. Why Mummy Swears- Gill Sims 13. In the Days of Rain- Rebecca Stott 14. Trilby- George de Maurier 15. Not Your Average Nurse- Maggie Groff 16. The Secret Mother- Shalini Boland 17. My Year of Rest and Relaxation- Otessa Moshfegh 18. Rock Needs River- Vanessa McGrady 19. Three Weeks To Say Goodbye- C.J. Box 20. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine- Gail Honeyman 21. Born Under A Million Shadows- Andrea Busfield 22. The Year of Reading Dangerously- Andy Miller 23. De Profundis- Oscar Wilde 24. Weird Things Customers Say in Book Shops- Jen Campbell 25. Scrublands- Chris Hammer 26. More Weird Things Customers Say in Book Shops- Jen Campbell 27. Life Skills: Stuff You Should Really Know by Now- Julia Laflin 28. The Book Shop- Penelope Fitzgerald 29. The English Patient- Michael Ondaatje 30. Brave New World- Aldous Huxley 31. The Collector- John Fowles 32. Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Book Store- Robin Sloan 33. A Prayer for Owen Meany- John Irving 34. The Lost Child of Philomena Lee- Martin Sixsmith 35. Bookworm- Lucy Mangan 36. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More- Roald Dahl 37. The Lady in the Van- Alan Bennett 38. Jacob’s Room is Full of Books- Susan Hill 39. A Monster Calls- Patrick Ness 40. The Essays of Arthur Shopenhauer: Studies in Pessimism 41. The Music Shop- Rachel Joyce 42. The Last- Hanna Jameson 43. Moab is my Washpot- Stephen Fry 44. The Black Death- Hourly History 45. Boy- Roald Dahl 46. I’d Rather Be Reading- Anne Bogel 47. Anna- Niccolo Ammaniti 48. The Fry Chronicles- Stephen Fry 49. Nick Drake: Remembered for a While- John Murray 50. The Child that Books Built- Francis Spufford 51. More Fool Me- Stephen Fry 52. Atonement- Ian McEwan 53. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas- John Boyne 54. Gone- Michael Grant 55. Adolf Hitler- Hourly History 56. Set the Boy Free- Johnny Marr 57. Home Fire- Kamila Shamsie 58. The Middle Ages- Hourly History 59. Kill ‘Em All- John Niven 60. Lord of the Flies- William Golding 61. A Kestrel for a Knave- Barry Hines 62. Fingers in the Sparkle Jar- Chris Packham 63. The Diary of a Bookseller- Shaun Bythell 64. How Not to Be a Boy- Robert Webb 65. The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini 66. Animal Farm- George Orwell 67. Station Eleven- Emily St John Mandel 68. A Note of Madness- Tabitha Suzuma 69. The Best of Adam Sharp- Graeme Simsion 70. Before I Go to Sleep- SJ Watson 71. Lion: A Long Way Home- Saroo Brierley 72. Long Road from Jarrow- Stuart Maconie 73. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them- JK Rowling 74. The Sense of an Ending- Julian Barnes 75. The Librarian- Salley Vickers 76. The Handmaid’s Tale- Margaret Atwood 77. The Cut-Out Girl- Bart van Es 78. To Throw Away Unopened- Viv Albertine 79. Back Story- David Mitchell 80. The Heart’s Invisible Furies- John Boyne 81. Music in the Castle of Heaven- John Eliot Gardiner 82. Convenience Store Woman- Sayaka Murata 83. Misery- Stephen King 84. Close to Home- Cara Hunter 85. A Thousand Splendid Suns- Khaled Hosseini 86. World War Two Auschwitz- Hourly History 87. How Does it Feel?- Mark Kermode 88. And the Mountains Echoed- Khaled Hosseini 89. Coal Black Mornings- Brett Anderson 90. The Boy with the Topknot- Sathnam Sanghera 91. This is Going to Hurt- Adam Kay 92. The Children of Men- PD James 93. Swallows and Amazons- Arthur Ransome 94. Vox- Christine Dalcher 95. Uncommon People- David Hepworth 96. The Bookseller of Kabul- Asne Seierstad 97. Schindler’s List/Ark- Thomas Keneally 98. Why Catholics Can’t Sing- Thomas Day 99. Faking Friends- Jane Fallon 100. A Town Like Alice- Neville Shute 101. The End We Start From- Megan Hunter 102. Greek Mythology- Hourly History 103. Rosa Parks- Hourly History 104. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4- Sue Townsend 105. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater- Thomas de Quincey 106. Nerdy, Shy and Socially Inappropriate- Cynthia Kim 107. Northern Lights- Philip Pullman 108. Inside Black Mirror- Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, with Jason Arnopp 109. My Sister, the Serial Killer- Oyinkan Braithwaite 110. Nothing is Real- David Hepworth 111. All the Light We Cannot See- Anthony Doerr 112. The Road to Little Dribbling- Bill Bryson 113. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit- Jeannette Winterson 114. Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come- Jessica Pan 115. Take Nothing With You- Patrick Gale 116. Forever Today- Deborah Wearing 117. The Antidote- Oliver Burkeman 118. Down Under- Bill Bryson 119. The L-Shaped Room- Lynne Reid Banks 120. In the Dark- Cara Hunter 121. Down and Out in Paris and London- George Orwell 122. Cujo- Stephen King 123. The Secret Garden- Frances Hodgson Burnett 124. The Cry- Helen Fitzgerald 125. How to Behave Badly in Renaissance Britain- Ruth Goodman 126. A Fabulous Creation- David Hepworth 127. Mythos- Stephen Fry 128. The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul- Deborah Rodriguez 129. Short Stories in German for Beginners- Olly Richards and Alex Rawlings 130. Making History- Stephen Fry 131. The Shining- Stephen King 132. Wild- Cheryl Strayed 133. The Librarian of Auschwitz- Antonio Iturbe 134. Jurassic Park- Michael Crichton 135. Joseph Stalin- Hourly History 136. Wonder- RJ Palacio 137. Odd Girl Out- Laura James 138. Reading Allowed- Chris Paling 139. The Madonna of Bolton- Matt Cain 140. The Pleasure of Reading- ed. Antonia Fraser 141. How Far Can You Go?- David Lodge 142. My World in Motion- Jo Whiley 143. Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck 144. Bonkers- Jennifer Saunders 145. The Boy at the Back of the Class- Onjali Q. Rauf 146. Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland- Sarah Moss 147. The Slap- Christos Tsiolkas 148. Gig- Simon Armitage 149. No Way Out- Cara Hunter 150. Why Mummy Doesn’t Give a Fuck- Gill Sims 151. The Invisible Man- HG Wells 152. The Dark Lake- Sarah Bailey 153. Holes- Louis Sachar 154. Daughters of Jerusalem- Charlotte Mendelson 155. The Thorn Birds- Colleen McCullough 156. Notes from a Small Island- Bill Bryson 157. Auggie and Me- RJ Palacio 158. Pet Sematary- Stephen King 159. Call of the Weird- Louis Theroux 160. Waterlog- Roger Deakin 161. Beautiful Boy- David Sheff 162. Poor Cow- Nell Dunn 163. Big Little Lies- Liane Moriarty 164. Educated- Tara Westover 165. Friendly Fire- Patrick Gale 166. A Swarm in May- William Mayne 167. Crossroads- Mark Radcliffe 168. David Bowie Made Me Gay- Darryl W. Bullock 169. I Found My Tribe- Ruth Fitzmaurice 170. Selected Poems- Simon Armitage 171. The Wild Truth- Carine McCandless 172. My Thoughts Exactly- Lily Allen 173. Gotta Get Theroux This- Louis Theroux 174. The Salt Path- Raynor Winn 175. Picnic at Hanging Rock- Joan Lindsey 176. The Lost Continent- Bill Bryson 177. The Subtle Knife- Philip Pullman 178. Murder and Crime: Leeds- Margaret Drinkall 179. The Liar- Stephen Fry 180. Little Lord Fauntleroy- Frances Hodgson Burnett 181. Oliver Cromwell- Hourly History 182. Fierce Bad Rabbits- Clare Pollard 183. Empire of the Sun- JG Ballard 184. The Rosie Project- Graeme Simsion 185. Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn- Brett Anderson 186. Confessions of a Bookseller- Shaun Bythell 187. Stay Where You Are And Then Leave- John Boyne 188. The Bookshop Book- Jen Campbell 189. The Self-Care Project- Jayne Hardy

and here are my latest reads/listens:

190. The Rosie Effect- Graeme Simsion This was pretty disappointing in comparison to The Rosie Project.

191. Holding the Man- Timothy Conigrave Two teenage boys fall in love at a Catholic school in Australia and begin a long relationship while battling prejudice, parental disapproval and, later, AIDS. The first half is rather raunchy in places and the Aussie sexual slang words like ‘spoof’ and ‘crack a fat’ (look them up) are fun. The second half of this true story gradually becomes more sombre as the two men become iller and iller; I learnt a great deal about HIV and AIDS. This book is excellent (I listened on Audible), far better than the film on Netflix.

192. Reasons to Stay Alive- Matt Haig This was mildly interesting- part memoir of the author's depression, part self-help book- but it didn’t do a huge amount for me.

193. Half a World Away- Mike Gayle A half-brother and half-sister, separated by Social Services as children, meet again as adults and once again develop a very strong bond. I’ve read a few of Mike Gayle’s novels and, while they probably won’t win any prizes for literary merit, they are usually well done- this was definitely worth 99p.

194. The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons and Growing Up Strange- Mark Barrowcliffe I’ve read this before, but had a sudden urge to revisit it. It is a memoir of the author’s misspent youth playing Dungeons and Dragons and is really quite fun. It’s not available on the Kindle, but World of Books had a hardback copy for £2.99.

195. Ex Libris- Anne Fadiman Another one from World of Books (£2.69 this time). My favourite chapter was the one previously discussed on these threads, about how people treat books (the ‘carnal’ vs ‘courtly’ reader).

196. The Wall- John Lanchester I was curious to read this, as it never seems to be mentioned when MNers are recommending dystopian fiction (maybe they just don’t think it’s very good!). The first hour (on Audible) was absolutely brilliant, then it dipped a bit, but I thought it was well done. Will Poulter (from Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) was perfect as the narrator.

197. The Vinyl Detective: Written in Dead Wax- Andrew Cartmel A record dealer styles himself the ‘Vinyl Detective’, hunting out rare records for a price, but soon finds himself more like a regular detective. This was quite enjoyable and I’ll probably read the others in the series.

198. Calm the Fuck Down- Sarah Knight A guide to coping with anxiety, this was quite entertaining at times (on Audible) but didn’t do a huge amount for me.

199. Reboot- Michael Owen I no longer follow football much (too busy with my nose in a book!) but I was a huge Michael Owen fan. His new autobiography is said to be much more candid than his previous one (which I haven’t read.) He gives the low down on his spells at Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke, his feelings about various managers and players (he’s not keen on Beckham, while Shearer still isn’t speaking to him), his World Cups (including his wonder goal against Argentina in 1998) and his frustrating injury record. There is very little about his personal life: in fact, his third and fourth children are only mentioned at the end, almost as an afterthought. This was very enjoyable, however, and I read most of it in one evening.

200. The Rosie Result- Graeme Simsion This is miles better than its predecessor The Rosie Effect. I very much liked the character of Don and Rosie’s son Hudson, who displays many of the same autistic traits as his father. I was also amused by the cocktail bar for anti-social/geeky/autistic people and would definitely go there if it was real.

201. Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia- Tracey Thorn I was delighted this this was finally available from the library, but thought it was a bit too short. I loved the extracts from Tracey’s teenage diaries and wished there were even more of them. Her general musings about growing up in suburbia weren’t quite as interesting.

201 books!!??! Bloomin' Nora Franz!!

Anyway, for me book 76 was Jane Harper's The Lost Man (yet another book beginning with The, which, it seems is not always a watchword for Great Literature!). Like the other Harpers this is OK, a page turner but I did see this one coming a mile off : it is not an Aaron Falk story, so she has taken a break from that. I think Harper might claim it is looking at toxic masculinity , especially in isolated rural settings. It was better than her last one, I thought. The Dry is due to be made into a film, I heard, for those of you interested.

Agree that The Lost Man was better than whatever the second one was called.

Force of Nature if I recall....

56. Girl – Edna O’Brien

I was sceptical when I heard about this book. Could Edna O’Brien, a white woman in her eighties convincingly tell the story of a Nigerian teenager captured by Boko Haram? The answer for me is yes, I believe she has succeeded here.

I need to disclose at this point that Edna O’Brien is one of my favourite writers. As a woman in my twenties reading The Country Girls trilogy I was blown away by how perfectly she captured the experience of being young and female and making your way in the world. This book covers many of the same themes, but in a setting which is at times so brutal and shocking that it makes for difficult reading.

O’Brien combines her trademark beautiful, lyrical prose with a fast paced plot to produce a gripping page turner. I felt completely immersed in Maryam’s world and was willing her to succeed, to keep going, to survive. A satisfying and moving read – recommended.

57. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – Elif Shafak

The central character Tequila Leila, an Istanbul prostitute has been murdered and her corpse dumped in a skip. Although technically dead, her mind continues to process memories and feelings for 10 minutes and 38 seconds precisely. She remembers the formative events of her life in vivid detail and the circumstances surrounding her friendships with five key individuals, who since leaving her life in rural Turkey, have effectively become her family.

I found this an enjoyable and interesting read overall and particularly enjoyed the first section in which Leila’s early life is described in great detail. I thought the second section was less successful; the characterisation was less subtle, almost comedic and felt a bit rushed. The writer redeemed herself at the end with a genuinely moving conclusion much in the style of the first section. This is my first book by Elif Shafak, and on the basis of this experience, I would seek out more of her work.

58. The Collini Case – Ferdinand von Schirach

When Fabrizio Collini , a respectable and law abiding middle aged man murders an elderly German industrialist by shooting him in cold blood, young lawyer Casapar Leinen is engaged to defend him. There appears to be no motive for the murder and Collini is keen to admit his guilt. But all is not what it seems...

It’s impossible to reveal more of the plot without getting into spoiler territory, as this novel relies heavily on the slow reveal, much as a thriller might. This novel received fantastic reviews but left me somewhat underwhelmed. I thought the translation from German to English probably didn’t do the original story justice. The flat, monotone style and simplistic vocabulary made it read almost like a children’s book, but one with very adult themes. It’s quite a short book, which meant relationships between the characters were only hinted at and were not properly fleshed out. I wanted to care about the characters given the emotive subject matter, but the writer simply didn’t give me enough to go on. Ultimately, the plot needed to be really excellent to make up for the plodding style and flat characterisation, but unfortunately I could see the twists coming a mile off. This had potential, but didn't carry it through and the incongruous style didn't work for me.

Bringing my list over to the new thread. Highlights in bold. I haven't read any thing truly terrible so far this year, so no italics.

1. Everything Under – Daisy Johnson
2. A God in Ruins – Kate Atkinson
3. Asymmetry – Lisa Halliday
4. Poverty Safari – Darren McGarvey
5. The Travelling Cat Chronicles – Hiro Arikawa
6. The Rotters’ Club – Jonathan Coe
7. Kindred – Octavia E. Butler
8. We Were the Mulvaneys – Joyce Carol Oates
9. Milkman – Anna Burns
10. The Amateur Marriage – Anne Tyler
11. Things Bright and Beautiful – Anbara Salam
12. A Woman in the Polar Night – Christiane Ritter
13. Barbara Hepworth – Penelope Curtis
14. Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman – Lindy West
15. The Western Wind – Samantha Harvey
16. Notes to Self – Emilie Pine
17. Transcription – Kate Atkinson
18. The Summer Without Men – Siri Hustvedt
19. Go Went Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck
20. Memories of the Future – Siri Hustvedt
21. Ordinary People – Diana Evans
22. The Tenderness of Wolves – Stef Penney
23. The Closed Circle – Jonathan Coe
24. From a Low and Quiet Sea – Donal Ryan
25. An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
26. West – Carys Davies
27. My Sister the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite
28. The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
29. Gun Love - Jennifer Clement
30. The Cost of Living – Deborah Levy
31. The Cut Out Girl – Bart Van Es
32. The Silence of the Girls – Pat Barker
33. End of Days – Jenny Erpenbeck
34. The Doll Factory – Elizabeth Macneal
35. To Throw Away Unopened – Viv Albertine
36. Visitation – Jenny Erpenbeck
37. What Red Was – Rosie Price
38. Surrender – Joanna Pocock
39. Signs Preceding the End of the World – Yuri Herrera
40. All the Lives We Never Lived – Anuradha Roy
41. The Female Persuasion – Meg Wollitzer
42. The Remainder – Alia Trabucco Zeran
43. Prayers for the Stolen – Jennifer Clement
44. Some Luck – Jane Smiley
45. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk
46. The Ginger Tree – Oswald Wynd
47. Jamaica Inn – Daphne du Maurier
48. The House of Broken Angels – Luis Alberto Urrea
49. Can You Tolerate This? – Ashleigh Young
50. The Dream of the Celt – Mario Vargas Llosa
51. Herland and The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
52. The Handmaids Tale – Margaret Atwood
53. The Testaments – Margaret Atwood
54. Chernobyl : History of a Tragedy – Serhii Plokhy
55. The Confessions of Frannie Langton – Sara Collins
56. Girl – Edna O’Brien
57. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – Elif Shafak
58. The Collini Case – Ferdinand von Schirach

Hi all, I'm looking for opinions: if you receive a book as a birthday present, do you prefer the hardback because it feels more special? Or is a paperback more practical (it's for my brother and he commutes to work by tube)? The price is nearly the same for both!

Hardback for me, feels more special, less likely to fall apart whilst reading and perceived value is higher.
Shouldn't be too difficult to take on a commute unless it's a real brick of a book!

Thanks for the new thread South.

Place marking for continued therapeutic serial lurking as reading for fun has ground to an almost complete halt with commencement of masters course. Prepare yourselves for a white knuckle ride of a review of The Textbook of Non-Medical Prescribing in late January.

I have finished listening to The Testaments which was perfectly fine and have also completed re-reading A Song of Ice and Fire which was just great, apart from Danaerys in Mereen for whom I gave zero fucks.

Just (finally!) started This Thing of Darkness which will probably take me as long as Bleak House did.

Oh yes, finished Bleak House too. That was great.

Hardback Tarahumara

Thanks both - decision made

67. Three Women by Lisa Taddeo. A journalist spent nearly a decade researching desire in America. The result is this book which include 3 true stories told as fiction. I absolutely hated this. There is little true desire here. Women are always powerless. The three stories make no sense together and the style does not get to the heart of any of the women’s real feelings. There is so much of the authors voice and opinions running through it but she really has little to say. Possibly something about the way women treat other women but 2 women rarely talk so this is lost. Maggie is the only story told without a pseudonym and definitely feels like the main focus, but as the story is about underage assault it feels at odds with the other two. I didn’t feel the author particularly liked women and from time to time her writing and judgement felt quite masculine. She mentions in the afterward that her one black case study dropped out but to suggest that this book shines a light on modern American female desire with only 3 white subjects is just silly.

I feel like the author thinks she is edgy in telling these stories but it’s telling that the only erotic fiction discussed is twilight and 50 shades. I don’t mean that as a criticism of the subjects that refer to them just that the author can’t get passed surface level desire or understanding of it. Ugh.

I would say paperback. I agree that hardbacks are nicer, but I find them more cumbersome to read and I wouldn’t carry one on the commute.

204. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

Seventy odd years ago, a newborn baby was discovered in a house on a small island that had been abandoned by the owners, with the kettle just boiled and a cake cooling. The islanders have made money out of this story ever since. The elder aunt of the family has now died and left her house to her grandson’s ex girlfriend, who is trying to find the love of her life. The story is a bit of a mix of revealing the mystery of the Munro Baby, plus the ex girlfriend’s love life. I enjoyed it, especially the island setting.

The Country Girls Trilogy by Edna O'Brien. Bought on cheap Kindle deal. I read the first two books way back at the start of the 80's to see what all the fuss had been about about fifteen years previously when the books came out (book burnings etc in Ireland). The reputation that they were "pue filfth" had persisted. I recall being totally underwhelmed, no "filth" that I could see just dirty aul feckers wanting a kiss and a really weird grooming storyline with a gross old man, grey and almost fey in the book but played by a rather more dishy and black haired Sam Neill in the ch4 Tv movie in the mid eighties) and that Caitleen had a really annoying and "dangerous" best friend. I was about sixteen then but much older now and could appreciate the writing and the storylines much more.

I preferred the first two books, with Caithleen's voice rather than the third book with a shifting Baba (the annoying friend) and third person narrator. I think O'Brien captured the jealousy, insecurity and bafflement of looking for love and security held out as the ultimate prize and goal for women well in Caithleen's attachment to Eugene. The jealousy that drives her to search his house for letters from his estranged wife, her conflicted feelings for him and lack of arousal but wanting the security of a relationship. Much later in the final book the divorce lawyer who asks Caithleen "why she married such a man?" (about her husband) as if in our twenties people think totally rationally and clearly or have had time to unpick the bad patterns they have become used to in dysfunctional families. There were lots of great observations. However, God it was all totally depressing and bleak, absolutely no shelter. It all left me feeling quite subdued. Men are a right shower.

71: Mudlarking - Lara Maiklem

I hadn't realised that this (as with my previous read, Jonathan Coe's Middle England ) had been a recent Radio 4 book of the week, but I've been mudlarking once and enjoyed it, so when I saw this on BorrowBox I put in a reservation.

Anyone who's interested in history or in London would find this fascinating, I think - the author has spent years combing the Thames foreshore for treasures and has made some amazing finds. She recounts many of these discoveries, and links them engagingly to the social history of London, along with some incredible stories. I learned a fair bit, and it made me feel yet again that I must get a permit and do some gentle mudlarking myself....though perhaps not the seriously muddy, mucky variety she goes in for quite a lot.

My only quibble is that, frustratingly, there aren't any illustrations, but I did find her instagram, where lots of the finds she mentions are pictured.

The Wayward Girls - this wasn't great, although The Guardian's reviewer really liked it. Too long, too many characters, the ending was poor and I guessed the twist. Not recommended.

59. Days of Abandonment – Elena Ferrante

A re-read for a book club I’m in. I’m a huge Elena Ferrante fan but am aware that she is very marmite! I am interested to hear what the rest of the group make of this when we meet to discuss it next month.

Casually over lunch, just as Olga is clearing the table, her husband announces that he is leaving her. This book follows her painful progress coming to terms with his decision during the days and weeks after his sudden departure and her attempts to reconcile herself to being unwanted and alone.

It’s a powerful, raw book which I found very affecting to read first time round. Ferrante pulls no punches when confronting the reader with Olga’s weaknesses, her rage and her inability to cope. At times I wanted to reach into the book and shout at her, at others I felt profound empathy for her. It’s a bit of an emotional rollercoaster; first time round I found parts of the book disturbing. Second time round I was less focused on the plot as I knew what was coming next. I felt more able to appreciate the quality of the writing itself and see the moments of dark humour. In summary I loved it even more second time round – a dark work of genius.

133. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman A man returns to the area he grew up in to attend a funeral and bumps into the grandmother of his childhood friend that leads him to reminisce about the magical monster she helped him defeat as a child.

The overall quality of the writing is good and the idea of how going back to places in your childhood affects you, but this just wasn't for me. I couldn't decide if it was meant to be aimed at children or adults and didn't think it hit the mark for either. It was originally a short story that he lengthened to a novel and it shows. It being short was the only saving grace.

134. The Library Book - Susan Orlean The author recounts the events of a major fire at the LA city library in the 80s and the investigation of the main suspect. She looks at how it affected the library and the community as they went on to rebuild the collection. There is an overarching commentary on the place and changing role of libraries in society.

I almost abandoned this early on as it seemed a little dry and I couldn't see where it was going for the size of it, but I am really glad I didn't. I found it fascinating overall and was delighted to find out why my little local library a few doors down from my house is named as it is (Carnegie). It's an unusual Grade II listed building and I would be gutted to lose it. This book has made me appreciate it even more.

135. The Dutch House - Ann Patchett A wealthy pair of siblings get used to living alone with their difficult father after their mother walks out unexpectedly. She is soon replaced and the stepmother goes on to exile them from the house. They remain exceptionally close through the difficult circumstances this leaves them in and they keep returning in to middle age to watch the house as they can't let go of their past.

Ann Patchett has quickly become one of my favourite authors. She weaves an intricate well paced tale with brilliantly drawn characters that is very compelling. This is narrated by Tom Hanks and he did an amazing job with it.

Ooh, I have reserved The Dutch House at the library so I'm looking forward to that one.

People who have read well over 100 or even 200 books. How do you do this? Serious question! Just how is it possible? Tell me your secrets now. Do you read one book at a time? One on Kindle, one hard copy? I am in awe...

whippetwoman I usually manage about 50 a year with what I would call normal reading, mainly print books one at a time along with other entertainment. However this year I have got rid of the TV and have seriously cut down on loitering on the internet. I had deliberately decided to make this a year of reading and doubt I will keep this pace up next year.

I have also embraced audiobooks this year. For the past few years I have listened to approx one a month, only listening when I took the dog out. Now I have an audiobook on during any available time. A lot of modern fiction books are only around 7-10 hours and I increase the speed a little usually around x1.3 which can knock a fair bit of time off. I used to drift off and lose my place easily, but the more I have listened to, the better my focus is. I used to have Radio 4 on a lot when pottering, but have replaced this with books.

I also have a ebook on the go on my phone, so any dead time waiting for appointments/ in queues etc can be spent reading a book rather than being online or doing nothing. I have a tablet that I also use for ebooks, especially when camping, but this is my least preferred method of reading. I also read print books and try to get to bed an hour early to ringfence time for those too.

The other thing I have done is become more ruthless, if it isn't much good or I am not in the mood for a particular book then I ditch it and move on to something that grabs me. It also helps if you are an antisocial sod

I use Goodreads and sign up for the Reading Challenge that lets you set a target for the year and it keeps you on track by showing your progress. You can alter the target as well, so you aren't left with an impossible goal if things change.

The apps I use are Pocketbook (free reader and audio player) and Smart Audiobook Player (about £2 once the free trial has expired).

Ah thanks Fortuna, that's very interesting. I wonder if audio books might be the key to me reading more? I haven't got on with them very well in the past but I think I should try again with Audible as with some persistence, my concentration levels might improve. As you can imagine from my username, I do have a whippet to walk so I could maximise that time.

I think I am perhaps not as ruthless as I could be with browsing and get sucked into other, more salacious threads on Mumsnet so only have myself to blame for that!

I will check out the apps too - thank you so much

Whippet I'm very similar to Fortuna: I've cut down massively on TV, radio, music and internet and now go to bed early to read. I usually have several books on the go at a time. I've also discovered audiobooks this year and listen to them while washing up, ironing, driving etc.

A year ago, I ditched my useless boyfriend, partly to give myself more time to read. I'm childfree and a bit of a lone wolf. I work in education so have decent holidays, during which I can easily get through a book a day.

Very interesting to hear from members of the thread who read impressively high numbers of books. I find that I can't concentrate if I'm anxious or upset and this has a direct impact on my ability to lose myself in a book. This year has been terrible for that so I'm behind my (self-imposed, very rough) target. I'd hoped to hit 100 this year but it's not going to happen.

I also can't get on with audiobooks which I suppose doesn't help - although I'll listen to book of the week on R4 if I happen to catch it. I find the narrator makes a critical difference and if it's not read well, it ruins the book for me. Maybe I just need to 'hear' it in my own head.