50 Book Challenge 2020 Part One

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the first thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2020, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

Who's in for this year?

Book 3 finished - Harvest by Jim Crace I've had this on kindle for years, think it was quite hyped when first released. I loved the first 75% of the book,the writing was melodic and set the scene so well, but then it floundered a bit. I expected some finale but it just seem to peter out....would be interested to know what others thought?

Rose I abandoned Harvest last year after a few chapters as I wasn't particularly taken with it. Nothing wrong with it as such, but I had better books jostling for my time.

1. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie This is fantasy set in a Westeros-a-like medievalish Vikingish universe, but is a more tightly plotted and zingy beast than GoT. Involves war, betrayal, long hazardous journeys, etc, all those fantasy tropes. Also a coming of age thing going on. A good example of fiction of this type. I've gone off this genre a bit, but that's me not it, and it was the lively plotting and characterisation that pulled me through this one. According to an interview with the author at the end, this is YA. I did not realise. Apparently it is much lighter and fluffier than the author's usual output, which is known as Grimdark. I have no need or wish for Grimdark in my life. Will I continue with this series? Maybe. Not sure.

@Nuffaluff I very much enjoyed Lovely, Dark, Deep, one of her short story collections. Some great and rather unsettling stories in there.

Book 9 where the Crawdads sing

I read the first 100 pages or so not quite getting what the hype was and nearly giving up. But in the end I am glad I carried on and did enjoy it

@Nuffaluff - what are you in the mood for from Joyce Carol Oates? I've read Zombie which is intense and powerful but possibly the grimmest novel I've ever read. (Viewpoint of a murderer) I also read those love novellas a while ago and liked them. But I never love her work, and found Blonde too longwinded to stick with. She seems to me to be a brilliantly imaginative but not very empathetic writer.

6: The Night Fire - Michael Connelly

I asked for this for Christmas and tried to hold off reading it for a bit because Michael Connelly's books are such a guilty pleasure of mine that I knew I'd inhale it at top speed. Connelly seems to have settled into loosely pairing his best-known character, Harry Bosch, with his new female detective, Renée Ballard - I know some fans don't like this but I actually don't mind. I like the working relationship they've built up and I enjoyed the two narratives in this latest book, especially since they intertwined and resolved very satisfactorily.

Already looking forward to the next one now. Bring it on.

Book 4:

A Honey Bee Heart Has Five Openings by Helen Jukes

A book that tracks one year of the authors life, during a period of stresses and change, when she is gifted a colony of bees. As she learns the ways of beekeeping, its history and modern urban methods, she also describes learning more about life and her own place in the world of work and relationships.

It’s quite an introspective read, but gentle and beautifully written. The focus being largely the authors own inner thoughts and feelings. But I was really drawn in, mostly through the descriptions of the bees, the hive and the development of the colony. I have to admit, as a wannabee (!) beekeeper myself, the book held my interest for this reason alone.

If you liked ‘H is for Hawk’ (which I loved) you might like this.

Thanks so much for your recommendations and thoughts mamanewt, indigo, Millie and whippet. I shall take a look at those. The darker the better. I do like nasty stuff sometimes.
millie The fact that you say zombie is the grimmest book you’ve ever read is making me add it to my list.
Thing is, I didn’t know anything about Joyce Carol Oates before. I wouldn’t pick her books up. Her name makes her sound like a nice lyrical writing kind of author. Like a cuddly next door neighbour. Who writes nice books. For nice people.
I do like nice books, but not too nice.

4 The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz.

Really enjoyed this. Although I guessed the murderer, which I did when I read the first book of the series as well (this is the second) - I never usually do. Maybe I've watched too many episodes of Midsomer Murders (Horowitz was scriptwriter for several series).

Anyway, this was a lot of fun. I really like the odd couple pairing of the genial Horowitz and the blunt, closed-off detective Hawthorne.

I also liked how Horowitz throws in loads of details that are true, or seem like they could be true, eg at the time the book is set he's struggling with writing an episode of Foyle's War (which he does actually write), and he includes lots of anecdotes about the publishing world too.

It's well written and well paced, not too taxing - the kind of thing I'm in the mood for at the moment.

betty I like the sound of The Patron Saint of Lost Souls, have added it to my list.

4. Platform Seven by Louise Doughty
A good page turner with ambition and tenderness. I'm very very glad I finished it as at a couple of points I found it both terrifying and accusatory (like vast numbers of people I've been bereaved by suicide). But it manages to find a more transcendent ending.

3. Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi

The first graphic autobiography I have ever read! This was a surprisingly interesting and satisfying read, helped very much by the simplicity of the illustrations, which meant you had to bring your imagination into play to bring the story to life, much as you have to do with a written text.

The first part of the book focuses on the writer’s childhood and family in Tehran in the 1980’s, starting with the year that it became obligatory to wear the veil to school. She conveys the conflict between her home life with her educated and radical family to the constraints and repression of public life, using humour and irony really effectively. The second part explores her life when she returns to Iran as a young adult following a period studying in Europe, her close relationship with her family and her attempt to survive in a regime where parties, makeup, boyfriends and even running for the bus (!) are completely forbidden.

A funny, sad and really well told story which has made me more adventurous as a reader and curious to try more graphic books.

4. Animal Farm – George Orwell

I think everyone has probably read this one so I won’t go into loads of details about the plot. A re-read for my book group. I was a massive George Orwell fan in my late teens and re-reading this has made me remember why. His prose style is so straightforward and clean; this novella is a pleasure to read and I raced through this in two days during my commute to work. Despite knowing what happens in the end, the conclusion still made my hear sink.

A great companion read to one of my favourite non-fiction books of last year Nothing to Envy : Real Lives in North Korea – Barbara Demick. Although Orwell had Stalin’s Russia in mind when he wrote Animal Farm, the animals' experiences bear an uncanny resemblance to many of the human protagonists in Barbara Demick’s account.

Finished Elizabeth is missing - I quite liked it. It's not like anything I can remember reading before.

Just about to start The Institute by Stephen King. I've loved Stephen King books since I first had access to an adult library card. There was a bit of a meh period at one point but his recent stuff has been good again.

7. Birdsong- Sebastian Faulks I am probably the last person on earth to have read this book, but I enjoyed it. I’m not usually keen on books (or films) which jump backwards and forwards in time, but it worked here. There are some very moving sections of the WW1 story, especially the letters that the soldiers wrote home just before they went over the top.

8. Lord of the Flies- William Golding I know the book very well- this was the audiobook. It was mostly well read by the narrator Martin Jarvis, but the voice he used for Piggy was very irritating.

5. The Hero by Lee Child I won't deny I downloaded this thinking it would be a Jack Reacher, but I enjoyed this short reflection on the development of story telling and heroes, despite its brevity and somewhat meandering line. But I quite like etymology, as well as violent heroes that carry a toothbrush!

Have finally finished my first book The Castle by Franz Kafka. It has taken what feels like forever. To be honest I really didn't enjoy it but hate to give up on a book. I'm going to pick something a lot lighter next

@StitchesInTime I love Stranger with my Face, I read it as a teenager and was horribly fascinated by the idea of astral projection. She's such a good writer.

1. Me, by Elton John. Finally finished my first of the year, which was jaw-dropping. Incredibly entertaining and extremely frank, he doesn't hold back any detail. I felt a bit guilty being so entertained by what has clearly been at times a deeply traumatic life, but because this moves at such a pace, you're immediately on to the next thing and don't really get to dwell on events in any depth. In that sense it can feel a bit glib at times, but overall this was incredibly well done.

1. Maybe you should talk to someone by Lori Gottlieb

Having been through psychotherapy I found this absolutely wonderful. So many things touched parts of the experience - though I don't think you need to have been in therapy to see how universal this book is. I wasn't expecting to like it this much to be honest. I didn't read in one go - it's been put down and picked up a few times and suspect that's the best way to read it.

1. Bill Bryson The road to little Dribbling

Good - I liked his earlier travel books better I think but it really got me at the end. I think he had some great points to make about immigration, what Britain is (and isn't). It was- funny, readable and well observed. Really great writer- and it occurs to me, that isn't anyone really coming up in the next generation. Which is a shame.

@Indigosalt the movie of persopolis is worth a look too.

Stitches and noodle Lois Duncan is great isn’t she? I’ve read most of her YA stuff. Stranger With My Face is one of my favourites along with Locked In Time, where the heroine notices something very strange about her step family.

Thanks Palegreenstars - will check that out

Chessie I'm definitely thinking I might need to try some more Lois Duncan (althought my TBR list is already wildly out of hand!)

6. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel a reread in preparation for The Mirror and The Light . I am a bit of a Tudor history geek so this is right up my street. However the first 100 pages are quite dense and the use of the pronoun 'he' instead of direct reference to the character of Cromwell is at times very confusing. It does settle down and then becomes readable and compelling. I do wonder how easy this would be to tackle and understand without any prior knowledge or more than basic knowledge of this period in history .

@MamaNewtNewt I agree about the last Shardlake book..... enjoyed all the rest, was really excited about this one, but it was a lot about the battle and not as much about the plot. Fingers crossed the next one returns to form! I love the St Mary's books too, there's a fab Facebook group to join if you're interested.

@W0lverine Ben Elton has interesting concepts when he writes doesn't he? I liked Time and Time Again a lot, but as you say, sometimes the actual direction of the book tails off a bit.

The Anthony Horowitz books are so interesting @PrivateSpidey! It took me a while to get into Magpie Murders but then couldn't stop reading

Updating my list:

1. Rhys Bowen - Heirs & Graces - part of the Her Royal Spyness series. Murder mysteries set in the 1930s and featuring Lady Georgiana Rannoch, a (distant) heir to the throne, not sure they are entirely accurate but good fun.
2. Emily Brightwell - Mrs Jeffries and the Missing Alibi - again part of a series, although lots of them seem to be unavailable a detective's household help him solve murders in Victorian London.
3. Michelle Paver - Wakenhyrst - as recommended on here! I did like it but there were a couple of aspects which confused me... a page turner anyway.

1. Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
2. If Cats Disappeared from the World - Genki Kawamura
3. Frankenstein in Baghdad - Ahmed Saadawi
4. Lies Sleeping -Ben Aaranovitch

My number 3 was Frankenstein in Baghdad , a modern reworking of sorts of the Frankenstein story, set in American occupied Iraq in 2005. I loved the first part of this, where we meet the residents of the district in Baghdad where the story takes place. We meet elderly Elishva, living alone in a crumbling house with her cat, and her picture of St George which she regularly asks for guidance. (He does reply, sometimes.) and Hadi, the junk dealer who lives in and sells junk from a shack in Elishva’s yard. The area is regularly rocked by car bombs and suicide bombers, while the residents just try to carry on as “normal” in the midst of the death and destruction. Hadi starts to collect body parts of the victims of the bombings, but unlike it being the scientific madness of the original, his reason (heartbreakingly) is to stitch the body parts into one person in order for “them” all to have a proper burial. After one particularly brutal night of bombing, Hadi wakes up to find the body he made has disappeared. People soon start to report sightings of a monstrous figure, intent on killing to avenge the deaths of the people whose body parts he’s made of. And then.. it all goes a bit downhill. The perspective switches between quite a number of different characters and starts to feel a bit disjointed. The background horrors of the bombings are really well done, but there is much less of the Frankenstein than you’d expect, less action, and a lot more navel-gazing middle aged men, which gets pretty repetitive after a few chapters. Overall, strong start, good ending but I couldn’t engage with a lot of the middle.

Lies Sleeping is the 7th (or 8th if you count the novellas I think) in the Rivers of London police/urban fantasy series. If you like the series you’ll like this one. Plenty of action, more Lesley, and of course Peter wisecracking his way into a disciplinary hearing. And sacrificial offerings to an ancient deity in a secret underground temple near St Paul’s Cathedral, the Faceless Man, and the return of Mr Punch.