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?

Have just finished reading 5 People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Ablom - loved it - very thought provoking.
About to start The Secret History by Donna Tartt

1. Written On The Body by Jeanette Winterson

Though this is a fiction novel, it feels less like that then it feels like a writers personal reflection on what it is to love.

A narrator whose name and sex we are never given (though presumably female) entertains wittily about various doomed love affairs, usually ended by the narrators infidelity, until they meet 'The One' in married doctors wife Louise.

Often the book feels like an elegy not just to love but also to its loss. The opening sentence reads : Why is the measure of love loss?

Similarly to Elizabeth Is Missing as spoiler free as I can though aspects of the prose in this novel are gorgeous, I really wouldn't recommend this to readers who are experiencing current or recent uncertainty over the future of a significant others health, as it might prove distressing.

It's an oddity but I enjoyed it.

1. The runaway children Sandy Taylorloved this and the sentiment within this and the humour have found a new favourite author!!
2. When we danced at the end of the Pier Sandy Taylor first in a trilogy of hers if it's anything like as good as previous one of hers then 9 and 10 will quickly follow

Anyone with a kindle enjoy a book then keep lists of the authors and do a search on kindle to happily fine you have already bought others by same author you havent read yet

4. Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Enjoyed this SF novel - interesting take on the possibilities of nanotechnology and alternative evolutionary directions. The contrast between the humans’ existence and the spiders’ one as time progressed was well done.

Rebus I don't like Never let you go either.

1. Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce

This book is set in the time of the Second World War and features Emmy, with her best friend Bunty. Emmy gets a job working for Mrs Bird, an agony aunt on a magazine and starts to feel sorry for the writers of the letters that don't fit Mrs Bird's strict criteria.

I enjoyed this book and found it easy to read. Moving onto 'Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas next by Adam Kay.

Happy 2020
For me, so far 2 I didn't much enjoy. Not a good start.

1. the seven (1/2) deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- not at all what i expected and I found it quite dull

1. the bronze horseman

holy cow, where do I start??? This was SO bloody dull and probably one of the worst things I've read for a while. I read this as my 25 yr old niece loved it and suggested it. I am now worried about her if she thinks this was a romance.

Forgot the authors- Stuart Turton, Paulina Simons

@RubySlippers77 - I haven't read his stuff for years but I got this one in the kindle sale. I used to enjoy them more I think but I was pretty disappointed with the ending of this one.

1. The Institute - Stephen King - finished this in 2 days. I have a massive soft spot for King. I really enjoyed this one, which is centred around kids with psychic abilities who are kidnapped by a shady organisation. It's not the classic horror of his earlier stuff but it still feels familiar in writing style. I read a lot of rubbish and it always feels nice to come back to something that feels well written and thought out.

Oh! I think I will read the institute next!

I like the sound of The Institute, W0lverine, I'm just going to place it gently on the top of my teetering pile of TBR books, gently does it, hang on I think I need a stepladder.

@RubySlippers77 thanks for the Facebook group recommendation I'm not on Facebook. I have just started 4321 by Paul Auster and didn't realise it was such a beast of a book when I started it. I am really enjoying it but I think it will be a while before I get to the next St Mary's book unfortunately.

3. The Familiars by Stacey Halls

I've seen a bit of chat about this and lots of rave reviews. Beautiful cover as well. The story of Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a young married woman in early 17th Century Lancashire, who has had several stillbirths who finds herself pregnant again. She has a difficult relationship with her mother, is an only child and her husband, although fairly nice to her is disinterested and has a mistress. Fleetwood is terrified of losing this child due to the social pressure to produce an heir. She finds a letter from the doctor that attended her last birth, which explains to her husband that she is likely to die if she becomes pregnant again. Terrified, she engages the help of a Alice Grey, a young local midwife, who has knowledge of herbs and natural remedies to help her. The lonely Fleetwood and Alice become friends and the pregnancy is progressing well until Alice is arrested for witchcraft, one of many as the Pendle witch trials begin.

Although it is fiction, the characters in the book were all real, including Fleetwood herself.
I did find it interesting and certainly a page turner, but I did find some elements a bit unrealistic, mostly about the amount of distance the heavily pregnant Fleetwood was apparently able to cover on horseback without anyone raising an eyebrow.
Well written though and kept me interested to the end.

2. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

Still ambivalent about this series and still a little confused. Some things got cleared up in this final book of the trilogy but still lots of unanswered questions for me. I have started watching the television series and it definitely helps to have read the books so some upside!

Next book is Once Upon A River - Diane Setterfield which has been positively reviewed on here so high hopes for this.

I am now reading Hidden Figures in paperback, and have got to 20% through Anna Karenina on Audible, but hope to speed up this week as I have a fair amount of driving this coming week.
Trying to decide on next Kindle read - possibly My Sister the Serial Killer or American Gods

1. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

This is the sequel to Carry On, which was the novelisation of the parody HP Draco/Harry slash fanfic written by the protagonist of the author's novel FanGirl (I hope you're following me here ). Anyway, Simon Snow (our Harry-equivalent), Baz (his one time enemy, now boyfriend) and their friends Penny and Agatha are early 20 somethings trying to make sense of their life now that they've seen off the apocalypse. Simon is suffering from crippling depression / PTSD which dominates his, Baz & Penny's lives. Agatha has left her wand behind and moved to the US to study & put things behind her. Penny decides that what is needed is a road trip for all of them across the States to visit her, and various magical adventures ensue. Light and entertaining YA with enough depth to give the characters purpose but without taking itself too seriously. The ending sets up for a third novel, & I'd definitely read it.

1. We Have Been Harmonised: Life in China's Surveillance State by Kai Strittmatter

DD lent me Wayward Son above as a break in the middle of this one, which is unquestionably not light & entertaining.

Hello World by Hannah Fry, which I read at the very end of last year was a look at the rise of AI, big data and algorithms across our society, in healthcare, justice, transport and beyond, & the potential benefits & dangers they bring.

We Have Been Harmonised is the dark twin to that story - setting out the way these tech developments are already being used by the Chinese state across all aspects of society, and how things are likely to develop going forwards. As in Europe, the tech has loads of upsides (for citizens, not just the state) - being able to use face recognition with Alipay for ultra-convenient banking, instant communication etc etc. But while here our devils' bargain lays in handing over our data to FB, Google etc, in China the state is the ultimate user of the information. Of course totalitarian states have done pretty well in the past at extreme repression / surveillance even without big tech, but it's a very timely warning of the importance of political wariness and the need to defend civil liberties even where it may impact on everyday convenience.

1. The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables by Ben Hartman

A rather more cheerful read - I went to a workshop by the author recently, & bought this there. It's his take on using the Japanese principles of lean production on a market garden to reduce workload & increase profits. Lots of good ideas for smarter working to go away & think about.

Books 1-3 The Hunger Games
Whizzed through the first book as a easy buy engaging YA novel, but 2 and 3 were slow and tiresome. Some good ideas on modern life and celebrity culture in there, and I quite enjoyed the love story but they really aren't justified in the hype at all. These were taken from a book swap shelf so glad I didn't spend any money on them.

1. Interesting Times - Terry Pratchett

A reread. Not very good wiz(z)ard Rincewind ends up in a country thinly disguised as China and inadvertently gets involved in a revolution. Classic Pratchett and very funny but with an element of thought provoking-ness

1. The Familiars - Stacey Halls

I enjoyed this but would agree that the protagonist's penchant for horseback missions while very heavily pregnant is not hugely realistic!

1. Lies Sleeping - Ben Aaronovitch

8th in the Rivers of London series. Enjoyed this and like the way that some of the minor characters are developing!

3. The Vanished Bride - Bella Ellis

The Bronte sisters investigate a disappearance/murder in 1845. Well I bought it in a sale as v cheap hardback pre-judging it as a ridiculous idea but I really enjoyed it. I know a fair amount about the Brontes as am reasonably local and did some research for my degree and this was actually a really good read. Would definitely recommend.

That sounds great esther - I just looked it up, and it's 99p today on kindle.

So I bought it, obviously.

3 Silver Dark Sea Susan Fletcher Four years after a tragedy a stranger is washed up on a Scottish island and the story describes the impact on the inhabitants. The first 100 pages were slow going as a cast of characters is introduced. I found it difficult to remember who was who.
Some beautiful writing but it felt to me as though every action of every character was described in minute detail as was every inch of the island which made the book feel rather long. Usual social issues were there including domestic violence and the long term impact on children. A rather too neat happy ending for all.

1. Ta deuxième vie commence quand tu comprends que tu n’en as qu’une – Raphaëlle Giordano

Not sure what to think about this. Your second life begins when you realise you only have one is a novel that seeks to give you advice about how to get rid of that 'stuck in a rut' feeling and regain some zest for life. As a novel I thought it was pretty weak. As a self-help book it was more interesting. Don't think the combination works. I must be in the minority though as it's a very popular book!

Book 2) "Jane Eyre", by Charlotte Bronte.
Book 3) "The Wise Man's Fear", by Patrick Rothfuss - second book in the fantasy series following Kvothe's life story ☺☺☺!

I’ve also bought The Vanished Bride!

10. Bedsit Disco Queen by Tracey Thorn

Autobiography of the female half of the duo Everything But The Girl. Interesting look at the music industry in the 80s and 90s, but it did end rather abruptly and I wish she had explained where the band’s name came from!

11. Lies Lies Lies by Adele Parks

Simon and Daisy’s marriage falls apart under the strain of alcoholism, infertility and other events that I won’t give away here! I didn’t really like any of the people in it but it did keep me reading to see what happened to them.

12. The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

Nominated for the Booker prize in (I think) 2018, this is the tale of three sisters living in an abandoned hotel with their parents who have convinced them the sea in poisonous so they don’t leave and have contact with the outside world, until some men arrive. This was an uncomfortable read in many ways as the instances of abuse are described (dressed up as ‘therapies’). Too much is left unexplained for my liking - it’s not clear whether this is set in our normal world and their parents are just bonkers, or whether it’s a different, worse world. It’s also never explained why they’re in the hotel or how long they’ve been there. Also not really clear how old any of the characters are. Lots in this book I didn’t like or found annoying, but some of the writing was very good.

@ChessieFL I've just bought Lies Lies Lies on kindle. The reviews were a but mixed but it was 99p.