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?

Terpsi - agree that sounds great, but I think I might be Hitlered out for a while, as I've read so much German history. Will add to wish list.

Boiledegg and Remus - it’s good but it’s very detailed. I was slightly fooled at the start by the amount of contemporary documentation quoted....it gets quite sparse towards the middle So it’s much more of an academic history book as you read on.

It’s good, though I too will be going easy on big WW2 tomes for a bit.

boiledeggs, I must finish Chernobyl Prayer after reading your review. I was...not enjoying it exactly but was captivated by it, but it fell off my radar after a busy period at work and home late last year. And because it is meditative and episodic rather than with a strong linear narrative it felt easy to put aside. But I shall pick it up. Far too many half read books at the moment - my goal for the rest of the month is going to be to finish some of them before I start a new one!

Finished book 3 - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Really loved it, I've felt let down a lot by hyped up novels lately but I felt this lived up to it. It charts several decades of two siblings who grow up in a grand house only to be ejected from it while still young due to the death of their father. It explores the hold the house has on them throughout their life and the repercussions of the decisions they and also their parents made.

Going to start either Lady Anne Glenconner's book next or Jia Tolentino's Trick Mirror next, not sure what I'm in the mood for though.

5. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper - Hallie Rubenhold

A powerful and convincing blend of the meagre facts known about the individual women with the history of working class lives, and attitudes to women, in the nineteenth century. Made me very grateful for antibiotics, contraception, sanitation, feminism etc. although sadly some things are still true, e.g. you can work very hard and not earn a living wage.

6. Guts - Raina Telgemeier

Lent to me by DD (10), an autobiographical graphic novel about a fifth-grader (Year 6 equivalent) with anxiety issues resulting in emetophobia and IBS. Despite the subject-matter, it’s actually pretty upbeat, and I would imagine junior-aged readers would relate to the characters. This is the third of her novels based on aspects of her childhood; she’s (rightly) very popular in the US.

Sadik - being eternally slightly behind on deadlines
She sounds like my kind of woman I'll look out for more of her work and a biography.

HumberElla The Running Hare sounds really good. Have you read Wilding by Isabella Tree? It's a similar idea but on the larger scale of a country estate.

Boiledegg I think Svetlana Alexievich is one of the most important writers of our time. I read The Unwomanly Face of War towards the end of last year and was devastated by it. I wasn't sure if I would cope with Last Witnesses.

Plornish I was amazed by how much information Hallie Rubenhold unearthed about the lives of the five women. They've been presented as ciphers for so long that it was incredible (and shaming) to think there was all this detail out there that nobody had bothered to look for. She did an amazing job in humanising them, I think.

Completely agree that their lot was horrifically hard. Even the better-off among them fell so swiftly into penury and homelessness with no safety-net. No wonder they so often took refuge in drink.

Boiledegg thanks for your review of Svetlana Alexievich. I have her on my radar for this year!

5. Hazards of Time Travel – Joyce Carol Oates

A bit of a mixed bag. Joyce Carol Oates can certainly write, and there are whole sections of this book which are just sublime. However, the structure of the book, which is basically a sci-fi thriller didn’t work for me and felt distracting.

The protagonist, 17 year old Adriane Strohl lives in the near future in the totalitarian North American States (NAS) and is just about to graduate from high school as the most promising student in her year. She is arrested for the crimes of “Treason Speech” and “Questioning Authority” on the basis that the graduation speech she has written is critical of the regime. So far, so 1984. She is found guilty without trial of being a subversive and her punishment is to be sent back in time to 1959, and a mediocre University in a fictional town in the American Midwest.

Oates lovingly re-creates 1959 college life replete with manual typewriters, red lipstick, girdles, everyone smoking their heads off and rampant misogyny. Adriane is lost and unhappy in this archaic world, and longs to see her family again. She meets and tries to connect with post graduate student and kindred spirit Ira, who may or may not be a fellow time traveller. He longs to escape the narrow, suffocating world of 1959 Wisconsin aka “the happy place”, which I imagined as kind of like an episode of Fargo crossed with an episode of Madmen. Adriane longs with equal force to return to the totalitarian regime of the future, her family and her friends.

The story builds towards a surprising conclusion which was either a stroke of genius or plain daft, I couldn’t really make my mind up.

The sections set in the 1950’s were completely convincing for me and it felt like Oates was in her comfort zone here. The totalitarian regime of the future was not as vividly realised. Having said that, the more I think about this book, the more I remember the clever, incisive writing and the less the slightly odd plot annoys me. Would I read another book by this writer? Yes, but not if it was a sci-fi thriller.

I can't remember when I posted last.

1. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster - absolutely fucking dreadful load of tosh!
2. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - I thought this would be some chick lit book (friend bought it as it gift) so was pleasantly surprised. Really enjoyable read with some great laugh out loud moments.
3. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - a difficult Dickens to read, to me so many needless characters and even the "hero's" were quite unlikelable and a bit too romanticised for my liking.
4. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty - it was an easy read after the above and I quite enjoyed it but wouldn't say it was brilliant.

Then I started reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, I have been trying it for days and just can't get into it. I have tried a few of her books and (apart from The Handmaid's Tale) just can't take to them. I gave up with this one 100 pages in and think apart from giving The Testaments a go, I'll just avoid her!

1. A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn... I'm half way through this and enjoying so far (well not enjoying really because that would be quite sadistic... But you get what I mean). I started yesterday and realised that it doesn't have chapters, not a criticism but I really need to put it down at some point.

Tarahumara Moon Tiger has been sitting on a shelf for ages, I've now added it to my (hopefully) TBR soon pile...
AnUnlikelyWorldofInvisibleShad I think your book list sounds great!

Behind on reviews, behind on finishing half finished books...

3 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
This novel follows the stories of descendants of a Ghanaian woman called Madame. The two branches of the family are traced through generations up to the present day with each chapter telling a different story. It covers several hundred years - from the Anglo-Asante wars, the slave trade, slavery and emancipation in the US, and current day racism. Each chapter is a stand alone story, brought together at the end in a way that doesn’t feel contrived. I’d really recommend this - I have read relatively little about slavery from the African perspective and this was a good and thoughtful novel with well told stories.

4 Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner
This is a treat. I didn’t know anything about Lady Glenconner who was Princess Margaret’s Lady In Waiting until I read this but she has had quite a life, with some jaw dropping tragedies. It is an extraordinary memoir written without any self pity. I loved this book.

5 The Institute by Stephen King
I think this is a return to King’s best. It’s a cracking tale of psychic children and children with telekinetic powers who come under the control of a shadowy organisation seeking to harness their powers. It is indeed a little long winded in places as always with King but I thought it was sensitive, thoughtful and not entirely black and white despite seeming to go that way.

6 Dracula by Bram Stoker
Not much summary needed. It’s not without its faults and my goodness the women in it are not done any favours by Stoker but it’s largely pacey and plot driven and very atmospheric. Van Helsing could do with talking less, for sure, and there are too many indistinguishable men, at least one or two of whom could have been cut from the plot but I do like a good vampire novel and this is probably the best known for a reason.

7 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend

DS got this for Christmas and has been chuckling away ever since, so I sneaked it out of his room. Adrian has aged well - this still feels relevant and acutely observed and DS only realised it wasn’t contemporary when he came across the allusions to Thatcher (not sure when he thought the Falklands War ended!)

Maame, not Madame. Stupid autocorrect!

Finished 2 books in the last couple of days.

1. Lies Lies Lies - Adele Parks This one was ok, but I couldn't really take to any of the characters. The husband is an alcoholic and the wife minimises it until everything gets out of control. I didn't see one of the twists but I worked out the other one. There was a final 'twist' that I thought was a bit bonkers as well.

1. Are you watching? - Vincent Ralph Picked this one up on offer on Amazon after seeing a good Instagram review. It's a YA and it shows.

The main character is a 17 year old girl who's mother was the first victim of a serial killer 10 years earlier. She applies for an online reality type show to try and catch the killer as the police have no clues. I found the main character a bit irritating and also quite flat. The plot was ok, and I didnt work out who the killer was before the reveal but I finished it feeling a bit meh about the whole book.

As a side note, my daughter is a big reader and I gave her my copy of Alan Garner's Wierdstone of the Brisingamen. I remember reading it at her age and thinking it was great but she declared it was rubbish so I'm tempted to have another look.

Thank you FortunaMajor I will look up Wilding by Isabella Tree. I haven’t heard of that but I loved Running Hare so it sounds right up my street.

Book 7

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewel

This is a creepy, twisted tale about the discovery of a strange suicide pact and a single, living baby, abandoned in a mansion house in Chelsea. Why they died, how the baby survived and, 25 years later, the grim history of the house and its inhabitants are revealed.
Enjoyable, page turner mystery with some nice twists to keep you guessing. Would make an ideal holiday read.

1. Ten to Zen by Owen O'Kane I was given this book free in Tesco! It's a somewhat waffly, with no big surprises, build up to what basically amounts to one ten minute mindfulness style meditation exercise. I haven't actually done it yet, because the exercise itself is unscripted, I'd have to go back through all the chapters on what you're actually meant to be doing for each of the ten minutes. The author, a gay Irish catholic psychotherapist, is rather heavy on thinking the main reason anyone would be reading this book is because they have feelings of guilt, shame and worthlessness. Other negative feelings and motivations are available! Not terrible for a free book, and has served to remind me that mindfulness is a very useful tool and that I have the very good Little Book of Mindfulness which I should pick up more often, with loads of ready made meditations that work.

Adding last witnesses to the TBR list!

2. Good Omens -Neil Gaiman I think everyone on the planet has read this but I was surprised how much I loved it. I don’t like fantasy at all as a genre. But it was so enjoyable and one of the funniest books I’ve read in ages.

Next is The heart goes last- Margaret Atwood

5. Confessions of a bad mother : the teenage years, by Stephanie Calman
Mildly amusing account of the adolescence of the author's son and daughter. For me as the mother of a 12-year, it was all reassuringly tame - Duke of Edinburgh awards and university applications rather than drugs and teen pregnancy. The biggest rebellion is when the daughter cuts herself a fringe. The mother spends several pages lamenting the fact she can't influence her daughter any more. The daughter is -nineteen.- It's an easy read but I'm not that fond of this intense wallowing in nostalgia for earlier stages of parenting. I can't say I felt nostalgic about disposing of dd's babygrows, poo stains and all.

Italic fail
nineteen

HumberElla I'm really looking forward to reading The Running Hare either later in January or in February, depending how quickly I get on! I've read so many really good reviews for all Lewis-Stempel's books - especially this one.

1. Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters by Laura Thompson (Audible)
Biography of the Mitford Sisters, and inevitably quite long as it tries to describe the lives of all the members of this large and interesting family. I read Mary S. Lovell's The Mitford Girls previously and it seemed to have more of a spread through the sisters' lives where this focussed more on the key events of the 1920s/30s/40s. I also felt that this included more of the author's opinions, but that may just be my perception and listening on Audible where I read the previous book as a paperback with references included. And Laura Thompson includes lots of quotes from Nancy's books, relating them to the lives of real family members but this didn't connect strongly with me as I haven't read any of the Mitfords' own books. The Mitfords did lead fascinating lives and their links to huge events in the early 20th Century are extraordinary.
2. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan (Audible)
I sought this out after seeing it recommended on here and really enjoyed it. The author describes herself as a "shy introvert" and this is the story of her year of trying to "extrovert" (her use of the word). This worked well on Audible - the style is conversational and easy to listen to, so it works if you have ten minutes to listen or a couple of hours at a time. Many of her experiences and opportunities are those of a London-based freelance writer, very different to my life up here in the rural north, but the feelings that she describes are very relatable.
Have been reading the same novel for about 6 weeks and am determined to finish it this weekend so hopefully back to review book 3 soon...it's been a slog but I'm hooked in and only about 70 pages to go!

biblio, I am 100% with you on not missing the baby stage. Teens are really tough but so much more interesting and fun.

That's encouraging to hear about parenting teens, Pepe. I have pretty much enjoyed each stage so far, but I don't like looking back and being all misty-eyed about the past. Seems unfair to the present.

I have been rather late with my updates too but have read:

3. The Offing - Benjamin Myers
I loved Under the Rock by this author, a work of non-fiction; it was one of my favourite books of last year but this didn't really work for me despite the rave reviews on Goodreads. I felt the story of Jack and Dulcie lacked both depth and insight and seemed too trite somehow. I didn't actually believe in it. However, I have to say, the descriptions of the countryside of post-war Britain were very well written. I am very much the minority in not liking this however!

4. Frankisstein - Jeanette Winterson
I enjoyed this a lot more despite the crazy storyline of the modern day sections and the very stylised and unrealistic conversations betweens characters. I felt the passages written from the point of view of Mary Shelley were the best but I generally enjoyed the book in its entirety and liked the development of the Frankenstein myth into the 21st Century and the implications of AI.

5. Beware of Pity - Stephan Zweig
This was not an easy read but I thought it was excellent. A young soldier makes an error that leads him to become almost fatally entangled in the lives of a wealthy family in Germany just prior to WW2 breaking out. A claustrophobic and rather disturbing novel.

6. Surfacing - Kathleen Jamie
Beautiful nature writing with long sections around a Neolithic archaeological dig on a Scottish island and a dig on an Alaskan shoreline amongst the Yup'ik people . If you like musings on nature and archaeology and how it informs life in the 21st century, this is most definitely the book for you.

7. Letter to My Daughter - Maya Angelou
This was too lightweight for me to enjoy, consisting of snippets and vignettes from Angelou's life, written as if to an imaginary daughter. This lacks the depth and seriousness of her earlier writing.

8. The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
Classic American civil war novella written in 1894 about a young soldier named Henry Fleming who is keen to prove himself in combat. Strong descriptions of the chaos, noise and fatigue of fighting and the emotional toll it takes.