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50 Book Challenge 2020 Part One

999 replies

southeastdweller · 01/01/2020 09:17

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?

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6
EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 20/01/2020 20:22

An apocalyptic premise but spends much of its time staring up its arse at the shallow life of a minor character that dies on the first page.

Employs cliche after cliche, and shamelessly steals from better works on its way, at one point even openly does a nudge wink to this.

Characters all connected in implausible ways, massively over coincidental.

Characters disappear/reappear and change jobs purely to service the weak arsed plot

I could continue. HmmWinkGrin

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2020 20:31

Jux - Your wish is ,my command Grin Here is my review of Station 11 from a 50 Book Challenge in 2015:

Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel

Well, this was very disappointing. Not that I held such high expectations for (1) a 1st book, that was (2) written by a woman, and (3) was much raved about by several friends who never read sci-fi and instead usually read "women's contemporary fiction". I can only imagine that people who have adored very weak sci-fi like Never Let Me Go might like this book. Or those who have never read any sci-fi.

It was disjointed, devoid of a real plot (let alone an engaging and/or clever one), improbable, and with complete lack of worldbuilding. A viral flu kills off most of the world's population and the the ones left alive somehow manage to find food, shelter, and clean water very easily which leaves them free to procrastinate and whine all day long. That's pretty much all the book talks about anyway.

None of it made much sense. A viral infection that becomes symptomatic in several hours and kills in a day is the easiest disease in the world to contain, since it would burn itself off very quickly. Just broadcast everyone to stay indoors for 1 day - what seems to be the problem?

The post-apocalyptic world rings completely false, as well. All of it falls apart too quickly, and the author has given no thought to what such a world of few survivors would actually be like. "Schools" where kids are taught about the lost world and its comforts made me laugh. Surely, you would try to preserve knowledge of math, chemistry, physics, biology etc rather than stories of past comforts.

I could write more, because there really was a lot wrong with this book, but I think I've spent enough time on it.

Welshwabbit · 20/01/2020 20:49

I am not a sci-fi reader at all, and that's probably why I liked Never Let Me Go. But then I didn't think of it as sci-fi, more as a fable. The thing I remember about it now is the parallel Ishiguro seemed (to my mind at least) to be drawing between the donors' lives and normal human life - we all know we're going to die at some point (for the donors it's much more immediate) so what is it it all for - how do you insert meaning into a necessarily finite existence? If you don't believe in an afterlife, that is. I do remember it making me think about that.

I probably ought to try some more sci-fi. My husband keeps recommending books and I will take the plunge at some point. Having always been chary of fantasy I loved The Dark Tower series so maybe I should broaden my horizons...

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2020 20:59

Mog - re "I love baroque music and have several of your past book recommendations on my TBR pile. Can you recommend a book that is a good starting point? Something accessible covering the history and development of baroque?"

I would definitely recommend Music In The Baroque Era - From Monteverdi To Bach by Manfred F Bukofzer. I found it easy to follow and interesting to read, with plenty of visual examples along the way.

"Do you play an instrument(s)? I have decided to relearn the alto recorder this year with the eventual aim of being able to play Bach's famous Badinerie."

I play the piano and the harpsichord. It's great Smile Come join us on the Instrument Players thread.

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2020 21:13

WelshWabbit - re"I am not a sci-fi reader at all, and that's probably why I liked Never Let Me Go. But then I didn't think of it as sci-fi, more as a fable."

You thought of Never Let Me Go as a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral? Confused

Whatever you think SF means, Never Let Me Know is as clear a case of SF as has ever existed in print. It is about a future shaped by a technology that does not yet exist in our world. It talks about the ethical problems that said technology and its implementation has on the people of that future. All this is the very definition of Science Fiction.

It's just that NLMG is a very VERY bad example of SF, in which nothing makes sense and not much is explained. Basically, it's crap.

Welshwabbit · 20/01/2020 21:28

Fair point, Cote, fable's probably the wrong word. I think it just never felt to me as though he was trying to create a tangible, credible future world (for a start, I don't think it's set in the future - although of course sci-fi doesn't have to be). As I think is the case with some of his other books, the world is quite hazy, and the focus is on the characters' thoughts and motivations. I see all the objections, but for me they didn't detract from the book and the message I took from it.

KnucklesMcGinty · 20/01/2020 21:30

All right Cote, calm down. Welsh is entitled to her/his opinion. It's not crap, it just didn't appeal to you. I didn't find the SF element particularly strong either. I was more conscious of it being set in the 80s, and how younger readers would find cassette tapes & no mobile phones etc unfamiliar.

Piggywaspushed · 20/01/2020 21:38

To be fair, I would call Lord of the Flies a fable. Definitely. Pretty sure Golding did.

My main issue with NLMG is I found it boring Blush

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2020 22:19

Welsh - "I think it just never felt to me as though he was trying to create a tangible, credible future world"

And why not? Do you think he intentionally wrote a bad book? Grin

"(for a start, I don't think it's set in the future - although of course sci-fi doesn't have to be)."

I think it's pretty obvious that it is set in a future where cloning people for their organs actually happens. I say that because there is no indication that it is an alternate universe or someone's dream, for example. How else would we be reading about a technology that has never existed in the world?

"the world is quite hazy, and the focus is on the characters' thoughts and motivations."

And they make no sense, just like the world makes no sense. Their motivation seems to be "Well, it would be a shame to be butchered for our organs, so let's write a letter. Oh that didn't work. Shame nevermind. Just kill us then." Hmm It is just very bad, lazy SF.

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2020 22:27

Knuckles - Are you new? Grin We have always had robust book debates on 50 Book threads, over many years. Welsh is fighting her corner well and seems happy to debate, as am I, so please don't tell me what to post. Thank you Smile

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2020 22:32

Piggy - Re "I would call Lord of the Flies a fable. Definitely. Pretty sure Golding did."

I believe the idea there was that the children were behaving like animals and by the end were animals. I don't think the same applies to NLMG.

Anyway, call it a fable if you want to but NLM is still and will always be SF. It is the very definition of SF.

"My main issue with NLMG is I found it boring"

Oh God, so did I.

Welshwabbit · 20/01/2020 23:21

Careful Cote, or I'll start on the lobstrosities, and then where will we be? Grin

I suspect neither of us is going to persuade the other. I'm a big crime novel fan. It annoys me if certain things about crime novels are unrealistic, but I suspect others may be less annoyed about those same things because their focus in reading the book is elsewhere. I loved Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, but there's no explanation at all as to why Ursula can live her life over again; it's a construct to do what she wants to do with the story. On the other hand, there are some magical realist books that I just cannot for the life of me get to grips with because I can't get into that half here-half there world. It wasn't something that bothered me with NLMG. Something similar bothers me about lots of other books!

PermanentTemporary · 20/01/2020 23:31

I hated magical realism until I read Love in the Time of Cholera and then Midnights Children. Maybe it's an age thing - more weird things have happened to me, or perhaps the unreality makes these books less threatening. I've realised in fact I just hate Isabel Allende.

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2020 23:33

Ooh the ridiculous lobster things. Another book I like to rant about Grin We are going for full house tonight!

Did you know that Remus made me read that book, saying it's oh so great? I don't think she realized that I hate fantasy nearly as much as I hate cowboy stories Grin And I saw nothing attractive about a man so ill that he can barely walk, which she found puzzling for some reason!

Welshwabbit · 20/01/2020 23:36

PermanentTemporary I'm afraid I hate Isabel Allende AND Midnight's Children. There is no hope for me.

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2020 23:36

I didn't like Life After Life either (a pattern is emerging there Grin) but that was more of a magic/miracle type book so the reader doesn't really expect that reincarnation thing to be explained.

However, a book about a new technology's effect on people must make sense or it's just silly.

Welshwabbit · 20/01/2020 23:52

Cote clearly our challenge is to find a book we both like!

highlandcoo · 20/01/2020 23:56
  1. The Power by Naomi Alderman

A counterpoint to The Handmaid's Tale although I enjoyed this less. In this speculative future world men are afraid of women rather than women being afraid of men. The point is powerfully if not subtly made.

Now on to My Antonia. Einereise glad you enjoyed it. I bought it following a recommendation on this thread. Will be quite a different read I think.

I really liked Life After Life although not my usual sort of book. I hated The Time Traveller's Wife for example. Just couldn't get my head around the jumping around in time but for some reason in LAL it didn't worry me. A God in Ruins on the other hand really annoyed me. Especially the end.

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 21/01/2020 00:11

So I too loved Life After Life and hated God In Ruins shite with a truly annoying main character.

Cote I wouldn't say cowboy books were my genre either

Hated Sisters Brothers hated All The Pretty Horses but god I loved Lonesome Dove gorgeous

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 21/01/2020 00:13

And try as I might I can't seem to read Love In The Time Of Cholera

and I love love loved The House Of The Spirits by Isabel Allende BUT have abandoned anything else I've tried.

CoteDAzur · 21/01/2020 00:14

Welsh - You should read This Thing of Darkness, It's the only book that everyone has loved on these threads Smile

bettybattenburg · 21/01/2020 00:32

I didn't like this thing of darkness

Sadik · 21/01/2020 08:03

I DNFed This Thing of Darkness (ducks)

bettybattenburg · 21/01/2020 08:06

I couldn't get into it so didn't get far.

Palegreenstars · 21/01/2020 08:21

Oh god I loved Station Eleven. There’s a bit where he loads up trolley after trolley at a convenience store with supplies to take back to his flat when he realises the virus is spreading. He knows he can’t leave his disabled brother so is hunkering down. I loved those scenes. Not really read much SciFi though which seems to be a theme for positive reviews.

NLMG was too passive for sure. Ishiguro is so slow. donor clones could work though couldn’t they? Hypothetically without a single scientific piece of knowledge to back it up. A few extra matching people ready to go for those rich enough?