50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Two

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second 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.

The first thread of the year is here.

What are you reading?

@Palegreenstars I hope you get on with the second half of Conviction as well as you did with the first! It does go a bit bonkers towards the end but I thoroughly enjoyed it and snapped up a couple more of hers in a daily kindle deal.

I have read and enjoyed all of Tana French's books but In The Woods is definitely my least favourite. Am also an Elly Griffiths fan and agree with Fortuna that fans of one will probably like the other.

My absolute favourite crime/suspense author is Nicola Griffith and her books featuring Aud Torvingen. She's also written in other genres but I think the Aud books are fantastic and I'm not sure why they aren't better known.

Denise Mina's a fantastic writer and I enjoyed Conviction too, but thought it was very uncharacteristic of her usual style. Her Garnethill trilogy is wonderful, as are the Alex Morrow novels and the early Paddy Meehan books.

I'm afraid I'd take Mina over Tana French in a heartbeat, having struggled with the latter despite persisting gamely. I've got a copy of The Wych Elm but I can't work up the enthusiasm for it. There's something about TF's first-person voice that just doesn't quite ring true for me.

Off to look up Nicola Griffith now

10. The Mirabelles by Annie Freud

This is a poetry collection (she’s the daughter of Lucian Freud, btw). It was a gift; I’m not a great reader of poetry, but I did enjoy it. The ‘found poems’ from her mother’s letters particularly resonated with me, and I liked the way Freud uses humour and specific detail to reveal something rather more profound. Her memorial poems, from her grandmother to Derek Jarman, are poignant. However, I don’t think this volume is essential reading.

Just finished The Benefits of Hindsight, by Susan Hill. Nominally crime fiction, and there is indeed some crime and some police work, but no astounding feats of deduction or plot twists. We are given a slice of life with surly Simon, the police detective who is mystifyingly attractive to women ("Would you care for dinner? Now sod off") and smug Cat, his GP sister ("I'm a doctor, I've seen everything! How dare you criticize me for going private - don't you realize how nobly I sacrifice myself to my profession?"). It's all a bit downbeat and pointless. Crime fiction is meant to reassure you that the grown-ups are to hand and will sort out the mess, but this book radiates a middle-aged weariness that that's not going to happen, is it, even if the crime is "solved".

I haven't updated for a while but have just caught up with the thread and may have added one or two titles to my TBR list after reading all the excellent posts above.

My most recent three reads have been:

11. The Easternmost House - Juliet Blaxland
Living on a crumbling cliff on the very easternmost point of the UK in Suffolk, it's only a matter of time before their house falls into the North sea, so this gentle nature writing memoir is underpinned by shades of melancholy about the impermanence and inevitability of the tides and time. It's a small-scale book about life on the edge of the sea and I enjoyed it, although it doesn't hit the heights of a lot of other similar nature writing books around at the moment.

12. Fleishman Is In Trouble - Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Although I found this annoying to read, I do think it was worth it and unlike others that have reviewed this book before, I felt positive about it. There were deeper meanings at play here around gender politics and role of women in the workplace and at home, presented in a complex and at times confusing manner which had me thinking about the characters long after I had finished reading. The best sections were the smallest; the thoughts of the female 'narrator' who is Fleishman's friend and the last section, about his wife, that changes the way we see their actions in relation to each-other and breaks down a lot of the preconceptions around their marriage.

13. Queenie - Candace Carty-Williams
I have heard this novel described as being similar to Bridget Jones, but whilst there are some elements that over-lap, this really was a lot more complex, dealing with issues of mental illness, racist attitudes and the difficulty of forging relationships with both the opposite sex, friends and family. A decent read for me.

I'm juggling three books at the moment but am enjoying reading both The Five in hardcopy and Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, as an ebook, which is wonderful.

I've just checked, and I bought The Epigenetics Revolution for 99p on 3 January 2012 . Looks as if it's time I actually read it, especially as I'm now working in an area where this would be relevant knowledge!

The discussion about Elly Griffiths is also very relevant as I've been continuing my Ruth Galloway binge in an effort to catch up on books 7-11 before I go to an Elly Griffiths event next week! My list so far:

1. Christopher Fowler, Hall of Mirrors
2. Kate Atkinson, Festive Spirits
3. Hilary Mantel, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher
4. Elly Griffiths, The Ghost Fields (Ruth Galloway 7)
5. Nicola Upson, Angel With Two Faces
6. Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Americanah
7. Bill Bryson, The Road to Little Dribbling

8. Elly Griffiths, The Woman in Blue (Ruth Galloway 8)
This wasn't one of the better ones. Many of the books seem to have a "theme" (WW2 airfields, aboriginal mysticism, Victorian child killers), and I felt that the theme in this book (the ordination of women in the Church of England) wasn't particularly well integrated into the story - it all felt a bit over-researched and frankly implausible. There was also a point (in chapter 21, to be precise) where Ruth made a baseless and completely ludicrous deductive leap in order to "solve" the mystery - and only the fact that I was listening to this as an audiobook that stopped me throwing the book across the room.

9. Elly Griffiths, The Chalk Pit (Ruth Galloway 9)
I much preferred this one. I found the themes (homelessness and networks of underground tunnels hidden under cities!) quite absorbing, and the characters were humanely and realistically drawn. The only thing that marred it for me was the ongoing love triangle (in fact, it's more a wonky love polygon now, if you include Tim and Max and Frank and all the other people who have had the misfortune to stumble into Ruth and Nelson's romantic orbit). I am very tired now of the ongoing drama about their relationship and really hope that Ruth finds a lovely man to shack up with in the next book, and that Nelson finally decides to go back to Blackpool...

10. Ann Cleeves, The Crow Trap (Kindle)
This was a quick bit of light relief while I steeled myself to start Ruth Galloway book 10. I'd bought it in a 99p sale a few years ago (have you spotted a pattern yet? ) but hadn't got round to reading it until now - in fact, I hadn't read any Ann Cleeves (or seen the TV adaptations). It's set on the Northumberland coast, on a remote farm where 3 women are carrying out an environmental impact assessment because of a proposed quarry development. When tragedy inevitably strikes, DI Vera Stanhope investigates and discovers that more than one person is concealing potentially deadly secrets. If this all sounds rather cliched - well, it could easily have been, but Ann Cleeves manages to avoid melodrama and keeps the tone rather cool. I'm a big fan of Reginald Hill, and the rather understated writing and strong sense of place reminded me of him (without some of the more flamboyant characters that inhabit his books). This book was written 20 years ago and feels quite old-fashioned in some ways - no high-tech police equipment, no thriller-ish "twists", just an atmospheric story well told.

The Epigenetics Revolution is well worth a read. I thought it was very interesting and well-written, which is not always the case with scientific non-fiction books.

1. The Afghan Frederick Forsyth

This was an excellent spy/terrorist book. As always, the author has a substantial part of the book giving insight into the world of geopolitics, religion, terrorist organizations and spy agencies. I love that sort of thing, especially when it comes with a good story.

Recommended.

Just finished 9. Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss.

I quite enjoyed it, as much for the setting and the archaeology as the storyline. It felt more like an extended short story than a novel, to be honest, which jarred a bit with the content. It didn't really have the time to develop the Lord Of The Flies-esque separation from modern sensibility that the ending needed. But maybe I'm being fussy.

Given that it's a speedy read, I recommend giving it a go!

8. Damascus - Christos Tsiolkas

This has had a bigger impact on me than any book I have read in a long time. Focusing on the apostle Paul and his mission to bring Christianity to the 'Strangers' (ie Gentiles), this gives non-chronological snapshot chapters from the perspectives of early converts and a brutal Roman gaoler, as well as Paul himself. The apostle is a troubled man, struggling with his alienation from his family and his own sexuality, who finds peace in Christianity's acceptance of his flaws and freedom from the ties of blood.

This is strong stuff - a brutal, bloody and utterly immersive journey through the ancient world. I have an ancient history degree, so novels that make me feel like I'm actually there are my absolute favourites. It's one thing to know intellectually why Christianity appealed to the oppressed and downtrodden. But only a novel has the licence to make you feel the experience of a young woman in a heavily patriarchal society who is forced to give up her newborn for exposure simply because the child is a girl, and the comfort to her of a religion in which all are equal - male and female, slave and free - and all children are accepted into the community.

Central to the story is the conflict between Paul and Thomas (who here is Jesus' literal twin). Thomas focuses on Jesus the man, his compassion for all humanity and his suffering along with them; the resurrection is irrelevant, and the kingdom of God is already here in the form of fellowship between men and the beauty of the natural world. Whereas, Paul cannot accept that the misery and brutality of the material world is all there is, rejects our animality and trusts in the heavenly kingdom to come. I think Thomas' vision is more appealing to the modern reader, but Paul's also makes sense in a world where castration, blinding and rape (and, inevitably, lion-feeding) are casually handed out as punishments to slaves and the low-born.

This is definitely going to be re-read material, which is very rare for me; completely outstanding.

I have an Australian copy btw, it's going to be published in the UK next month.

Bloody hell, that was long - it was that good!

Inmyown. That book sounds amazing. I have to read it.
whippet. I saw that book by Olga Tokarczuk the other day. I wanted to buy it but resisted. It was the lovely plain blue cover that hooked me for some reason.
I’m currently rereading Wolf Hall. If anything I’m enjoying it even more than I did last time as I’m picking up on things I missed the first time round. It’s so clever and multi-layered. What an amazing accomplishment. I think I’m just slightly in love with Thomas Cromwell - what a brilliantly realised complex character.
I’ve got over the bit that makes me cry, so I’ll be all right now. (Tearing up just thinking about it WTF is wrong with me).

InMyOwnParticularIdiom is the author of Damascus the guy who wrote The Slap? This sounds very different!

Yeah, it's the same author as The Slap, I think it's a bit of a departure for him (I haven't read The Slap though).

32. Keep You Close by Karen Cleveland

From the blurb on the book I was expecting a psychological thriller, but it’s actually about an FBI agent getting caught up in a dodgy plot with other FBI agents. Fine if you like that sort of thing but I’m not keen and wouldn’t have bought it if I had realised.

Enjoying the gay romping so far, although agree that the dialogue is wrong - very modern teenage. Having said that, I think an attempt at period-appropriate wouldn't have worked terribly well either, so I forgive it.

1. Empire of Copper by S Chakraborty

This is the second book in a trilogy of books set in the magical city of Daevabad. Firstly and most importantly this is a ripping yarn, full of adventure. If you are a fan of fantasy worlds then it's right up your street. There are a couple of things that make it stand out from your average swords and sandals epic though. Firstly, it's based on the folklore of the near/middle east, which I loved. Secondly, its written by a woman, which means the women in the book are the ones driving the story, and generally get things done while the men wander about making terrible decisions and needing to be rescued. Thirdly, the heroine is a doctor in a war zone, which is fascinating. There's a lot of medical procedural in here, which makes you realise just how much Greys Anatomy would be improved with the addition of flying carpets and dragons. What I really loved about it was that it is very much based on Ottoman empire political intrigues, and one of the major themes is how people come to live in a city which is occupied by their ancient enemies. But if you are looking for a well written page turner this is definitely one to pick up - I would actually go for the first in the series, City of Brass, to start with. The only thing you will regret is having to wait for the final book in the trilogy to be published in the summer!

woops- its's called Kingdom of Copper!

@inmyownparticularIdiom Damascus is definitely going on my TBR pile - thanks!

I downloaded City of Brass yesterday, thestuffofnightmares, because it was free with Prime Reading and looked interesting! I'm glad to see your recommendation

Incidentally, there are some horrendous looking books on Prime Reading. Dozens and dozens of books called things like "Knocked Up by the CEO: A Secret Baby Office Romance" and "Daddy Bear (Montana Daddies Book 1)" . I'm pretty catholic in my reading tastes, but who reads this stuff?!

Knocked up by the CEO sounds AMAZING! You weren't tempted?

Haha the blurb to knocked up by the CEO sounds like it’s from the My dad wrote a porno podcast

9. Knocked Up by the CEO by Paula Pantsdown A breath taking work of literary genius.

1. The World I Fell Out Of by Melanie Reid Already enjoyed by many on this thread, I can only add to the appreciation for this book. She looks back over her pre riding accident life and her journey through hospital and home with the pragmatic wisdom of hindsight, about her beliefs and priorities at each stage. So many other people wouldn't want to revisit those raw feelings, and lay bare their grief, anger, hope, optimism (both appropriate and misplaced at different times) over the course of a decade of slow recovery and coming to terms with her new reality. Cried in public - check. A couple of previous reviewers said they thought the hospital section was too long. I disagree, I loved reading about the other patients and staff and the life of the spinal unit - I would actually watch a soap opera or even black comedy based on this.

You had me going there ham !