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?

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Macenzie Lee.
Just what I needed. A very silly romp, basically a cross between Enid Blyton and Georgette Heyer via Truman Capote and every teen romance novel ever made. It follows Lord Henry Montague, his sister and his pal on their Grand Tour in the 18th century, and takes them via pirates, dastardly French noblemen, mysterious old ladies, highwaymen and much peril to a happy ending. Silly but cute.

21. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman Socially awkward woman buys a new outfit, slaps on a bit of lippy and now fits in.

Reread for a new bookclub that's started in my town. While I was surprised to enjoy it the first time round, I found it quite irritating this time. It's not a book I think warrants being read twice and I certainly wouldn't have read it again within the space of 12 months by choice. However it is a good book for discussion and worth a read if you haven't yet read it.

14. The Inspector & Mrs Jeffries - Emily Brightwell

The first one in this series, thought I'd re-read them in order (although many of the middle ones seem to be out of stock in my local library and Amazon, unfortunately). A Victorian police inspector's household help him solve his murder cases without letting on to him that he needs any assistance. Short books but entertaining. Pleased to see that she's still writing them, for some reason I thought these had finished but no!

A charity bookshop near me has Jean Plaidy on special offer - I may have to invest in some - I loved JP when I was younger, not so much now I'm older and more cynical/ critical, but still a lovely nostalgic read for me.

21. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Colonel Herncastle becomes despised among his family following the theft of a jewel sacred to the Hindu religion. Upon his death he bequeaths the jewel to his niece Rachel Verinder but is it intended as a generous gift or a terrible curse?

Outdated cultural depictions nonewithstanding, I absolutely LOVED this, a real whodunnit and howdunnit, and a very early and excellent example of the Locked Room Mystery genre. I saw the BBC adaptation about 20 years ago, but had completely forgotten most of the story.

It was my first Wilkie Collins and I have The Woman In White on TBR so now I'm really excited for that.

In this time period as well, I DNFd The Man Of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld

I loved American Wife by her, but was less enamoured of Prep, this was just quite banal, and a bit too fluffy for my taste, lasted about 70 pages, before asking myself why I was forcing it.

I've just finished Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. I've read quite a few positive reviews so I had quite high expectations and was really looking forward to reading it. I thought it was OK but I expected to like it more than I did.

Chrissy, I had the same reaction. Normally the subject matter is right up my street and I've enjoyed other books by the same author, but for whatever reason, Ghost wall just didn't do it for me.

@bibliomania

I loved your review of The Benefits of Hindsight, easpecially your last sentence:

"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"."

Sums up that series so well.

Thanks, magi!

1. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers: Mary Roach
2. Circe: Madeline Miller
3. The Girl with all the Gifts: M. R. Carey
4. Odd Girl Out: Laura James
5. Their Skeletons Speak: Sally M Walker and Douglas W Owsley
6. The Royal Art of Poison: Eleanor Herman
7. The Boy on the Bridge: M R Carey
8. Rivers of London: Ben Aaronovitch
9. The Handmaid's Tale: Margaret Atwood

Just finished my latest read 10. The Vagina Bible: Dr Jen Gunter. This was a fascinating book and I learned a lot from it. I'd definitely recommend it.

Just abandoned Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies at 37%. The story of a marriage told from both sides, although I didn't get past the first one. It's hailed as a work of literary excellence. It isn''t.

1. Pale Rider - The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World - Laura Spinney. I started this last year and never finished it so finally got around to it. Surprisingly absorbing and well written - the science bits were not too brain-hurty to quote côte. I vacant remember whips I stopped reading but am going to go back and re-read a few chapters.

10. The Year That Changed Every Thing - Cathy Kelly enjoyable Irish chick lit.

A very silly romp, basically a cross between Enid Blyton and Georgette Heyer via Truman Capote and every teen romance novel ever made.

That sounds hilarious but strangely enticing, Remus

Remus that's such a good review that I've bought the book

@FortunaMajor NOOOO It's on my February TBR

Very good Ham I like your style.

I've just finished Nicholas Parsons' With Just a Touch of Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation: My Life in Comedy

Despite the title there isn't much about Just A Minute, it's mentioned but the main focus is on the acting career that I didn't know he had. He's done things from the Rocky Horror Show and Dr Who to more highbrow stuff as well as a lot at the Fringe. All in all it's an interesting read and I'd recommend it.

I'm now reading Watching the English by Kate Fox.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit I LOVE Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White and The Moonstone are both great and I enjoyed No Name too. So jealous of you being about to read The Woman in White for the first time - hope you enjoy!

meanwhile, in the slow readers club:
4. The Lost Man by Jane Harper One of three brothers is found dead in the Australian outback, having died of heat exposure, despite his car being found fully stocked with provisions a relatively short distance away. His brothers attempt to work out what's behind his death.

I'd enjoyed The Dry by the same author, but found Force of Nature less interesting. This was somewhere in between the two. The sheer scale, remoteness and desolation of the outback is well conveyed, but I found the mystery unevenly paced and the ultimate explanation of events unconvincing.

another one in the slow readers club...
just finished book 5, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Enjoyed it, no big shock moments, just a gradual build up to the big reveal of who the killers were
but some interesting themes about beauty in there

Eine have a look at the Goodreads page for it, including the first question - Should I stick with it? It seems to be a very marmite book with a lot saying you need to power through the (dire) first half because the second half is worth it. Allegedly.

I will hold my hands up and say that I am in a bit of a funk and struggling to settle with anything, but this was especially turgid. I've since read spoilers for the rest of it and I'm not sorry I've walked away.

I love The Woman in White! If you like it you will have to read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (if you haven’t already!) which is partly based on some of the plot.

Also signing in from the slow readers club and I've just remembered I've not done any reviews so far thisyear:

1. Bridget Jones Diary - Helen Fielding. You all know the story I'm sure. I fancied a re-read of this which I rememberedloving reading years ago but maybe because I've seen the film so many times I felt this wasn't the fun read I remember from 15+ years ago.

1. The Reason I Jump - Naoki Higashida.YA memoir about an autistic. I found this quite unengaging but admit I was expecting another Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Just read that some people on Goodreads have said that David Mitchell polished the writing when he translated this, which may explain the jarring, insincerefeeling I had when reading it.

1. My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshfegh. Avery depressed and beautiful young woman in 2001 who's graduated from college, he was recently lost both her parents, her father to cancer, and her mother close afterward from pills/alcohol. She decides that she needs a year of rest, to just sleep for a year, consistently.This started well but it petered put towards the end, leaving me with a 'who gives a fuck?' feeling.

1. The Family Upstairs - Lisa Jewell. A woman uncovers a sinister legacy when she inherits a run-down mansion in contemporaryLondon. This would have worked so much better if the author had solely focused on the main story as the three POV structure didn't work and made the whole thing confusing.

I'm now reading Those People by Louise Candlish which is quite exciting so far but a bit baggy.

Hope people enjoy the romp!

I'm a huge Wilkie groupie. No Name is my favourite.

Slowly catching up with the thread, have just read 4, 5 and 6 as follows:

1. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come - reviewed a few times on previous threads. I enjoyed it, especially as getting out of my comfort zone is something I'm always pledging to do, yet never quite get round to it. Not sure I'll be trying improv any time soon though.

1. The Vanished Bride - Brontë sisters/murder mystery mash-up. Fun and v readable. It had a slight "look at all the research I've done about the Brontës" feel at times, but this was outweighed by the storyline and characterization.

1. London's Glory by Christopher Fowler - thank you so much to the PP who recommended the Bryant and May books - sorry I can't remember who it was

I love a Golden Age detective novel and these are completely new to me - and there are 15 books in the series! So that should keep me busy for a while.

This one is a collection of short stories, and I really enjoyed it. I'd planned to start with the first in the series, but the library had this stand-alone collection, so I started with this instead. Great stuff.

Envious of PPs reading Wilkie Collins btw, I love both The Woman in White and The Moonstone.

14. Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams - much reviewed but quite a clever book. Like others I started off thinking this was quite a witty, light hearted but realised there was a hidden depth.

• *15. Lady in Waiting - Anne Glenconner - This is the true story of the life of one of Princess Margaret's ladies in waiting. She has undoubtedly led a very privileged life but also one filled with personal tragedy. Her husband was the brain child behind the Island of Mustique. He was also the victim of lifelong , largely untreated, mental illness which impacted severely on those around him 16 Wild Spinning Girls - Carol Lovekin - enjoyed this one, but have to stay a bit tight lipped as I am on a blog tour at the end of the month 17 saltwater- Jessica Andrews - really loved this one. Told in a lyrical and fragmented way, Lucy is a bright young girl who moves to London to go to University. Her childhood is somewhat chaotic, her father is an alcoholic, her brother has disabilities and her mum does her best. Links to Ireland and the North of England, highlighting a girl trying to find her place.

I am currently reading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but I'm really struggling with it. It seems all over the place and hard to follow. Has anyone read it? How did you find it?