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?

I am currently on bed rest preens but can I strongly recommend choosing something other than pneumonia for your lie in plans, as it doesn't lend itself to concentrating or reading classics in which people die of consumption and such like. What happened to long convalescent trips to the seaside and being pushed round in a bath chair? I've got family throwing food into the porch and then legging it in case it's coronavirus.

I have just finished book 14) The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar and am currently reading Oliver's Travels by Alan Plater and also The Ghost of Thomas Kempe with my grandson. (We've put The Eagle of the Ninth aside temporarily as he 'wasn't in the mood')

I find it interesting that people struggle with Emma and I can sympathise up to a point. I re-read Austen fairly regularly (every five years or so) and Emma is usually the one I put off and leave until last but I always enjoy it when I do read it.

Pepe I really, really want to read Ducks, Newburyport - nearly all the reviews I've read say it's wonderful - but the idea of it is daunting. It feels like a huge commitment when there is so much else on my tbr.

Crikey Fortuna I hope you get back to full health very soon.
I agree with you concerning convalescence; I often regret that doctors no longer advise several months in the Alps or the Italian lakes to regain one's strength.

Marking place. Have read three Katydids and am currently a bit Katyed out. On holiday now and doing lots of walking/sightseeing so unlikely to be reading much. Read a couple of travel books and a couple of re-reads but nothing worth remarking on.

Sort of fell off the thread for a bit and realised I also mis-numbered my list so this is:

12. The High Window by Raymond Chandler

I bought a collection of 3 of Chandler's novels and this was the first. I have to admit, I didn't really get it. The story didn't really grab me and although I appreciated the writing style at times, at others the long descriptions of characters felt forced. I liked the voice of Marlowe, but in this book there's a sort of "rescuing damsel in distress" plot line where the woman is denied any sort of agency, which probably jarred a lot less when the book was written. I guessed most of the ending, and was pretty underwhelmed so almost went on to something else without reading either of the other novels in the collection - but I hate giving up on a book (even if it's three books in one) so I started The Lady in the Lake, which I am liking much better.

PS @Fortuna, that sounds rubbish, I hope you feel better very soon.

14 The Stony Path Rita Bradshaw
15 The Rainbow Years Rita Bradshaw
16 Guilding the Lily Rita Bradshaw
Seem to be stuck on one author though beginning to be a bit samy now!!

Very belated thanks for thread @southeastdweller.

Reading so far in 2020:
The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby
Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Edward VII by Christopher Herbert

Sat in a hotel in Reykjavik finishing this

I just chanced upon this thread...I've no hope of reading 909 previous posts but having perused the last few: Bring Up The Bodies is written in a different style to Wolf Hall and is an easier read if that makes sense. Not so much of the 'he' this and 'he' that without knowing who he is.

The audiobook of Wolf Hall (but not BUTB) is excellent btw! Beautifully read.

I've also set myself the 50 books challenge (hence clicking on the 909-post second thread title ) but am only 6 in...

16. By Light Alone by Adam Roberts

SF novel.

Set in a near future where a genetically engineered Bug that allows humans to photosynthesise sunlight with their hair has been developed.
So the poor grow their hair out and live mostly on sunlight, while the rich flaunt their wealth by shave their hair and eating hardfood.

The effects of all this on society are explored throughout the novel, which is centred around the story of the abduction of a very rich family’s daughter from their hotel room.

Overall it was an interesting premise, although I’m not sure whether I liked it. And there was one rather important plot point in particular which irritated me because I couldn’t stop wondering why on Earth didn’t the rich family carry out proper checks.

17. The Treatment by C L Taylor

16 yr old Drew discovers that the residential reform academy her younger brother has been sent to is actually brainwashing teenagers, and sets out to rescue him.

This was a fast and entertaining read, although the ending did feel a little bit rushed.

Just about to start Ready Player One. I've been itching to read this for months so cant wait.

28. The Subtle Knife and
29. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Controversial Statement Alert :

I judge YA Books now by 2 criteria

A) Do I enjoy it as an adult?
B) Would I have enjoyed it when I was the age it was aimed it?

As an adult I have enjoyed YA Books such as Patrick Ness, JK Rowling, John Green, Stephenie Meyer and Rainbow Rowell.

I absolutely hated His Dark Materials and nearly DNF'd both of these, but I wanted to be able to say I'd read it all.

In theory it should have appealed to me as I have read plenty of non fiction about the far reaches of physics and theology and were they connect; but for such a high concept book it's written in such an over simplistic way.

I actually find them really shittily clunkily written....

I never gave two shits about anyone in it really and the fates of most of the characters particularly 4 of the adults are really rubbish and anticlimactic.

I will probably continue to watch the series but finally reading the books has made me wonder what all the fuss was about and exactly where all the high praise finds its origin.

Shite.

Thanks mackerella for your thoughtful and interesting review of To Siri With Love.

15. Still Water - The Deep life of the Pond, John Lewis-Stempel

Well @JollyYellaHumberElla it wasn't as good as The Running Hare! Although mumsnet did get a mention (see attached photo).

The book flits between his pond in Hereford and a pond in France, I don't know why, it's a bit annoying. There's no purpose to this book, like the year long project with the field in Running Hare so to me just read as a bit of a ramble. That said, I still love his lyrical writing style, tales of childhood antics and obvious love for nature. This book just didn't quite do it for me (although I learnt some interesting facts along the way). I've got Meadowland reserved at the library, I've read that's one of his best.

Ah that’s disappointing, Squiz. Perhaps he’s better on land than water based in his writing?!

nibdedibble welcome to the thread! Thanks for your tip re the audio version of Wolf Hall I've recently joined Audible so will check it out. I started Wolf Hall and DNF a few years back. I feel I have a bit more headspace now and want to give it another go.

Thanks, Tara

We must be around the same age, InMyOwn! I think I have about 3500 books left (if we're measuring age in those terms).

Oh, no, it was Tanaqui who's probably the same age as me

Thanks for the various messages after my bereavement, I've just read through to catch up but won't reply individually - time to draw a line under it I feel as it's not for this thread. I can't believe it's been a week.

Anyway, books:

I'm currently really enjoying New Zealand calling by Alex Richards who emigrated from England to New Zealand about 10 years ago. He lives about 60 miles from my part of NZ so I know a lot of the places he's been to. Without that connection it's still a fascinating insight into NZ life and culture and the differences between the UK Midlands and NZ south island.

Before that, it was LIttle Girl Missing by J.G. Roberts, I can't remember if I've already mentioned it on here but it's about a girl who goes missing (you guessed, right?) and how she's found/not found (no spoilers here) and so on. It's a good but not demanding read.

Maybe @JollyYellaHumberElla I think the main problem is there is only so much you can say about a pond, but he was contractually obliged to fill 300 pages😅

Book 17
The Human Universe by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen

Randomly grabbed in haste from library. Based on a tv programme (which I haven’t seen) this asks big questions such as ‘who are we? how did we get here? and are we alone in the universe’? Then the inimitable B Cox takes us on a breathless, whistle stop tour of physics and time to give us answers.

Really interesting for someone like me, whose experience of physics started and ended with frustratingly dull school lessons spent connecting LEDs together with crocodile clips, in multiple and equally pointless configurations. This is written with BC’s familiar infectious enthusiasm for particle physics and space exploration that animates the subject and brings it to life. Strangely comforting to read about how beautifully constant maths and infinite space can be, in a time of such uncertainty.

Made me want to go and read more widely on sciences in general.

The much mentioned Sealwomen's gift on here in the past is 99p at the moment for the kindle.

Human Universe is now on my wish list, thanks Jolly

13. The Late Show, Michael Connelly - 3.5/5 - I'd seen this recommended on here somewhere, and ordered from the library. Really enjoyed it and have ordered the next in series.

14. The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz, Jack Fairweather - 4/5 - I don't normally read Non-Fiction and was know so much has been written about the Holocaust but this intrigued me. I thought it was very well written and the story of Witold Pilecki is truly a tragic and very frustrating one.

14. Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky Highly enjoyable sci-fi. Rex is a Good Dog. He follows Master's commands. Unfortunately Master is a Bad Man. Rex and his squad are Bioforms created to be fearsome killing machines in a near future world where conflict is a high tech business. Rex begins to have confusing thoughts that go beyond Good Dog / Bad Dog / follow commands/ kill, and the consequences of his developing ability to think and act for himself unfold at a cracking pace. This author is great at getting inside the behaviour, instincts, social structures and thought processes of animals and comparing and contrasting it with humans. Even though Rex has been engineered and created by humans, he is still very recognisably doglike at his core. Speaking of which, I also have Children of Ruin by the same author waiting to be read. 'Mon the spiders!

I also have that Nathan Filer mental health book which has confusingly had two different titles waiting at the library for me to pick up.