50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Three

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third 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 and the second one here.

What are you reading?

13. The giver of stars by JoJo Moyes An Englishwoman moves to Kentucky in the 1939s to marry and becomes part of a horseback library delivering books to rural locals.

This was a gentle read. I wanted more about the library. The last few chapters were very good. I think I will donate my copy to my library as I won't reread it.

Thanks for the new thread @southeastdwellerLucy Mangan.

1. Educated by Tara Westover. Bestselling memoir of a wo
2. The Nickel Boys by Colson
3. Finding Jenifer Jones by Anne Cassidy

6. The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer. 7. Me by Elton John.

1. Black Car Burning by Helen Mort.
2. The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein. This was a really excellent biography about an Australian woman Sandra and how her life experiences led her to run a company who cleans up after crimes, suicides and borders. I came for the slime and stayed for Sandra’s amazing battle through neglect, prostitution, trans rights, identity crisis’ and knowing oneself. Great.

10. Conviction by Denise Mina. Much talked about recently on here. Middle Class women discovers her husbands infidelity on the same day she gets caught up in the mystery of a strange crime in France. I very much enjoyed this, good characters and very pacey.

I’ve slowed down with my reading a lot this month due to toddler and work distractions. Feel like I’ve lost my mojo a little so decided to lift my book buying ban. Went to two book shops and couldn’t get excited about anything. I have a few things on the go but hoping to snap out of this funk soon.

New thread already! Thanks southeast

My list update:

1. Wintering: a novel of Sylvia Plath by Kate Moses

2. Rewild Yourself: 23 Spellbinding Ways to Make Nature More Visible by Simon Barnes

3. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

4. The Waste Land and Other Poems by TS Eliot

5. All Points North by Simon Armitage

6. The Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney

7. Antigone by Jean Anouilh

8. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

9. Un Certain Sourire by Françoise Sagan

10. The Warden by Anthony Trollope

11. Crow by Ted Hughes

12. Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter

13. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

14. The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar I just realised that I simply noted I'd read this but didn't make any other comment. It's a 'restoration' play - thwarted lovers, fortune hunting, bawdy jokes, girls disguised as boys, etc.
    I read it because: i) I recently rewatched Oliver's Travels on dvd and it features quite a lot in that series and
    ii) because I'm planning to read The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally which is about this play being put on by an army officer and a group of convicts in Sydney Bay in 1789.
    I'm a sucker for a restoration comedy but I know they're not everyone's cup of tea. It goes without saying that this would be much more enjoyable on stage than on the page. (Given a decent production, obviously)

15. Oliver's Travels by Alan Plater Having read The Recruiting Officer I deviated from my tbr to re-read the novel in which I first read about it. It's a sort of road trip/ mystery. Oliver, recently made redundant from his job as a lecturer teams up with Diane, a suspended police officer, to solve a mystery that they've come up against. They travel from Brecon to Orkney by way of Shrewsbury, Durham and Hadrian's Wall, picking up clues and falling in love as they go.
    As a mystery it's deficient, the plot holes are huge. It really doesn't hang together or make much sense but I suspect that is quite deliberate because Oliver is often given to remarking that people expect the world to make sense and they shouldn't. I love this book but I think it wouldn't appeal to anyone with an intolerance of whimsical story-telling.

16. Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice by Ken Bruen I was warned about this by a friend. He hated it and said I probably wouldn't like it and he was sort of right. It was the title that appealed to me - the doings of brutal gangster bank robbers is not my usual genre - but the mention of MacNeice intrigued me. Sadly, not enough was made of the supposedly MacNeice obsessed woman who complicates the protagonist's life and sends him on a downward spiral. There's a germ of an idea here but it isn't developed.
    Brutal, lots of booze and sex and robbing. The only thing I really appreciated was that it was very short - I read it in less than a day.

Thank you WelshWabbit - Borrowbox has both The Big Sleep and The Little Sister, so I'll probably go for whichever is available when I've got a reading gap. I was chuffed yesterday to discover the Kindle offer I fancied - The Library Book by Susan Orlean - was also on Borrowbox, so I now have that to read once I've finished The Moon's a Balloon. Adding TBR books via the library definitely helps as I have to actually read or otherwise give up on them within 3 weeks!

Have just finished Remembered, probably the least recognised and read on here of the Women's' Prize for Fiction 2019 shortlist.

Like the winner (which I have not read) this is about race and it may well be that it has less contemporary things to say, or that it was seen as being too derivative of Toni Morrison to win. Indeed the front cover quotes The Guardian as saying it 'compares with Beloved'. It certainly does in terms of some elements of style (there's a ghost ) and theme ( the history of the end of slavery and the reclamation of runaways) and even language and turns of phrase.

It was very good but in no way as life changing and heart stopping at Beloved. It is a little confusing in places and I found if my concentration dropped , I lost track and there are too many characters, sometimes with similar names.

I do recommend it, though : the writer is another out of a Creative Writing stable but has a genuine pedigree (she hails from Pennsylvania, where the book is set and now lives in the UK , lecturing in CW) and seems to write from the heart, rather than a box ticking historical research.

Terpsichore Conviction is the first Denise Mina book I’ve read, and I’m not inspired to seek out more of her work based on that, but it’s interesting to read that you think her earlier work was different. I might give another one a go if I see one in the library. I know I’m in the minority on here in not enjoying it much though - I see palegreenstars has just read and enjoyed it!

@chessieFL I see why people didn’t get on with it. It sort of reminded me of Our House which I hated last year however, I really enjoyed the characters and bonkers story. I have The Long Drop to try next.

I'd be more inclined to go with her Garnethill trilogy, Chessie, or the Paddy Meehan books. Or the Alex Morrow novels. I think she's a fine writer of genre fiction and one of the best in that pack (detective fiction/thrillers) but Conviction is definitely an outlier, in my view. Perhaps she's trying to be more zeitgeisty. Whatever, I just don't feel it measured up to her earlier books, which had infinitely more depth and nuance.

Has anyone read I Am Legend? I'm reading it at the moment but I'm not finding it at all gripping.

Thanks Terpsichore

I didn't think much of I am Legend and thought the beginning was better than the second half, so probably wouldn't bother if the beginning hasn't gripped you.

Thanks for the new thread Southeast . Bringing my list over. Highlights in bold

1. Anatomy of a Scandal – Sarah Vaughan
2. Childhood: The Copenhagen Trilogy 1 – Tove Ditlevsen
3. Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi
4. Animal Farm – George Orwell
5. Hazards of Time Travel – Joyce Carol Oates
6. Ghost Wall – Sarah Moss
7. Florida – Lauren Groff
8. This is Pleasure –Mary Gaitskill
9. Only Killers and Thieves – Paul Howarth
10. Milkman – Anna Burns
11. Ladder of Years – Anne Tyler

I'm currently reading Youth: The Copenhagen Trilogy 2 by Tove Ditlevsen which is pretty much word perfect and highly recommended. My only criticism of this series would be the decision to publish each (very slim) volume separately at a cost of £9.99 each, which results in a total cost of £30 for about 300 pages. Not great value, however it's so good I find that I've purchased the third volume without hesitation.

I'm listening to Motherwell by Deborah Orr which I'm about half way through and finally getting into. I think I am comparing it unfavourably and probably unfairly to the Tove Ditlevsen, which is making it seem a bit dull, but I'm persevering nevertheless.

22: Conclave - Robert Harris

The pontiff is found dead in his bed and the age-old process of electing his replacement begins. Cardinal Lomeli, Dean of the College of Cardinals, must oversee the ritual.....but shocks are in store.

Who'd have thought a novel about electing a new Pope could be a page-turner? I really enjoyed this and polished it off in a day. Though I did guess who would be the new Pope, and also predicted the massive twist Harris lobs in as well. Unusual for me, as I normally have NO idea what's coming until it hits me over the head

15. She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge

Debut novel by this author, which is the first in what is intended to be a series starring DCI Jonah Steens. Steens has the makings of an interesting character, with his traveller background, but I didn't feel that was fully realised in this first instalment (I felt similarly about some of the other characters). I enjoyed the story, though - fairly familiar territory with the mysterious disappearance of one of a group of wayward teens; body found 30 years later; now DCI was around at the time and had connections to the suspects - but well done and atmospheric. I will look out for the next in the series.

Thanks for the new thread, south. My list so far:

1. The Go-Between by LP Hartley.

2. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn.

1. Normal People by Sally Rooney.
2. Taduno’s Song by Odafe Atogun.
3. 23 Things They don’t tell you about Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang.
4. Girl Woman Other by Bernadine Evaristo.
5. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.

8. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.

And my latest read and a recommendation from this thread:

9. Tell me How it Ends by Valeria Luisella.

Short non-fiction book about child refugees fleeing Central America to the USA and how they are treated when they arrive across the border. A highly emotive topic in America, exacerbated by right wing media, there are no easy paths for these poor children.

Currently reading the non-fiction The Patient Assassin and listening to the Korean-Japanese saga Pachinko on Audible.

This is definitely not the thread for anyone trying to cut down their book buying!

36. Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid A young black woman is babysitting for a middle class white couple. On taking the child to a store she is accused of abducting the child. The exchange is captured on camera which goes viral. The parents of the child, a social media influencer and a local news anchor use this to further their own ends.

A debut novel that looks at race, class, privilege and white saviour complex. It's quite engaging, but also feels a bit try-hard and all about the issues. The characters were all a little one dimensional too. This was a rejected book club option (the only one proposed that I hadn't already read). It would make for a very good book club discussion, but doesn't cut it as 'literary' for me.

I have Conviction lined up for after I finish Bring Up the Bodies, so I have been following the discussion with interest.

I am also still Dickensing about for the DC read-a-long and skimming rereading Jenni Murray's History of Britain in 21 Women for book club.

@Welshwabbit I really like the sound of She Lies in Wait, I've added it to my wishlist. Thank you!

I'm Dickens-ing too and am really enjoying it, much to my surprise!

13.5 and 14) The Gentleman's Guide to Getting Lucky and The Lady's Guide to Piracy and Petticoats by Mackenzie Lee Slightly rubbish sequels (the first is just a novella) to the Vice and Virtue book from the earlier thread, these were entertaining enough on a boring flight! (YA historical romance-ish).

If I ever decide to change my username I claim Janet!Donkeys! as my new one...

I am a bit behind in my Dickens read along, need to catch up

1. Pet Semetary by Stephen King (2/5)
2. The Outsider by Albert Camus (5/5)
3. Somebody's Mother, Somebody's Daughter by Carol Ann Lee (3/5)
4. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor. (4/5)
5. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. (5/5)
6. 4321 by Paul Auster. (4/5)
7. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. (3/5)
8. The Devil's Teardrop by Jeffrey Deaver. (1/5)
9. A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor. (3/5)

10. What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge. (4/5) 11. A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor. (4/5) 12. A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor. (4/5) 13. Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay. (1/5) 14. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. (3/5)

15. The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub. Not one of Stephen King's best. It had its moments but just felt light and kind of insubstantial. (2/5)

32. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Sigh.

I mean, I knew going in it wouldn't be The Night Circus which I LOVE, but I hoped it would be something new I could love as much.

It's awful. My levels of disappointment are numerous.

Jarring disjointed narrative with excessive strands

Poor world building

Poor characterisation

Enemy character with absolutely no motivation or backstory for their behaviour.

The actual idea, an underground world accessed by magic doors and keys is so great, but it is literally like she lost the plot writing it. So many hanging strands and stuff that literally never adds up or makes coherent sense.

When I looked on Amazon it initially shows 4 stars, but scroll down and you see 2 star review after 2 star review all saying the same thing :

Disjointed and Pretentious

Gutting, Frankly.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I know I may be the last person to have read this, but what a brilliant book! I'm glad it didn't end the way I thought it might.

Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs
This is the second book in the series, I read the first book a few weeks ago, I thought they were both a bit meh and didn't really enjoy either book so won't be reading anymore in the series.

After the End by Clare Mackintosh
A good but very hard book to read. I have read her other books and enjoyed them all and I knew this wasn't a thriller like her others but I found it really difficult to read. It was heartbreaking and had me in tears throughout. I have only just finished it and I'm not sure how I feel about the second half of the book or the last few pages.

Read two non-fiction books that I feel I should have loved, Notes to Self, by Emilie Pine and Surfacing, by Kathleen Jamie - didn't love either as much as expected.

The first book is by an Irish woman writing about her life: trying to take care of her seriously ill father in the face of indifferent health systems; dealing with infertility; her difficult adolescence; life as an overworked academic. I rather liked it, but I think I have now overdosed on women writing about their lives and bodies.

The second book is by a Scottish woman, writing about nature, archaeology and her travels. Nice work if you can get it I liked the archaeology bit the most, but again, I'm a bit tired of sensitive musings.

There were also two fiction books:

Nine Lessons, by Nicola Upson Part of a series that inserts real-life crime writer Josephine Tey into a fictional crime story. I'm not a big fan of this mechanism (there are similar books about the Mitford sisters etc) and I haven't read the rest of the series. This one lured me in as it's based around murders recalling M R James ghost stories. I enjoyed it as a 1930s set crime story; the Josephine Tey bit didn't add much.

Plastic, by Christopher Fowler
Oh dear. This was published in 2013. The author, male and in his 50s when writing this, unwisely used a narrator who is female and aged 29. He is not convincing in this persona. When escaping murderous villains by leaping off a balcony, I have never once fretted about whether the knees of my tights will ladder. When pulling a gun on the bad guy, a 29-year old does not quip "I may be low on estrogen, but I have plenty of bullets!" It's not bad in some ways - readable enough, and London is vividly evoked. The narrator's friend is a colourful character, although I'm po-faced about her alcoholism being playing for laughs. There is a foreword that explains that the author struggled to get this published, and I can see why.