50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Four

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth 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, the second one here and the third one here.

What are you reading?

Hugh Grant is wonderful in it. And Paddington voiced by the lovely Ben Wishaw which must have been awkward considering the other thing they were in together.

*whishaw

They all float in Peru, remus, they all float!!

Welcome tina, I too lost a couple of years of reading after my DSs baby and toddler years. And then I found this thread and my reading mojo returned.

I’ve got 324 books on my Kindle but I would say about a third of those belong to DH. 36 unread and about 10 unread paper books and 4 Audiobooks. An amateur book collector compared to some of you and a definite licence to buy some more! 😊

My latest reads:

21. Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne de Maurier.

Audible. Daphne de Maurier is such a gifted writer coupled with a good narrator and high drama with ladies, lords, pirates and high jinks. There is not just the romance and drama but sentences that make you think about women’s rights and place in society. Good fun.

22. The Arab of the Future by Riad Sattouf.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel depicting Riad Sattouf’s childhood (baby-6yrs of age) in France, Libya and Syria. It ties in with other books I have read (Black Wave) and am reading (David Copperfield) this year. Looking forward to reading the second of this series of four.

I think I need to see Paddington 2..

There is a staircase of dreams in the Brown’s house

23. Dead Cert - Dick Francis

Inspired by the earlier Dick Francis discussion, I have re-read this, the first one. Skulduggery on the race courses, an amateur sleuth, some romance and an unlikely criminal mastermind. A quick page-turning read.

Also highly recommend the Paddington films - particularly Hugh Grant in Paddington 2

I think it is THE role of Hugh Grant’s career.

Hugh Grant could retire happt after that final musical number.

happy, obvously.

On the subject of Paddington which is just about my most favourite film : my DS2 bless him came home from watching that with me , starting retelling the plot to DH and burst into tears, such a sensitive soul is he. And the animation of the bear is actually wondrous) I read Culture Fix in The Times and this week it was Ann Patchett, who lots of you rave about. She said she walked out of the cinema when she went to see Paddington . This has put me right off her and I shall no longer try one of her books. I suspect she has no soul.

I guess you might have to be British to get it. But it was very popular in Spain, that said.

It is a wonderful, luminous, beautifully made film about love and acceptance (it was taken by some at the time to be a subtle anti Brexit film!). And I love it. And the wonderful Michael Bond was one of the nicest people EVER.

I also like 2 , but not as much. It is funnier , but not as tender.

Can you tell I'm a fan? I am not sure it shone through....

Ann Patchett has made a grave mistake indeed.

piggy it was that comment in the Times which triggered the whole subject of Paddington

JollyYellaHumberElla many thanks for your review of Other Minds - it's one of my 4 (!) unread Kindle books. I mostly bought it with my dad in mind, but you've prompted me to put it back on my own TBR list :)

And yes, Paddington 2 is awesome (as dd would say), & I'm bemused as to how anyone would walk out of it. That's speaking as a lifelong Paddington fan who still has my copy of Paddington's Blue Peter Storybook on the shelf.

Horn Life sounds fabulous Franz - like a modern version of Looking for a Bluebird by Joseph Wechsel, which is one of my all time favourite autobiographies

Just downloaded a Dick Francis from the e-library for when I finish Night Boat to Tangiers (for which many thanks to a pp for the recommendation) - if it lives up to my recollections they have loads more! (Strangely, they only have du Maurier's novels as audiobooks)

We all float in Peru

A romp through the fascinating career of French horn player John Pigneguy

I mentioned this to DH, who’s vaguely in that world, and it turns out he knows John Pigneguy, so he’s very keen to read this now - thanks for the tip-off, Franz!

Oh, I missed that satsuki!
Even my cynical year 10 love Paddington.

Read back now satsuki so I can see we both got indignant about this. As you say, of all films, why that? I was told The Death Of Stalin was good and I didn't walk out! Just ate sweets.

Meanwhile, I also spotted Indigo 's excellent review of The Garden of Evening Mists which is a beautiful, quiet and educating book.

The Garden Of Evening Mists is beautiful but I prefer his earlier novel Gift Of Rain

I might give that a go eine.

Thanks Piggy and Eine. I have added The Gift of Rain to my wishlist. I got a huge pile of books out from the library just before it closed, so can't justify another book purchase. Happy to read your positive review