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?

Thank you for the Get Well vibes!

Am feeling a bit more sprightly today and so have finished The Night Circus. I am sorry to the fans, but it did nothing for me. I just didn't really get it. By the time at which I realised two strands were converging, I don't really acre about anyone , except Bailey, who I quite liked.

I am sure the ending bit is meant to be very romantic.

I appreciate Morgenstern is a skilful writer and the book is at least original but, in my frame of mind anyway, I felt impatient with its elusiveness.

Still also reading The Mirror and the Light and have just finished the first part.

Not thinking an awful lot to Party Shoes so far.

I'm assuming (from memory) that's a Noel Streatfield book? I think I read it years ago but it wasn't as good as Ballet Shoes or White Boots (or whatever the ice skating one was called.

I'm really enjoying The Photographer by Petra Durst-Benning, I picked it up on kindle unlimited and wasn't sure if I'd like it but it's almost unputdownable. It's set in 1905 and is about a woman who wants to become a photographer, she manages to but comes up against challenges because of being a female wanting to succeed in a male dominated world and because of family responsibilities. It's not my normal sort of book but it's very good. There are two in the series, both on kindle unlimited at the moment.

Was Party Shoes the wartime one where the girl is given a lovely party dress but has nowhere to wear it to?

White Boots is my favourite Noel Streatfeild Book.

Yes, that's the one.

I'm trying to remember which book by NS started with the earthquake in Turkey (?). That was a good one, with a child called Anna I think?

That's it. The children are nowhere near as well drawn as in Ballet Shoes.

betty I think it’s called Ballet Shoes for Anna

I remember less about Party Shoes than most of Streatfeild’s other books, the children being less well drawn would explain that.

Thanks for the new thread @southeastdweller

Condolences to @bettybattenburg and @noodlezoodle  I hope reading manages to bring some comfort to you both. I agree wholeheartedly with the 84 Charing Cross Road suggestion. It's wonderful.

Glad you're feeling a little better @Piggywaspushed

My updates:

16. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling

I decided to put my World War Z audiobook aside for a while. The subject matter seemed a little pertinent at the time. I went for familiar old Potter instead.

17. Mr Gandy's Grand Tour, Alan Titchmarsh

Not my usual sort of thing, but a fluffy nonsense read was required. I'm not even sure where this came from; I don't remember buying it, but there it was, sitting on my bookshelf looking undemanding, so I gave it a go.
It was ok. A basic, predictable plot about a chap in his fifties going for a gentle wander around France and Italy, meeting a few people, and then going home again. All very mild.

18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling

As per no. 16 above.

19. World War Z, Max Brooks

After a couple of Potter audiobooks I decided to go back to this, and I'm so glad I did. It's fantastic. Presented in the form of an author interviewing the survivors of a zombie outbreak that nearly eradicated humankind. The book is made up entirely of their testimonies with only a handful of questions here and there from the interviewer. The range of voices throughout (and I don't just mean the narrators on the audiobook, although they were pretty good too) is impressive. The people giving interviews ranged from all over the world, and were of all ages and backgrounds. Brooks successfully jumps from Japanese teenager, to American soldier, to Chinese doctor, to Australian astronaut. From Russia to South Africa, to Germany to Cuba. Each character felt authentic and well-thought out, and the whole thing was filled with little snippets of detail that steadily fleshed out the story.
Far better than The Girl With All The Gifts. Recommended.

Also, am adding Squashed Possums and Trustee From The Toolroom to my TBR list. They sound good.

I really liked World War Z and really disliked The Girl with all the Gifts.

Not sure if I would class the ending of Night Circus as Romantic but can't explain why without Spoilers

Love the Noel Streatfield love

Yes, Ballet shoes for Anna. Also, I remember loving Circus Shoes. I read 84 Charing Cross Road ages ago, I remember it was really rather good.

I might have a look at some of the other NS books which I haven't read yet and see if they are on kindle unlimited.

For some reason I seem to be reading a lot of memoirs this year. The latest is:

21. The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy, an American writer at The New Yorker magazine. She's the same age as me (born 1974) and I really enjoyed this memoir which, as well as her career, covers her same sex marriage, her own infidelity and her partner's alcoholism and her struggles to have a baby. Fascinating stuff.

I loved lots of Noel Streatfield books (Ballet Shoes, Ballet Shoes for Anna, White Boots, The Circus is Coming, The Painted Garden, Curtain Up, The Growing Summer and the Gemma books), but for some reason I never read Party Shoes.

Signing in. Didn’t realise there was a new thread until today, thought the previous one had gone awfully quiet!

💐 for all those suffering bereavements and illnesses atm. I hope reading (and this thread) can bring some relief and distraction.

Eine, when I compiled my end of year reading stats 2019, I also noticed a lack of BAME/foreign books. This year I’m actively trying to read more of those and I would recommend it.

My reads 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.

1. Tell me how it ends by Valeria Luisella.

10. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. 11. The Patient Assassin by Anita Anand. 12. My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay. 13. Offering to the Storm (Bk 3 in The Baztan Trilogy) by Dolores Redondo. 14. Taken (Bk3 in the Alex Versus series) by Benedict Jacka. 15. And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. 16. Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado.

17. An Astraunaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield.

This has been sitting on my Kindle for an age, most likely bought for 99p at some time.

No surprises that you have to be a motivated, competitive, workaholic high-achiever to be an astronaut. I did enjoy this book (though with a small e), particularly the chapters about the International Space Station but have to admit to some skim-reading. The book did inspire me to Google Donald Pettit’s photos from the ISS - just stunning.

And lastly, thanks south for the new thread.. 😊

24. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope.

So so enjoyed this. A world where the biggest worry facing you is an annoyingly ingratiating vicar insisting on proposing to you in a shrubbery when you'd much prefer him not to .. it was a great place to spend seven or eight hours.

I have four more in the series to read but will probably find a quick crime novel to read first before going on to Doctor Thorne.

Shake a good book which isn't British (it's German) is The Photographer - I mentioned it up thread earlier today.

for Noodle and anyone else who is in need of them.

Thanks for the new thread southeast

24. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn Fictionalised, but based very much on documented real life events and characters, this tells the story of a largely female spy network in WWI France. Two storylines, one in 1947 and one in WWI, slowly come together. Strong interesting female characters, and lively dialogue move this along. It could have been edited down a bit, and there is some cringy sex, but overall I really enjoyed this.

I'm not usually a big fan of spy fiction, but I've moved straight on to another one An Officer and a Spy, also a fictionalised account of real life events, by Robert Harris, which I'm also enjoying.

@ShakeItOff2000

What I do find weird isn't a lack of BAME authors necessarily but a lack of international diversity in books even from predominantly white nations.

You don't hear much for example about the latest French bestseller or Popular Kiwi writer.

The British book scene does tend to centre around 4 countries with only the Swedes making real inroads.

There's been a few Icelandic books recently too I think, mostly mysteries or thrillers.
I suppose NZ doesn't have so many as there are only 4 million people. I can only think of Ngaio Marsh and Eleanor Catton but I think Catton took citizenship after emigrating.

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. (2/5) 16. Ayoade on Top by Richard Ayoade. (3/5) 17. Black Ice by Michael Connelly. (2/5) 18. In the Woods by Tana French. (3/5) 19. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. (3/5) 20. Red Ribbons by Louise Phillips. (1/5) 21. The Girl He Used to Know by Tracy Garvis Graves. (3/5) 22. The Other Us by Fiona Harper. (2/5) 23. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. (3/5) 24. The Crow Trap by Anne Cleeves. (3/5) 25. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King. (3/5)

26. Guilt by Jussi Adler-Olsen. This is the fourth book in the Dept Q series set in a cold case department in Denmark. In this book the department investigates a cluster of unsolved missing person cases from the 1980s and their investigation brings them into contact with a covert organisation who have been responsible for crimes against women they deemed unfit to be mothers and mentally deficient. The flashback scenes were touching, infuriating and tragic and I liked the way they were weaved through the progress of the investigation. The main character is a bit of an arse and there is some casual sexism and racism which I think is deliberate and in character but the two other characters in the dept are interesting, as is the developing friendship and working relationship between the three. I really enjoy the central investigations in this series, they always keep me guessing and I don't generally guess any twists at the end. (3/5)

39. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Well.

This is a book that has been on my Want To list for some time and I've heard a lot of praise.

It wasn't for me. It reminded me strongly of Olive Kitteridge in terms of the book being comprised of vignettes of small town Americana.

Though the book is of its time certainly (1940) I found the outdated portrayal of disability uncomfortable and cringy (for me)

Best summarised as :

Ain't it something that the only man who ever truly understood me was a deaf/mute

I found it slightly fetishistic

Which is somewhat relieved by the characterisation of Singer himself, who actually, is bemused by all of them.

Outside of this - I found it quite boring. A shame, really.

Thank you for the new thread @southeastdweller!

Went to compile my list and realised I'd messed up the numbering somewhere - sigh. Anyhow, it now reads:

1. Dianne Freeman - A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder
2. Ali Sparkes - Frozen in Time
3. A Treacherous Curse - Deanna Raybourn
4. Christmas Calamity at the Vicarage - Emily Organ
5. Michelle Paver - Wakenhyrst
6. Darklight - Bella Forrest
7. Darkthirst - Bella Forrest
8. Darkworld - Bella Forrest
9. A Lady's Guide to Gossip & Murder - Dianne Freeman

10. Made in India, cooked in Britain - Meera Sodha 11. A Dangerous Collaboration - Deanna Raybourn 12. Raven's Gate - Anthony Horowitz 13. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens 14. The Inspector & Mrs Jeffries - Emily Brightwell 15. Mrs Jeffries and the one who got away - Emily Brightwell 16. Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss 17. Finale - Stephanie Garber 18. Five on a treasure island - Enid Blyton 19. Rewild - Simon Barnes 20. Queen of Hearts - Rhys Bowen 21. The Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters 22. Black Arts - Prentice & Weil 23. One of Us is Lying - Karen McManus 24. State of Wonder - Ann Patchett 25. Two can keep a secret - Karen McManus 26. Enid Blyton - The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage 27. Terry Pratchett - Witches Abroad 28. Maskerade - Terry Pratchett 29. Carpe Jugulum - Terry Pratchett 30. Love and Death among the Cheetahs - Rhys Bowen 31. Best Dad, the Beginning: 1 family, 3 children, 800 stories - Mark Richards 32. Father, Son & the Pennine Way - Mark Richards 33. A Lovely Way to Burn - Louise Welsh 34. Death on a Shetland Isle - Marsali Taylor 35. A Murder to Die For - Stevyn Colgan 36. Wildcard - Ken McClure 37. The Secret - Ken McClure 38. PD James - Cover Her Face 39. Elizabeth Peters - The Curse of the Pharaohs 40. Clare Chase - Mystery on Hidden Lane 41. Rhys Bowen - Heirs & Graces 42. Emily Brightwell - Mrs Jeffries and the Missing Alibi

And I have these to add:

43. Clare Chase - Mystery at Apple Tree Cottage

The next in the Eve Mallow mystery series. Cosy mysteries set in a small village with more celebrities, murders and adventures than is probably feasible, but entertaining.

And two more Kindle Unlimited choices whilst I have a free trial:

44. Helena Dixon - Murder at the Dolphin Hotel
45. Helena Dixon - Murder at Enderley Hall

Murder mysteries set in and around Dartmouth in the 1930s. I thought these would be nicely reminiscent of Agatha Christie, which they weren't really, but were enjoyable in their own right (despite a number of annoying anachronisms/ inaccuracies - aarrggghhh). The third book is out soon and the first is on a Kindle special deal today.

@TimeforaGandT I love the Jodi Taylor books she is doing a daily Q&A at the moment and all the videos are on her YouTube channel; she also has another St Mary's book out in a couple of weeks (Plan for the Worst).

Sending condolences to @bettybattenburg and @noodlezoodle

I'm always surprised by the Jodi T love. I read the first one and thought it was dreadful! Sorry!

Party Shoes - well, it was only 99p so I can't really grumble, but I didn't like this much. Too long, and I didn't think much of the characters. Too much stuff about choreography, and too much stuff about costumes. A very irritating central adult character, and lacking the warmth and relationships of Ballet Shoes. I remember being really disappointed with the one about skating too.