50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Six

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the sixth 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, it's not too late to join, 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, the third one here, the fourth one here and the fifth one here.

So, we're now almost half way through the year - how's the first half of the year gone for you, reading-wise?

I've just ordered both Passing and Quicksand , EliotBliss. I hadn't heard of Nella Larsen before so thanks for the recommendation.

I thought they would make interesting reading alongside The Color Purple (I read this many years ago but want to reread) and Their Eyes Were Watching God, the choices made recently on A Good Read by Natalie Carter and Melissa Cummings-Quarry, the founders of Black Girls Book Club.

The podcast was broadcast on 12 June. I've mentioned once or twice that I'm a fan of A Good Read as I always pick up interesting titles to add to the teetering TBR pile.

eine I was thinking of using an audible credit for The Body Keeps the Score - would it be good for that or better to read it?

Thanks Highland I hope you like the novels. Not sure if the edition you’ve ordered is one with an introduction, if not you might like this, it’s the intro to a recent edition and fills in some of the details about Larsen’s life and work.

restlessbooks.org/blog/2018/10/16/read-darryl-pinckneys-introduction-to-nella-larsens-classic-novel-passing

I’ve been thinking about re-reading Alice Walker or maybe Maya Angelou, I remember being really struck by them when I first read them too. I also really like the Zora Neale Hurston but maybe more for what she’s writing about than the writing itself if that makes sense, the style puts some people off I think, but there’s also a decent film adaptation that you might like sure to be streaming online somewhere…has the same title as Hurston’s novel.

And thanks for the podcast details I missed that one, so will be sure to look it up!

That's a quandry 🤔

Potentially. It would depend on the voice.

It is shorter than it first appears, about 100 pages of notes etc

ThanksEliotBliss. That's interesting about the film adaptation of Rebecca.

My latest reads:

31. Sula by Toni Morrison.

Audiobook read in a soft voice by Toni Morrison herself. Such a soft voice that I struggled to hear her unless wearing headphones or in very quiet surroundings.

The book describes life in The Bottom, a town actually situated in the hills, and is centred on best friends Sula and Nell and their families. Race, the role of women and men, poverty, small town politics - all portrayed so vividly but unforced and leaving the reader to make up their own minds.

Here is a book that I’m not sure whether to bold. After I read it, I thought 4*, but now I’m forgiving it’s flaws.

32. The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst.

This is the third novel I’ve read this year that separates the book into parts that follow a family through time (Pachinko and Girl Woman Other are the others). We meet David Sparsholt, then son Johnny and travel from the 1940’s through to the 2000’s in five parts with the focus being gay male culture.

More successful for me than Girl Woman Other but not as good as Pachinko. Similar to the other books, some parts are stronger than others and my eyes drifted/skimmed over long descriptive passages about places, houses and objects. I liked it, though, and have added his Booker Prize winner The Line of Beauty to my To-Read List.

ShakeIt, Line of Beauty is a great read :)

Thanks all for the reviews, I have added Passing and Whole of a Morning Sky to my ever-increasing TBR list.

Sally Beauman wrote a take on Rebecca called Rebecca's Tale which I enjoyed. I remember seeing another of her books in a charity shop and picking it up then putting it down as it didn't look very appealing; however, when googling to remind myself of the name of her Rebecca book I found this great review snippet:

It is worth wondering what might have happened to Sally Beauman's subsequent career as a writer if, when she published her first novel Destiny in 1987, her publisher had been daring enough to risk the airport sales and a guaranteed place on the bestseller list by not putting any gold embossing on the cover.

Much the same point we were making about misleading pink covers with shoes/cupcakes on them recently.

Welcome to the TTOD club, EmGee. Someone will be in touch shortly with the details of the secret handshake.

46. The Dutch House, Ann Patchett

This book was so beautifully readable, honestly it's like jumping into a cool stream and just swimming along comfortably admiring a beautiful view. From the very first lines Patchett draws you in with a combination of juicy plot and sublime writing, but done with such a light touch that this would make a perfect sunlounger read. I think I read it in two nights and it was one that I couldn't wait to pick back up.

On the surface this is a story of Danny, a boy whose life is both difficult and charmed. Born into a wealthy family, cared for by house staff who adore him and anticipate his every need, protected from the world by a devoted and intelligent older sister, and resident of the house of the title, a gorgeous and historic mansion in small-town Pennsylvania. On the other hand, Danny's mother has been absent from his life since he was a small child, and at the very opening of the book, his father introduces into their household an attractive younger widow who will become Danny's stepmother, and cut him and his sister off from the house and their parents' legacy. The story - Danny's story - isn't really the story; he's a great choice of narrator, he's not unreliable exactly but he notices so little of what is going on around him that it's left to you as the reader to do some of the work and put the clues together.

So this is a book about privilege. It's a book about property (an issue which Patchett says occurred to her while hearing the discourse around Donald Trump). It's a book about grief, and about mothers (not just mothers - about women who care for people). It's a fairytale on some levels, and most of all it's a book about how we view our own story, and about how the past can only ever be seen from the imperfect viewpoint of the present.

Lovely review of The Dutch House @KeithLeMonde. Just finished it and it was a delight .

Olly it was lovely, wasn't it? I feel a bit bad that I didn't get on with Girl, Woman, Other while enjoying this book about a rich white boy so much, but Patchett is just such a thoughtful and talented writer.

47. Where is the Voice Coming From? Eudora Welty

This is only a short story so 46 1/2 really. A disturbing trip into the mind of a white supremacist, based on the real life murder of Medgar Evars, a civil rights activist, in 1963. The story goes that Welty sat down and wrote this story the night that Evars was killed, before the murderer was identified, and that while some of the facts differ from what happened in real life, she captures with frightening realism the hateful thought processes behind the racist killing.

This story is available to read for free on the New Yorker website www.newyorker.com/magazine/1963/07/06/where-is-the-voice-coming-from

I haven't seen the Not Your Negro documentary but apparently this case (and possibly Welty's short story, I don't know) gets a mention so may be of particular interest to those 50 Bookers who have recently watched it.

Thanks for the Welty reference Keith she’s a writer I’ve circled in the past but never tried anything of hers, will check this one out. The Evers case is definitely in the documentary, although always think of the Dylan song…

And second Keith on The Line of Beauty there's also a really great BBC adaptation, by the wonderful Andrew Davies, with Dan Stevens in the lead role - before his Downton days!

With a huge thanks to @DesdamonasHandkerchief for recommending some shorter books, I have now caught up and back on track for my 50 in 2020.

Since last time:

20. The Things I Know - Amanda Prowse
An enjoyable read. Well written, good characters, nice story. What I needed after Stephen King's The Stand.

21. The Restraint of Beasts - Magnus Mills
Didn't dislike it but not really my cuppa.

22. Holes - Louis Sachar
Gosh. Could not put this down. Gripping tale. I am going to seek out more by this author. His scene setting and storytelling are superb.

23. I Am, I Am, I Am - Maggie O'Farrell
Another great read. So beautifully written. Totally absorbing.

24. The Dutch House - Ann Pratchett
Might be my read of the year. Loved the storytelling. Each character was so different and multi dimensional. Brilliant book.

Currently reading Possession by AS Byatt.

Good to see you back EmGee

150. Pericles - Williams Shakespeare
     I read this before reading The Porpoise as I'd read it would help to have a passing knowledge of it. It didn't. I found this quite confusing and as it was not just written by the bard it simply isn't what I expected language wise. Oh well.

151. The Porpoise - Mark Haddon
     Beautifully reviewed by Mackarella on Part Five, Page 8.
     Three timelines of modern day, Shakespeare and ancient Tyre weaving in different parts of the Pericles/Apollonius myth. Quite an ambitious project to try to bring all three threads together. Not entirely sure it worked that well as a whole but the individual parts were well done. It's a very enjoyable read nonetheless. The incest does jar a bit in the modern setting and got an out loud proclamation of shock/ disgust.

152. The Other Americans - Laila Lalami
     A young woman returns to her home town after her father is killed in a hit and run incident. She is not convinced it was an accident and will not let the matter rest while the rest of the family and town want to move on. Part murder mystery, part family saga, part romance this explores issues of race and identity in small town USA, told from multiple POV.

I was mesmerised by this, brilliant writing and good characterisation. All the threads very skilfully woven together. I was drawn in straight away. One of my definite standouts of the year. I wouldn't hesitate to read more from this author.

153. What We Lose - Zinzi Clemmons Coming of age of a young American woman whose mother is from Johannesburg. Feeling like she doesn't fit into either country or culture, she struggles with identity and doesn't know where to turn when she loses her mother to cancer. Then thrust unexpectedly into motherhood she needs to find her place in the world.

I liked this, well written etc, but I think whatever came after The Other Americans was always going to feel like a let down in comparison.

154. Home Remedies - Xuan Juliana Wang (stolen from Goodreads) In twelve stunning stories of love, family, and identity, Xuan Juliana Wang’s debut collection captures the unheard voices of an emerging generation. Young, reckless, and catapulted toward uncertain futures, here is the new face of Chinese youth on a quest for every kind of freedom.

From that blurb I feel a little short changed. The stories were well written and really interesting, but most were in some way set in or linked to the US, when I was expecting something set in China. It was largely based around elite/ middle-class, international travelling experiences and therefore not quite what it said on the tin.

My turn has come up sooner than expected for The Vanishing Half at the library so settling in to listen to that today.

Glad you enjoyed Holes and I Am, I Am, I Am, Olly. Both recent stand outs for me.
I also really enjoyed The Line Of Beauty, I think I watched the TV series first then read the book, probably best to do it the other way round!

28.	<strong>The Kindly Ones</strong> by Anthony Powell the sixth book in the <strong>Dance To A Music Of Time</strong> twelve book cycle, and where I will be leaving Nick and co for a while as I only have the first two movements (three books in each movement) downloaded cheaply from Audible, but I hope to complete the series when the libraries reopen, or Audible has another sale with the later books in it. 

This volume begins with an extended flashback to Nick's childhood in 1914, as the First World War is about to begin.
Back in the 'present' the Second World War is looming ever closer and Nick is determined to do his part. At the close of the novel he appears to have achieved his aim of getting a commission in the army, presumably to obtain a more senior position than he would if conscripted in, with no help from the self important, long term army reservist, Widmerpool.
It amuses me that Nick is constantly assumed to be a close friend of Widmerpool, purely because they attended the same school and their paths keep crossing. When asked his opinion of Widmerpool by other characters Nick consistently evades answering, although the reader is in little doubt he finds Widmerpool pretty odious and is as perplexed as anyone else by the connection between them. I'm pretty sure if Widmerpool were a real person however, and could be asked, he'd probably count Nick as one of his closest friends too.

Favourite quotes "One of the worst things about life is not how nasty the nasty people are. You know that already. It is how nasty the nice people can be."

"To explain why are you see less of a friend, though there has been no quarrel, no gradual feeling of coldness, is not always easy"

Tarahumara - "I was on that first thread Cote smile (under the username tumbletumble)"

I remember. I believe that I recommended the book you got this name from

Thanks for the link Eliot - what a remarkable woman she was. I paused while reading the article half way through as it was telling me quite a lot about the novel but it'll be interesting to return to it later. I often don't read introductions until afterwards for that reason.

Keith and Olly I am just coming to the end of The Dutch House. I'm a big Ann Parchett fan. There's something about her clarity of style and compassion for her characters that I find really engaging.

I lurked for ages before I joined (I think with a previous name), and I am so glad I jumped in even though I can't ways keep up!

37. The Porpoise by Mark Haddon . I don't think I can add much to the reviews by @mackerella and @FortunaMajor above, but I enjoyed this retelling of Pericles (what is it with Greek myth retellings at the moment?!). I would say that the pacing sometimes feels a little off- the segue from modern life to myth feels a little late, and the ending came as a surprise (I was reading on Overdrive), which I think is generally not good thing. I would also have liked a bit more of the Shakespeare timeliness, it felt a bit like a snippet leftover from something else. However, these are tiny criticisms of a really interesting and cleverly told story.

I only discovered mumsnet on my mat leave in 2016. Spent the first year or two knee deep in nappy chat, went through an AIBU obsession then found the book nook in late 2018. Absolutely love it. I just think sharing your opinion of every book You read doesn’t necessarily work in real life but with strangers who share the passion even if not the tastes. Lovely.

88. Stasiland by Anna Funder

The recommendation for this came from several people on the thread.

A fascinating and unique book by an Australian journalist living in Germany and interviewing those who lived through the country's post War separation and reunification.

I don't think enough is widely known really about the Stasi; Germany's greater shame always taking the media centre stage. How so much abuse of the citizens of one country in two very different ways managed to occur is really mindblowing, how much a few generations of ordinary Germans suffered.

The totality of state surveillance as well is also mindblowing considering it was a preinternet age.

The most fascinating thing I thought was the men, who had held positions of power before the Wall came down remained fiercely loyal to the old country and its doctrines.

Well worth a read. Love this thread for recs.

Cote - yes, I believe you did!

46: Trace Elements - Donna Leon

The latest Commissario Brunetti, number 29 (I think?) in this long-running series. Increasingly, Leon jettisons any pretence at crime-solving, or indeed much in the way of plot, in favour of allowing her hero to muse on thorny philosophical dilemmas, often linked to the great works of classical literature he likes to read when off-duty (I suppose there might be some policemen who love curling up with the Lysistrata for fun after a trying day...er....no?).

Other characters have become ciphers, eg the superhuman Signorina Elettra, who's able to hack into any computer and find any fact needed within moments: once a source of gentle comedy; now a convenient device to keep the action, such as it is, plodding along.

There is a case for Brunetti to muse over, and even a sub-plot - which goes nowhere - but don't expect tension. It was OK-ish as a quick read, but Leon's going through the motions now, I feel.

Apologies for spamming the thread but the Kindle monthly deals seem unexpectedly good to me. A few things on offer:

Square Haunting
Lanny
Their Eyes Were Watching God
First Lady (Sonia Purnell's Clementine Churchill biog - someone mentioned thinking of buying it upthread - sorry, I can't find the post, though)
Everyday Sexism
Meadowland

And rather a lot of others...it might be an expensive one for me

(Also lots of tempting cookery books reduced from £25 to 99p)

nooo, Terpsichore!

I bought four already this morning:
Magpie Lane
Any Human Heart
In the Days of Rain
Ordinary People

I might have to go back for Lanny now...

In the spirit of further enabling, Sabrina Ghayour's cookbooks are fabulous and I think there were two at 99p - Persiana is my favourite.

I haven't looked through them all yet but the one that leapt out at me was Black, Listed which is excellent.

I was putting off buying anything as last month they did that spend £10 get £3 credit thing just after I'd bought all my deals!