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?

Oh, and thanks for thread, southeast.

Also laughing at the nerdy analysis and Terpsichore's lizard brain

bibliomania my approach is to give a bold if I enjoyed it, not worrying about whether it has legs, and then sort out the real winners in my end-of-year top 5 or 10.

Now pondering the appropriateness of my metaphor. Can a book have legs?

Biblio I tend to give stars on Goodreads with my instant reaction, but sometimes go back and change them. Those bolded in this list might not be the same ones bolded at the end of the year, I change my mind all the time.

I've realised my star policy this year is ridiculous, I've been loathe to give anything I have thought was amazing more than 4 because surely 5 should be reserved for something like Beloved or All Quiet. Equally I've been reticent to give books I think are truly awful a very low star rating as I read an article about a young author who obsessively reads her Goodreads reviews and checks her stars. I try to remember that there is a real person at the other end. Although some authors really shouldn't be encouraged!

Welcome teaandcustard. We don't worry about totals, we care more about what you think. Let us know what you thought of the next one you finish.

Like Tara I bold things if I enjoy them at the time, then look back at the end of the year for the real standouts. Some things do get un-bolded in retrospect or on a second read though!

That all makes sense - the bold can be unbolded with the wheeling of the stars [intoned a la Ian McKellen as Gandalf].

This is my updated list: (Highlights in bold. low points in italics - seems like I'm having a fairly good read so far this year, with only one book I'd describe as a real stinker.

1. Tall Tales and Wee Stories by Billy Connelly
2. It's Your Time You're Wasting by Frank Chalk
3. The Familiars by Stacy Halls
4. Hidden Figures by Margaret Lee Shetterly
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
6. Cyffession Seasnes Yng Nghymru by Sarah Reynolds
7. The Secret River by Kate Grenville
8. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
9. My Sister the Serial Killer by by Oyinkan Braithwaite
10. Born Lippy by Jo Brand
11. Down Under by Bill Bryson
12. Prisoners by Geography by Tim Marshall
13. The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burke
14. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
15. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
16. The Tent, The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy
17. Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
18. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
19. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
20. The Celts by Alice Roberts
21. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
22. Teithio drwy Hanes by Jon Gower
23. Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine
24. The Life and Time of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
25. Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters
26. Before Wallis by Rachel Trethewey
27. Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell
28. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
29. A Place called Freedom by Ken Follett
30. Normal People by Sally Rooney
31. Brick Lane by Monica Ali
32. Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim
33. Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
34. The Penelopiad by Margaret Attwood
35. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
36. Arwyr Cymru by Jon Gower
37. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
38. Anna of Kleve (Six Tudor Queens series) by Alison Weir
39. Note from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Currently reading Dark Age by James Wilde on Kindle and listening to The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Settlefield on Kindle, narrated by Jenny Agutter, who has a lovely gentle voice, so that;s by relaxation time at the moment.
Also nearing the end of the mammoth David Copperfield for the Read-a-thon

Thank you as ever southeast.

mackerella, InMyOwnParticularIdiom and Terpsichore I am the 4th member of the gang of 44 . I'm pretty sure I've never been this far ahead at this stage of the year. I'm also pretty sure that pace isn't going to keep up as I'm returning to work later this year.

I just paste my list in, which doesn't have any bold markings, and re-do them for every thread. I have no idea whether I'm boldening the same books every time (though some stand outs I'm sure will be), I never go back to check, and I don't overthink it.

1. Gods of the Morning by John Lister-Kaye
2. The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Grey
3. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
4. Ten to Zen by Owen O'Kane
5. Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
6. The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner
7. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
8. Black and British by David Olusoga
9. The World I Fell Out Of by Melanie Reid

10. Sightlines by Kathleen Jamie 11. Silent Voices by Ann Cleeves (Vera #4) 12. Wonder by RJ Palacio 13. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite 14. Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky 15. The Chosen Dead by MR Hall (The Coroner #5) 16. This Book Will Change Your Mind About Mental Health by Nathan Filer 17. The Outrun by Amy Liptrot 18. A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale 19. Hot Milk by Deborah Levy 20. The Glass Room by Ann Cleeves (Vera #5) 21. The Affair by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #16) 22. Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit 23. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry 24. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn 25. An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris 26. Heartburn by Nora Ephron 27. The Dry by Jane Harper 28. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 29. Dry by Augusten Burroughs 30. The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly 31. Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky 32. Harbour Street by Ann Cleeves (Vera #6) 33. Darkmans by Nicola Barker 34. Death Toll by Jim Kelly 35. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dummies by Rhena Branch and Rob Willson 36. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver 37. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami 38. The Dead Season by Christobel Kent (Sandro Cellini #3) 39. High and Low: How I Hiked Away from Depression Across Scotland by Keith Foskett 40. Regeneration by Stephanie Saulter (Revolution #3) 41. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot 42. Handstands in the Dark by Janey Godley 43. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

And my latest reads:

DNF. A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon I don't have many DNFs and when I do I usually let them go unremarked on this thread, just think, well that wasn't for me, and move on. But this has irked me. Detective thriller set in Venice, but could have been Slough on a wet Wednesday for all the scene setting. Should have given up when the detective 'tends to agree' with a colleague that Albanians and Slavs are thieves. Should have given up when the first woman to feature in the book is a red nailed and lipped secretary in chapter 4, and again when the next woman was showing too much thigh for a new mother. Did give up when the reader was clearly meant to sympathise with the detective's wife, an English lecturer, when she refused to teach Caribbean women's writing. Vile.

44. The Lion Tamer Who Lost by Louise Beech This is an odd little tale. It opens with a young man Ben volunteering at a lion sanctuary in Zimbabwe. He clearly is running away from something to do with his father and his ex boyfriend back home, and though back and forth chapters from different viewpoints we discover what. There are a few twists, and Ben is not always a likeable main character. I've read a few by this author and I really like her voice. She is also very good at conveying high emotions.

Proud to be a member of the Gang of 44

It's interesting what you say, biblio, about how we influence each other on this thread. There are certainly books I read because people on here have talked about them - I probably wouldn't have read them otherwise. And surely there must have been a modest surge in sales of TTOD and Into Thin Air?

On the other hand, I feel conscious of my rather odd selection of books because I read a lot of non-fiction and my tastes are a bit nerdy eccentric. I very rarely buy or borrow eg the Booker shortlist when it's first announced, although I may well get round to it five years later. I do feel a bit of an outlier on here sometimes, but perfectly happily so because I enjoy all the conversations so much.

Thanks, South.

No list and no counting from me this year, because I've lost my mojo so badly and not enjoying/even wanting to start much.

But I've got plenty of opinions and I'm not afraid to use them, so still on here even if I'm not reviewing much!

And I think I should get royalties from TTOD, quite frankly!

DS1 I really enjoying the David Olusoga series. I didn't know there was a book : I shall purchase it! He may actually read it!!

biblio I feel the same about stars - I look back and think hang on did I really embolden this and not that? But then feel I can’t change in case someone notices and thinks I’m a fraud.

I reserve 5 stars for things that elicit an emotional reaction - makes me cry or laugh. 4 is for well written and keeps me reading and or things I admire very much. I embolden 5s mainly but sometimes 4s but with no real consistency.

The book I just finished, The Mothers was really quite beautifully written and I stopped several times in admiration at her ability. But the story lagged a bit and didn’t really finish with any oomph and the rhetorical device she uses felt a bit belaboured by the end. So very stuck with what I think.

Hello teaandcustardcreams and welcome. Anna Karenina and Wind in the Willows are two of my all time favourite books.

I look back and think hang on did I really embolden this and not that? But then feel I can’t change in case someone notices and thinks I’m a fraud

Exactly this, my first 2 months I read a lot of just average, which is how I think Little Fires and Girl With Gifts got emboldened.

Whilst I genuinely really enjoyed both at the time, they both have a trashy quality and neither holds a candle to the books that have REALLY made a lasting impression like :

Hidden Valley Road
American Dirt
Love Child
Kick
and Lincoln In The Bardo

Which makes me feel fraudy

Thanks for the new thread southeast

My list so far:

1. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
2. Death is a Welcome Guest by Louise Welsh
3. Bird Box by Josh Malerman
4. Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan
5. Calmer, Easier, Happier Homework by Noel Janis-Norton
6. Skeletons by Jane Fallon
7. The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice
8. Red: A Natural History of the Redhead by Jacky Colliss Harvey
9. The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F Hamilton

10. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley 11. 99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter 12. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini 13. Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy 14. The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Pettersson 15. The Silver Dream story by Neil Gaiman & Micheal Reaves, written by Michael Reaves & Mallory Reaves 16. By Light Alone by Adam Roberts 17. The Treatment by C L Taylor 18. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor 19. The Escape by C L Taylor 20. The Chalk Man by C J Tudor 21. No Dominion by Louise Welsh 22. How to Lose Weight Without Being Miserable by Richard Templar 23. The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig 24. Chimera by Mira Grant 25. God Bless the NHS by Roger Taylor 26. Bring Me Back by B A Paris 27. The Shape We’re In by Sarah Boseley 28. The Understudy by B A Paris, Clare Mackintosh, Holly Brown and Sophie Hannah 29. Someone Like Me by M R Carey 30. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman 31. Calmer Easier Happier Screen Time by Noel Janis-Norton 32. The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley 33. Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott 34. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 35. First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton 36. Night Film by Marisha Pessl 37. Second Form at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton 38. Third Year at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton 39. Believe Me by J P Delaney 40. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 41. The Record Keeper by Agnes Gomillion 42. Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer 43. The Demon Code by Adam Blake 44. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey 45. Everything Begins With Asking For Help by Kevin Braddock 46. Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz 47. Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig 48. Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson 49. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman 50. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones 51. The Invasion by Peadar O’Guilin

Too much of a geek to have ever belonged to a gang before, so am very excited to join the soon-to-be-infamous Gang of 44.

On Goodreads, I tend to reserve 5 stars for the absolutely outstanding (eg Middlemarch, Madame Bovary, Small Island, A Suitable Boy etc). This year so far, only I Am, I Am, I Am has got a 5. Most things I like get a 4, because otherwise I feel mean to the author, so a score of 4 covers the biggest range of quality. 3 means some good bits but flawed, 2 means really quite bad, 1 means I nearly flung it across the room (but is very rare as I usually DNF these).

eine Little Fires makes me squirmy too. I really enjoyed it but don’t think it’s extraordinarily good.

I was utterly gripped by Catch and Kill this year and admired the research but if anyone asks me to name my favourite books it’s never coming out of my mouth...I’m starting to leave it a day before rating books so I can turn it over a bit first like a 19th century marriage proposal

Same with Catch and Kill called it 5 star at the time, haven't really thought about it or recommended it since

I think tara has it with the end of year round up. We’ll cast a discreet veil over any bold adjustments in the meantime.

I read a lot more current stuff than I used to because of the threads and keep up with prizewinners a lot more. But love all the left field stuff too terpsichore. Always find your reviews interesting.

Thanks Southeast. I've been a bit up and down with the reading this year. I think like a lot of people I found it difficult to read early on in lockdown and I've been spending a lot of my spare time on researching my family tree.

Bringing over my list:

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. (3/5) 27. This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay. (4/5) 28. Just One Damn Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor. (4/5) 29. The Very First Damn Thing by Jodi Taylor. (3/5) 30. A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor. (3/5) 31. When a Child is Born by Jodi Taylor (3/5) 32. Roman Holiday by Jodi Taylor (3/5) 33. A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor (4/5) 34. Christmas Present by Jodi Taylor (3/5) 35. A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor (4/5) 36. No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor (3/5) 37. The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths (3/5) 38. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (1/5) 39. Thinner by Stephen King.(2/5) 40. What Could Possibly Go Wrong by Jodi Taylor. (3/5). 41. Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings by Jodi Taylor. (2/5) 42. My Name is Markham by Jodi Taylor. (3/5) 43. Lies, Damned Lies, and History by Jodi Taylor. (4/5) 44. The Great St Mary's Day Out by Jodi Taylor. (3/5) 45. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. (4/5) 46. The Sudden Departure of the Frasers by Louise Candlish. (3/5) 47. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling. (3/5) 48. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. (4/5) 49. The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. (4/5) 50. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. (3/5) 51. Skeleton Crew by Stephen King. (2/5) 52. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. (4/5) 53. It by Stephen King (4/5)

I'm currently reading Madam Bovary which I'm struggling to get into and Fahrenheit 451 which I'm really enjoying. Also listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Requiem For A Wren - Nevil Shute such a sad, sad book. Set on a wealthy sheep farm in post WW2 Australia, man returns home to find his parents’ parlourmaid has taken her own life. Typical Shute fare. I liked it but it was unremittingly sad.

A film (or I think it might be TV ) adaptation of the Adam Kay is in the pipeline. Ben Whishaw to star. I do hope he lends Kay a bit of sensitivity. It's interesting casting.

Feeling a bit of FOMO about the Gang of 44