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 bought it too, Keith, after checking out the sample. I'm holding off on the other recommended monthly deals until I've seen what the samples are like (I downloaded 17).

@bibliomania

Whistles nonchalantly, sharpens pitchfork for Keith.. I know the sudden fear that strikes after making a recommendation, but 99p isn't too much of a risk.

Bett, that's a good haul that you, ahem, resisted.

I don't like recommending books that are more than 99p for that reason.

As for resistance...well they do say it's futile don't they?

I downloaded a lot of samples and now the weekends nearly over and I’ve...read a lot of samples.

Yes, that's the problem @SatsukiKusakabe , and we can't count samples towards our totals! I would never buy a Kindle book without reading the sample first, but I get the impression that lots of 50Bookers do.

I’ve never used the samples and end up with lots I’m not too sure about on my kindle!

There's a lesson in there somewhere, @Palegreenstars !

Do you get the same content in a sample as you do from the Look Inside feature? I have never downloaded samples, but frequently use Look Inside to decide whether I'd get on with a book. I rarely get to the end of the content available there, but just read a few sentences before I judge whether it is worthy of my (usually) 99p.

In fact, that's the very thing I have just done with Black, Listed. Thanks Keith. That brings my total July monthly deal purchases to 7, and there are probably more I'm going back in for before the end of the month. Oh well.

It’s the one click, it doesn’t feel like real money sometimes. Which is a very privileged thing to say and I still do feel like I’ll get to everything one day.

I've now bought Magpie Lane as well. I decided to keep reading instead of adding it to my TBR- I'm really enjoying it so far, thanks to whoever recommended that one.

Not real money! I'll have to remember that one 😉

I know exactly what you are saying Palegreenstars I am reining myself in now, until I make a sizeable dent. It's too easy to say "but it's only"

I’m another one who buys things far too readily on kindle. Not only does it not feel like real money, it doesn’t really feel like I’m buying a real book as I don’t get a tangible product, if you see what I mean. I’ve bought loads of 99p kindle books whereas I probably wouldn’t bother if it was a £1 paperback, because that feels more like real money and I would also have to justify the space on my bookshelves! I am now trying to be more discerning on the kindle and my question now before I buy is ‘would I buy it if I saw it in a charity shop?’

fran I did used to and then realised it was a bit silly. You usually get a good chunk of one or two chapters in a sample and I find I either want to keep reading or I don’t and it has curbed my kindle spending a bit. With the monthly deals I now download samples and make myself wait until the end of the month to buy so I don’t make impulse purchases. I have all kinds of strategies now to keep me from buying too many!

Gosh I need to start sampling more. I am sure I get a dopamine hit from clicking Buy.

Highlandcoo I don't know whether you've seen the previous series Lindsey Davis did also set in Rome? Known as the Falco books. They are a lot better. The one you read is her new series and I don't think she found her feet with a different character straight away. I love the original series and prefer that character, but the real joy is how vividly she paints ancient Rome

Thanks Fortuna; I agree that her depiction of ancient Rome was excellent and it was the aspect of the book I really enjoyed. Maybe I should give her another go with the first Falco book.

I do like discovering a really good detective series.

I'm now thinking that Such a Fun Age and Black,Listed would be great to read alongside a small pile of books I've accumulated recently. I thought I'd read thematically this month and I have:

Passing by Nella Larsen
Quicksand by Nella Larsen
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
and Girl,Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

all waiting to be read.

Oh, and coincidentally I have to read Frannie Langton for my online book group and that should fit in well too.

Interesting to read how you all manage your Kindle habits! I don't have a Kindle but I do try to be very strict with my book purchasing. I try never to have more than 2 books "waiting" on my bedside table. It doesn't always work, but it does help keep my spending in check. The exception to this rule is library books; I let myself have as many of these as I like as long as I return them before the due date, so I'm not unduly depriving other readers.

33. Invisible Women : Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men – Caroline Criado Perez

I sometimes struggle a bit to engage with non-fiction, and more so recently, as I've been using reading as a form of escape from everyday life. As life slowly starts to feel a bit more “normal” I felt ready to read about the real world again and am cautiously returning to factual stuff.

This was informative and readable. The book discusses women’s invisibility on issues ranging from the mundane, such as the failure of voice recognition software to respond to female voices (a particular issue in my all female household, as our Alexa frequently ignores DD and I) to the life threatening, for example the difficulty in diagnosing serous health issues such as women's "atypical" symptoms when experiencing a heart attack.

A good balance of statistical info and interesting real life stories kept my attention and I raced through this enthusiastically in a couple of days. Recommended.

Is that true @Indigosalt ?!?

Alexa positively HATES me

I have Invisible Women on TBR need to get on it clearly!

HighlandCoo - I hate to break it to you but Frannie Langton is terrible. Sorry!

Interesting to read how you all manage your Kindle habits! I don't have a Kindle but I do try to be very strict with my book purchasing. I try never to have more than 2 books "waiting" on my bedside table.

I limit myself to 2 as well but annoyingly there seems to be an exponential bug in the Kindle software which erroneously reports the total number. I bought a new Kindle a couple of years ago but the bug has manifested itself yet again.

Is it Remus? I didn't choose it. It sounded a bit like Alias Grace or that other one set in a crofting community a century ago (can't recall the title) both of which I enjoyed. Is it a dumbed down version of that sort of theme just with a pretty cover?

I love my book group; they are a great bunch of women and meeting up on zoom during lockdown has been a really positive experience, but I don't always love the books chosen. I suppose that's the nature of the beast.

It is much, much worse than Alias Grace and I say that as somebody who doesn't generally think much of Margaret A. Very badly written, and increasingly ridiculous plot as it continues. But don't take my word for it - I know lots of people have loved it (but they are wrong).

I try never to have more than 2 books "waiting" on my bedside table

Wow betts that's disciplined! I limit myself to a pile that isn't allowed to get higher than my bedside table. Except recently that has been increased to two piles side by side.

I have 29 unread books by the bed and a few others secreted around the house. I reckon if that's my worst vice it's not too serious.

My Kindle seems to have died recently and I can't decide if it's worth getting another. I rarely use it apart from travelling, and we have a brilliant independent bookshop locally that I'm keen to support so for the moment I probably won't.

Remus I will read it and report back! I always read book group books at the last minute, so in a couple of weeks.