50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Seven

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the seventh 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, the fifth one here and the sixth one here.

What are you reading?

Agree Betty, The Edge of the Cloud is a fantastic book, by far the best Flambards one as well IMO.

Betts - sorry!

I like the Wendy story as well.

"Perm, I found Pennington's Heir* very eye-opening back in my (sheltered) early teens.

Glad to see the Carbonel love :). I loved KM Peyton's books too - sadly I read them all from the school library so don't have copies!

Mackerella - just right - I'm exactly ten years older than you.

My dad has no sentimentality about any family heirlooms. He threw a complete set of Beatrix Potter books in a skip.

My great great uncle was a very accomplished artist. I managed to wrestle three paintings off DF . He gave nearly all the rest away to random acquaintances.

@PermanentTemporary

Betts - sorry!

I like the Wendy story as well.

Betts, betty is fine. Whichever

I'm a bit older than that, Sadik, although still young enough (just) to claim that I'm in my early 40s...

I LOVED Flambards when I was small, not least because one of the characters was my namesake (fairly unusual name, not otherwise encountered much). I spent year 5 galloping around the school playground on an imaginary horse called Sweetbriar or heroically flying a biplane . I hadn't thought to check out what else KM Peyton had written, so thanks for the review, Permanent.

I myself got rid of most of my childhood books but am gradually buying them all back again from charity shops. I now have a whole bookcase in the spare room just with my old childhood favourites on! I’m buying from charity shops because modern versions have often been rewritten and I have been known to buy more than once if I find ‘my’ edition of a book I’ve already got.

145. Chocolat by Joanne Harris

One of my favourite books. Listened to this on Audible read by the author, which I enjoyed for hearing the correct French pronunciations for various words.

146. Dead In Devon by Stephanie Austin

This is a not very serious murder mystery featuring cleaning lady Juno who gets caught up in some dodgy antique dealing for one of her clients and gets in over her head. Good fun.

147. The Secret Library by Oliver Tearle

Starting with Greek writers this gradually moves forward in time and the aim is to either bring to your attention books that are now largely forgotten but were important at the time (e.g. the books deemed to be the first autobiography), or something that isn’t widely known about more famous books. A good one if you like books about books (which I do).

148. A Kind Of Wild Justice by Hilary Bonner

Teenager Angela is kidnapped and killed. A man is put on trial but found not guilty. Twenty years later with the improvement of DNA testing they now have proof - but he can’t be charged for the same crime twice. The policeman in charge of the original investigation is still around, and so is the journalist who reported on the story, so they turn to each other to try and make sure justice is done. This was maybe a bit longer than it needed to be, but was an OK read.

149. The Titanic Secret by Jack Steel

This was pretty terrible, but to be fair I knew it would be before I started! Thrillers set on the Titanic always are. The tag line here is ‘what if it wasn’t an iceberg that sank the Titanic’ which tells you all you need to know. I read it anyway as I’m a bit of a Titanic geek.

150. *Letters from the Lighthouse’ by Emma Carroll

One of DD’s books that she wanted me to read. Set during WW2, Olive is evacuated to a small village to live in a lighthouse, where she stumbles across something the villagers are trying to hide. I think I would have really enjoyed this had it been around when I was DD’s age (10).

I loved the Pennington books- and most of the other KM Peyton, but never read the Flambards series, suspect the library didn't have them. (I am the latest 40s possible, so no surprise no editions match yours Sadik!)

Snap! And in looking I saw The Children Who Lived in a Barn (its the one with no spine left) - I loved that book! Must have a reread.

Going back to the film version of the play no one must mention up thread, It contain’s one of my favourite ever lines when the waitress who would die without Mahler comes back into the restaurant kitchen and says

‘Well, he’s eaten it.’

It always makes me laugh.

Best 😁

It's a great film, although I always think JW seems a bit too old. MC is just perfect in it. I really like the music too.

In the sale, I bought:

This Is Your Brain On Music
Instrumental
Devolution

Armada by Ernest Cline (the author of Ready Player One ) was truly awful. I wouldn't recommend it even if it were free.

I also bought Queens of the Kingdom. Thank you, betts

It's a shame about Armada. I seem to remember Ready Player One being one of those rare fiction books that we both really liked, Cote. The film is really good too.

Contain’s? Joins Betts in the bad grammar corner.

Hello, I am delurking (I have been with you some years but not for the last two, but I always read you- and have

Scorpio

Remus - You are right. I loved Ready Player One which is why I was so disappointed. (In fact, I'm quite sure that I was the one who "discovered" Ready Player One on Reddit book subs and banged on about it here on MN until everyone read it )

Welcome back Scorpio

Lovely memories of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I had (still have!) the same editions. Unfortunately my DDs never got into them

28. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street - Helene Hanff This is the sequel to 84 Charing Cross Road and I can say very little about it without including spoilers. The format changes from letters to diary entries. Hanff's observations are just lovely.

satsuki wow, what a lovely thing for your Mum to have done for you!

thanks all.