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?

Recent reads:
101. Queens of the Kingdom - I think I've reviewed this but if not somebody else has and I agreed with them.

102. Wham, George and me, Andrew Ridgeley.
     I wasn't planning to read this but it was 99p. I'm glad I did as there were some interesting insights into the 1980s/1990s and the world of entertainment but in a totally non-gossipy way. The book avoided any of the detail surrounding George Michael's untimely death which I was very glad to see as it wasn't what I wanted to read about at all.

103. Confessions of a Police Constable. A quick read, it was interesting and worth reading. I am glad I didn't read it a few months ago when my grief at my father's death was raw as one part would have been too much as it was quite graphic, just mentioning it as a heads up. One of a series called 'Confessions of' which covers a few professions.

104. Pad's Army , Paul Addy. SImilar to the Confessions of series but much funnier. Real laugh out loud in places much to the annoyance of DS who was trying to sleep in the next room. Room in the loosest sense of the word since this was a camping read, thankfully we had the camp site to ourselves that night so I was only annoying the DCs.

105. Nothing Ventured, Jeffrey Archer. I wish I didn't like his books as I didn't like his politics and didn't like him when I met him. I can only say they are a not so guilty pleasure. This one is the first of a series which I picked up for 99p (it still is 99p), presumably as the nxt in the series comes out next month. It introduces Detective William Warwick who was mentioned in the last series of books that Archer wrote. It's a typical Archer book and follows his formula. FIne literature it isn't but good to read when camping or having a lazy summer afternoon.

Clothes and Other Things that Matter by Alexandra Shulman
This was an anti-climax, I'm afraid.
It seems that some things matter to the writer (who I'd never heard of) more than clothes: herself; name-dropping; conspicuous consumption; more name-dropping; showing off; status symbols and the fact that she was editor of Vogue. I found it incredibly self-indulgent and quite wearing. really couldn't warm to her. Chapters which had potential invariably petered out, and she often ended them with a whimper, rather than a bang.

I found all of the focus on insanely expensive items (Chanel jackets, £400 trainers, 'It' bags etc) really quite vulgar in the end. If she'd mixed it up with describing items from Zara or Marks & Spencer alongside, I'd probably have liked her/it more. And I was irrationally irritated by her claiming to remember and to have performed sartorial analysis on a dress she had as a two year old.

I'd perhaps have liked this in 1992. I didn't like it now.

Ooh Tayari Jones (An American Marriage) new book Silver Sparrow is n the daily deal. No idea what it’s like yet

Remus - Did you expect to like that Clothes book? I mean, we have opposing tastes in fiction and all that but still... I thought that just the title made its focus and writing style abundantly clear. I couldn't be less interested if it were called My Neighbours, Our Children, Husbands, and Everyone's Feelings: A Tear-Jerking Sentimental Saga About Everyday Life

I'm going to have to read that Clothes books and see what I think as my view of clothes in general is that they are things that stop me being either sacked, arrested or considered to be an unfit parent

ATM I'm reading Dark Skies: A journey into the wild night. I had a few reservations on page 12 when I saw the name Donald Trump mentioned but was reassured when saw the whole sentence [..] 'Social media is a depressing place to be when your friends are asleep and Donald Trump wakes up'. It seems promising so far.

34. The Sealwoman’s Gift – Sally Magnusson I bought this on the back of the many glowing reviews 50-bookers have provided on this thread.
    I loved it. Absorbing, emotional, informative. Most definitely in my top 5 reads so far this year.

@nowanearlyNicemum It is lovely that so many of us have enjoyed of this book so much
53 These Wonderful Rumours! May Smith
I think someone here recommended this and I am glad they did. Beginning in 1938 this is the diary of a young primary school teacher living in the east midlands. Witty and honest, it is full of fascinating (to me) detail about her daily life. She gives brief accounts of air raids and key events in the progress of the war but otherwise she lives a cosy and uneventful life.I was very struck by how few similarities there are between her life and that of young women today. For example teaching is just a job to her, she appears to keep the same school hours as the children and there is no mention of extra work done at home .She has chaste relationships with 2 men for several years, but it seems as though once she or her friends get engaged the wedding goes ahead without fuss or drama!

54 The 24 Hour Cafe Libby Page
This is an unusual book as the author makes an account of a female friendship,in all its messy but loving complexity, as her central theme. Although it would have benefited from more rigorous editing as it is repetitive in places, it was good to see close ,supportive friendships between women given the significance they deserve. I was also glad that, although several contemporary issues arise in the story, I didn’t feel that they were shoehorned in for the sake of it, as they are in so many books. Although the two young women protagonists were both 30, I felt they seemed quite immature . An easy, unchallenging read with themes that might appeal to older teenagers as well.

betts, I would like to add to your list of why clothes matter: socks. Clean, dry, lovely socks.

I have just spent the last few days trudging up hill and down dale, so I may feel more strongly than usual. But oh, the glory of clean, dry, non-wet, non-smelly socks.

Does the Shulman book have a chapter on socks? Because if so, I'm in.

bibliomania But oh, the glory of clean, dry, non-wet, non-smelly socks.

I live with teenagers so what are these non-smelly socks of which you speak?

You make a fair point, betts.. Perhaps I haven't missed my calling as a fashion writer after all.

But there’s never enough bloody socks so what are we supposed to do, go sockless?!

Mourn with me, tea. Although I believe there are some knitters on here. [Gazes around thoughtfully].

Rather than start a main thread, can anyone explain this slightly sinister behaviour from Amazon?

Today I had to ring Customer Service because they are treating my every login as "suspicious activity" and are forcing me through a tedious authentication process every time.

I spoke to someone who very clearly was not in or from the UK.

Separately, though I am not on Facebook myself I have had reason to repeatedly search the same name. It is a very ordinary British name but stands out in the sense that it's a very dated first name plus a regional surname

Kylie Maguire would be an excellent example or Kevin O'Connell

On hanging up I got an email saying "Your conversation with Kylie M"

I know that British names are often adopted by abroad call centres for pleasantness but I find the name of the person I spoke to really disconcertingly specific.

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden does say that Amazon has provided so many servers to the intelligence community that they have way more info on you than you realise. That they chose "Kylie M" as a name I'd consider friendly, weirds me out a lot.

Social media is a depressing place to be when your friends are asleep and Donald Trump wakes up

Cote - I do like reading about clothes, but this book was far more about an annoying woman than it was about actual clothes.

I have no interest in clothes (or rather they have no interest in me) but I found myself listening to a podcast series about fashion and it was quite fascinating, looked at from a historical/design point of view. It was called Articles of Interest on 99% Invisible if anyone is inclined to that sort of thing (or even if not!)

eine that stuff is so creepy I try not to think about it but that sounds especially odd.

36. Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks A short introduction to feminism, what it is and why it matters. I'll be honest, i speed-read this to get supporting info for a Twitter row But I've been meaning to read bell hooks for some time and would certainly now look for her other books. It's friendly, positive, fluidly written and persuasive on intersectionality which I think is unfairly criticised as an analysis due to its invocation by people who just don't like women (Kimberle crenshaw's original essay is online, exquisitely well argued and even shorter).

Rather than start a main thread, can anyone explain this slightly sinister behaviour from Amazon?

I use the online chat when I need to contact Amazon because I then get a transcript of the conversation. That and the fact that I don't like making phone calls.

I thought I didn’t have enough book content in my life so I just signed up to Shelter’s bookclub (terribly named book clubz) you have to give a direct debit but you get access to their website and a monthly online book club. The next one towards the end of September is for Home Coming by Luan Goldie and has a live Q&A with the author and David Nicholls which sounds interesting(either way I’ve been meaning to give to Shelter for ages so win / win.

I'm half way though the Schulman clothes book and all I can say is there is a disappointing lack of celebrity gossip; the main reason I bought it.

Yes @bettsbattenburg I too, am massively phone conversation averse! It was however my only option as I couldn't login at all to do the chat version!

PermanentTemporary "I'll be honest, i speed-read this to get supporting info for a Twitter row"

I like your style!

Biblio with you on the socks! I wore my new hiking socks this last holiday and nothing beats lovely comfy dry socks. Not for knitting though! There's as many stitches in a pair of socks as there is in a jumper. I'd rather have the jumper.

Just finished Half of a Yellow Sun I abandoned it in 2017 at around 50% and always regretted it. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I'm glad I went back to it.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit

Yes *@bettsbattenburg* I too, am massively phone conversation averse! It was however my only option as I couldn't login at all to do the chat version!

That would be my worst nightmare, forced to phone them.

I had a freaky moment earlier, I got an advert online for Boots and the map showed a store which is a stones throw from my DD's flat in a completely different town.

37. Difficult Women: a history of feminism in 11 fights
I nearly didn't 'bold' this one, because I had such high expectations of it that it could only meet not exceed them. But here I am at 1am on a school night still up to finish it. It's a funny, journalistic, personal plunge into 11 chosen issues of the women's movement, usually illustrated by biographical sketches or interviews with individuals who led or were key to each fight. Some feel more immediate than others - 'Abortion' being the most passionate and personal (not in the usual way). But all drip real feeling and analysis with no easy solutions. Recommended. And especially lovely that it's my first book from our reopened library.

165. I Is For Innocent by Sue Grafton

Latest in the alphabet series featuring female PI Kinsey Millhone. In this she’s trying to find evidence that a man found innocent of murdering his ex-wife was in fact guilty. Better than the H instalment.

166. The Adventures of Sally by P G Wodehouse

Another of his stand alone books. I didn’t find this one as funny as others of his I’ve read. However this one is partly based around a theatre company whose performances are postponed due to the Spanish flu epidemic, which was interesting reading in the current circumstances!

167. The Snakes by Sadie Jones

This one started well, with its setting of an almost deserted hotel in France, but all fell apart in the second half. There’s an unresolved child abuse storyline and a ridiculous ending that doesn’t resolve or answer anything. I also didn’t really engage with any of the characters. Can’t recommend this.

168. Somebody I Used To Know by Wendy Mitchell

A memoir by a lady living with early onset Alzheimer’s, covering the tools she uses to cope and also the bad days she has. This was inspiring and also lots of useful tips if you’re affected by dementia.