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?

35. By the light of my father’s smile – Alice Walker So this was odd, really odd. I studied The Color Purple at school and remember being absolutely bowled over by it. I picked this up when the library reopened and have been less than impressed to be honest. The story moves backwards and forwards between characters who are alive or dead, and also moves geographically and sideways between storylines and quite honestly there were a few moments when I couldn’t actually give a monkey’s who, why, when, where or what. Race, religion, sexuality, death… it’s all in there but Walker’s storyline and preachy narration left me feeling more irritated than inspired. This could easily have been a DNF for me but I kept going to the bitter end and am now moving on to Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby so that I can discuss it with DD before she goes back to school. Skates on!

I keep meaning to get round to Jan Struther's biog, as I think she was an interesting character - I like her clever pen name too (she was born Joyce Anstruther). Said biog is by her granddaughter, Ysenda Maxtone Graham....I think someone recently reviewed her recent book about summer holidays, which caused me to add it to the never-ending wishlist 😱😱

Ooh, didn't know about that connection, Terp. I enjoyed Ysenda MG's book about boarding schools. Will look out for that.

Thanks Terpsichore and bibliomania I shall now add Mrs Miniver to my wishlist too, inspired by the wonderful line about dachshunds and her family connection (it was me who enjoyed the summer holiday book).

Congratulations on the new job, Keith! Will you be working from home or have to go out? And -more importantly - will it leave you enough time for reading?

112. The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright

So two years ago or so I watched the Amazon series of the same name based on this book.

Both basically illustrate how 9/11 would never have happened without colossal failures by the CIA and FBI and internal bureaucracy

I did think the series explains it better but potentially this may be due to the fact further information about what happened emerged after the books publication.

Still full of really interesting information about the Arab world and the rise of fundamentalism

4/5

DH and I have been watching Once Upon a Time in Iraq on iPlayer - really good at explaining the rise of fundamental Islamic groups in the region.

44. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. Alicia hasn't spoken a word since she murdered her husband Gabriel. Her therapist, Theo, is obsessed with getting her to open up. Mediocre.

Thanks boiledegg, I'm utterly hopeless at remembering who read what! I think you and I have very similar tastes in books...

Keep meaning to add my congrats on the new job to Keith. Good news is so welcome atm.

Yes congrats keith in case I haven’t already said so.

Such a Fun Age is on the daily deal today for anyone interested. I think it’s been mostly quite enjoyed on here and is on the Booker longlist. Quite a Fun Read.

Just bought Such a Fun Age

And finally finished 65: The Dutch House - Ann Patchett

Danny and his elder sister Maeve Conroy grow up in the fantastical Dutch House, a spectacular Pennsylvania modernist mansion, with their property-developer father and a small, protective circle of staff who remain after their mother's unexplained departure. But when their father marries again, to pretty, vengeful, implacable Andrea, the writing is on the wall for the children. The rest of their lives will be spent dreaming and obsessing over the events of their childhood and the extraordinary setting in which it took place.

I made an unnecessary meal of this, after starting and feeling gripped, but then losing interest a bit - I can't remember whether others felt the same way. I liked the writing a lot, but got slightly lost with the shifting time-frames at points, and felt the second half of the book dragged a bit. My first Ann Patchett, though, and I'm interested to read another.

Howl's Moving Castle is one of my all time favourite books @InMyOwnParticularIdiom, I am glad you liked it! Congratulations to @KeithLeMonde and @teaandcustardcreamsx too.

56. Queens of the Kingdom by Nicola Hillman Recommended here, I enjoyed this insight into the women of Saudi Arabia, although I have no context or knowledge to place it in and see if it is an accurate reflection. I will definitely look for more books set in or about SA now.

And I am so sorry, I mean Nicola Sutcliffe, not Hillman. Sorry!

@Terpsichore

Thanks boiledegg, I'm utterly hopeless at remembering who read what! I think you and I have very similar tastes in books...

Keep meaning to add my congrats on the new job to Keith. Good news is so welcome atm.

I think you're right Terpsichore - I've enjoyed many of your recommendations, most recently the wonderful Frances Faviell memoirs (and for which many thanks as I would not have come across them otherwise).

36. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens I have just devoured this!! Love, love, loved it. Beautiful, evocative writing that had me happily hunkering down in the marshlands for hours while feverishly insect-spotting and bird-watching. Gorgeous.

Devolution by Max Brooks
Pretty dreadful, I'm afraid. It was an attempt to replicate World WarZ but with yetis, instead of zombies. Made up of found documents, interview transcripts etc. Unfortunately, the bulk of it was just desperately boring.

And I found it quite offensive that he used quotes from real people who had died (in a volcano, in a bear attack) to open a couple of chapters, transforming their deaths not just into entertainment but also into an implied message about hubris.

Not recommended at all. It picked up a little at the end, with some fight scenes, but not enough to compensate for the general tedium.

The Reading Cure by Laura Freeman is a very interesting book about a woman's struggle with her anorexia demons. partly a book about food and partly a book about reading and books, she describes the writing in the books (most of which I haven't read ) wonderfully.

She also has some interesting , critical things to say about society's relationship with food, eating and weight. I wholeheartedly agree with her.

It is certainly no Lucy Mangan : a much tougher read than that but well worth a read. If you have struggled with your own food demons make sure you are in a a fairly good place before reading. She may have cured herself of many things through time, love and reading, but this book in itself is not a cure for the reader (although I hope, and believe, it did the writer some good).

Laura really loves books and has a huge TBR pile! She needs to be on this thread!

Congratulations on your new job @KeithLeMonde
Summer holiday book by Ysenda Maxtone-Graham was read on Radio 4 recently and is on BBC Sounds.

I did catch a bit of it on R4, blackcountry, and I'm afraid I was so put off by the various voices adopted by whoever was reading it that I had to switch it off.

This is why, with a few honourable exceptions, I can't listen to audio books

73. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. After being asked to investigate a mysterious book that has been sent to top scientist around the world the author ponders the effect of insanity on society at large (like a stone being dropped into a still pond). What it highlighted is just how subjective the diagnosis of some mental illnesses is and just how little the experts actually agree on and know for certain. The sections on a load of psychopaths being given LSD and the slapdash approach to defining mental illnesses was frankly disturbing and made me wonder whether some of the doctors weren't as mad as some of their patients. I would have preferred a bit more focus on the science, particularly the possible physical signs of psychopathy but it was a really interesting read which gave me a lot to ruminate on. (3/5)

74 Pale Rider by Laura Spinney

I think this was a recommendation from someone here. Perhaps I need a list too so I can better thank you all appropriately for your excellent recommendations. This is an account of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, told through human stories and scientific discoveries. It’s not a linear history and is all the better for it, as it looks at the ways the pandemic shaped modern society as well as why it is so poorly remembered or marked in literature and art. It’s a completely absorbing story with much to tell us about who we are and how we respond - still - to such situations. I think I am now done with my pandemic reading, but what a way to finish my list. I don’t often reread non fiction but this one is most definitely on the TBRR pile.

Pepe - I was the one who recommended Pale Rider and I am glad that you liked it

Book 46 Vogue on Vivienne Westwood by Linda Watson

A very quick read; I have a little collection of these Vogue series books now as I read a lot of sewing, fashion and couture stuff (mainly online now). VW changed the vocabulary of fashion, was a true innovator and anarchist but with a love of tweed and tradition. The book covers her career, mainly focusing on the 80’s when she became a household name.

Hope everyone is enjoying some bank holiday sunshine!

63. Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind by Anne Charnock A novel with three strands all featuring women or girls who are linked by artworks. In 15th century Florence, Antonia, the teenage daughter of the painter Uccello, a painter in her own right, is about to find out whether she is to marry or be sent to a nunnery, where she can continue to pursue her art. In the present day, Toni is the teenage daughter of a copyist who receives a commission to copy a Uccello painting. In the future, Toniah is about to take up an academic post where her role will be to rewrite missing or overlooked women into history. The future world seemed similar to the one in Dreams Before the Start of Time, and, as with that novel, could have done with some more worldbuilding. The three strands were each interesting in their own rights, but sadly never came together enough to give a satisfying conclusion. Overall I enjoyed it though. My favourite of hers has been A Calculated Life, and I have lined up Bridge 108 which is set in the same world, so am looking forward to that.

64. The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin and Richard Panek Having read numerous autism books which mention Temple Grandin it was good to read her own words (or those of her co-author). She is a tremendous character, and this book was readable and positive about autism. She covers quite literally whether autistic brains are physically different, and whether this can be seen on MRI scans etc. She shares her views on the latest diagnostic criteria; there's a big chunk on sensory issues, leading to discussion on different ways of learning and therefore identifying how autistic individuals of all types can be helped to reach their full potential. She is a person with strong opinions, and I didn't agree with every word, but I really enjoyed this.

That sounds interesting Museum I’ll look out for that one.

49. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

I'd only previously read Strout's Amy and Isabelle (Olive Kitteridge is on my TBR pile), and I bought this so long ago that I'd forgotten any reviews I'd read and didn't know what to expect. Lucy is in hospital with a mysterious illness and is visited by her estranged mother. The novel moves very deftly between their conversations - which demonstrate deep feeling even though it is clear their relationship has never been satisfactory to either of them - and Lucy's reminiscences. There are also flashes into the future. I was very busy when I started this and wish I could have read it more in one go as I lost the flow on occasions. However, the step back did help me to appreciate how clever it was; it is pretty short, but you get an impression of Lucy's whole life through the prism of these few days with her mother. I think the emotional impact would have been greater reading it straight through, though. Definitely recommended.

[Drum roll] 50! Tonight You're Dead by Viveca Sten

The fourth book in the Sandhamn Murders series and I think my favourite so far. A rollicking good plot and more details about Thomas and Nora's lives, introduced gently rather than being shoehorned in. I liked Nora much more in this book - I felt developments in her personal life made her a less annoying character and there were some very true to life interactions with her children. Also good to see more of Margrit, whose acerbic comments I enjoy.

Phew! Made it to 50. Hoping to get to 75 before the end of the year.