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?

39. The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen

I bought this last year from a charity shop and didn’t get round to reading it. I’ve never read any of B Pollens books before.

Set in the remote Outer Hebrides the story opens in 1979 with an escaped tame grizzly bear, three siblings in exile and the mysterious death of their father. Albe, Jamie and Georgie are being transported to a new home, then isolated and increasingly abandoned to their own devices among the tight knit islanders in their wild cliff top home.

Following the demise of her diplomat husband, ‘lost’ and disgraced in mysterious circumstances, Letty Fleming relocates her three children from Cold War Bonn to the remote Scottish island to escape diplomat life. Young Jamie, whose brilliant mind is concealed by his apparent inability to read or write, is convinced that his father will return and find him. Persecuted relentlessly by hate filled Albe, he focuses only on finding both the mythical bear and his Dada.

Meanwhile, like a fairytale beast, the escaped bear stalks the periphery of the children’s imagination, a Cold War ghost in a beautiful but unforgiving Scottish landscape.

An unexpectedly absorbing and haunting tale, I really enjoyed this and would recommend.

Lots of reviews to catch up on:

50. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

I'm a big AP fan and this did not disappoint. The beautifully portrayed relationship between siblings Maeve and Danny who are exiled from their family home .. their complicated feelings about their parents and what has happened are well explored in AP's clear effortless prose.

51. Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield.

Not great literature but atmospheric and readable. A young girl rescued from a river, who does not speak and is claimed by three separate families. An element of magic realism which - for me - the story might have been better without.

52. Quicksand by Nella Larsen.

A semi-autobiographical novella, short but dealing with so many issues relating to race. Helga Crane had an African-American father and a Danish mother and does not feel she fully belongs to either culture. She moves back and forth between countries and how she is received and perceived in both is interestingly explored. I felt there was a suppressed rage in Helga which became self-destructive at times. First published in 1928 but still feeling very relevant today. Thanks to the PP who recommended this book.

53. Fierce Bad Rabbits by Clare Pollard

Mentioned often on this thread. An analysis of children's picture books. I really enjoyed revisiting books from my own childhood as well as many I'd read time and time again to my own children without necessarily thinking about them (the Mr Men books for instance) very deeply.
It did make me question my own preferences when choosing children's books. There were some which I really liked but changed the words slightly. In The Tiger Who Came To Tea I got unreasonably irritated by Daddy's beer and Daddy's tea so I doctored the text . There were some like Princess Smartypants which had a clear agenda. And there were others that came into the house which I tried to mislay asap. Flower Fairies anyone?
I was delighted that CP included Peepo, my all-time favourite book for babies, which I could recite off by heart even now. And it was great to revisit Dogger and all the Alfie and Annie Rose books by Shirley Hughes, as well as the Naughty Little Sister ones.
I found this a thought-provoking book, particularly in relation to what my mum chose to read to us. She absolutely refused to have any Noddy books in the house. If she was still alive I would love to ask why. It might have been because of the "bad golliwogs" although she never gave a reason. As liberal parents who'd worked in education in Africa my parents were keen for us to learn about children from different cultures, however in those days the choice of books was very limited (and nowadays would be found unacceptable for lots of reasons). So reflecting on what the author had to say about the Helen Bannerman series of books was really interesting too.
I rarely read non-fiction but this was an enjoyable exception.

That sounds interesting JollyYella.

I met Bella Pollen when she came to our local independent bookshop to talk about Midnight Cactus. It was a really good evening.

I love the Hebrides - what a great setting for an atmospheric novel. Might have to add that one to the pile.

I managed to miss the last thread completely due to work and family pressures. Just been catching up, enjoying the reviews and making a list of what I want to read.

My updated list:

1. Missing by Karin Altvegen
2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
3. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Attwood
5. To the Land of Long Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
6. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
7. Circe by Madeline Miller
8. Girl Woman Other by Bernadine Evaristo
9. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

10. Those People by Louise Candlish 11. The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali 12. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Duerr 13. Tidelands Philippa Gregory 14. To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee 15. Song of Achilles Madeline Miller 16. The Storyteller Jodi Picoult 17. I Capture the Castle Dodie Smith 18. Rebecca Daphne du Maurier 19. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier 20. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 21. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker 22. The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen 23. A Distant View of Everything by Alexander McCall Smith 24. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri 25. Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore 26. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves 27. Legacy by Yrsa Sigurdadottir 29. White Nights by Ann Cleeves 30. The Reckoning by Yrsa Sigurdadottir 31. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves 32 Absolution by Yrsa Sigurdadottir

I tried the first of the Ann Cleeves Shetland series having seen it praised on these threads and have enjoyed them so far. I like the character of detective Jimmy Perez and the different setting so I'll probably carry on with the series.

Yrsa Sigurdadottir is described as 'the queen of Icelandic crime' and I fancied reading something set in a different place and culture. The three I've read are a series featuring detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja. These are cleverly plotted, a bit grisly in places and do involve children, hence Freyja's role, so don't read if this is likely to be upsetting.

I rather like those Yrsa Sigurdardottir books too Kate. Iceland seems to produce good crime writers for some reason.

I've bought (on Kindle) another Icelandic one, 'Snow Blind' by Ragnar Jonasson and am currently in Sweden with 'Midwinter Sacrifice' by Mons Kallentoft, the first in a series with a female lead, Malin Fors. Nordic crime seems to be popular just now.

@PepeLePew

None of this does anything to make me less nervous about reading TTOD. I’m going to stick with Betts in the refusers corner. Better not to join in than to join in and get it wrong

I hate to tell you this Pepe but...so far so good.

yella I really enjoyed The summer and the bear too.

I've just finished Olive, again by Elizabeth Strout which I snapped up a few days ago on KDD. It's the sequel to Olive Kitteridge.

I really, really enjoyed this; more than I remember enjoying Olive Kitteridge even though it follows the same premise. Olive is the key character but each chapter introduces another person from the town of Crosby, Maine and there is always a link to Olive. In some ways, each chapter reads almost like a stand alone short story, but it is beautifully written with much humanity and such insight into human nature. Olive herself has to be one of the most endearing literary characters I've ever come across. Definitely one to keep and reread time after time.

Thanks for the new thread @southeast

1. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
2. Bookwormby Lucy Mangan.
3. Educated by Tara Westover.
4. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
5. Finding Jenifer Jones by Anne Cassidy

6. The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer. 7. Me by Elton John.

1. Black Car Burning by Helen Mort.
2. The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein.

10. Conviction by Denise Mina. 11. In The Woods by Tana French. 12. when the wind Blows by Raymond Briggs. 13. Girl, women, other by Bernadine Evaristo. 14. Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg. 15. Dominicana by Angie Cruz. 16. Wolf hall by Hillary Mantel 17. Blue Monday by Nicci French 18. Its not ok to feel blue (and other lies) by Scarlett Curtis. 19. Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth. 20. Bridget Jones’ Diary Helen Fielding. 21. Bring Up the Bodies Hilary Mantel. 22. A thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes. 23. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanan. 24. The Stand by Stephen King. 25 Vox by Christina Dalcher. 26. Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala. 27. The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargreaves. I missed reviewing this book about a Norwegian coastal village where most men are killed in a Christmas storm. I found this pretty dull and whiny. 28. The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History of 9/11. By Garrett Graff. 29. Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. 30. -35 Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton.

36. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Voung. Voung is a Vietnamese American Poet and this is his first novel. It’s semi autobiographical and is an experimental epistolary novel written as a letter to his mum. The catch being having sacrificed so much to bring him to America following the Vietnam war she never learnt to read. Voung must navigate childhood translating for his mother and grandmother and these challenges and his experience coming out and the complexities of a gay relationship in a less than supportive American town with added addiction battles. There’s definitely a good story in there somewhere. There are some poignant scenes. I especially found the juxtaposition of writing to your parent sharing graphic details of your (sex) life well done. But I really struggled to get properly into the narrative. It was too much on the experimental side for me. 80% poetry 20% narrative isn’t a ratio I enjoy and I found some of the word play a little cheesey.
37. Such a fun age by Kiley Reid. Emira is struggling with her identity, 26 about to lose her parents insurance and still yet to find a proper job she is babysitting regularly for a privileged family. Emira is black and the family is white so when she is filmed being accused of kidnapping her charge in a convenience store there is a lot of fall out. I read this in two sittings. A great story with multifaceted characters.

Hoping to review Afropean by Johny Pits soon which was recommended here. Really enjoying it.

Thanks for the new thread southeast. I had trouble keeping up with you all on the previous one.

Here's my list:

1. The Hunting Party – Lucy Foley
2. The Unexpected Joy of being Sober – Catherine Gray
3. Ta deuxième vie commence quand tu comprends que tu n’en as qu’une – Raphaëlle Giordano
4. L’élégance du hérisson – Muriel Barbery
5. Three things about Elsie – Joanna Cannon
6. Restoration – Rose Tremain
7. The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth – William Boyd
8. The girl you left behind – Jojo Moyes
9. Antigone – Jean Anouilh
10. The Light Years – Elizabeth Jane Howard
11. Scissors, Paper, Stone – Elizabeth Day
12. Standard Deviation – Katherine Heiny
13. Behind the scenes at the museum – Kate Atkinson
14. The Well-Kept Kitchen – Gervase Markham
15. The Passion of Artemisia – Susan Vreeland
16. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
17. Marking Time – Elizabeth Jane Howard
18. Smoke gets in your eyes – Caitlin Doughty
19. American Heart – Laura Moriarty
20. Sing, Unburied, Sing – Jesmyn Ward
21. An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
22. Beloved – Toni Morrison
23. Ultimate Care – J M Farmer
24. Still Alice – Lisa Genova
25. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens

Currently reading Transcription by Kate Atkinson and enjoying it much more than I did Behind the scenes at the museum earlier this year.

Just discovered this thread and want to join to encourage me to read more and watch less Netflix. So marking my place.

I can’t remember a lot of what I have read (think they were pretty insignificant). Currently reading two books...Commander in Cheat by Rick Reilly and Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala.

I’m terrible at having bouts of hitting the download button my Kindle so perhaps joining this thread will give me the push to get through some of my purchases!

Hello, Sully, lovely to have you. I wish I could say that this thread helped me reign in my book buying habit but if anything it’s made it worse. On the plus side it does encourage me to get through what I buy slightly quicker than I would otherwise but I think on balance my to read pile gets bigger not smaller because of this thread. But nonetheless it is my favourite corner of the Internet.

Hi, Sully. I agree withPepe that you've found your way to the best bit of the internet. Here's to lots of happy reading!

Welcome Sully! Since joining this thread I have started reading my Kindle books (largely) in order of purchase and that has really helped me push through my backlog rather than giving up and buying something "easier". Looking forward to reading about your discoveries.

Welcome Sully agree with Pepe that this thread has not been particularly good for my bank balance but has definitely increased the amount that I read.

Latest review below, updated list to follow.

36. After Midnight – Irmgard Keun

I picked this up following a positive review on here – thank you to whoever recommended it; this was a great short read.

Set in 1930’s Frankfurt, nineteen year old Sanna just wants to enjoy life and go out drinking with her friends. This clever and perceptive book conveys perfectly the sensation of a nation on the brink of moving from being one thing to becoming another, the uncertainty, the feeling of shifting sands as Hitler’s ascendancy continues apace.

For example, Sanna and her friend Gerti discuss clothes and boys during their night out, which is then rudely interrupted by an impromptu visit by Hitler himself blocking the roads and causing chaos. She is concerned about the crush her married friend Liska has developed on an unsuitable man, described against a backdrop of friends, neighbours and even family members being encouraged to spy on each other with devastating consequences and how the “non-Ayran” writers she knows find themselves unable to publish work, or earn a living.

Interesting, funny and chilling all at the same time. Recommended.

Here's my updated list for the new thread.

1. Anatomy of a Scandal – Sarah Vaughan
2. Childhood: The Copenhagen Trilogy 1 – Tove Ditlevsen
3. Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi
4. Animal Farm – George Orwell
5. Hazards of Time Travel – Joyce Carol Oates
6. Ghost Wall – Sarah Moss
7. Florida – Lauren Groff
8. This is Pleasure –Mary Gaitskill
9. Only Killers and Thieves – Paul Howarth
10. Milkman – Anna Burns
11. Ladder of Years – Anne Tyler
12. Youth: The Copenhagen Trilogy 2 – Tove Ditlevsen
13. Motherwell – Deborah Orr
14. The Nickel Boys – Colson Whitehead
15. The Five – Haillie Rubenhold
16. Slack-Tide – Elanor Dymot
17. Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel
18. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
19. A Thousand Moons – Sebastian Barry
20. The Garden of Evening Mists – Tan Twan Eng
21. Down and Out in Paris and London – George Orwell
22. Trust Exercise – Susan Choi
23. Amnesty – Aravind Adiga
24. Hurricane Season – Fernanda Melchor
25. The Gathering – Anne Enright
26. Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
27. Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys – Viv Albertine
28. Lost Children Archive – Valeria Luiselli
29. Slouching Towards Bethlehem – Joan Didion
30. Dependency: The Copenhagen Trilogy 3 – Tove Ditlevsen
31. On Chapel Sands – Laura Cumming
32. Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
33. Invisible Women : Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men – Caroline Criado Perez
34. My Face for the World to See – Alfred Hayes
35. Girl, Woman, Other – Bernadine Evaristo
36. After Midnight – Irmgard Keun

And currently reading Blue in Chicago a collection of short stories by Bette Howland and listening to Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell.

Welcome sully - we are most of us fruitlessly trying to clear our tbr whilst undoing it all with Kindle binges so you have found your people

Welcome Sully
I'm having a bit of a dip now after a run of great reads. I've just given up on The Places In Between by Rory Stewart, about his walk through Afghanistan. It's a real shame, as it should be fascinating, but it really isn't. I think the best travel writers have a lot in common with good journalists, in terms of a real interest in people & an ability to draw them out, and Stewart just doesn't seem to have that touch, nor an ability to draw you in to the surroundings / nature.

Hello Sully - since joining this thread I have increased my reading massively and read more widely but I have also ended up with TBR piles next to my bed and on my kindle.

47. First Term at Malory Towers - Enid Blyton

Had to re-read this having watched the TV series to remind myself what was in the book and what was added for TV. An enjoyable trip down memory lane.

Onto Magpie Lane following recommendations on here.

@SatsukiKusakabe

Welcome sully - we are most of us fruitlessly trying to clear our tbr whilst undoing it all with Kindle binges so you have found your people

I resent any suggestion that I resemble that remark even if it is 100% accurate

Welcome Sully, Satsuki has described us well.

My TBR list only ever gets bigger

Welcome Sully

Hi Sully, this thread has not done anything for my tbr list and now I'm considering buying a kindle

32. Last orders by Graham Swift

This won the Booker price in 1996 and it was ok. A group of older men travel from London to margate to scatter their recently deceased friends ashes. The story is told throughout by each of the group as they look back at their friendship and life.

There seems to be a fair few British books about which are 'old white men look back at their unremarkable life' and im bored with this concept now. This one was nicely written and at least the men were working class but it ultimately added nothing for me.

33. Literary Landscapes by various and edited by John Sutherland.

A coffee table book with great illustrations which looks at books where the setting is integral to the plot. Examples include les miserables, the age of innocence, the master and margarita, the shadow of the wind and the illuminaries.

Ive enjoyed dipping in and out of this and have added lots ri my tbr list

59. Big Fat Lies by Hannah Sutter

Subtitled “Is Your Government Making You Fat” , this book looks at government guidelines for healthy eating, and the evidence behind it. The author is firmly in the low-carb camp. The writing style is very accessible and easy to read.

60. The Migration by Helen Marshall

Set against a background of climate change and ever worsening storms and flooding, a mysterious immune disorder, Juvenile Idiopathic Immunodeficiency Syndrome (JI2) has begun to afflict young people across the world.
When Sophie’s younger sister, Kira, is diagnosed, Sophie’s mother takes the girls to live with their Aunt Irene near a centre specialising in treating JI2. But mortality rates keep climbing, and soon there’s reports that the dead aren’t staying dead.

This was a good read - beautifully written, unsettling, thoughtful, and ultimately hopeful.

Thanks for the welcome all.

A few I have read so far this year, also excuse my basic reviews, sure they will get better with time.

1. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr

Set in Germany in the 1930s, this semi autobiography tells the story of a young Jewish girl and her family leaving Germany as Hitler comes into power. It’s an easy read and probably more suited for the younger generation getting an intro into this era but is also good at making you think about those who did make it out rather than stay and end up in the camps and so forth.

1. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick. An autobiography, interesting and quirky but not life changing.

Thank you for the new thread @southeastdweller. Hello @Sully84
45 Bitter Orange Claire Fuller
For reasons lost to me now I seem to have collected a number of books on the same theme.: socially isolated woman in a crumbling mansion who is befriended by people who use her for their own ends, with tragic consequences.. I’m done with misery, jealousy and ruined lives but this one did have some good writing and the setting was vividly described. Fortunately my local library opens next week so I can have some variety!