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?

Book 40. Foxes Unearthed by Lucy Jones

Continues my foray this year into non-fiction nature writing. Described as ‘a story of love and loathing in modern Britain‘ the book describes our relationship with foxes through history. Covers the myths and truths of fox behavior, how foxes have shaped our rural landscapes and divided communities and explores its appearance in literature and language.

Quite a dense read, it covers a lot of ground in detail. A well researched and thorough investigation of one of our most admired and vilified wild animals.

betts, any chance you did put your kindle in your handbag and it has fallen into a pocket or inside the lining? I 'lost' some earphones this way and was really cross until they just reappeared in an inside pocket of my bag.

No, it's not on charge and not down the lining of my bag, we have one charger cable and that's in the usb charger socket. My 'handbag' such as it is is an unlined canvas bag. I suspect I put it on a box lid in the bathroom as I went to do my teeth and it's somehow got knocked down the side and is now under the shelf in the boiler cupboard, removal of which means removing a wall of tiles and dealing with several irate 🕷. I didn't realise until today that there is a kindle width gap down the side of the shelf The tiles I can cope with, the 🕷 not so much. That or removing the shelf and sending dd to face the spiders. Actually, she does need to tidy her room so I may just have found the incentive 😂

Anyone looking at the Booker List? I’ve hear of dangerously few which probably means I’ll get tempted by lots of them. Pleased to see Such a Fun Age made the cut. I read it in 2 sittings and loved it but thought it might be too light in style for them. I do think it’s a bit odd that Lee Child is a judge.

I have literally heard of two of them!

I didn’t realise Tsitsi Dangarembga has written a third book in her trilogy. The first is one of my favourite books, she’s a great writer.

Surprised to see Such A Fun Age there too, nice to see comedy taken seriously. And the Anne Tyler I just reviewed, also deceptively lighthearted.

Also I’ve had All these Hills are Gold on my wishlist for a month or two, this is the first year I’ve recognised so many of them, I usually only end up reading the winner, and not even that last year.

I've heard of three of the authors, I think the Tyler book has been mentioned on here?

I have only heard of 3 of the Booker long list, and have read none of them!

It's disappointing that nine of the authors are all USA authors, can't they find worthwhile texts from the UK ?

Putting Mantel on the list yet again just feels deeply unimaginative.

I fancy two on there - the Hills are Gold one, and one called something to do with Wilderness.

I do think it is better than most recently written books, though! She is a far superior writer to many.

I did like Hamnet, mind.Nowhere to be seen.

of the long list I've only read The Mirror and the Light and Such a Fun Age, both of which I loved. I think it's good to see something lighter in tone on the list, and although it's very funny it wasn't without substance.

I'm on the fence over the inclusion of Mantel. I adored The Mirror in the Light, even commenting to DH the other day that it's ruined the rest of my year's reading as little else is as good. It made Hamnet for example seem a little thin. However, it is in essence just more of the same - great for me as I'm a fan, but I think perhaps the prize should be more forward-looking.

I know Mantel is not for everyone, but I am savouring TMATL and a third of the way through it is head and shoulders above most others I’ve read this year. If the prize is meant to be for the best book written in the year in English - harder to argue why it wouldn’t be in the running at least imo. It is technically very impressive.

The majority of the rest of the list is made up of debut authors - about 7 or 8?

I also think The Wilderness one looks good and Shadow King looks interesting.

I really enjoyed the Anne Tyler.

Looking forward to seeing the others crop up on here as people start reviewing them

Good luck with lost Kindle. Mine is often found in bed, under the pillows

I just saw that Mantel's TMATL is a Wolf Hall sequel. Considering how infuriating I found WH with its gimmicky, incomprehensible prose, I won't be touching TMAtL with a 10-foot pole

Once in a hotel in Ireland, DP's kindle was on top of the suitcase on a unit that covered one wall, with the tv built in etc. I opened the suitcase and the kindle fell down the tiny crack between the unit and the wall. Being six months pregnant, naturally I burst into floods of tears.

The kind staff basically dismantled the room to get it out again

Have now read The Ninth Child , Sally Magnusson's second novel.

As I have said before, my interesting in reading her first book The Sealwoman's Gift arose from the fact that I went to school with the Magnusson girls for a short time , and very much remember her sisters, Maggie and Anne. I enjoyed The Sealwoman's Gift, as have many on the thread. She is a very very accomplished writer.

This one might be a more acquired taste as it has elements of Celtic fairytale and folklore in it . The author's note at the end is very illuminating and interesting. Magnusson deploys about 5 different voices, all really well done but most especially that of Prince Albert who, unfortunately disappears maybe 2/3 of the way through. The most irritating voice is possibly that of the faery taken Robert Kirke, but this is more interesting when you read the note at the end.
The novel does have a fair bit of Scots in it and is set chiefly in the Trossachs and concerns the building of pipes and tunnels to pipe water into a growing Glasgow. It ahs a dramtic last 50 pages or so which tumble along.

I do really recommend Sally Magnusson as a writer : this has a bit of a Jane Harris style perhaps.

I love Mantel but I really don’t want her to win again. Her book has sold so many copies it would be great to give some press to someone else as a quick search of news articles from yesterday’s announcement show she is getting all of the coverage already.

I like the look of Who They Was, The Shadow King and Shuggie Bain so far.

Here's the full Booker longlist for anyone that wants it:

Diane Cook - The New Wilderness
Tsitsi Dangarembga - This Mournable Body
Avni Doshi - Burnt Sugar
Gabriel Krauze - Who They Was
Hilary Mantel - The Mirror & The Light
Colum McCann - Apeirogon
Maaza Mengiste - The Shadow King
Kiley Reid - Such a Fun Age
Brandon Taylor - Real Life
Anne Tyler - Redhead by The Side of The Road
Douglas Stuart - Shuggie Bain
Sophie Ward - Love and Other Thought Experiments
C Pam Zhang - How Much of These Hills is Gold

I'm not that grabbed by many of them, tbh. I will probably read the Mantel and Tyler ones anyway, and am (cautiously) interested in This Mournable Body (although it sounds as if I should read Nervous Conditions first?), Who They Was (I used to live in Kilburn!), The Shadow King, Such a Fun Age and Love and Other Thought Experiments.

Nervous Conditions is a great book. The second I was not so taken with, and heard this third is in the second person so, hmm.

@Piggywaspushed

Have now read The Ninth Child , Sally Magnusson's second novel.

As I have said before, my interesting in reading her first book The Sealwoman's Gift arose from the fact that I went to school with the Magnusson girls for a short time , and very much remember her sisters, Maggie and Anne. I enjoyed The Sealwoman's Gift, as have many on the thread. She is a very very accomplished writer.

This one might be a more acquired taste as it has elements of Celtic fairytale and folklore in it . The author's note at the end is very illuminating and interesting. Magnusson deploys about 5 different voices, all really well done but most especially that of Prince Albert who, unfortunately disappears maybe 2/3 of the way through. The most irritating voice is possibly that of the faery taken Robert Kirke, but this is more interesting when you read the note at the end.
The novel does have a fair bit of Scots in it and is set chiefly in the Trossachs and concerns the building of pipes and tunnels to pipe water into a growing Glasgow. It ahs a dramtic last 50 pages or so which tumble along.

I do really recommend Sally Magnusson as a writer : this has a bit of a Jane Harris style perhaps.

PIggy I am so looking forward to reading The Ninth Child as I loved her previous book. No sign of the kindle, the bed has been pulled apart (it's usually under the pillows) and I've exhausted all sensible possibilities now.

Second Sleep by Robert Harris

This has a slightly different feel than other Robert Harris books, in fact quite Shardlake-y. Set in a medieval past where everything isn’t quite as it seems, Harris meditates on the nature and the future of civilisation, through the window of the present. An entertaining read, propulsive towards the end, and a clever premise, but I felt it showed its hand a little early on and I was hoping for a few more twists and turns along the way. It will get passed around the family though, like all his books. I don’t get on with crime or thrillers very much, but his books seem to hit a sweet spot for me somewhere in the middle.

I think the Booker longlist looks really interesting. I will try and read a few of them, for sure.

I'm probably most curious about How Much of These Hills is Gold as I enjoy a good contemporary take on the Western theme. I love Anne Tyler so happy to see Redhead by The Side of The Road longlisted, although I haven't read it yet.

I think Mantel was a bit of a foregone conclusion. I liked Wolf Hall very much but haven't read the next 2 in the series, although they are on my tbr list. I will be surprised if she doesn't win tbh.

Have you tried praying to St Anthony yet betty?