50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Eight

[southeastdweller]

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

What are you reading?

27. Islands of Mercy by Rose Tremain (audiobook narrated by Katie McGrath)

Clorinda has a family heirloom of sorts which is always kept hidden away. Having come from poverty in Dublin, she moved to bath and decides to sell the necklace to fund her tea room.

The tea room becomes a place of sanctuary, where people love her cakes and she sees many things happening, the main being Jane, angel of the baths, turning down a proposal from Valentine Ross. She decided to go and spend some time with her aunt Emmeline where she meets Juliette, who soon becomes her lover and they go to Paris together.

When Jane returns she sleeps with Ross and ends up pregnant, yet continues to stay in a relationship with Juliette. Clorina’s niece Moria becomes ill and the brother wants the money from the necklace to pay for the operation, and Clorinda—now engaged to Jane’s father— offers to go out to Dublin with sir William to do the operation.

Sir William ends up giving them the money and the niece died. Clorinda takes her second niece to the place where she grew up, as she seemed neglected by her parents.

Valentine becomes suspicious after Emmeline’s death while Jane spends a lot of time in London. He realises that she is indeed having an affair and throws her down the stairs causing a miscarriage. He then takes off and goes to Borneo to find his brother.

Jane survives, Clorina’s SIL gets pregnant with a boy and they decide they hate their middle child, so she takes her back to her grandfather’s house so she can live with the nice people now residing there. They go up to the door which is wide open.

I really enjoyed this book, the contemporary style and the way it explored different cultures. Highly recommend. The audiobook was also rather soothing

pepe that is a point if you find t hard to stay focussed on audio.

Personally a lot of the time the only way I can tackle a big book is just to focus entirely on that as I get distracted and forget things I have to go for immersion. I did read Ulysses pre-kids and in a summer where I was between jobs which did help considerably!

191. The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

Continuing my run of Marian comfort reads, this is the fifth of the Walsh sisters’ books. When I first read it I wasn’t that impressed, but I enjoyed it much more this time around. I think this one was hardest as it features Helen, the youngest sister, who has already featured quite a bit in all the other books so it’s quite hard to give her her own story while staying true to the character introduced in the earlier books. I don’t think Keyes quite manages this (it feels a bit like she had an idea for a book and decided to shape that round Helen rather than starting with the character and coming up with a story specifically for her) but it’s still a good book. It’s also quite moving to read knowing that this was her first book after coming out of her severe episode of depression so a lot of it feels quite autobiographical.

now it would be ironic if the pile collapsed on me, breaking my leg, so I really did have to undertake W&P

I really love these threads

@TheNavigator I just found the imagery so powerful it swept me along and stopped me questioning the plot.

Yes to this! I thought his evocation of the ancient world - the sounds, the smells, the food, the people - was really vivid and brought it to life like nothing I've read before. It really seemed to chime with something buried deep in my brain, so I had almost a sense of deja vu when reading - this world was already familiar to me. That doesn't sound as if it makes any sense at all, sorry . (Another book that had the same effect on me, as a child, was Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence (especially the eponymous book) - it all felt so... ancient and familiar and right, as if this story was part of a world that I already knew from older stories.)

I sound like a real mystical nutter, I know! Normally, I'm a very sceptical, rational sort, without an ounce of mysticism in me, so this is all quite unusual for me. Obviously, I've been immersed in books before, but not quite like that. I guess some writers are just good at using mythology and allusions subtly, but in a way that catches at the half-remembered bits of your brain. And to a reader who happens to have the right combination of references stuck in their literary lumber rooms, the effect is startling.

Chessie I did a comfort read though of Marian Keyes last year and I think that was my least favourite. Maybe it needs a re-read some time.

Still enjoying Strike and glad it’s veeeeery long tbh as it means I don’t have to think about what to read next for a while. And Dgaf about what colour Fortnum's is, it’s fiction. (Sorry irritated by someone on Twitter this morning).

I don't think I can face another Strike novel - the last one was just too long and confusing for me and I decided not to devote hour upon hour of my life to the next one. But I am loving the TV series - that's been a great source of entertainment over the last couple of weeks.

@mackerella

now it would be ironic if the pile collapsed on me, breaking my leg, so I really did have to undertake W&P

I really love these threads

@TheNavigator I just found the imagery so powerful it swept me along and stopped me questioning the plot.

Yes to this! I thought his evocation of the ancient world - the sounds, the smells, the food, the people - was really vivid and brought it to life like nothing I've read before. It really seemed to chime with something buried deep in my brain, so I had almost a sense of deja vu when reading - this world was already familiar to me. That doesn't sound as if it makes any sense at all, sorry . (Another book that had the same effect on me, as a child, was Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence (especially the eponymous book) - it all felt so... ancient and familiar and right, as if this story was part of a world that I already knew from older stories.)

I sound like a real mystical nutter, I know! Normally, I'm a very sceptical, rational sort, without an ounce of mysticism in me, so this is all quite unusual for me. Obviously, I've been immersed in books before, but not quite like that. I guess some writers are just good at using mythology and allusions subtly, but in a way that catches at the half-remembered bits of your brain. And to a reader who happens to have the right combination of references stuck in their literary lumber rooms, the effect is startling.

@mackerella 'It really seemed to chime with something buried deep in my brain, so I had almost a sense of deja vu when reading' - yes, yes, yes. It seemed like a 'tale as old as time' - the parallels with wicked stepmothers and innocents lost in the forests and trapped princesses - stories that cross centuries have been part of all our childhood and feel like part of our DNA. Thank you - your thoughts have helped me understand why it spoke so deeply to me - because it had always been there .

Ooh thanks biblio for the 'How Not to Read W&P' tips. I bought the kindle version nearly five years ago and still haven't got round to it so I need some more excuses, keep 'em coming!

On the other hand I did finally read Ulysses earlier this year. Pepe, what worked for me was reading it in parallel with another book, but one that wasn't particularly engrossing, to stop the 'it never being the one I pick up' thing.

Three absolute crackers to add to my list:

46. Mindfxck by Christopher Wiley. Written by the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, this is a fascinating discussion of how social media can be harnessed to influence the decisions and beliefs of large groups of people. Jaw dropping. A must-read.

47. Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. This is a history of North Korea since it was partitioned from South Korea after WWII, told via the narratives of defectors. An excellent blend of personal stories while also explaining the wider historical context. Really touching and informative.

48. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. The story of Kya Clark, known as the Marsh Girl, and her life growing up in the marshes of North Carolina in the second half of the 20th century. I loved this book for its beautiful, lyrical prose. Reading it made me feel happy .

I've just started Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, and not loving it the way I did Anathem - any views (Cote, maybe?) on whether it's just a bit slow to get going but takes flight, or if it's not worth the candle?

Just playing to my strengths, tara.

I didn't like the film of 84 Charing Cross Road because I really disliked whoever the actress was playing Helene.

I seem to be going so slowly this year. Concentration span of a gnat.

19. Rosewater - Tade Thompson
20. ‘Salem’s Lot - Stephen King
21. Lexicon - Max Barry

19 Lexicon - Max Barry

A reread prompted by Cote possibly? Upthread or on the last thread. Loved it before, loved it this time. From the blurb,

“They recruited Emily from the streets. They said it was because she's good with words.
They'll live to regret it. Wil survived something he shouldn't have. But he doesn't remember it. Now they're after him and he doesn't know why. There's a word, they say. It shouldn't have got out. But it did. And they want it back...”

A cracking good read about the power of words if words had physical power. I also loved “Company” by the same author ( a surreal take on corporate office jobs.)

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Classic vampires a lá King. Tense and chilling and, aside from the slightly dull main character, I loved the massive cast of townsfolk, and the descriptions of the town were superb.

Rosewater by Tade Thompson

The blurb,

“Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless - people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its rumoured healing powers.

Kaaro is a government agent with a criminal past. He has seen inside the biodome, and doesn't care to again - but when something begins killing off others like himself, Kaaro must defy his masters to search for an answer, facing his dark history and coming to a realisation about a horrifying future.“

Nigerian-set speculative/sci-fi. I loved the ideas in this. Alien biodomes “land” in various countries around the world. But whether they have healing powers or something more sinister is unknown. (Human) Kaaro and others like him can access the xenosphere to read minds and more. There are aliens! Occasional unnecessary erections! 2 x mentions of magnificent breasts! (for the spreadsheet). The only thing I could gripe about is the constant back and forth in time periods as I had to keep going backing and checking what had happened when. More a problem with my brain than the writing though.

57. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

Mrs Mehra’s hunt for a suitable boy to marry her daughter, Lata. Lata is a university student in early 1950s India and quite happy to be unmarried. However, Mrs Mehra has just successfully married off Lata’s elder sister, Savita, so she is the next target. Whilst the story follows Lata and the boy she falls in love with, the man her mother selects and the family friend who falls for her - not all of whom are necessarily suitable - it also follows family relationships. Lata’s elder brother, Arun, is married to Meenakshi Chatterjee. They are a very anglicised couple and she is from a respected Calcutta family and has four siblings including Amit who starts to take an interest in Lata. Savita has married Pran, the son of a local politician, Mahesh Kapoor. Pran’s younger brother, Maan, is good looking, hedonistic and lacks direction and causes lots of concern for his family but is, to an extent, grounded by his friend, Firoz. However, there is little Firoz can do when Maan falls in love with the local courtesan, Saeeda Bai.

Whilst nominally the story of Mrs Mehra’s hunt for a husband for Lata it encompasses religious differences, the post-British political landscape, family relationships, generational and cultural issues.

It is VERY long but I did feel fully immersed in the characters and their relationships although can’t comment on how realistic a depiction it is of India at that time. An enjoyable read.

64. Full Circle - Michael Palin (Audible)

The ex- parrot Python travels round the Pacific rim, being a perfect English gent to everyone's face and bitching about the hotel amenities behind their backs. A trip down memory lane that was very good for housework and not needing to pay too much attention.

65. The Orphan Choir - Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah makes a brief detour into ghost stories to show why she should stick to thrillers. This novella uses most of its short space to cover a (not at all scary) noisy neighbour dispute. May well be my stinker of the year if nothing stinkier comes along.

59 Faith and Beauty Jane Thynne Actress of German and British parentage spies on Nazi inner circle for the British in Berlin just before second world war is declared. Undemanding read with large dollop of romance.

Agree that The Orphan Choir was a poor effort, Idiom.

Sadik - "I've just started Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, and not loving it the way I did Anathem - any views (Cote, maybe?) on whether it's just a bit slow to get going but takes flight, or if it's not worth the candle?"

Don't give up! Diamond Age is one of NS's best books, full to the brim with amazing ideas. I absolutely loved it and read it at least 5 times. I was thinking I'm due a reread, actually.

Remus - "I love Breakfast at T's. I fear you and I are going to be almost as divided as Cote and I"

... except that Cote would never even read a book called Breakfast at Tiffany's

196. The Exiles - Christina Baker Kline Set in the mid 1800s, a disgraced governess is sent to Newgate prison pending judgement. Sentenced to 14 years after transportation to Australia, she is sent on a repurposed slave ship to meet her fate. Others she meets onboard will have a major impact on her life. Meanwhile in Australia, a displaced Aboriginal girl is adopted by British settlers, despite her parents still being alive.

This was very competent and compelling historical fiction and gave me a completely new insight into some of the elements of the colonisation of Australia that I had no idea about and had never considered.

197. A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom - John Boyne Follows the fate of one immediate family, only each chapter takes place in a different era and civilisation. The backdrop moves from 1AD to modern day with the details evolving slightly to fit the age.

This is quite cleverly done and you soon get used to the shifting details. If you like JB then I think you will love this even though it's unlike most of his work. Sadly the last 2 chapters simply don't fit in with the rest and ruined it a little for me.

198. Daddy - Emma Cline A series of short stories depicting the treatment of women by men in modern society. The stories are presented without comment and left for the reader to consider for themselves. They felt a little unfinished for me with no real resolution or conclusion to any of them. While I can see these were very well written, something didn't quite chime with me and I can't claim to have enjoyed it, or really appreciate it. They were all quite dark, I think it will stick with me for a while though, so maybe the aim was to leave the reader slightly uncomfortable? I wanted to like it more than I did.

Thanks Cote, I'll stick with it. I think I just loved Anathem so much right from page one, it was always going to be hard to live up to (possibly because living in a cloistered math spending my time growing vegetables and discussing philosophy and books would suit me down to the ground )

Cote - Tiffany's is unusual in that the whole novel is built on the narrator's feelings, but it's largely a character observation rather than feelings-driven. You are probably right that you'd dislike it, but I suspect it's actually a very different book to the one you imagine it to be.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie

I didn't like the film of 84 Charing Cross Road because I really disliked whoever the actress was playing Helene.

Anne Bancroft. IIRC the nightmare TV interview she did with Wogan was to publicise 84 Charing Cross Road.

123. The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

Former boxers Blanchard and Bleichert are paired together as detectives. They catch the case of a brutal murder of a young girl caught up in prostitution and porn. As leads reach dead ends, both cops become obsessed with the case, but is their friendship entirely what it seems?

The beginning of the quartet that includes LA Confidential this is set in the late 40's, but has that 50's Gumshoe 'dames and broads' vernacular thing going down.

Thought I would like it more than I actually did, never felt "in" the book and felt like I was going through the motions with it on a surface level.

Meh.

55. Tell it to the Bees by Fiona Shaw

Lydia works in a factory and is in an unhappy marriage. Her thoughtful, sensitive pre-teen son Charlie makes friends with the local, single female doctor, Jean. After the marriage breaks down, Lydia and Jean become closer and...yes, you know where this is going. Set in the 50s, this book was well written but (as with Expectation, which I reviewed on an earlier thread this year), for me, it all felt as though I'd seen it all before. Although I haven't read many books about forbidden same sex relationships in the 50s so I'm not entirely sure why! It was fine, easy to read, I enjoyed it, but at the end I felt a bit meh. I also found the dialogue stilted in places. Some lovely descriptive passages, though. And actually, the moment of revelation to Jean's best friend was well done.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

This was my least favourite of the series, when I read it first I thought it far too long, rambling and quite dull and was not looking forward to reading it to ds. But in a surprise switcheroo, I actually thought it was great! Moving, with a huge involving story and loads of characters, but nothing that happens in the end doesn’t have its roots somewhere in the beginning, and it felt a lot more pulled together and coherent than I remembered. It covers an awful lot of ground, but my ds wasn’t bored and nor was I. The beginning takes its time to get going, but there is a full circle feeling to the end and lots of moments where an offhand mention becomes important later on. The character stuff is very good as well, the way Harry’s eyes are opened to the flaws in his loved ones, and gets a glimpse into the idea that the people you don’t like can still be complex, worthy of sympathy, and capable of good things, is really at the heart of the series as a whole. Rowling carefully lays out where Harry has come from and where he’s got to go, and took her time doing it, so everything was set for the big push home of the final two books, and this time around, I didn’t begrudge a page of it. This may well be the difference between reading them as a young adult and reading them alongside their intended audience, an absolutely rapt 9 year old child, with whom you can then have discussions about good and evil, life and death, love and loss, Ron and Hermione, as you go along.