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?

Has anyone read the thriller The Prized Girl, about the murder of a beauty pageant kid? Not bad, but the ending is totally infuriating!

180. The Women of the Cousins’ War by Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin and Michael Jones

Non fiction released to tie in with Gregory’s fiction series about the Cousins’ War (later known as the Wars of the Roses). This includes short biographies of Jacquetta, her daughter Elizabeth Woodville who married Edward IV, and Margaret Beaufort who was the mother of Henry VII. Ok for the background of the events of that time.

39. Girl by Edna O'Brien
'I was a girl once, but not any more'
Maryam is a girl abducted by an unnamed group of men in an unnamed country. She is taken for their use as a facility for soldiers, including the relative security of a short marriage. After her husband is disabled, there is a chance for escape.

Oh my God. This is one of the most extraordinary novels I've ever read. It's hallucinatory, haunting, brutal. I know O'brien has been famous for decades but I still feel as if she is underrated.

PermanentTemporary I loved Girl, I was really disappointed it didn't make the Women's Prize shortlist.

Speaking of which, the winner will be announced on the 9th.

I'm amazed Girl didn't win the Booker, or is the timing wrong - next year? It's head and shoulders above most other things I've resd this year.

It's been out about a year so I think it's missed out. Shame, as it is a very good book.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit
I know! It was making my blood boil too

61. Expectation - Anna Hope

Three friends in their mid-thirties find that their lives have not turned out the way they expected in this brilliant study of motherhood, friendships and female desire. Hard-working Hannah has everything she deserves - London flat, husband, career - except the child she longs her. Cate struggles as a new mother isolated in Kent after a shotgun wedding, and Lissa hangs on in the house they all shared in their twenties while her dreams of an acting career slip through her fingers.

I think this had such a strong impact on me because I'm essentially at the same life stage at these women, and it was like an uncanny (and sometimes even uncomfortable) mirror being held up to my own inner life. Like Cate, I've left my young adulthood in London behind and am temporarily a housewife in the Home Counties; I identified with her sense of being outside the stream of her own existence: 'But what if this isn't my life?'

The importance of not losing yourself in motherhood was a key theme which really chimed with me, but I can see that if you aren't at this life stage, the novel wouldn't have the same impact. It's not perfect: it's over-full, especially at the start, of its own importance in depicting the experience of a generation. The constant use of the food as a class marker is also irksome: Hannah is middle class now because she buys monkfish medallions from the fishmonger, but her parents clearly haven't achieved upward social mobility because they're still eating chocolate biscuits from Aldi.

Still, this is definitely one of the highlights of the year for me - almost 5/5.

I honestly didn't know Edna O'Brien was still alive/writing. have added Girl to my list!

Sympathy to everyone going through a hard time. Hope things begin to get less bleak.

Update:
92. Clouds of Witness, Dorothy Sayers
The first Peter Wimsey. I found myself gazing with a cold eye on his witterings, although I enjoyed his sister's ill-fated romance a bit more. I haven't read the full series, but I prefer it when the focus is on female characters as in Gaudy Night.

93. Bad Mother's Diary, Suzy K Quinn
Woman has baby, finds baby daddy useless, goes home to quirky family, finds handsome new love interest. Deeply derivative and predictable, but mildly amusing.

94. Too Close to Breathe, Olivia Kiernan
Dublin-set police procedural. Mildly unpleasant without being horribly graphic. Doesn't conjure up a strong sense of Dublin and overall fairly unmemorable. A pale imitation of Tana French ( who has a new one out in November).

Currently reading two wildly contrasting books: Dopesick, by Beth Macy about the horrors of the opioid crisis in the US, and Miss Bunting, by Angela Thirkell about the horror of having to interact socially with someone from a lower class.

Catching up on this - sympathy and thoughts for anyone having a tough time. This has been such a miserable year.

I’m behind on reviews and racking up more for the TBR list reading all of your reviews. I may cheat slightly by saying that book 75 was Magpie Lane and I agree with Ella that it was actually pretty good, as these things go so I may just piggy back on her review. A few loose ends irritated me (why did the story put so much emphasis on Dee being a mathematician when it didn’t actually make much difference to the plot in the end?) but I enjoyed it enough to be forgiving of that.

82 The Sugared Game by KJ Charles

Sequel to Slippery Creatures which I read earlier in the year. Pastiche 20s pulp - soldier-turned-bookseller Will Darling and disgraced aristocrat and spy Lord Arthur 'Kim' Secretan battle gangland thugs & discover plots that hit unexpectedly close to home.

Thoroughly enjoyable, this particularly reminded me of Orwell's plea (in his essay 'Boys' Weeklies') for popular reading with a left slant. It has all the joys of the best trash reading, but with a diverse cast & no need to mentally compartmentalise & ignore terrible attitudes (I still love Heyer's Devil's Cub though ).

to everyone on the thread who is having a difficult time at the moment. I do hope things gradually start to get a little more bearable.

On the subject of Girl, this book was one of my reads of the year in 2019. It's one that really stayed with me after I read it. I think it's probably one of her best books and completely under rated. I remember recommending it to everyone IRL last year.

45. American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins

I ordered this from my library in January (!) and had pretty much forgotten about it when I got an email about of the blue recently inviting me to come and collect it. Was it worth the wait? Yes and no.

This book is the very definition of a page turner; unapologetically plot driven, it’s a propulsive read full of exciting twists and turns which completely pulled me in. I read this in about 3 days, reading while I was eating, while I was waiting for the kettle to boil or for the washing machine to stop spinning…you get the general idea. It has a cinematic quality to it and I’m not at all surprised to see that the film rights have already been snapped up.

For most of the novel I thought Cummins' characterisation was very effective. For example, I felt emotionally invested in the characters immediately. The central protagonist is a book loving middle class Mum, so for me very relatable. The plot felt horrifyingly believable until suddenly, as the novel builds towards a conclusion, it didn’t. Without revealing spoilers I can’t really say why, but I no longer felt quite so immersed in the book and became more aware of its artifice and weaknesses.

For me, this book lacked the complexity or depth to make it a truly satisfying read. Having said that, if you want a fast paced, engrossing story with characters you can really get behind then this is for you. I can definitely see why it has become a best seller. Despite its flaws, Cummins succeeds in humanising the migrant story and if this book makes one person change their mind about Trump’s stance on immigration and the treatment of refugees, then job done.

46. On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey – Paul Theroux

My first Paul Theroux. I listened to this on Audible and found it thought provoking, surprising and entertaining. It was interesting to read this alongside American Dirt as it gave the latter some context, and filled in some of the gaps with regard to depth and complexity.

I picked this one up after seeing this reviewed favourably on this thread, I’m afraid I can’t remember who it was, but thank you, this was a great read.

Theroux begins by exploring the borderlands of the north and considering the reasons so many Mexicans make the perilous journey to work in the United States, before delving deeper into the country to explore the reality of living in Mexico today. He mingles with a broad range of Mexicans, rich and poor, all with interesting stories to tell. I particularly enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the unruly landscape, the chapter on his meeting with the artist Francisco Toledo and the section focusing on the Zapatista’s fight for indigenous rights in the south of the country.

I enjoyed Theroux’s slightly cantankerous, but ultimately compassionate style of writing very much. I feel as if this book has opened by eyes to travel writing as a form of escapism, something I’m really craving at the moment given that for one reason or another I haven’t left London since February. I’ve already added books by this writer to my everlasting TBR list.

Bookwitch, Best, I'm so sorry to both of you for your loss And to the other 50 book-ers going through a sad or tough time at the moment.

I'm struggling to read anything too demanding as I am in the first weeks of a new job with SO much to learn and new people to meet, so have been sticking to easier reads.

65. The Natural Health Service: What the Great Outdoors Can Do For Your Mind, Isabel Hardman

Hardman is a well-established political journalist, assistant editor of the Spectator and presenter of Radio 4's Week in Westminster. In 2016 something traumatic happened to her (she doesn't say what) leaving her with what was eventually diagnosed as PTSD - manifesting itself through a series of panic attacks, paranoia, anxiety and debilitating mood swings. Hardman has drawn on her own experiences in this book, sharing her passion for outdoor activities from gardening to cold water swimming, from bird watching to owning a dog, and exploring how life-changing they can be for helping people's mental health.

Hardman's writing is admirably precise and thoughtful - she makes useful distinctions between poor mental health and mental illness, and explores how the narratives of "wellbeing" can be harmful in the context of talking about mental illness. She backs up her assertions with facts and evidence, and she includes a wide range of testimonies including some from people whose views and experiences are out of line with her argument. Overall this is an engaging and passionate book about an important subject.

I wish there had been a little more practical advice on how to get started with something if you are an absolute beginner. For example, she writes beautifully about finding rare flowers in urban environments, and this is a great idea for those who maybe feel that nature is "not for them" or that they live in the wrong place to go out spotting flowers, but it's obvious that Hardman knows (and has known since her childhood) a huge amount about native flowers and their stories. As someone who knows NOTHING about flowers, I would have appreciated a few tips on how to get started as I know it's too easy to look at people doing an activity, whether it's spotting flowers, or parkrun, or whatever it is, and wish you could do it but feel overwhelmed by just not knowing where to start. I imagine that this is even more the case if you're struggling with anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions. A little list of suggestions at the end of each chapter would have been really useful, giving people tiny, accessible first steps to trying something that may be completely new to them and could potentially transform their life.

66. The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah

Absorbing story though too heavy on the goopy sentimentality. It's 1974 and 13-year-old Leni is living with her drifter parents - her dad, Ernt, is a traumatised war veteran whose violent temper and paranoia have meant that they never stick in one place for too long The family pack up their ancient VW bus and head up to Alaska, where Ernt believes that a fresh start and outdoor life will help him resolve his problems (spoiler: he's wrong).

Hannah writes beautifully about Alaska itself and about the lifestyle of the families living in this wild and isolated part of the world (Hannah's own family moved to Alaska in the 80s). The story though, like The Nightingale, relies too much on stock characters and an emotionally over-wraught love story for my liking - I would have loved this book so much more if it was stripped back to Leni's coming-of-age as she learns to live and thrive in the wilderness. That part of the book was truly lovely.

Did I miss the monthly book deals chat? Guessing it may have been at the end of the previous thread, I will have to go back and look.

The other side of the coin

I've just finished this book by the Queen's dresser. It's not my usual sort of book but I really enjoyed it, I hadn't realised (or even thought about) how much is involved in the various engagements that the Queen carries out. I thought that the author must have made a lot of sacrifices in her personal life as a single parent to have got the job with the Queen in her early 40s, it must have been a struggle.

Indigosalt I think it was me who reviewed On the Plain of Snakes. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I thought it was a challenging and, in places, hard to read book (as in, the violence and poverty made me feel so angry for the people living in such dire conditions), but Theroux nailed it, I think.

Funnily enough, I happened to catch a repeat of a Rick Stein 'Mexican journey' cookery series on TV not long after finishing the book. He visited many of the same places and I realised how easy it is to skate over the surface of things. Admittedly not his place to delve too deeply into socio-political matters in a cookery show, but having read the Theroux book, I was very aware of what the shiny, happy vibe wasn't saying.

Plain of Snakes sounds great. We visited Mexico last year and found that, having had great plans for exploring the area and especially the food, everyone seemed very keen to keep us corralled in our hotel complex and we hardly saw anything of the country except on organised trips. It WAS a very relaxing holiday but seemed like such a waste of a visit to such a fascinating place. I'd like to try to compensate by reading some good books about the country.

Sending sympathy and kind thoughts to everyone here going through painful times

55 The Century Girls Tessa Dunlop
In celebration of the centenary of women being given the vote in 1918 , 6 women who have reached their 100th birthday or beyond, tell their life stories. None of the women were known to the author before she began to research the book, and she has been able to build trusting relationships with them all. Whilst they tell their varied stories in their own words, Dunlop places their experiences in wider social and historical contexts. An easy but fascinating read.

Just to put my late tuppence in, I’m also a fan of the lists at the beginning of each thread.

Here is mine, with my most recent read reviews. I’ve been lurking and keeping up with all your reviews rather than posting. Sometimes that’s where life takes you..

1. The Go-Between by LP Hartley.

2. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn.

1. Normal People by Sally Rooney.
2. Taduno’s Song by Odafe Atogun.
3. 23 Things They don’t tell you about Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang.
4. Girl Woman Other by Bernadine Evaristo.
5. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.l

8. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.

1. Tell me how it ends by Valeria Luisella.

10. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. 11. The Patient Assassin by Anita Anand. 12. My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay. 13. Offering to the Storm (Bk 3 in The Baztan Trilogy) by Dolores Redondo. 14. Taken (Bk3 in the Alex Versus series) by Benedict Jacka. 15. And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. 16. Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado. 17. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. 18. Black Wave by Kim Ghattas. 19. Home by Marilynne Robinson. 20. Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy. 21. Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier. 22. The Arab of the Future (A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984) by Riad Sattouf. 23. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. 24. The Making of Poetry by Adam Nicolson. 25. Big Sky by Kate Atkinson. 26. Furniture by Lorraine Mariner. 27. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. 28. Grey Sister (Book 2 of Book of the Ancestor) by Mark Lawrence. 29. A Study in Scarlett by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 30. Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday. 31. Sula by Toni Morrison. 32. The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst. 33. The Winter of the Witch (Bk3 The Winternight Trilogy) by Katherine Arden. 34. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. 35. Salt on Your Tongue by Charlotte Runcie. 36. The Life Project by Helen Pearson. 37. The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak. 38. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. 39. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold. 40. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. 41. Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector. 42. Chosen (Bk4 in the Alex Versus series) by Benedict Jacka. 43. Hidden (Bk5 in the Alex Versus series) by Benedict Jacka. 44. Lila by Marilynne Robinson. 45. Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell.

41. Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector.

Translated from Portuguese this is an interestingly written novella featuring the thoughts of the narrator as he tells the story of Macabea, a typist living in poverty in Rio de Janeiro. Unusual and moving, this is for my limited keep and re-read pile.

42. Chosen (Bk4 in the Alex Versus series) by Benedict Jacka.
43. Hidden (Bk5 in the Alex Versus series) by Benedict Jacka.

Still enjoying this urban fantasy series. Entertaining escapism.

44. Lila by Marilynne Robinson.

Last in the Gilead novels, this is the story of Lila, the wife of Reverend John Ames (who was the central character of the first book Gilead). A neglected child, Lila is stolen by Doll, a drifter, and the two live a hand-to-mouth existence in the outdoors of America banding together with other vagrants and outdoor workers until the Depression and Dust Bowl cause even more hardship, Lila having grown into a young woman. By the time she reaches the small country village of Gilead she is tired and worn-out but finds herself drawn to the local church and the older Reverend. Musings of love, life, regret, shame and faith are expertly woven into her story. My kind of thoughtful read.

45. Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell.

Audiobook. Begins with a description of the life of Chairman Mao Zedong and his policies. Subsequent chapters discuss the impact and revolutionary fervour across the world (selected countries) influenced by Maoist thought and policy. And finishes with the author’s thoughts on China today.

I am certainly more knowledgeable but also heavy of heart after listening to hours of zealotry, bloodshed and tyranny. Not a lot of light in this book, could have done with a few slivers of sunshine.

And I am now listening to Adam Buxton’s Ramble Book and reading the third in an Epic Fantasy series.

Sadik -
The Slippery Creatures series sounds right up my street. Have bought the first one.

Having also enjoyed for American Dirt plot (rather than any social commentary where it was less successful, as most posters here agree), I will definitely add On the Plain of Snakes to my wish list.

Terpsichore I just searched for the Rick Stein and Mexico series on BBC iplayer, but sadly it's no longer available. It does sound good though! Thanks again for your review, a great recommendation

Keith it must have been frustrating not be able to explore Mexico beyond the organised trips. However, I think given the risk of kidnapping and general lawlessness described in certain areas Theroux visits, I think you would have to be much braver than I am to strike out alone!