165. Britten’s Children- John Bridcut Written by the journalist behind the earlier television documentary of the same name, this is an excellent account of Benjamin Britten’s friendships with children, mainly boy trebles (most famously David Hemmings) and budding young composers. The book treads a very difficult path and does it well. Britten’s dealings with children were mostly innocent and paternal, but it is clear that he was sexually attracted to some of these young boys, generally managing to keep those feelings in check. Some of the friendships were very deep and intense, with much of the quoted correspondence between Britten and the boys reading almost like love letters. Certainly, the men who were interviewed for the documentary and book still had very warm and appreciative feelings towards Britten and felt they had benefited from being his protégés and friends. In some cases, however, they had been swiftly replaced in Britten’s affections when they reached puberty. The book also discusses many of Britten’s compositions with vocal parts for children, such as Noye’s Fludde, The Golden Vanity, Missa Brevis and The Turn of the Screw. If any other 50 Bookers have read this book, I would be interested to know what you thought of it.
166. Quidditch Through the Ages- J. K. Rowling I listened to this for fun because I have recently finished listening to all the Harry Potter novels and because I like the narrator, Andrew Lincoln. It was very short and lightweight.
167. King George VI: A Life from Beginning to End- Hourly History One of the better Hourly Histories.
168. High Fidelity- Nick Hornby The book is probably my favourite contemporary novel and I have read it multiple times. I wasn’t too keen on this audiobook read by Russell Tovey, mainly because some of the accents were dreadful (and unnecessary) but also because he mispronounced the title of a particularly lovely Smiths song. However, having listened to it (and rewatched the film for the umpteenth time) I decided to check out the series of High Fidelity on ‘Starzplay’ (an Amazon channel) which was surprisingly brilliant.
169. Because Internet- Gretchen McCulloch This has been discussed on these threads before. I quite enjoyed it and felt that it followed on well from The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way by Bill Bryson, another book I have read recently.
170. Black, Listed- Jeffrey Boakye Also discussed here recently, I absolutely loved this and raced through it. It made me want to be black!
171. On the Beach- Nevil Shute I listened to this on Audible. As others have said, it is bizarre the way the characters go on planting things in their gardens and shopping for pogo sticks while waiting to die from nuclear radiation, but perhaps that is the point. The ending is very moving, although I would have preferred it if the final scene had been with the young family rather than the other couple, as their story affected me much more deeply.
172. House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons- Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason This memoir by the mother of ‘Britain’s Most Musical Family’ was recently recommended elsewhere on Mumsnet. Even though it isn't particularly well written, I raced through it and really enjoyed it. I would have liked to know more about the family’s Catholic faith: Kadiatu had seven children (and five miscarriages) in a short space of time and understandably struggled to cope at times, so I wondered if their religion was a factor.
173. David Copperfield- Charles Dickens I finally finished it! If it hadn’t been for Covid-19 anxiety (and also reading dozens of other books at the same time) I’m sure I would have been able to concentrate a lot better and finish it sooner. I loved the beginning and ending, but the middle really dragged at times. It’s a shame I didn’t enjoy it more, because I’m a big fan of Bleak House, having studied it for ‘A’ level and read it again subsequently.
174. The Diary of a Bookseller- Shaun Bythell I’ve read this before, but this was the audiobook, which I enjoyed even more. Due to Audible sales, I ended up listening to the two books in the wrong order (although I had read them in the right order) but it didn’t make much difference as they are pretty similar. Each book has a different narrator, and they are fine but I would have preferred one with a Scottish accent.