50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Nine

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the ninth 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 still not too late to join, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

The previous threads of 2020:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Marley was dead to begin with is the first line of A Christmas Carol (I think)

Stop it!

Although if an author is spoilering their own book with the first line, I suppose you could be forgiven.

I'm gutted to hear the reviews of Big Sky as I spent last week re-reading some of the earlier Jackson Brodie books as a run-up to finally reading BS (and it sounds as if it really may be BS ).

Keith, you are a woman (man? Ofsted inspector?) after my own heart: I'm also reluctant to give many books 3 stars or below, which means that about 80% of my Goodreads books are rated 4 and those are hopelessly undifferentiated, ranging from "not bad" to "excellent but slightly flawed". I can't be alone in this because many of these books have an average GR score of around 4, even the ones that are only "fairly good". I think I'm freer with the 5 ratings than with the 3* ones, which really is bonkers .

mackerella I thought Big Sky was great so don’t be put off by those bad reviews!

I did think last night that it was Jane Eyre all this time I've been awaiting a woman arriving from the attic .

And yes I have no issues for spoilers for old books.

Some of my 5 star books:

Pride and Prejudice
The Silence of the Girls
Dark Eden
Kindred
American Gods
The Magicians
A Civil Contract
Howl’s Moving Castle
The Stand
The Shining
Red Sister
Uprooted
Small Gods
Good Omens
Uniquely Human
Strange the Dreamer

I’m also hopeful for Big Sky but nervous - rereading number 2 now and just as good as I remembered.

I laughed so much at the idea of Marley being dead being a spoiler. The story would be dead as a doornail if he wasn’t.

Is it too early for The Muppet’s Christmas Carol?

For a long time my dh thought there were 2 Marleys in the book because he’d only seen the version with Statler and Waldorf.

Singing Marley and Marley now.

satsuki, it is never too early for The Muppets’ Christmas Carol.

I'm not on Goodreads so have no truck with this 5 star business, but for anyone not finding fiction to suit their mood, try some non-fiction. Most of my favourite books are non-fiction, although they may be idiosyncratic choices and won't necessarily meet universal approval.

*Is it too early for The Muppet’s Christmas Carol?

It could be Xmas Eve and it'd still be too early for The Muppet's Christmas Carol.

Nooo Betts it’s a classic. The Summer of the Soul in December song is one of my favourite Christmas songs.

Some of my recentish 5 star books (although I am not on Goodreads ....) and some of which have already been mentioned:

The Song of Achilles
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
A Gentleman in Moscow
Life After Life
The Edward St Aubyn Patrick Melrose books
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women killed by Jack the Ripper
A Town Like Alice
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Shadow of the Wind (and the rest of the series)
Any Human Heart
Here Be Dragons
The Woman in White
Wolf Hall (and Bring up the Bodies) - have not read TMATL

HOW VERY DARE YOU BETTS

LIGHT THE LAMP NOT THE RAT

I love it so much I have owned it in 3 different formats

Mine too best I have the soundtrack in the car all through December.

“The message if we hear it, is make it last all year”

I saw it at a screening with my kids a couple of years ago and I was ready to turn over a new leaf and pay my employees better at the end of it. If I had any.

Eine, everyone in this house loves that quote. Nothing says Christmas like DS bellowing “light the lamp, not the rat” at various intervals while we decorate the tree

3* has to be "OK", surely, as it is smack in the middle. So, my rating system is:

5* - I loved it
4* - I liked it
3* - It was OK
2* - I didn't like it
1* - I hated it

As such, I have no problem giving 5*s. I don't take it to mean "This book is perfect and has attained the summit of perfection".

32. 52 Times Britain Was A Bellend by James Felton

I thoroughly enjoyed this overview of all those times Britain acted with complete disregard for human life, in India, Africa, and America while national interests were served. Written in an informal and funny way, it feels more like a friendly discussion over a pint at the pub rather than a book about history.

I have never seen The Muppet's Christmas Carol. I must have been living under a (fraggle?) rock.
I promise to do better!!!

Meanwhile, in reading news...
45 Beartown - Fredrik Backman
This is the third novel I've read by Backman (famous for A Man Called Ove ) and I have genuinely loved them all. This is an emotional roller-coaster, simply written but cleverly crafted. I was totally immersed in his book, in a way I haven't been for quite some time. The claustrophobic atmosphere of small-town Sweden is prevalent and a wholly believable backdrop for this story about friendship, loyalty, courage and the limits of all three. I have the follow-up on my Kindle and am tempted to read it straight away.

However, right now I have green tomato chutney to make... (How to use a lockdown bank holiday to the full - forest walk, reading, cooking. Done.)

The bellend book sounds good Cote. Adding to list.

Agree with your rating system cote. I hand out quite a lot of 5s really, if anything moves me in a certain way it gets a 5 without me giving too much thought as to why. It can be because I really enjoyed the story, felt the emotion of it, found it funny, or I found the writing particularly good or it made me think. I go purely on the impulse I feel when I finish it.

The Confession by Jessie Burton. Meh. She is definitely a bit over rated, Jessie Burton. The Miniaturist was very well written and quite original but left me cold (and confused!). The Muse had really good bits. This one is superior chick lit.

Does everyone really feel the need to shorten every name to one syllable ? So the friend, Kel with her daughter , Mol (ugh! At least have double ls!). Con and Yoli(that one's two!) And Matt and Joe. Only the protagonist got her full name(s). I found that very grating.

It's OK. I read it very slowly at first but it does pick up pace.

Just not as deep as it wants to be, I feel.

@CoteDAzur James Felton has been my favourite thing about twitter during the pandemic. He’s so funny. I’m dipping in and out of this one.

Not got time to read all the updates, but place marking. Glad to see somebody else wasn't totally into Old Baggage.