50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Ten

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the tenth (and final?) 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
9

I've just checked and these threads this year have moved more quickly than any other year since they started back in 2012! We'd never reached ten threads in any other year.

258. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? - Jeanette Winterson Discussed recently so I'll just say that I enjoyed it immensely.

95. Letters from a Stoic - Seneca

I wouldn't call myself a Stoic as such but I've always been attracted to this ancient philosophy, which states that happiness comes from a certain state of mind, a calm acceptance of life's vicissitudes. Seneca's letters, written during the reign of Nero, do include this idea, but far from aiming to bring comfort, lecture you at length about the perils of pleasure and soft, womanish living. It's like Seneca got his Stoicism mixed up with the Roman brand of 'toxic masculinity', in which it's unbecoming to cry at the death of a friend and much better to sleep on a hard mattress, eating and drinking a bare minimum and contemplating the inevitability of death. It's no wonder that the early Christians embraced Seneca as one of their own, with his emphasis on the primacy of the spirit and rejection of bodily pleasure, and harking after a lost golden age before men fell into the sin of luxurious living. There were positives here, stressing the importance of friendship, and a surprisingly enlightened attitude to the treatment of slaves, based on an understanding of our common humanity. But overall, something I'm glad I've read (for an understanding of Roman values at this period), than something I enjoyed the process of reading.

Haha, I reviewed The Tidal Zone earlier this year, bibliomania, and you said "Moaning about universities, post-PhD under-employment and housework may prove to be my sweet spot." It looks as if that was right?

265. Us Three by Ruth Jones

This was fine - nothing particularly original or unexpected but a nice read. It’s the story of three women who were best friends as children until an event tore them apart. The book then catches up with them all at various points in their lives. It’s predictable but I still enjoyed it.

@bibliomania

Snap, Terp - book 126 was Moon Tiger, by Penelope Lively. Well written - I particularly liked the evocation of Egypt during WWIi.

127. The Land of Maybe: a Faroes Island Year, by Tim Ecott.
Mainly nature writing - there's a lot about birds. As modern nature writing goes, there's an unusual amount about killing it: whales are speared, sheep slaughtered, birds have their necks broken and hares shot. Not always the most soothing of bedtime reading.

128. The Tidal zone, Sarah Moss
Nice safe middle-class family have their lives thrown into dismay when they teenage daughter has a health scare. A really good read. The narrator is a SAHD on the fringes of the academic world, and I enjoyed his views on modern life, marriage, the NHS and academia.

Such is life on the faroes, it's a hard place to live.

Well-remembered, mack - your review less me to read it and yes, sweet spot duly hit. There's one section where he talks about the difficulty of getting into campus due to the eternal building work that has me wincing in recognition.

Agreed, bett, it's not gratuitous and the author makes it clear that it's better for the planet that veg wrapped in plastic and flown halfway around the world.

69. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Everyone raves about this, my husband and daughter loved it. Everyone seems to love the TV series. I feel I should love it, I used to love fantasy, but this really didn't do it for me. I don't mind Neil Gaiman, I enjoyed American Gods and loved his Norse Gods book, but I struggled with Terry Pratchett's Colour of Magic (another book I've read this year that I feel I should loved).

It's the story of Crowley (a demon) and Azirophale (an angel) and their attempts to manage the apocalyse and the rise of the Antichrist in the context of Tadfield in Middle England. I liked some of the characters, like Crowley, but it was all far too disjointed and chaotic to really engage with.

I can appreciate it is well written and I can see the humour in it, but found it very difficult to read. People have told me the chaos is part of the whole experience, so maybe it is that I am too old now. I tried reading the paperback, then switched to Audible, but still found it a chore and I'm glad it's finished.
Terry Pratchett is definitely off my list now, I know some people follow him like a religion, but it's not for me.

The Way Past Winter is a children's books (age 12 ish I'd guess)by the talented Kiran Millwood Hargrave about a Scandinavian land caught in some kind of perma winter under a curse. I picked it up because I like her writing and her books have beautiful covers : plus it was wintry.

I hope she writes another grown up book soon. I really liked The Mercies.

79 The Beekeeper of Aleppo Christy Lefteri
The fictional story of an extended family who leave Syria after tragedy and in fear of their lives and make the long and difficult journey to England as refugees. This is written in the first person and reads like a biographical account but it is fiction. It is moving and harrowing, but I felt that similar experiences were better portrayed in Three Hours. I didn’t particularly like the structure, as it moves back and forth at random through time. There was a lot of repetitive detail at times and other parts of the journey were glossed over. I was disappointed by the ending because it was abrupt and unsatisfying . This book wasn't for me.

188. Modern Love ed. Daniel Jones

Collection of essays from the New York Times detailing modern love stories which if you have Amazon Prime you might have seen the series which I absolutely loved.

Sadly, I found the essays a bit boring and samey in tone

Another one here who loved Moon Tiger

88. Golden Child, Claire Adam

Impressive and atmospheric debut novel set in 1980s Trinidad, a place both lush and unsettling. This is the story of a family; Clyde, Joy and their twin sons, Paul and Peter. Peter is an exceptional student, aiming for a scholarship to the US and a ticket away from the restrictions and dangers of island life. Paul was deprived of oxygen at birth, and his family believe him to be "slightly retarded". At the opening of the book, Clyde returns home from work to their modest rural house. He's switched from night shifts to days since a recent armed break-in at the family home. His guard dogs are uneasy, staring at the gate, and Joy tells him that Paul has gone missing. Clyde sets out into the unsettled darkness to search for his son.

There are many excellent elements to this book. Adams' description of time and place, her counjuring of an atmosphere, was brilliantly done. I didn't particularly notice it as I was reading but, having finished, I have vivid mental images of the places described, almost as though I had watched a film. And the subtle way that she breathes in tension, just snagging something at the edge of the picture to make you feel a bit uneasy - it's done with real skill.

Secondly, the story telling - excellent again. The switching between characters, the reveal of information, the pacing and the rise and fall of tension, all felt just right. And the themes are interesting, and subtly introduced: this is a book about aspiration, about trying to rise above your circumstances, about fragility, about parenthood and the impossibility of being enough. Again, I only really started to think about this after I finished reading.

While I was reading, when I wasn't noticing the skillful descriptions or the themes, I was being carried along by the plot - we enter the story at the point where a teenage boy is mising, and my brain was concentrating on the questions of where he was, who was he with, why had he disappeared, would his father find him. And annoyingly, I found this the weakest element of the book - the big central crisis, when it comes, is meticulously prepared for and yet (for me) unconvincing. And this left me feeling disatisfied which is a real shame as there is so much in this book that is really great.

78. Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky From the last city in the world, in the dying days of the human race, criminals are banished to a grim prison island, populated by brutal violent (mostly) men, and surrounded by toxic and dangerous waters full of strange evolved species. The anti-hero narrator is an academic with a strong sense of self-preservation, which comes in handy as he finds himself lurching from one perilous situation to another. I didn't love this as much as Children of Time / Ruin / Dogs of War but I still enjoyed it very much. Like BookWitch, I think I've gone off fantasy a bit as I get older, and this book is sci-fi with a definite fantasy vibe to it. However, the quality of his writing is so good, and he is such a great storyteller, that I am going to risk dipping a toe into his fantasy output, starting with book one of Shadows of the Apt.

79. The Seagull by Ann Cleeves (Vera #8) Another enjoyable crime tale in this series. This time things are pretty close to home for Vera as she ends up investigating a bunch of people her late dad Hector used to knock about with. All the usual ingredients are in there, hundreds of characters, complex family relationships and loyalties, working class v middle class, a tiny dose more insight into Vera's regular team, and a slightly wtf denouement. Happy to say that the next book is out as it feels like there's still more mileage in this series.

266. Tales From The Dancefloor by Craig Revel Horwood

I’ve read his other books so thought I may as well read this! I’ve read them out of order - this is actually his second book from 2014 so a bit out of date now, but still worth a read if you’re a Strictly fan as there’s lots of backstage gossip and his opinions on various contestants.

53. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was recommended on this thread and I thoroughly enjoyed it- an easy but not shallow read, Evelyn Hugo was compelling company.

Agreed, bett, it's not gratuitous and the author makes it clear that it's better for the planet that veg wrapped in plastic and flown halfway around the world.

In Greenland there is food flown in from Denmark, a shrink wrapped chicken will cost between £10-£15 and the vegetables were extremely expensive. By contrast the supply of fresh fish, seal and whale meat was affordable, though the locals still needed to supplement their income where possible - if visitors were in the settlement they would sell carvings made from antlers.

189. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Charlie St Clair, attempts to track down her cousin Rose who has not been heard from since the end of World War Two. Her search leads her to Evelyn Gardiner, who spied for England in World War One and may have information of value.

Hmmm. On paper this should have been my thing but I didn't feel invested or engaged with it at all. Whilst Charlie's backstory and motivations were believable, as were Eve's; Eve, Finn, and Charlie as a trio really did not work for me at all and their relationships felt forced and artificial.

I bumped this up the queue because I was excited for it, and yet, it left me cold.

103. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer

Remus' review above reminded me of this one. I've not read it for ages - it would seem because my paper copy has gone missing. Fortunately it was 99p on kindle, so time for a re-read. It is a bit of a one-joke novel, but Hugo is unquestionably a delightful hero.

260. The Merchant's Tale (Oxford Medieval #4) - Ann Swinfen An Oxford bookseller who lost his wife during the plague, lives with his two small children and his sister above his shop. He gets caught up in the latest mystery happening in the town. The summer fair held by the priory forces the local merchants to close during the event which causes resentment. Townsfolk are threatening to disrupt the events but more sinister plots are afoot.

I love this series and instantly fall back into that world. I could quite happily binge this series, but there aren't many in it and I will be sad when it's over so I'm stringing them out.

261. Perfect - Rachel Joyce Two storylines. In the 70s a small boy becomes obsessed with the fact that 2 seconds are being added to the clock. His mother makes a terrible mistake during the school run that turns their lives upside down and he wonders if the 2 seconds are to blame. In present day a man left homeless after a local mental care facility closes struggles with his job at a supermarket and how others there treat him.

This was a book club pick that I don't think I'd have finished otherwise. I found it very slow going and dull.

262. I'm Fine and Neither Are You - Camille Pagán Exhausted mum with a stay at home husband and two small kids struggles with her career and gets ever more resentful of doing all the wife work on top of being the only one working. She evaluates her life and decides whether to save her marriage.

This is nothing special in terms of plot, but I found it strangely compelling and I really enjoyed it despite it all being a little too neat at the end.

263. The Weekend - Charlotte Wood 3 women in their 70s meet to clear out a deceased friend's home. They've been friends since their 30s but are losing patience with each other as they age and realise that the friend who died was the glue that held them together as a group.

Very little happens in this but I enjoyed the characterisation and what it had to say about women's lives and the choices they make.

267. Last Christmas by Various

This is a collection of Christmas memories and hopes from the future, from a mixture of celebrities, refugees and people who used to be homeless. Not exactly feel good most of the time, but an important reminder that not everybody has a happy Christmas.

95: The Nightwatch Winter - Jenny Overton

A bit of an oddity, this one. I was browsing an Antonia Forest fan site I stumbled across (trennels.dreamwidth.org) and happened on a thread that mentioned this 1973 book as a kind of 'Forest-alike' - in fact it's a sequel to an earlier book, Creed Country . My curiosity was piqued though and I sent away for a copy. The AF parallels seem pretty strong in that the narrative focuses on a large family, the 8 Wentworth siblings, most of whom get involved in an Easter Mystery Play which brings the girls' and boys' (Catholic/convent) schools together. The main character is Veronica - Vero - Wentworth, a talented but unconfident musician (shades of Nicola Marlow here, I feel) who's dragged into arranging and performing music for the play and spends most of her time in agonies of nerves about it.

The backdrop is the wild landscape of Surrey (loosely based on the area around Leith Hill) and a slightly awkward sub-plot centres around an old 'didicai' woman living alone in an isolated shack. Vero and the other children must be in their early teens, I'd estimate, so this would now be termed a YA novel, although the very detailed description of the play that takes up the last section of the book would be seen as wildly old-fashioned nowadays, I'd have thought. It's also very reminiscent of the Christmas play in AF's End of Term - which I doubt is entirely coincidental. In fact one person on the Trennels site rather cruelly calls the book 'AF fanfic'.....I think it's much better than that, but interesting to read something that's perfectly competent fiction yet not a patch on AF herself.

I've been spending time offline more and so reading more. Recent reads:

Coming home to the loch Light hearted fiction based in Scotland. A quick and pleasant read at the end of a long shift at work - just what was needed.

Food and Drink in Swallows and Amazons. Perfect to treat insomnia. Thankfully short. And free.

The Secret GP Interesting and timely.

Blue Girl Interesting and timely. Story of a paramedic.

The Bookshop of Hopes and Dreams. Same comment as the Loch book above.

Christmas at the Farmhouse. As above.

End to End Cycle Route. LEJOG. Unless you are planning to do LEJOG this won't interest you.

Just a few bumps. Story of a paramedic in London. Just a few (irritating) typos. I hope she's a better paramedic than her proof reader (if she had one) is a proof reader.

I've been lured over here by the Antonia Forest bat signal, Terpsichore! Your review intrigued me so much that I have just accidentally bought a cheap copy of The Nightwatch Winter .

You've converted me to children's books, I've picked up two childhood favourites for 99p today, Ballet Shoes and A Traveller in time. Own just need The Woolpack to complete my favourites.

@bettbattenburg
I love The Woolpack. A real comfort read for me.

bett you've just bought my favourite childhood book of all eternity - A Traveller In Time absolutely entranced me, and I still think it's probably my favourite book ever, on a deep-down emotional level.

mackerella I'll be fascinated to know what you think about The Nightwatch Winter !