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.

Keith we are watching The Muppets’ Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve because it’s just the best. DS even reading Dickens in preparation.

I'm reading Mythos by Stephen Fry at the moment and I think it will take me through to the New Year. I'm really enjoying Mythos although it makes me feel like an ignoramus! I wonder how many of us have taken our usernames from the gods? Terpsichore I see you that are one of the Muses!

I am getting Shuggie Bain for Christmas so hopefully that will be my first read for 2021. I'm really disappointed in the Kindle deals this month. Perhaps I should be thankful as it gives me a chance to plough through some of the TBR pile.....

I am 25 short of my target, I could possibly do it if I can find 25 good 'kindle singles' which are all included on my free kindle unlimited trial. I read a good John Le Carre one last night and am reading The Crossing at the moment.

EmGee I am indeed - although sadly have two left feet in RL (wishful thinking, perhaps)

Unmumsnetty hugs to all of those having a hard time. I lost my mum suddenly in August, and finding it hard to know she won't be coming over for her Xmas dinner. But I am trying to count my blessings in that I have 2/3 of my adult children at home, I do still have a job and there is food in the fridge. Also that I am a reader and being forced to stay at home is not all bad. Hoping for a couple of new books for XMas. I know DD19 had a look at my Amazon wishlist so hopes are high.

70. Paper Wife by Laila Ibrahim

I picked this up as I had enjoyed Yellow Crocus by the same author earlier this year.
This was an enjoyable read, set in the 1920s about a young Chinese woman who is married to a stranger under an assumed name. Her husband had already applied for a visa for his wife and son to immigrate to the United States, but his wife died, and Mei ling is assumes the identity of his late wife (a common practice, hence the term Paper Wife) so he doesn't lose the visa fee and he has someone to care for his son on the voyage to the States.
The narrative follows Mei Ling as she leaves her village and family, and travels first to Guangzhou where she is married, then to Hong Kong to take the ship to San Fransisco. On the ship she is separated from her new husband and has to care for his young son, and makes friends with other women on the ship, and becomes particularly attached to an orphaned girl traveling alone to an unknown uncle in the States,
Once she arrives in San Fransisco, American immigration detains her and her stepson, and she needs to convince the authorities that she is the woman named on the documents before she can start her new life.
I am not sure how realistic it is, but it was a decent easy read. Gritty enough to be interesting but not all doom and gloom.
I'd read more of this author if I wanted easy read but a decent story.

I've nearly finished A Casual Vacancy on Audible as well. Should make it to 75 if I get a few quiet days before New year.

Bookwitch

This is short but I can't recommend it to even the most desperate target seeker.

82. Forest Therapy by Sarah Ivens Getting outdoors in nature is good for you. That's it. This reads like an extended magazine article, knocked together by the posh intern after everyone else in the office got a bit too tiddly at lunchtime. Complete with made up 'research' and 'evidence'. Example: 'Environmental scientists believe quality time spent outdoors, away from the bombardment of manufactured distractions we are faced with indoors, increases our attention span and reduces ADHD in children'. LOL. Apparently Norway is better than us at this stuff, even though 'we may be richer financially that (sic) Norway'. LOL. 99p badly spent, but it was short.

And that's me at my target of 82. Not wanting to end the year on the above pish, I'm hoping to squeeze another one or two in before the bells.

@MuseumOfHampers it was really awful wasn't it? I think it got my only 1* rating of the year. I was so glad it was short.

Bookwitch

Sending a handhold, Bookwitch . This will be a very sad and strange Christmas without my mum too

Thinking of anyone facing a sad or difficult Christmas . I have been so very grateful for your company this year, all of you.

to everyone struggling & who have lost people.

105. Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch
     I read & reviewed this towards the end of last year, & it's one of those books that didn't make a massive impression at the time, but that made me notice lots of things about the way people use language on the internet / otherwise afterwards. Definitely good to re-visit.

106. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
     The Scholomance is a magic school with no teachers, lots of danger, and no way out for holidays or anything else once you arrive. If you survive for three years, there's then a 'graduation ceremony' that involves being tipped into a pit full of monsters, & fighting your way out.
     
     My first paper library book since March, and it was absolutely worth the wait. I'm sure any 13 year old fantasy lover would enjoy it & there's nothing 'adult' in the unsuitable sense of the word, but it's patently aimed at grown-ups who loved magic-school-fantasies when they were younger.
     
     It's not pure pastiche like Carry On, there's a proper plot & characters - which kept me up much too late last night - but Novik has enormous fun with all the classic tropes. (She also dead-on nails a certain breed of west Wales hippy, impressively so for a US author.)

Bookwitch you are right that being a reader helps at the moment to distract sometimes.

Echoing what Keith said about the company this year, I know in February when my Dad died I had nobody to talk to IRL and this thread was a godsend. Thank you My inbox is always open to anybody who needs to PM for whatever reason.

to Bookwitch and Terpsichore

A few updates in which I'll be brief.

270. Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
     Discussed recently upthread, I enjoyed it, but wouldn't rave about it.

271. The Wonder - Emma Donoghue
     A nurse trained under Nightingale is sent to Ireland to act as a witness to a fasting girl to confirm she isn't taking food. She is suspicious of the circumstances and reveals a terrible family secret and seeks to resolve it. I enjoy EDs historical fiction and think she creates the sense of time and place really well.

272. Girl, Serpent, Thorn - Melissa Basharedoust
     An original fairy tale told in the Persian tradition. A cursed princess, a few monsters, an evil family. All of the usual ingredients. This is aimed as YA. There was something very familiar and comforting about it and it rattled along. Perhaps overlong, but managed to maintain interest throughout.

273. A Poem for Every Day of the Year - Alli Esiri
     What is says on the tin. I read this in chunks, despite initially trying to read it day by day. The selection was well done and matched the calendar where appropriate. I was hoping it would ignite an interest in poetry and give me an idea of who I like and where to start. Sadly that didn't happen and while I enjoyed the experience, I haven't come away with any real desire to follow it up. Only one poem 'spoke' to me which was Desiderata which was the selection a few days into the first lockdown. I remain a poetry heathen.

274. An Almond for a Parrot - Wray Delaney
     1756, a young woman is awaiting trial in Newgate, likely to be hanged. She recounts her story that took her from the backstreets of London to be a high class courtesan. I thought this was very well told and highly entertaining, but there were a few too many vegetables for my prudish self.

275. The Office of Historical Corrections - Danielle Evans
     A series of short stories examining race, history and culture in the US. I'm not usually a great fan of short stories, but these were outstanding. She has an interesting voice and insight. I'd love to read a full length novel by her.

276. Vesuvius by Night - Lindsey Davis
     Novella taking a minor character from the Falco series to explore the experience in Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted. I liked this, but it could easily have been a full length novel and it suffered from not being. Very poignant, but I missed the usual character development and it obviously lacked the light and slightly comedic touch of the main series.

277. Mexican Gothic -Silvia Moreno-Garcia
     Also discussed recently upthread. I enjoyed this, it's very atmospheric, but I thought it was a bit longer than it needed to be.

Another one to echo the love for this thread and the people on it. A little bit of sanity and comfort in a very topsy turvy world.

@FortunaMajor

Another one to echo the love for this thread and the people on it. A little bit of sanity and comfort in a very topsy turvy world.

Sanity? Nobody told me I had to be sane to be here!

Just started reading The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson as I loved the recent Netflix adaptation. Shirley's style is pretty atmospheric with great imagery. Haven't even made it to the second chapter yet but really enjoying it so far!

Don't worry Betts it's not compulsory! It keeps me sane being here though.

I also liked Queenie and Normal People and am in my early 40s.

59. Stiletto (The Chequey Files) by Daniel O’Malley.

Fun sequel to Rook. British fantasy similar to Ben Aaronovitch, doesn’t take itself too seriously.

60. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azer.

Audible. Mystical fiction translated from Persian and set in Iran around the time of the Iranian Revolution. The story follows one family who are part of the castigated and persecuted liberal elite. Not for the linear minded. Some scenes (the book burning, for one) have really stuck in my mind. I think when your government starts burning books you know you’re in trouble.

Part of my issue with mystical surrealist fiction is that I keep trying to analyse it - what does it all mean? And then have to remind myself to enjoy the story as well as thinking about the themes and where this novel comes from. And I did enjoy this novel, quite odd and different from the other books I have read this year.

199. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

In mysterious halls populated by statues and tides, lives a creature known as Piranesi, a name he suspects is not his, who assists the Other in his quest for knowledge, a quest he suspects is futile.

A really strange and bizarre book that I hardly know how to quantify. Cannot decide whether I loved it or thought it was terrible.

Unique and certainly memorable

bett

OK, I've just done my last day at work for nearly 2 weeks, so I'm ready to catch up on reviews and (hopefully, children permitting get some serious reading done). I know that Fortuna is right about arbitrary targets, but it's hard not to push forward to the next round number! I was hoping a few months ago that I'd make 100 by the end of the year but a few slow weeks mean that I'd be delighted to reach 90 instead (which is still nearly double what I managed last year!).

79. Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
This has already been reviewed a couple of times here - I think I liked it more than most, more due to the great writing than to the overall conceit which was shrouded by an often-baffling magical realism. Weirdly, I found myself more able to accept the fantastical parts set in Druhastrana, the (mythical?) land where the Harriet Lee and her mother Margot learned to make their (magical?) gingerbread, than the parts that are set in modern-day London. I found myself quibbling over the details with the latter: the stuff about the Parent Power Association, while meant to be satirical, is a bit ridiculous, and no 17 year old is routinely picked up from school gates by her mum, surely? Despite that, I was really gripped by the parts set in Druhastrana, and loved the vivid characterisations and the quirky imaginative world that Oyeyemi created. I also really enjoyed the writing and found myself highlighting lots of parts that had great descriptions or that made me laugh - for example, "Gretel's expression was a soundless fireworks display, the sort you see when someone is trying very hard not to laugh or cry."

and

"But the Lee's soon discovered that Tamar Kercheval resembled the God of the New testament in that she was keen on anyone who was keen on her son."

80. Where the Bodies Are Buried by Chris Brookmyre
81. When The Devil Drives by Chris Brookmyre
These are the first two novels in a series featuring reluctant private investigator Jasmine Sharp and Detective Superintendant Catherine McLeod. Jasmine is a struggling actress who agrees to help her uncle Jim with his PI business to make ends meet ... when her uncle goes missing and she has to find out what has happened to him at the same time as learning (very rapidly) how to keep his business going in his absence. DS McLeod is investigating the killing of a gangland drug dealer - and inevitably the two cases come together to reveal that they are two sides of the same story.

I am a fan of Chris(topher) Brookmyre's Jack Parlabane and Angelique de Xavier novels and this feels much more "conventional" than those: it's definitely more of a straightforward police procedural/detective cross. Having said that, it's got the same energy and wit as his other books, and the two leads are great characters - really well drawn and well rounded strong female characters (when Jasmine stops being so wet and steps up to the mark, that is). Brookmyre is really good at writing women who are neither men in dresses nor wet-dream fantasy material. (Having said that, the main male character is a bit overdone and verges on whatever the male equivalent of a Mary Sue is.)

82. Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
I'm sure you all know the drill by now - faux-misanthropic observations about the customers in his shop, combined with wonderful detail about the local characters and life in Galloway. This one was interspersed with extracts from The Intimate Thoughts of John Baxter, Bookseller by Augustus Muir followed by a short essay about an aspect of second-hand bookselling, and I found those bits really interesting - I would definitely read a more serious book that was just about the book trade if he ever cared to write one. This was a lovely quick, easy read, and I absolutely lapped it up.

83. Selection Day by Aravind Adiga
Not sure why I chose this as it's about cricket, about which I know nothing. I'm not sure that I know much more now I've finished, but I enjoyed letting it wash over me! The story itself is a slightly overblown melodrama about two teenaged brothers, Radha and Manju, who are training hard for "selection day" when the country's best cricketers compete to be noticed by the selectors and win a place on the Bombay under-19 cricket team. Sibling rivalry, abusive fathers, adolescent explorations of sexuality, rich sponsors, bribery and corruption, astonishing feats of schoolboy batting and vivid descriptions of the slums abound.

84. Hamilton: the Revolution by Lin Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
This is probably one for the real Hamilfans only, but I loved it! It goes into a lot of detail about the show - how it came to be written, how the lighting was planned, what the artistic decisions were behind the set design and so on. By the end, I was practically on first name terms with the costume designer and choreographer! There was loads of really interesting insights into the staging and writing choices, and the full libretto with annotations by Lin Manuel Miranda also added a lot to my understanding of the show. (And they've just announced new dates for next year in the West End, so I'm very tempted to see it again - do you reckon it'll be safe to book for September?!)

Currently finishing up Dead Famous by Greg Jenner, which I started months ago and then abandoned for reasons I can't now remember.

272. A Children’s Literary Christmas by various

A lovely collection of extracts and poems from children’s books, all lovely and Christmassy. It’s a lovely book to look at too.

273. Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson

A collection of Christmas themed short stories plus some recipes. I enjoyed these, particularly the more supernatural ones.

274. The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller

Children’s book telling the story of how Father Christmas became Father Christmas. Basically a retelling of A Christmas Carol for kids, but done very nicely.

275. Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Becky Brandon gets into her usual high-spending muddles as she tries to host Christmas for her family and friends. Won’t convert you if you’re not already a fan, but if you like the shopaholic books (and I do) this is a good one.

276. Here To Stay by Mark Edwards

Elliot meets and marries a woman within 2 months, then has to try and get rid of his hideous in laws as they arrive and take over his house. But are they what they seem? This was not bad for a kindle freebie.

277. Murder On The Tor by Frances Evesham

Another kindle freebie, not that great but I like the local references.

278. Secret Water by Arthur Ransome

Continuing my run through of the Swallows and Amazons series. This one is set in Essex, and the Swallows are camping out while they make a map. The Amazons only feature briefly, and the Swallows meet a new group of kids called the Eels. This was ok but there’s others in the series I’ve enjoyed more.

279. Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

This is a collection of short stories but despite the title only two are Christmassy. As with most short story collections I liked some more than others, but the title story was my favourite.

280. The Thirteen Days of Christmas by Jenny Overton

Someone mentioned this up thread and it reminded me to reread! A young lady receives presents from her admirer - based around the Twelve Days of Christmas song. Very funny.

Mack - I know that Fortuna is right about arbitrary targets, but it's hard not to push forward to the next round number!

I'm only lying to myself that I don't care! I really want to make the 300. I read the St Clares series earlier this year and counted it as one book. If I break it back out as 6, I am so close to 300 it will burn if I don't make it. This year has been so rubbish that any tiny win is welcome. It doesn't matter, but it really matters at the same time. Any number is better than none, but I really want a nice round one too!

278. Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops - Shaun Bythell This was my first of his and I was interested to see the comments above about Confessions. I understand what he's doing, but I recognised myself in some of his descriptions and I found some elements borderline unkind even if it is in the name of tongue in cheek humour. A case of wrong time and place for me. Any other year and I don't think I'd be as sensitive.

Wishing everyone on the thread a Merry Christmas and for everyone facing a difficult time.

Pepe and Keith I fully agree, Muppet Christmas Carol is tomorrow evening's compulsory viewing and can't wait! Am also reading 67. A Christmas Carol, which will be my last book of the year as I have too much coursework to be getting through.