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.

Welcome to the new members, hope you enjoy it here. I now have a massive reading wishlist from all the recommendations and loved reading all sorts of different books which I would never have read otherwise.

48. The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell Short stories based on fairy tales, but to me very altered fairy tales - more a general atmosphere of magic and mortals together.

I hate short stories. What I live for with reading is the moment in a novel where you're no longer consciously reading but you've slipped below the surface and are absorbed in it. This almost never happens for me with short stories - I remain alert and on the surface only. I also hate the effort required to get to know new characters every single chapter, and the loss of previous ones.

I'm afraid this didn't convert me. The title story was genuinely moving, engaging and sad, and the short piece In the Dark was very good too - like a ghost story where the ghost never quite appears. But mostly I found this a slog. I need to learn how to read stories.

Hi all. Have been stalking this thread all year and it’s time to share! I’ve had lots of good ideas from it and I’m looking forward to 2021.
Here’s the list!

1. The Other Half of Augusta Hope. Joanna Glen.
2. Unsheltered. Barbara Kingsolver.
3. The Sense of an Ending. Julian Barnes.
4. Confession. Jessie Burton.
5. Braised Pork. An Yu.
6. Things In Jars. Jess Kidd.
7. Olive Kitteridge. Elizabeth Strout. A
8. Olive Again. Elizabeth Strout. A

1. Reasons to be Cheerful. Nina Stibbe.

10. The Dutch House. Ann Patchett. A 11. Akin. Emma Donaghue. A 12. A Single Thread. Tracey Chevalier. A 13. Remarkable Creatures. Tracey Chevalier. A 14. The Hoarder. Jess Kidd. A 15. Big Skies. Kate Atkinson. A 16. The Binding. Bridget Collins. 17. Paradise City. Elizabeth Day. A

18. Emotionally Weird. Kate Atkinson. A

19. Pine. Francine Toon. A

20. The Doll Factory. Elizabeth MacNeal.

21. The Guest List. Lucy Foley. A

22. Case Histories. Kate Atkinson. A

23. One Good Turn. Kate Atkinson. A

24. When Will There Good News? Kate Atkinson.

25. Dirty Secrets. Jo Spain. A

26. Book of Dust. Philip Pullman.

27. Six Wicked Reasons. Jo Spain. A

28. Inheritance. Jenny Eclair. A

29. The Family Upstairs. Lisa Jewell.

30. Ramble Book. Adam Buxton. A

31. Then She Was Gone. Lisa Jewell.

32. Magpie Lane. Lucy Atkins. A

33. The Only Story. Julian Barnes.

34. Giver of Stars. Jojo Moyes. A

35. Ask Again, Yes. Mary Beth Keane. A

36. Daisy Jones and the Six. Taylor Jenkins Reid. A

37. The Most Fun We Ever Had. Claire Lombardo. A

38. The Weekend. Charlotte Wood. A

39. Chapel Sands. My Mother and Other Missing Persons. Laura Cumming.

40. Small Pleasures. Claire Chambers. A

41. Miss Benson’s Golden Beetle. Rachel Joyce. A

42. The Truants. Kate Weinberg.

43. The Glass House. Eve Chase. A

44. The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde. Eve Chase. A

45. Summerwater. Sarah Moss. A

46. In a Good Light. Clare Chambers.

47. Islands of Mercy. Rose Tremain. A

48. My Dark Vanessa. Kate Elizabeth Russell. A

49. The Tin Can. Anne Tyler.

50. Cuckoo Calling. Robert Galbraith. A

51. The Editor’s Wife. Clare Chambers.

52. The Silkworn. Robert Galbraith. A

53. Career of Evil. Robert Galbraith. A

54. Lethal White. Robert Galbraith. A

55. Learning To Swim. Clare Chambers.

56. Troubled Blood. Robert Galbraith. A

57. The Other Bennet Sister. Janice Hadlow. A

58. Family Album. Penelope Lively.

59. The Clockmaker’s Daughter. Kate Morton.

60. The Almanac 2020. Lia Leendertz.

Welcome Magic

Permanent completely agree re short stories.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie if you are looking for time travel books, I'm assuming you've already read A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley which I absolutely loved as a child? I think there was a discussion about it on this thread a few weeks ago, but I can't remember whether you were involved.

One other that has stuck in my mind (and is possibly particularly relevant in view of the current pandemic) is Children of Winter by Berlie Doherty. Also involves a timeslip. Does anyone else remember that one? Three children take shelter from a storm and are transported back to the time of the Black Death. I remember it very vividly.

Oh, also - have you read the Snow Spider trilogy by Jenny Nimmo? Lovely books based on the Mabinogion.

Hi all, I have lurked silently on this thread all year, often as an alternative to actually reading as my ability to read tanked as soon as the pandemic kicked off. I thought I would post my list here anyway. Thank you to all who post regularly here - it has been a comfort.

My list:

1. The Code of the Woosters, P G Wodehouse - My first PG Wodehouse, I hate to say this but I didn't find it that funny, perhaps I wasn't in the right mood, or perhaps there is something terribly wrong with me?!

1. An American Princess, Annejet van der Zijl - Astonishing, incredible story of a woman who lived through the Gilded Age, WWI and the Depression among other things and who ended up as European aristocracy. The writing is average but the story incredible - well worth reading.

1. The Overcoat and other short stories, Nikolai Gogol - can't remember much about this

1. Girl, Woman, Other, Bernadine Evaristo - ok but not amazing I thought

1. American Pastoral, Philip Roth - my first Roth, quite a depressing read, not as misogynistic as I was expecting given Roth's reputation

1. Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino - lots of people raved about these essays but I didn't click with them, I think I just didn't relate to the cultural references

1. Japan Story: In Search of a Nation, 1850 to the Present, Christopher Harding - interesting but again can't remember much (sorry for the hopeless reviews - much of 2020 is a blur for me for some reason - perhaps it was the boredom!)

1. The Heartland: Finding and Losing Schizophrenia, Nathan Filer - excellent, fascinating exploration of this condition and the human stories that lie behind the labelling of mental illness.

1. The Vegetarian, Han Kang - A standout, transcendent read for me. Quite abstract and very layered. Keep meaning to return to it.

10. The Innocents, Mark Twain - tedious, racist, would not recommend

11. After Rain, William Trevor - beautiful short stories

12. Animals: Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, Hal Herzog - not good, was free on Kindle

13. The Epigenetics Revolution, Nessa Carey - fascinating, though very scientific/technical at times

14. Wakenhyrst, Michelle Paver - enjoyed this

15. Exposure, Helen Dunmore - my first Helen Dunmore. Again, really enjoyed it and planning to seek out her other books

16. The Leopard, Tomasi di Lampedusa - I know lots of people revere this but I found it really tedious and couldn't finish. I just didn't 'get it' at all and the misogyny was a bit much.

17. The Fishermen, Chigoze Obioma - can't remember much about this

18. The Female Persuasion, Meg Wolitzer - slightly disappointing given the gushing reviews, ok but nothing special

19. Priestdaddy, Patricia Lockwood - started off intriguingly but got a bit repetitive and didn't really go anywhere

20. It's All in Your Head: Stories from the Frontline of Psychosomatic Illness, Suzanne O’Sullivan - fascinating, has changed how I think of so called psychosomatic illness and illness/medicine in general

21. The Years, Annie Ernaux - found this a bit dull

22. When in French: Love in a second language, Lauren Collins - not much to say, interesting in parts but I have read better memoirs about moving to France and French culture

23. Naples ’44: An Intelligence Officer in the Italian Labyrinth, Norman Lewis - harrowing account of barbaric wartime circumstances in Naples

24. The World As It Is, Ben Rhodes - interesting account of the Obama years by his closest aide. You get more of a sense of how Obama is to be around than from the man himself I think. I haven't read Obama's full memoir yet but have read excerpts and he writes in a detached, unemotional style so this is a good counterweight to that.

25. The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin - very moving, anything by Baldwin is beautiful and sad

26. The Good Immigrant - finally got round to reading this collection, some very good essays here, some less compelling. Still feels fresh in 2020

27. After the Party, Cressida Connolly - fine, not amazing

28. Bring up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel - enjoyed this but not as much as Wolf Hall which had better momentum I thought

29. Stasiland: Stories from behind the Berlin Wall, Anna Funder - standout read, wonderfully written and fascinating on the lives of the people living behind the wall

30. Intimations, Zadie Smith - well written and insightful but ultimately forgettable

31. Invisible Women, Caroline Criado-Perez - important but depressing

32. Selected Diaries, Virginia Woolf, Vintage Classics ed. - enjoyed these diaries, great to be able to dip in and out of when I couldn't focus on anything else. Virginia Woolf much more spirited and life-loving than is commonly portrayed I thought.

33. Becoming, Michelle Obama - I enjoyed the parts about MO's upbringing and her parents the most, probably as a lot of the other stuff is already known eg how she met Barack, how she felt about politics etc. After finishing I found myself wondering how her life would have progressed had her husband not become president as she had built up such an impressive professional life of her own.

34. Notre-Dame, Agnès Poirier - felt hastily put together

35. Our Final Warning: Six degrees of climate emergency, Mark Lynas - terrifying, sobering, wandered round in a daze for a day after reading it. Have had a slight feeling of surreality at seeing life go on as normal ever since.

36. The Liar’s Gospel, Naomi Alderman - I really like Alderman's writing and enjoyed this account of Jesus' life through the eyes of others (though he is known by his Jewish name in the novel). An atmospheric account of the barbaric treatment of the Jewish people by the Romans at the time.

37. How the world thinks, Julian Baggini - I found this a bit dull but then philosophy isn't really my thing.

Thanks, Welsh. Have read all of those.

I'm starting with Bridgerton - good fun so far. I'm unlikely to watch it, but it's nice to know what everyone is talking about!

Welcome Cakemonger. That's an engaging list - some I've read, some are on my TBR, and some I haven't come across but look interesting!

I meant to add thank you.

91. Why Mummy Doesn't Give a ! By Gill Sim. I expect the title of this will bugger up my bolding! Light hearted divorce fic, 3rd in the Why Mummy series- I liked this, and was amused by mumsnet making an appearance. I wish she hadn't called the children Peter and Jane though, the reference seems too dated compared with the very current narrative.

When Marnie was There by Joan G Robinson has a time travel element.

We’re going to need a new thread!
I had forgotten all about that book, magicbaby. I loved it when I was a young teen.

Welcome Cake

I'm reading Intimations at the moment though I'm not getting into it. It does seem well written but, as you say, I don't think it's one that I will have an enduring memory of.

Welcome to all the new 50-bookers! This really is one of the nicest places to be at the moment in the midst of all the madness. Escaping here has been really helpful when things have felt difficult at times.

I fell off this thread a couple of months ago partly due to life getting chaotic, exacerbated by what should have been a small hospital procedure turning nasty - all fine now thankfully - and not helped by general feebleness in falling behind with posting my reviews.

I am on my 100th book today though, so have met my personal target for this year. Having spent the last two weeks catching up with the thread, my aim before 2021 is to complete my list (a mere 40 books to cover ) and post brief reviews of the books I enjoyed most.

to everyone who has had/is having a tough time. This has been one hell of a year. Let's hope 2021 is much better for everyone.

59. Vet in Harness by James Herriot. Another dose of reassuring nostalgia. Great comfort reading.

60. The Stand by Stephen King. Much mentioned here. I've been meaning to read this for ages. A real page-turner; very enjoyable. However, for someone with a phobia of wolves since a very young age (I used to lie in bed afraid to go to sleep in case a wolf came round the corner of the stairs and devoured me - not that likely in small town Scotland in the 60s) one of the scenes was extremely chilling.

61. Old Baggage by Lissa Evans.Also much mentioned here. I loved the character of Mattie. Like one of these thoroughly decent but sometimes tactless and frequently annoying friends. The realtionship between her and The Flea is beautifully described.

62. The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves. Crime set in the NE. The first of her Vera stories. I haven't watched the TV series but liked the character of Vera very much.

63. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. Set in Iceland in the early 19th century, and based on a true story, a young woman accused of murder is sent to live with a family while awaiting trial. Atmospheric, unusual. I enjoyed it.

64. Vets Might Fly by James Herriot. A PP was very funny upthread about the clumsy links between his experiences in the RAF and remembered anecdotes of incidents back in Darrowby. Which are what you really want to read. More of the same but still fun.

65. Crooked Heart by LIssa Evans. A follow-up to Old Baggage and equally enjoyable. Sad, touching and funny. Vee and Noel are thrown together when he loses his home and she sees this ten year old waif as a useful means of helping to scratch a living during WWII. Lissa Evans' depiction of the reality of life on the home front during the war is engaging, and the slowly developing relationship between Vee and Noel is unsentimentally portrayed. Noel is just a brilliant character. I'm looking forward to reading the third book in the trilogy.

@Welshwabbit adding this to my TBR list for 2021 Children of Winter by Berlie Doherty. Looks an interesting read.

I've finished my 100th book! I didn't expect to read so much this year, as I was contemplating going back to work, but then there was this thing called Covid (don't know if you've heard of it) and no nursery for six months and lots of Disney/reading time...

100. Medieval Bodies - Jack Hartnell
This was not the systemic medical/philosophical exploration of conceptions of the body that I was hoping for, but rather a miscellany of medieval social history based loosely around body parts, with chapters for head, stomach, heart etc. I wasn't that impressed that medieval women's lives were subsumed under the 'Genitals' heading . Interesting enough, but a bit of a mishmash which spread itself too widely, with a few blatant inaccuracies.

Quickly moving on from that... my top reads of the year were:
This Book Will Change Your Mind about Mental Health - Nathan Filer
Damascus - Christos Tsiolkas
Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams
I Am, I Am, I Am - Maggie O’Farrell
The Five: the lives of Jack the Ripper’s women - Hallie Rubenhold
Normal People - Sally Rooney
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
Imperium - Robert Harris
Love After Love - Ingrid Persaud
Howl’s Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones
Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
Expectation - Anna Hope
Our Bodies, Their Battlefield - Christina Lamb
The Good People - Hannah Kent
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho - Anne Carson
The Word for World is Forest - Ursula Le Guin

And the analysis is:
39 fiction / 61 non-fiction
49 male authors / 51 female
30 paper books (mine) / 11 library books / 27 kindle / 32 audio

I’ll start the 2021 thread a bit early, this afternoon. Is that OK with everyone? Seems a bit silly to start another 2020 thread when there’s so little of this year remaining.

YAY! I can’t wait to start this challenge in 2021. Thank you! 📚

No! We need another 2020 thread so I can finish my last book of the year and meet my target on a 2020 thread not 2021!

I suspect we can fill quite a lot of a new 2020 thread with our lists and highlights of the year....

Ooh .. still trying to complete my 2020 list before 2021 starts!

Cracking on ..

66. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. I really enjoyed MoF's talk about this book at the online Hay on Wye festival this summer. IMO her best book so far and a tender and moving account of the heartbreak of losng a child.

67. Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves. Second in the Vera series. Enjoyable.