50 Book Challenge 2021 Part One

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the first 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, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

Who's in for this year?

Catriona Ward’s Rawblood and Little Eve are quite witchy.
So is K M Hargrave’s The Deathless Girls but that teetered on the edge of YA Novel for me, although an enjoyable yarn about Dracula’s Brides and where they came from.

I really enjoyed The Binding by Bridget Collins and it may fit the bill for you.

I kind of want witch making potions in a cottage type shit, like what The Binding might have been had it not gone all cheesy romance...

Bought the ones suggested, but still open to more.

Lol X post with Nettle

Witch Bottle by *Tom Fletcher is a modern take on cunning women fighting an earthy, vicious foe. Some disturbing imagery but a very fresh look at old traditions and the power of grief. If we do ‘content warnings’ on here then do read the synopsis.

The best ‘witch’ novel I have ever read is The Devil On The Road by Robert Westall. Yes, it’s a YA book, I suppose, but not at all childish. Layers of history, a time-travelling Witch and her Familiar and a motorbike. Perfect!

If you fancy totally crazy magic shit, although not with a witch in a cottage, and are not easily shocked, then Martin Millar's The Good Fairies of New York is an absolute romp.

Eine, how high is your tolerance for trashy? I really enjoyed A Discovery of Witches but it’s not highbrow. But came with a plentiful side of vampire lore and some time travelling.

Possible spoiler, but Lolly Willowes might fit the bill, Eine, although it takes a while to get there.

Finished my first book of the year a bit slower than normal.

1. The Three Mrs Wrights - Linda Keir

As referenced in the title three different women happen to have a wonderful life and man. Unfortunately their true love is one and the same. His lies are about to catch up with him and he will get what he deserves.

This was a kindle unlimited book as I have the free trial until February. Quite an easy read and something to get the year started!

This thread is moving very fast but I haven't picked my next read. The Five is on my TBR pile.

@PepeLePew

I LOVED The Discovery Of Witches trilogy in all its trashy "like grownups Twilight" glory. The TV series is abysmal but YES this is precisely what I am after

I have bought everything suggested! Many thanks

Eine, what about Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo? I read it towards the end of last year and loved it.

Eine - as Remus hinted at, The Good People (Hannah Kent), set in 19th century Ireland and focusing on superstition and fairy belief, has a wise woman character who lives in a sort of tumbledown shack concocting herbal remedies. This was actually one of my standout reads last year, but it has a grim relentless tension and child cruelty arising from changeling beliefs which is hard to stomach.

I enjoyed Rebecca Alexander's trilogy starting with The Secrets of Life and Death, which interleaves vampire mythology, witchcraft and sixteenth century ceremonial magic in an enjoyably daft way, with both a modern storyline and a historical one. The protagonist lives in a cottage with a witchy mother figure who keeps her alive by uncanny means. Definitely not high literature, though.

Karen Maitland writes dark medieval fantasies which often have witchy elements - I'm thinking of The Owl Killers in particular. (She also has one called The Vanishing Witch but I haven't read it.)

I am fancying a decent book on witches and witchcraft (fiction) I looked at A Discovery of Witches and couldn't decide if it was trashy or not.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit have you read the witches of cambridge ? I'd high,y recommend it.

I'm on to mnhq about this thread, it's behaving as if it's hidden so I can only find it by going to the last 2020 thread and clicking on the link so if I'm quiet that's why.

I have finished born lippy and am trying to finish jacobs room is full of books which was a end last year.

I love Clive James, read his memoirs way back in time watched his show religiously as well

Eine what about Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris? Haven't read it for years, but it would fit the bill for cosy but grown up magic, and may, if I remember correctly, feature a cottage.

1. The Corner Shop: Shopkeepers, the Sharmas and The Making of Modern Britain by Babita Sharma

The author is a BBC journalist and this is her story of growing up with parents who ran various corner shops in Reading. It’s a great account of the evolution of corner shops and also the history of immigration from the 1950s and 1960s onwards and the racism that arose from this. Great read.

Eine what about The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires? I haven't read it myself yet, but it's on the list as a bit of whimsy.

Eine what about Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris? Haven't read it for years, but it would fit the bill for cosy but grown up magic, and may, if I remember correctly, feature a cottage.

I second this. I read it last year and really loved it.

The Five was my absolute standout of last year. I’m a history teacher and it completely changed how I teach this period for the better.

I watched a webinar with Hallie Rubenhold speak at a history conference and she spoke about how much hate mail she has received from (mainly male) ‘Ripperologists’ who dislike the shifting of the narrative to focus on the victims. So many similarities also to the Yorkshire Ripper. The book is a masterpiece.

Hello I'd like to join please 👋🏻
Although I fear I cannot keep up with this thread let alone 50 books 😅

One of my New Years Resolutions was to try and read for 1 hour a day.
I absolutely love reading, but only read about 10 books last year due to having a baby and looking after a toddler. Now things have settled slightly I can be more focused.

I finished Book #1 yesterday - A Rising Man - Abir Mukherjee
Not a book I would have usually read but actually was really good. It is part of a trilogy so I have ordered the second one straight away.

Tonight I started Book #2 which is Frankenstein - Mary Shelley.
I'd love to read more of the classics.

I like a bit of witchy nonsense. Also vampires, dragons etc.
Currently reading the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden, set in medieval Russia and involving household deities and winter gods.
Also Sarah Painter's Crow Investigations. I'm on book 2. About a PI from London who is a member of one of 4 ancient 'families' of power in the city. Quite enjoyable so far.

Jecstar that's really interesting (and not at all surprising)

Just finished my first book of the year, a serendipitous online library find when I was looking to see if they had Reading Lolita in Tehran recommended on the last 2020 thread.

1. The Junior Officers Reading Club Killing Time and Fighting Wars, by Patrick Hennessey

A memoir covering the author's time in the army, going from Oxford university to Sandhurst, and then serving in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Despite the title, (and perhaps unsurprisingly) there's very little reading involved. I found it really interesting - firstly, why a very privileged young man with lots of other options would choose to join the army. I've got family & friends who are ex or current army, but basically all joined up as a least-worst option compared to unemployment or crap low wage work or after coming out of the care system & (obviously stupidly given there are officers!) I'd never really thought about those choosing it in a more active way. He writes a lot & very affectingly about the adrenaline rush of fighting, feelings of separation from the 'real world' back home, & his struggle to fit back in after returning from pitched battles & extreme violence in Afghanistan. There isn't any discussion of the ultimate point / effectiveness of the fighting - it's definitely a non-political book about the experience of being a soldier. Still, a really good read.

I've also had my first DNF of the year - The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher on library audio. I got about 2 hours in and decided I really didn't want to know that much about her affair with Harrison Ford - a long time ago, in a London far, far away.