50 Book Challenge 2021 Part Two

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2021, 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. Could everyone embolden their titles and/or authors as well, please, as it makes the books talked about easier to track?

The first thread of the year is here.

Back when we were grown ups by Anne Tyler.

It may be heresy but I'm just not sure Anne Tyler us for me. I thought Redhead by the Side of the Road was unbelievable and twee, hated a Spool of Blue Thread, quite liked The Accidental Tourist (despite the zany extended family and their rituals) and finished this one but again found it all twee, zany names and quirky extended family, clutter and slow decay.

The premise is great, 51 year old Rebecca the much put upon matriarch of a large extended family, running an events location in her home, a faded crumbling house in a fast becoming rundown area, running to middle aged fat with flouncy clothes and riduculous wings of hair, feels she has to be someone she is not. She's not jovial or events loving, she wonders how the intellectual, introverted girl she was has ended up living as this other person. After much introduction of back story, extended family members with quirky lives and lots of dead ends Rebecca finally makes a discovery.

There was some great writing in it, some really well observed insights but like Rebecca's life there was too much jumble.

Old Baggage Despite all the love on this thread, I'm afraid I found it rather disappointing as a Good Read, although it might have made a wonderful film with Margaret Rutherford in the lead role.

My Mortal Enemy by Willa Carther A young girl, Nellie, meets the glamorous, older, Myra who is somewhat of a legend in the Southern town where they were both born: Myra had abandoned her upbringing with her wealthy Catholic uncle (and her future inheritance) to elope with impoverished Protestant Oswald Henshawe and marry for love. Initially Nellie views this romantically, but in part 2 she meets the couple again 25 years later, living in poverty, and observes more of the true nature of their marriage. This was a very short novel, sparsely written and focussing on a few key scenes, but it very cleverly portrays the ambiguities of the marriage and personalities. I can't decide whether the title refers to Myra herself or her husband, or perhaps both.

I should perhaps have said that My Mortal Enemy was first published in 1926 and is American (a Southern American town being somewhat different from one in Southern England)!

I have to say I love Anne Tyler, but she's definitely not for everyone and I've found her later books not really up to the standard of her earlier novels. On the whole I find her books gentle and comforting. My favourite two are Saint Maybe and Breathing Lessons. I think Breathing Lessons won the Pulitzer Prize way back. It was discussed on A Good Read on Radio 4 not so long ago.

I've just caught up with the thread and it's brilliant. So very many interesting discussions.

My reading rate is very slow due to home schooling and trying to work, an impossible and frustrating combination! This has made me try audio books for the first time and I have enjoyed listening to book 4. which was So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson. I'm years out on this book but very much enjoyed it. The concept is still relevant today, in fact the public shaming and the use of Twitter discussed in the book has evolved beyond what could possibly have been imagined with the advent of Trump etc.

Book 3 was Summerwater by Sarah Moss which I rated. She captured the internal narratives of the characters very well, particularly the women and their exhaustion raising children and the sense of being cramped up in a damp, miserable holiday let and trying to have fun.

I'm going to try another audio book, The Frayed Atlantic Edge next, free from the library via BorrowBox. I'm sticking to non-fiction for now.

I also wanted to send to Magimedi, I hope you do stay on the thread and get some good reading inspiration.

Agree with everyone's comments on Stephen King, enjoy his books but not yet read a third of his work. I made a list of reads I definitely want to get through this year and have put three King books on it.

Re likeable characters in books, it doesn't bother me if they aren't likeable but can see how it would get tiresome if every single character in a book was like that. Am almost done with Olive Kitteridge and have realised she is a massive pain in the arse with little insight into her own behaviour. However, I would still like to read Olive, Again at some point.

Going back to Anne Tyler for a moment, I completely agree that she's rather patchy and her recent books have fallen off a bit - I couldn't finish A Spool of Blue Thread. Having said that, I did quite enjoy Clock Dance - but then I think she's good at older people and children, both of whom feature in that....as they do in the excellent Breathing Lessons .

Where she falls down for me is her tendency to indulge in too many utterly useless/dysfunctional men and kooky women who attempt to rescue them in some way. And the results can be curiously bleak. Though maybe that's what she's after....?

I very much enjoyed The Goldfinch and didn't think it was too long. It was very well-written and managed to convey tragedy without whining and pulling on heartstrings, which I find rare for a female author.

Reading The Goldfinch was the most immersive experience I've had to date, with superb characterisation and not a wasted paragraph. I could have happily read another 900 pages!

@Boiledeggandtoast

Old Baggage Despite all the love on this thread, I'm afraid I found it rather disappointing as a Good Read, although it might have made a wonderful film with Margaret Rutherford in the lead role.

My Mortal Enemy by Willa Carther A young girl, Nellie, meets the glamorous, older, Myra who is somewhat of a legend in the Southern town where they were both born: Myra had abandoned her upbringing with her wealthy Catholic uncle (and her future inheritance) to elope with impoverished Protestant Oswald Henshawe and marry for love. Initially Nellie views this romantically, but in part 2 she meets the couple again 25 years later, living in poverty, and observes more of the true nature of their marriage. This was a very short novel, sparsely written and focussing on a few key scenes, but it very cleverly portrays the ambiguities of the marriage and personalities. I can't decide whether the title refers to Myra herself or her husband, or perhaps both.

I pictured Maggie Smith when I was reading it. I didn't enjoy the book much though.

Teroischore agree with a lot of what you say re Anne Tyler, for the most part I've enjoyed her books, except the ones featuring useless men. Morgan's Passing was a good example of this, the main character was a hopeless manchild who felt the world owed him a living. I did enjoy A Spool of Blue Thread though, was a definite highlight of last year.

Just finished book 3 Troy - Stephen Fry Another brilliant book this time focussed on the trojan war, a subject I had a very small knowledge about (I knew the horse bit). I found myself wanting to keep reading due to Fry's writing style and feel like I learnt a lot especially with the appendices exploring the myth vs history and the sources we use to know about the war.

Not sure about book 4, might read my book on Norse Myths.

It was very well-written and managed to convey tragedy without whining and pulling on heartstrings, which I find rare for a female author.

I also loved The Goldfinch. I thought it was a return to form for Tartt after The Little Friend (which I found disappointing).

Terpischore: Where she falls down for me is her tendency to indulge in too many utterly useless/dysfunctional men and kooky women who attempt to rescue them in some way. And the results can be curiously bleak. Though maybe that's what she's after....?
you are so right. Macon Leary (Accidental Tourist)was just so unworthy of Muriel or his ex... as for his manchild brothers- no wonder they were single.

5. Life on Earth - David Attenborough (Audible)

Updated audiobook version of the classic 1979 natural history series, charting the evolution of life from single-celled creatures to primates and mankind. Lovely to listen to Sir David as I went on my walks down the local woodland tracks, this is so much more informative, fascinating yet didactic, when compared with the nature documentaries they churn out nowadays which ping from one majestic / quirky/ scary animal to the next ('ooh look, here's a strange frog in the dessert... here's some ants floating down the river... look, a camel!')

"It was very well-written and managed to convey tragedy without whining and pulling on heartstrings, which I find rare for a female author.
"

Use your words, cassandre

That is indeed one of the reasons why I liked The Goldfinch, and very much a major reason why I avoid female authors.

All of that is my personal perception and honest opinion rather than a universal truth, which you can tell by the use of the words "I find" in the sentence you reacted to with swivel eyes

@southeastdweller

Reading The Goldfinch was the most immersive experience I've had to date, with superb characterisation and not a wasted paragraph. I could have happily read another 900 pages!

^ Exactly how I felt about it.

Have added the Eyam plague book to wishlist. Am originally from Notts/Derbys border and from a family of hikers. I prayed as a child for rain every Sunday so I wouldn't have to tramp through farmyards and peat bogs and spent more Sundays around Eyam than most 70s kids.
Pretty idyllic looking back.

With The Goldfinch I didn't either love or hate it. It kept my interest enough to want to finish it, but I was glad when it was over. I was starting to get a weary of it towards the end. I'd still say it's worth reading if anyone asks, but I wouldn't rave about it.

One I definitely won't be raving about...

10. Blue Ticket - Sophie Mackintosh At the onset of puberty girls are assessed for their suitability for motherhood and are issued with tickets. A white ticket means you will get married and become a mother and a blue ticket means you will get a job and become a productive member of society. In this a young woman with a blue ticket removes her coil and gets pregnant which then means she needs to flee from the authorities for daring to make her own choices. While on the run she encounters people hostile to her, but soon finds others in the same situation.

I thought this was going to be an insightful commentary on modern womanhood and a discussion of can you have it all, the choices women make and the consequences of them. Instead this was a badly written, half arsed dystopian teen drama that was very simplistic in its outlook. It barely bothered to set the scene, let alone world build, characters were one dimensional, with no depth or development. Based on shallow stereotypes, this was a weak effort at addressing issues, it tries to look at misogyny and free will, but doesn't really explore or discuss. The plot was dull, dull, dull. What a waste of an excellent premise. In better hands this could have been a modern Handmaid. Her previous novel was longlisted for the Booker. This felt like the homework project of a sixth former, simplistic prose, no depth, no exploration and no real understanding. Hugely disappointing.

Following all the discussions with interest. I found The Goldfinch a real mishmash - there were parts I loved and parts I wished her editor had excised.

I read The Other Hand years ago for book club and whilst I cannot remember the story I can remember I thought it was dreadful!

I think I may be the only 50 Booker who has never read any Stephen King......

5. Old Baggage - Lissa Evans

Much discussed and loved on here and that’s why I picked it up in a Kindle sale. Set in 1928 and the following years it’s about Mattie, a former suffragette. I enjoyed this but didn’t love it. An easy read.

6. Crooked Heart - Lissa Evans

Not exactly a sequel to Old Baggage but there are some cross-references. It’s now World War 2 and the story follows Noel, a 10 year old evacuee from London who is intelligent and curious as well as being wise beyond his years. Vera takes Noel in and the book tracks the development of their relationship. Noel changes Vera’s life and I enjoyed this more than Old Baggage and will be reading V for Victory at some point.

I didn't bother with The Goldfinch. Even thinking about reading it made me tired. I liked one out of The Secret History and The Little Friend and hated the other, but can never remember which way round.

Quick update before I catch up on the thread.

5.The Last Thing To Burn - Will Dean
This was reviewed all over twitter and hyped up! And I just cannot resist
This tells a story of a Vietnamese woman kept captive on a farm in the UK by her "husband". If she misbehaves he burns one of her dwindling possessions.
This story had be absolutely gripped and holding my breath to see what happens next. There were a few moments I just couldn't read the details. It completely lived up to the hype and I was told it would make me anxious! It certainly did that and I wasn't sure it's what 2021 needed but it was such an intense escape from the real world! Would definitely recommend!

I have The Other Hand knocking around somewhere but in a bizarre tiny format. Have never got round to reading it, and sounds like it might not be worth hunting out!

However, I did enjoy Everyone Brave is Forgiven by the same author. Set in WW2, it's the story of a young woman from a privileged background who volunteers to help with the war effort, imagining a glorious future as a glamorous spy, but instead finds herself responsible for the education of an assortment of children, in an empty school with no resources, during the Blitz. There's also a love triangle with a man who is fighting abroad and another closer to home. It's patchy but pretty readable.

I think I may be the only 50 Booker who has never read any Stephen King......

Don't worry, you're not! I've never read any SK (and I'm ok with that). I'm not particularly keen on horror (apart from old school MR James-type horror, and also the Merrily Watkins books, which are pretty tame as far as horror goes). I have to say, some of the discussion on here - gang rapes, dubious racial politics and gratuitous torture - is not making SK sound particularly appealing! But maybe that's just because you're all fans, so can criticise without being disparaging (just as I can moan about my dad but would kill anyone else who did)

FortunaMajor Thanks for the review of Blue Ticket. It was on my possible pile and can now be junked, suspected it might be crap. Learnt my lesson last year with Vox which I DNF.

TimeforaGandT I really like Vera and Noel, you have V for Victory to look forward to, Vera raised a few giggles from me in that.