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.

Sorry, forgot to add Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin, which is crime but v funny, so not just crime, iyswim.

@mackerella

Sorry, forgot to add Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin, which is crime but v funny, so not just crime, iyswim.

Sold! I'll look out for it.

Biblio I'm going to look for the Catherine Fox books too.

Mack I think there's enough of us here with a professed interest to warrant all the cathedral books.

Thanks for the new thread southeast. Love how fast we are moving along here! Will post my list next thread i think.

I've just put the first Catherine Fox book (Acts and Omissions, right?) on my TBR - I think you were enthusing about them last year biblio and we seem to have a lot of overlap in tastes. I'm a sucker for books about internal politics/power struggles - not just cathedrals, but also universities, government, anything of that ilk. If any of you have suggestions for books like that, please bung them my way! The Ruth Dudley Edwards book in my photograph is part of a series that airs the dirty linen from all of these institutions in turn, but she (mostly) stopped writing them around the turn of the century so I'm looking for a replacement!

Thanks for the new thread - can’t believe how many you’ve read Eine

My list is too tiny to bring over just two and now reading Who Killed Ruby by Camilla Way which I’m finding ok so far.

Oh, I really hope you like it, mack! I can promise you lots of church politics.

Yes to Edmund Crispin. I'm afraid I hated the only Merrily Watkins I read.

The Nine Tailors is set in a church, although I hated that too!

Hi all and thanks Southeast for the refreshingly list-light thread

Currently on book 5 which is Claire Tomalin's very readable biog of Samuel Pepys.

cheers South for the new thread - everything moves so fast in January!

On cathedrals, I'd like to give a shout out to Ripon, for having a bad-ass crypt. But my favourite religious building for atheists is a church, Great St. Barts, in Smithfield. I love the Damien Hirst sculpture of St Bartholomew there, even though I don't really rate much other Hirst stuff.

I am resolutely pro-list:

1. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
2. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Fortuna. Travey Chevalier’s A single thread is set around Winchester Cathedral. A ‘surplus’ woman after WW1, Violet moves to Winchester where she becomes involved with the broderers. I really enjoyed this book.

I’ve started number 6. The Crow Trap.

Magic I read that last year and really liked it too. I enjoy Tracy Chevalier's writing.

I've started Fingersmith. Hooked already.

Fortuna I assume you've read Sarum - not all cathedral building but a fair chunk of it is about building Salisbury cathedral. One of my favourites, I am going to try and re-read this year.

My shortish list for Jan so far is:

1. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
2. The Body by Bill Bryson
3. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
4. On Chapel Sands by Laura Cumming

Now reading The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell on Kindle, The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick (fictional about Eleanor of Aquitaine) on Audible and reading Difficult Women- a history of feminism in 11 Fights as my non-fiction.

mackerella CP Snow for intrigue and power struggles? He's a bit old-fashioned nowadays, I suppose. DH is quite keen on them but I've never read them; I might well get round to it one of these days, though.

In a similar vein, J.I.M Stewart's university novels - the Staircase in Surrey quintet maybe?

biblio, I’ve just ordered Acts and Omissions for my kindle. I need something entertaining and immersive and I do love a cathedral.

15. Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Phileas Fogg accepts the challenge of completing the aforementioned trip, unaware he stands accused of a crime.

I enjoyed this to begin with, I found it quite witty, but it wore thin quickly and I basically dragged myself through it.

Out of quarantine as of now though....

@2021booklover

Thanks for the new thread - can’t believe how many you’ve read Eine

My list is too tiny to bring over just two and now reading Who Killed Ruby by Camilla Way which I’m finding ok so far.

I'd exchange my reading rate for being able to leave my house at the moment

Has anyone read Susan Howatch's church books? She wrote about a cathedral close and it's inhabitants loosely based on Salisbury, it's called Starbridge. Each book follows a different church member and various spiritual and moral
crises they go through. There's a fair bit of theology in them but also decent plots, the first one is called Glittering Images.

Ravenclawesome, I haven't... but I will be!

I read one or two Susan Howatch books years ago, Stokey, but I can't recall very much about them, I'm afraid.

I notice none of us has mentioned Lafferton Cathedral, spiritual home of the Seraillers

Oh, you won't be disappointed. I loved it.

Also enjoyed Fingersmith

Terps I've got the next one brooding on my phone. Not quite what I had in mind though! They're more of a punishment really.

Stokey I haven't read those either.

Too many books, not enough time.

Thanks for the second thread already, southeast!

My book no 2:
Agatha Christie - The Hollow (Re-read)

A comforting and easy read, with characters that are full of personality and quirks. I think this is one of Agatha Christie's best classic country house mysteries. I read this as part of the Agatha Christie 2021 reading challenge and it just reminded me how much I love it.

Fingersmith is excellent. I’m always reminded that I’ve still not read any of her other books yet when she’s mentioned here. I should. There’s a South Korean film called the Handmaiden based on the book which is supposed to be excellent. It looks a bit scarey for me though.

@southeastdweller thanks for the thread.

Hurray, Pepe!