50 Book Challenge 2021 Part Three

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third 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 and the second one here.

If worms spread all over an Internet forum, that must mean we’ll have threadworms, right...?

Boom, boom, Daphne.

I've reached the smallpox chapter, a welcome relief after so many worms.

Daph you are the only acceptable creepy crawly round these parts.

Great review of Dear Mrs Bird, @RavenclawesomeCrone! Agree entirely.

11. Get Out of My Life...But first take me and Alex into town by Tony Wolf and Suzanne Franks Frequently recommended teenage-parenting book. I found it interesting, and readable, but a bit depressing. The depressing bit is that one of the authors' central points is that by the teenage years, much of your influence has dwindled, and parts of conflict with teenagers are about you managing your own emotions about the people you think your children are becoming. There were some very helpful points, and useful ways of framing things, and I'm glad I read it. I found it a bit disconcerting that they keep talking about how you 'might want to give your teenager a sharp slap' etc. (Point being, that acceptable parenting has changed since many of us grew up, and that old-school discipline, whether physical or otherwise is no longer really a thing, but I did find it jarring. Maybe I'm lucky, but I never actually have any urge to hit my children, even when they're annoying.)

Agatha Christie next, I think...

14. The Postscript Murders, by Elly Griffiths

This author is churning out books at a fast rate. This is a break from the Ruth Galloway series, featuring a female gay Sikh detective, Harbinder Kaur and a quirky band of amateur sleuths, including a young Ukrainian carer, an ex-monk and an elderly neighbour. I wasn't sure about this initially - the amateur sleuthing sat uneasily with the police procedural. The solution was over-complicated - so many motives! In the end, I did rather like the characters and was urging them on, so it wasn't a bad read, although not top-notch.

1. The Lioness of Morocco – Julia Drosten

Mid 19th century Morocco is just where I fancied spending some time. This somewhat predictable tale about strong-willed Sybilla, a wealthy merchant’s daughter, who married an idiot but ultimately achieved her aim of independence and exotic escapades, kept me entertained far away from the humdrum of daily life. So, hooray for that! I didn’t think much of the writing style and was a little irritated by the Americanisms when referring to British people, customs, clothing etc. but I certainly enjoyed the ride (on merchant ships, camels, horses, mules….!)

Ok I'm about to review a book which I know is very Marmite on here. I purposely haven't read any reviews people have written on it, I'm just aware it divides opinion. So, here we are, my opinion..

17. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

I knew what this book was about before reading it, but I would have liked to have read it totally not knowing the premise. I can't imagine there are people unaware of this book, or what its subject matter is, but if there are this review^ contains spoilers^.

Ishiguro gives a full, rounded, description of the three main characters, I found two likeable and 1 not. For me, to have a strong opinion of a character (whether good or bad), means I have to understand them, their personality, and views.

We meet Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth, who are residents at Hailsham. We hear about 'donations' and 'completing' at first not knowing what they are. We learn as the story progresses that all at Hailsham are different to the people outside, they will go on to give donations.

I found the general matter of fact attitude about donors the saddest thing, that these children are there only to eventually give parts of themselves up until one day they die or 'complete'. I found their attitude to it all the thing that had the biggest impact on me. It's simply what is done, it's the way things are and that's going to be the course of their life. It left me with a sense of melancholy and disquiet.

I felt truly sad and welled up towards the end when Ruth knew she was going to complete and told Kathy and Tommy that she had always purposely stood in their way of being together. She told them to be together now that they could, and although I disliked Ruth up until this point, that gave me another insight into her.

I find it so sad to think that these kids seem not to really have emotions surrounding the completing of their friends, it is what they all expect to happen eventually so it's treated as just another thing.

When we find out that Hailsham students were definitely an exception and that everywhere else donors are treated as if they are barely human with no feelings, the sense of sadness for these donors increases again, although glad of the fact they had Hailsham.

Couples genuinely in love have the hope of deferring, and when Kathy and Tommy go and find Madame and Miss Emily, it is heartbreaking that their last vestige of hope is gone when they are told there is no truth to the rumours of deferrals. Hailsham is also gone.

I found that at the end the inevitability is reinforced and I was left with a sense of hopelessness and sadness (a recurring word I've used through this review because it's my overriding feeling).

11. The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

The hard copy/order of purchase on Kindle alternation threw up two murder stories in a row, which I usually try to avoid. My slightly jaded review may be unfair as a result!

This is a clever riff on the Golden Age detective story, being a, er, Golden Age detective story (albeit written by a modern author) within a "real life" murder story. As with pretty much every whodunnit I've ever read, I wanted to keep reading so it was successful to that extent - but the more it went on, the more I felt the central device detracted from the story. It all felt a bit self-conscious. Crime novels don't really work for me unless I care about or identify with at least some of the characters. This felt as though the puzzle was the whole point, and the main character was just a bit of a cipher. People say the same about Agatha Christie, but that's not the way I read her books. So maybe it's just me, but I found this clever, but with no heart, so it left me cold.

Barnabas , you've inspired me to go back to Get Out of My Life for another read, as lockdown is inflaming tensions between teens and parents in this house.

14. Pilgrims, Matthew Kneale

A fun, Chaucer-inspired tale of a motley group of medieval English pilgrims making the journey to Rome (there is a Welshman although he appears later). Some are going in penance for their sins, others to ask for favours on behalf of themselves or their employers or feudal lords. "Simple" Tom, the closest thing the book has to a hero, is going because he has dreamed that his beloved cat is in purgatory, and he has been told that making a pilgrimage to Rome will release its soul up to heaven.

The Medieval character is captured well, with its emphasis on religion and bawdy humour, and there is lots of good period detail about where the pilgrims eat and sleep, and how they make the long journey. Two of the characters (a sexually adventurous noblewoman with several husbands, and a religious mystic who talks constantly to Jesus and gets on the other pilgrims' nerves) are based on real people. Much of the book is a romp but there's a serious thread running through it , and it ends on a subdued and thoughtful note despite a satisfying ending in which the "good" characters triumph and the selfish ones are taught a lesson.

15. Jew(ish), Matt Greene

Somewhere between a memoir and a set of essays (the subtitle is "A primer; A memoir; A manual; A Plea"), this is a book about what it means to be a British Jew in the 21st century. Greene examines important questions to do with privilege, racism, Israel, Corbyn, the risk of hate attacks along with more prosaic ponderings - if he's not a practising Jew, will he get his baby son circumcised, and what does that choice mean? There are some interesting points here however my verdict chimes with that of one Goodreads reviewer: "In his Afterword, the author says that Jewish identity is complicated and confusing. No one is more confused and complicated on the matter than the author".

@Boiledeggandtoast I'm so thrilled that you liked A Girl's Story! Lovely review of it. It's amazing that Ernaux, writing in old age, can capture the feelings of adolescence so well (though she's very careful to acknowledge the gaps in her attempts to remember and understand her younger self).

Another French memoir of adolescence that has just come out in English translation is Consent by Vanessa Springora. It's the true story of how a young girl was groomed by a much older famous writer with powerful friends, and how he appropriates her experiences and incorporates them into his writing (so she's doubly violated, not just physically but also in terms of her privacy). This sounds grim but it's dealt with in a very non-sensational way, as the adult Springora revisits her adolescent experience through a feminist lens. I'm glad that a version of the Me Too movement finally seems to be hitting France -- it's about time!

Coincidentally I started off on a read-the-Bible-in-a-year programme last year too (out of literary not religious interest), but I gave up a few months in because the Old Testament was just too much for me! I might have another go at some point. The level of violence is indeed quite extraordinary.

ParisJeTaime, that was a hilarious review of Keeper of Lost Things. I won't be touching that book with a bargepole now.

Fortuna, I agree about the ending of Summerwater; I really liked the novel but it left me dissatisfied! Also there's a bit at the end where one character has their hand in their pocket and when I reread the last few pages, I think the implication was that that person was responsible for the event at the end -- did others have that impression too? But if so, the implication was made in such an understated way that I almost missed it. I would have liked a bit more clarity!

I also hated hated Keeper of Lost Things . I hate most of those Lido -esque books. Some authors do it better than others but they have become so formulaic. Dear Mrs Bird* also recently reviewed is, although frothy and slight, a better example of this kind of books.

I do wonder whether Major Pettigrew/Harold Fry spawned some terrible offspring! They get sent to illustrators for whimsically pretty covers and suckers like me buy them.

Bold got rather over excited there!!

as lockdown is inflaming tensions between teens and parents in this house.

This house too. Not so much lockdown as stuff that is going on that is causing more stress because of lockdown. A one female adult-one teenage boy household is not a peaceful place to be right now.

cassandre , yes, that was the shocking bit for me, the reveal about that character. It made sense to me that a silly, thoughtless act could have such awful consequences.

Ah thanks, Saucery, that makes sense then. Yes, it was chillingly plausible.

The pocket thing is alluded to a few times that makes it almost seem premeditated. It is horrendously disturbing when you consider it.

I've just finished my number 13 Outline by Rachel Cusk. I feel like this has been reviewed on here recently by someone who wasn't too keen, but I really liked it. It's got no real plot and follows a writer who travels to Greece to teach a writing course. Each chapter evolves around her meeting someone and the anecdotes they tell her. You don't get a strong sense of the narrator, rather she's passive, listening to the various stories. There's an underlying theme of broken relationships running through the stories. I thought the parts in her writing class were particularly strong with the random mix of characters making up her group. It just felt very life like and easy to submerge myself in. Also made me long to swim in the Greek sea!

22. Mother for Dinner - Shalom Auslander A rather irreverant look at the issues surrounding identity and cultural heritage for immigrants to the US. This obviously sends up Orthodox Jews, but through the medium of the lesser know heritage of Can-Ams, Cannibal Americans. The author looks at issues of children who have grown up in America not wanting to continue the traditions of the Old Country and follow their parents cultural beliefs.

Seventh is dreading his mother's death, after which he and his brothers are honour bound to eat her, only one brother now keeps kosher and another has become vegan. Most of them have failed to find good cannibal women to marry and have diluted their faith by intermarriage with other cultures. Such a disappointment to their mother, who has been deliberately fattening herself up for death.

This was brilliant and also mocks The Not So Great (Something) American Novel in which children of immigrants rail against their background only to embrace it in the end after discovering a misunderstood elderly relative's tragic background and arduous journey to the US. I read so many of this genre last year that they started to feel like you could 'find and replace' any old heritage in the document and it wouldn't make any difference to the outcome of the novel. It got quite tedious towards the end of the year and I was quite relieved to discover someone else had noticed it! I really want to read more by this author.

Gah! IRREVERENT

Well I'm probably the slowest person here but I have made it to my third book! Very pleased as this has gotten me back into reading. Here's my list

1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
2. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
3. Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Well i wasn't overly taken with Firefly Lane. I found it hard to connect with any of the characters. It felt rushed and had no real depth. The beginning and end were pretty good but the rest was not that well written IMO. I enjoyed it for what it was but I wasn't sad when I finished it! After finding The Goldfinch a bit depressing I'm hoping my third choice is more engaging!

Cassandre Many thanks for the recommendation of Consent. I read a very good review for it in the weekend papers too, and have added it to my wish-list. I was interested to see your comment about the Me Too movement in France (are you in France?). I was horrified surprised to read recently that France does not have a statutory age of consent.

I know what you mean about the Old Testament. The schedule I'm following balances its passages from the OT with a Psalm (not always much better) and a chapter from the New Testament by way of light relief. Interesting in an historical and literary sense, but I don't think I'll be converting.

Titsywoo I bought Firefly Lane on kindle a few days ago, am glad now I only paid 99p for it!

Solidarity to those of you with teens in lockdown. We can do this!

Teens are not designed to be locked in the house with their mother for months on end, that is for sure. bett, single parent here too albeit with occasional breaks when they go to their dad's, which we all value. While I think toddlers would be much harder day to day, I worry a lot about the long term impacts.

On the other hand, DD has started reading voraciously, which is something she hasn't really done since the pre-teen years. She said the other day there is only so much TikTok one can watch, and maybe I do have a point about reading. She's balancing absolute trash (as far as I can tell - I think she's reading Lace at the moment, which I have a soft spot for) with biographies of historical figures.