50 Book Challenge 2021 Part Four

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth 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, the second one here and the third one here.

Not posted for ages, not read anything for ages. Been struggling with groundhog day work/home school stuff, and then surgery last week, after which I was only fit for dozing along to podcasts for a few days. Bit more compos mentis now though.

Although the thread is well established, this is my first post, so Remus et al avert your eyes while I spring A List on you all:

1. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
2. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
3. Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe
4. Spring by David Szalay
5. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker.
6. Robert Harris The Second Sleep

and
7. Lolita by Vladamir Nabakov

I found this an odd read. The subject matter is obviously disquieting and sinister. There's no attempt to hide Humbert's psychopathy nor the damage he inflicts on Dolores, but the writing is stunning - as Humbert notes, "you can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style". The latter part seemed almost like a slightly Ripley-esque thriller which was less successful than the simmering, damaging obsession of the start.

Thanks biblio - I may seek it out when I fancy something restful to watch!

Thank you for the list, Tarahumara! I've read 38. Genius idea to put down authors rather than specific titles in the cases where that applies. Looking forward to reading some of the titles/authors on the list in future -- even though being on this thread has already done scary things to my TBR pile, ha.

Thank you Tara for your efforts in compiling the book list. I have read 15 of those which ain’t that bad for me when it comes to lists.

I am bringing my list over as can now add to it.

1. The Face of Trespass by Ruth Rendell 2) The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
2. My Darling by Amanda Robson
3. The Adventure of the Three Students by Arthur Conan Doyle
4. The End of Her by Shari Lapena
5. The Dead Harlequin by Agatha Christie
6. Sing a Song of Sixpence by Agatha Christie
7. Farewell to the EastEnd by Jennifer Worth
8. Confessions of a Forty - something F##k up by Alexandra Potter

And now this one to add to my list which is not a highlight standout book as thought it was average
)10 The Familiars by Stacey Halls I do give this a deserved 3/5 though. I enjoyed it overall. This has been reviewed on here in the past before but it is a story set around the Pendle Witch trials. I found it interesting as I live in Lancashire so was interested in reading a story that was set around the area. Also of course I have heard about the Pendle witch trials and have often walked near Pendle hill so it was interesting how the author wove her tale around these events of long ago. I am very much looking forward to reading her next book The Foundling.

I have just started my first non fiction UP My Life’s Journey To The Top of Everest by Ben Fogle I have had this book for a while and never got round to reading it. So far so good I am finding it very positive and uplifting but have only read the introduction so far.

I also have The Saturday Morning Park Run by Jules Wake that I am listening to which is a loan from the library. Not too sure about this one yet, will reserve judgement.

@Tarahumara, thank you for the work! I've only read 23 of them.

I've never read a Jane Austen It's an aversion to bonnets. Hmm, yet Tess is in my top 5. Maybe am too picky with bonnets. And I am only slightly ashamed to say, and with the caveat that I usually love her, that I found Alison Steadman's portrayal of Mrs B to be shockingly bad and it put me off going near the book as all I could hear was AS's shrieking parody.

@CluelessMama
I loved The Island by VH but don't waste money on the Spanish Civil War one. It's the same story without lepers basically. Awful.

Sol, it's a bonnet with a sardonic gaze underneath. Austen is acutely aware that if you fuck up your marriage choice, you fuck up your life. Anyone who reads it as saccharine romance is misreading it quite badly.

Yes, Austen is delightfully sarky. Cf. the famous first line of *Pride and Prejudice: 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.'

I think this is where I last updated

15. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot - Marianne Cronin This book follows a 17 year old patient who is dying who meets an 83 year old woman who is also dying and they share stories for all their years.

I really enjoyed this. Margot's life is partially based in Glasgow and I liked that connection.

16. A Glasgow Kiss - Sophie Gravia
    This is a book about an almost 30 year old on the dating scene of Glasgow with plenty of sex scenes. Had heard people talking about it and it was free with kindle unlimited. Not very well written and I wouldn't really recommend but was something light.

17. The One - John Marrs

If you could find The One would you submit your DNA to find them? This book follows five people who find their match and what happens next.
I loved this book. The short chapters kept up the pace and I was so curious about the premise. Its just been released as a Netflix series too but that seems a bit different to the book.

Thank you for the list @Tarahumara. I've read 25 I think, although I would have done well here if all the Heyer/ King/ DWJ novels counted individually! I fell down in the middle section, so will definitely pick a few from there to try.

@LadybirdDaphne,I loved Caroline Clooney, although I don't think I know that one- they were hard to track down in the UK sometimes I think! But I have read Among Friends and What Child is This a ton of times. Hope you enjoy!

I was obsessed with Among Friends

Freeze Tag one of Cooneys Point Horrors was also mint, as was Twins

Well done, Tara! I like the way you have created the list. I’ve read 38.

Sol, I’m not one for bonnets but I very much enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, which I read in my 20s, and spurred me on to subsequently read other Jane Austen books.

My two latest reads:

15. Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond and Adam Horowitz.

Audiobook. The story of the Beastie Boys. The change in narrators takes a bit of getting used to, particularly if you didn’t know that much about that time period and the band members, but it was an entertaining listen with regular laugh-out-loud for my commute to work. I did occasionally wish for the paper copy for the photos and playlists and my DH may end up with a copy for his birthday. 🤔

16. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson.

I think Kate Atkinson is such a consistent writer. Another great, sad, funny, heartfelt book. I was loving the story right up to the last few pages but then I didn’t like the end, literally the last 10 pages or so. I mean I understand why (I think) - reflects Life After Life, fate etc. But IMO it’s like blaming everything on a dream. Ho hum, 🤨.

I still liked it though.

@ShakeItOff2000 - I hated the end of that book too. Totally unnecessary in my opinion!

74. How To Build A Girl by Caitlin Moran

I enjoy Moran’s columns in The Times so I was expecting to enjoy this, but I didn’t. There was some good writing there, but it was ruined by the constant graphic references to masturbating. I don’t think I’m particularly prudish, but a teenage girl talking about masturbating while in a bed next to her sleeping 6 year old brother? No thank you. I have a couple of her non-fiction books hanging around in my kindle so hopefully they’re a bit less obsessed with wanking.

75. Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years by Sue Townsend

Adrian is now 30, living back with his parents with his toddler son William, whose mum has moved back to Nigeria. Pandora is the local MP. Not as good as the first two in the series but still funny.

[quote SOLINVICTUS]@Tarahumara, thank you for the work! I've only read 23 of them.

I've never read a Jane Austen It's an aversion to bonnets. Hmm, yet Tess is in my top 5. Maybe am too picky with bonnets. And I am only slightly ashamed to say, and with the caveat that I usually love her, that I found Alison Steadman's portrayal of Mrs B to be shockingly bad and it put me off going near the book as all I could hear was AS's shrieking parody.

@CluelessMama
I loved The Island by VH but don't waste money on the Spanish Civil War one. It's the same story without lepers basically. Awful.[/quote]
Alison S was APPALLING. Thank god somebody else realises this.

13. Flawless - Tilly Bagshawe

Another Tilly Bagshawe for some light reading over the weekend. Set in the world of diamond dealing, everyone is suitably glamorous, lots of the action takes place in LA and while there aren't exactly sex scenes every other page, it's got that kind of simmering undertone. No literary qualities to it at all, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

As a complete change, next up is Middlemarch. Interesting to see it made the favourites list as I remember it being quite an effort when I read it many years ago. Will be interesting to see if I appreciate it more now I'm a lot older. I'm going in, I may be some time...

I just bought Hitman Anders and the meaning of it all for 99p by the author who wrote The girl who saved the king of Sweden which I really enjoyed.

My kindle unread list is increasing faster than I can read through it!

30. A Demon Haunted Land by Monica Black

The blurb of this and the intro of this were really good...

Apparently, in Post War Germany, people struggled to confront the defeat, and also refused to process information about Nazi war crimes because they couldn't face collective guilt, also, they were so worn down by Nazi Propaganda, they thought the actual truth about the Holocaust was Allied Propaganda.

What DID happen in Post Nazi Surveillance West Germany was that people started to accuse their neighbours of witchcraft and plots. In droves, apparently.

And I was like well this is fascinating as fuck, do tell more. And then like 70% of the book is about this charlatan faith healer type dude who emerged just after the war and started conning the sick, disabled and the war wounded out of their money, which is a good story, of course, it just has no resemblance to the concept I signed on for.

I was just like

WHERE ARE THE VILLAGERS AND THE PITCHFORKS I WAS PROMISED PLEASE

and found what was there really rather dry.

14. My Gutsy Story Anthology collated by Sonia Marsh

This is a collection of 1000 word essays of a 'gutsy' story or decision the author has made.

One or two were truly inspiring.

As far as I could tell, most were adverts. Generally the writer had been on a gap year, written a book about it or their memoirs and would now like you to buy these books, or better yet, sign up for their course, ask them to become your life coach or otherwise give them cash so they can continue having fun and not getting a job.

This was sitting unread on my Kindle and I'm glad to have read it but do not recommend. I must have purchased while day dreaming of living off grid or going on my own travels. I am under no illusions I will have to fund that myself as I'm no writer (I wish!).

Loving your very polite shouty capitals Eine!

Thank you for all the positive comments about the list - I think I forgot to say how many I've read myself. I'm on 37 (with a few more on the tbr pile).

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit I remember Freeze Tag, loved it when I was young and for years after wanted to name my child of a boy ‘West’
Update on some I have read, decided to revisit Adrian Mole following mentions on her and 14 was following a review on here by somebody.

12. The secret diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4. Sue Townsend
13. The growing pain of Adrian Mole. Sue Townsend
14. The Giver. Lois Lowry

The Giver is a YA story of a seemingly utopian community however as the story progresses it becomes apparent it is dystopian. A good read however I found the ending a little too ambiguous with it ending too hurriedly.

I agree TheTurnoftheScrew that in the first part of Lolitathe writing is stunning but it's a book that I felt like a trangressor and just grimy and dirty reading. Really disturbing. I only read it a few years ago and have never watched the film(which is probably quite sanitised).

@Sully84 as far as I remember The Giver is the first in a trilogy so that might help with the ambiguous ending...

@nowanearlyNicemum thanks, I look into the others to add to my ever growing TBR list

11. House of Glass by Hadley Freeman
A couple of months ago I stumbled across a post on Twitter that included this image. The advert which begins "I seek a kind person" brought tears to my eyes then and does so now. It was posted by a Viennese couple in the Manchester Guardian in August 1938. Their son was taken in by a wonderful Welsh couple, which almost certainly saved his life. His parents also managed to get out of Austria, made it to the UK and the family were reunited. This was posted by Julian Borger, who I believe is a Guardian journalist...the desperate couple were his grandparents and the boy was his dad.
Someone replied to the tweet saying he should write a book telling the story, and he replied that he thought not because he would prefer to avoid comparison with the brilliant House of Glass by Hadley Freeman...which put this book on my TBR.

From the way that I first heard about the book and the subtitle 'the story and secrets of a twentieth-century Jewish family', I was expecting family stories from the Second World War, but this book was so much more than that.
Hadley Freeman begins by describing a family holiday to France as a child on which she met a number of elderly relatives, some of whom didn't seem pleased to see each other. She also describes finding a shoebox at the back of her grandmother's closet - she was so intrigued by the contents that this began 18 years of research which led to writing this book. Freeman's grandmother Sala died in Florida, but we go back to the birth of her eldest brother in 1901 in what is now Poland, right through to the death of her last remaining sibling in 1999 in France. Spanning the entire century and across different countries, we follow the siblings and really come to know them as individuals. I was totally invested in their stories, personalities, choices and motivations. More broadly, Freeman provides historical context so that readers can understand how the Glass family's experiences fit in with what it was to be Jewish at the time and the choices and fate of Jews more widely. I found this helpful and eye opening. The balance of this information and the family stories felt right, and I felt that the author did a brilliant job of explaining the complexities and contradictions within the historical contexts that she was describing with clarity but without oversimplification.
I listened to this on BorrowBox audio and was utterly swept along by it. I would love to buy the paperback now so that I can reread, look up more about the historical details and maybe even read other fiction and nonfiction alongside this (a reread of Suite Francaise, for example).
An excellent read.