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.

Others on the thread have enjoyed it Noodle but I wasn't one of them.

I loved it @noodlezoodle, but I think it's one of those that either chimes with you or really, really doesn't.

17. (I think) Queenie by Candace Carter-Williams A pretty engaging page-turner and the nearest thing I've read to a Marian Keyes since I stopped reading Marian Keyes (a big compliment) though much too short to be in the Marian 'stretch yourself out, I'm in for the duration' league. This was interesting to me because it was a book club choice and others felt it was just too grimy, that it was not believable that the protagonist would put herself through so many awful experiences. I thought it was pretty believable, or at least only a few percent exaggerated myself. Though a bit too much 'I only did these things because I was suffering, of course I stopped as soon as I felt better'. I also felt she should have started off in therapy at the beginning of the book, and the therapist could have been less of a cardboard cut-out. Quite fun though.

37. Crispr People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans by Henry Greely

This book starts with the story of the birth of gene edited twin girls in November 2018 in China. It explores the way the experiment came to light, and the motivations of He Jiankui, the scientist behind the babies, and the outrage & condemnation that followed. It's an absolutely fascinating story, interspersing scientific explanations of the process with the way the revelation of He's experiments unfolded, and reminded me very much of Bad Blood which I know many on here have read.

Greely then moves on to explore more widely the potential risks & benefits of human germline genome editing, and how society can and should deal with the ethical issues raised.

I've been reading around the ethical and other implications of gene editing recently because of the proposed deregulation of the techniques in crops & livestock. Although obviously human germline genome editing is a much more sensitive subject, there's a great deal of overlap in the underlying questions, & I found this really thought provoking and useful. Overall excellent, and deserves to be widely read.

Written in Bone by Sue Black
A journey through the skeleton, by a forensic anthropologist. This ought to have been right up my street, but actually I thought it was a bit dull. Too few crimes examined, and I found the writer a bit prissy and smug at times.

The wonderful Giovani's Room by James Baldwin is in the Kindle deals today. Buy it, read it and thank me later! 😀

Just finished 9. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Read it years ago, it's a superb and chillingly realistic portrayal of a doomed marriage in 50s suburban America.
Maybe it's just me but it seemed seriously depressing this time !

Thanks Remus. I’ve unsubscribed from the emails because I have so many books to read but this has been a wishlist item for ages.

PermanentTemporary, I agree with you about Queenie. Really enjoyed it and found it quite believable, apart from the therapist character, who was a cardboard cutout as you say!

Remus, Giovanni's Room has been on my TBR list for ages; now I want to read it even more.

76. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Relationship issues for single people in their early thirties. I did like this, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was in a similar position in my life. As it is I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about all this!

77. Written In Bone by Sue Black

Unlike Remus I though this was really good. I was fascinated by it and felt there were lots of true crime examples. It’s amazing how much can be established from just a tiny piece of bone.

78. The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer

Women are being attacked/murdered in a small village on the North Devon coast. The story is mainly told from the point of view of a ten year old girl Ruby. It’s obvious quite early on who the attacker/killer is but that’s not really the point, it’s really about how Ruby comes to understand what’s going on and how she helps reveal the attacker/killer in the end. Enjoyed this.

Sorry, noodle. As I say, rave reviews so it could be worth a go. And if you (like me) are fond of The Secret History then I’d recommend this week’s In Our Time (actually, I’d recommend all 900+ episodes but that’s for another thread) on The Bacchae where TSH gets a shout out at the end.

18. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman, descended from tobacco plantation slaves, who died of cervical cancer in the early 1950s. A biopsy taken of her tumour and her malignant cells were observed to reproduce at an exponential rate, rather than dying after a few divisions, which had been observed with other cells. The scientist who had observed the cells, and the Dr who had cared for Henrietta, knew their discovery was important and started to share the cell cultures with other research scientists. This was a huge boost to cellular research. The cell line was called HeLa (after Henrietta Lacks) but for decades no one outside the original team of researchers knew the identity of the origin of HeLa. Over the following decades HeLa was used for countless research projects, for polio vaccines, cancer cures, HIV research and they were even sent into space for scientists to observe how cells behaved in zero gravity and the vacuum of space.
However, Henrietta Lacks was buried in an unmarked grave and her young children grew up without their mother in a poor black area of Baltimore. They all had difficult childhoods with crime and abuse never far from them. They had no idea their mother’s cells were still alive and multiplying in numerous research facilities and top hospitils around the world, while they couldn’t afford to go to the doctor.
It’s a good non-fiction account of the rise of HeLa, and the ethical difficulties around cellular and tissue biology and followed Henrietta’s children as they come to terms with their mother’s legacy. It was an interesting read, but the timeline zipped around a bit too much for me. I like non-fiction that starts at the beginning and ends at the end, but it was well written.

@ChessieFL

76. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Relationship issues for single people in their early thirties. I did like this, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was in a similar position in my life. As it is I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about all this!

77. Written In Bone by Sue Black

Unlike Remus I though this was really good. I was fascinated by it and felt there were lots of true crime examples. It’s amazing how much can be established from just a tiny piece of bone.

78. The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer

Women are being attacked/murdered in a small village on the North Devon coast. The story is mainly told from the point of view of a ten year old girl Ruby. It’s obvious quite early on who the attacker/killer is but that’s not really the point, it’s really about how Ruby comes to understand what’s going on and how she helps reveal the attacker/killer in the end. Enjoyed this.

I agree that the concept of Written in Bone was fascinating, and that the stories tiny fragments of bone can tell are incredible. But other than the doctor/wife/maid story and the Syria one, I just didn't think there was enough 'meat on the bones' of the crime cases.

19. If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler

This was Tyler's first novel and she wrote it when she was just 22. It is frankly astonishing for a novel written by a 22 year old. Tyler herself doesn't like any of her first three novels and wishes she could erase them but I think that would be a terrible shame. This follows Ben Joe Hawkes as he travels back to his family from law school in New York, after he hears that one of his seven (I think) sisters has left her husband and come home. It is a beautifully pitched slice of small town 60s Americana, and every conversation and interaction feels real. As is often the case with Tyler, very little happens, but secrets are uncovered, truths are told, and you come away with a few nuggets about human nature and a nice warm feeling of satisfaction.

@RavenclawesomeCrone

18) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman, descended from tobacco plantation slaves, who died of cervical cancer in the early 1950s. A biopsy taken of her tumour and her malignant cells were observed to reproduce at an exponential rate, rather than dying after a few divisions, which had been observed with other cells. The scientist who had observed the cells, and the Dr who had cared for Henrietta, knew their discovery was important and started to share the cell cultures with other research scientists. This was a huge boost to cellular research. The cell line was called HeLa (after Henrietta Lacks) but for decades no one outside the original team of researchers knew the identity of the origin of HeLa. Over the following decades HeLa was used for countless research projects, for polio vaccines, cancer cures, HIV research and they were even sent into space for scientists to observe how cells behaved in zero gravity and the vacuum of space.
However, Henrietta Lacks was buried in an unmarked grave and her young children grew up without their mother in a poor black area of Baltimore. They all had difficult childhoods with crime and abuse never far from them. They had no idea their mother’s cells were still alive and multiplying in numerous research facilities and top hospitils around the world, while they couldn’t afford to go to the doctor.
It’s a good non-fiction account of the rise of HeLa, and the ethical difficulties around cellular and tissue biology and followed Henrietta’s children as they come to terms with their mother’s legacy. It was an interesting read, but the timeline zipped around a bit too much for me. I like non-fiction that starts at the beginning and ends at the end, but it was well written.

As a biologist I have been given multiple copies of this book so if anyone wants to read it give me a shout and I'll send you a copy.

20. Scrublands by Chris Hammer

This is another Australian crime story set in a drought-ridden country location, which I seem to have read a few of over the last year or so - at least this one didn't mention a gigantic spider in passing which I then made the mistake of googling.

A journalist travels to an Australian country town a year after a priest committed a mass shooting. I really enjoyed this book for most of the story, it kept me guessing with a fair few turns, but ultimately the ending relied on a few too many coincidences for me to find it really good, I mean I don't think we have as many crimes in the entire UK as that small village had in one year, but it was a good solid crime book.

21. On Chapel Sands: My Mother and Other Missing Persons by Laura Cumming

I seem to recall this book receiving mixed views on the thread last year and I have to say that I am firmly in the 'no' camp on this one. I intensely disliked this book finding it rambling, pretentious and just down-right boring. Some of this may have been due to the fact that I think the book has been mis-sold (or mis-read by me) somewhat as a mystery which promised revelations around the kidnap of the author's mother when she was 3 years old and which she does not remember. The few revelations that were actually made were pretty 'meh' and I think this could have been a vaguely interesting magazine article, there just isn't anywhere near enough material for a book.

I'm researching my family tree at the moment so I can see how this story was fascinating for the author but unlike her I'm not going about inflicting tales of my newly discovered Great Great Granny, Fanny Mustard (yep that really is her name) interspersed with truly boring stories on one and all. Although now I think about it 'The Amazing Adventures of Fanny Mustard' does sound like my kinda book

15. The Dark Half by Stephen King

I hadn't heard of this one before I embarked on the read through and I was pleasantly surprised.

It feels like a classic horror book, it's creepy, imaginative and I read some of the descriptions with half an eye close it was so gruesome. I'm pleased to have found this gem among the frankly variable back catalogue.

Next King is The Dark Tower:Wastelands but I'll read a few others before then.

25. All That Remains - Sue Black

I found this book fascinating! It's a subject no one ever talks about, but Sue Black (a Forensic Anthropologist), does so in such a matter of fact way (whilst emphasising the respect cadavers are shown). It's not a book you can enjoy as such, but it had me fascinated. I listened to it, which is narrated by Sue, and found this helped to bring it alive (pun intended)

I've read a couple of books bring me up to 9.

8. Their Finest Hour by Lissa Evans
I struggled to get into this. There's a lot of characters on the fringes I got confused with who was who until about half way through. I love the author's other wartime trilogy and while this was amusing in parts felt much more sombre than the other ones I was more familiar with.

9. Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
I raced through this in a couple of sittings. Not sure it was feel good as the blurb suggested but really engaging and enjoyable to read with nuggets about family life and love.

I've got a few in my TBR pile and think I'm going to for something lightweight. I'm one book behind my reading challenge according to Goodreads. I've got a Mhairi MacFarlane. I've read a couple and they are so so but good for passing them time.

I've also got 2 audible credits and another one due this week and have long been intrigued by Ducks, Newburyport and like the idea of listening to it as has been suggested previously.

Ooh thanks Pepe, I adore The Secret History so I'll give that a listen.

Maybe The Truants is going to be the latest thread divider

@MamaNewtNewt I felt the same about Chapel Sands. It was just a bit boring

I also found On Chapel Sands boring and self-indulgent. And I was listening to it on Audible, so I couldn't even skim the boring bits!

18 The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
A YA book. Lesbian pirates and genetically engineered sea monsters in a vaguely lawless future. The story rattled along quickly enough but there wasn't much character building and I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief for the finale. Not a book for adults.

24. What Could Possibly Go Wrong - Jodi Taylor

The sixth book in The Chronicles of St Mary’s series about time travelling historians. Max has been put in charge of the new intake of trainees so we are introduced to five new characters. The trainees have to learn with short easy trips to other times in history. Inevitably it doesn’t go to plan but they visit Neanderthal Britons and see woolly mammoths (as well as Neanderthal man), the Valley of the Kings at the time of the building of the tombs, Herodotus whilst he is writing his epic history, Clifton for the opening of the suspension bridge and the Battle of Bosworth. Chaos, death and destruction ensue. Very enjoyable although I could have done with seeing a bit more of some of the long-standing characters who, except for Max, are very much in the background in this book.

25. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Caroline Fraser
I was enthralled by this account of how the Little House on the Prairie books came to be composed, and how painful failures became transposed into heroic successes. The author's daughter is the most vivid character here, if not always a particularly likeable one. The real life was a lot less enviable than the fictional version.