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.

20. The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History by Kassia St Clair

Once I had time to engage my brain, I really enjoyed this history of fabric told in 13 thematic vignettes. It doesn't attempt to be comprehensive, but focuses on particular fabrics or periods of history that (presumably) interested the author, so we get musings on everything from Egyptian linen, through silk, via rayon to the materials used to construct spacesuits and hi-tech swimming costumes. There's a strong factual underweaving to most of the chapters, with bits of folklore and myth thrown in - plenty to keep the reader entertained whilst also imbibing a fair bit of knowledge. I particularly liked the Egyptian stuff (the contrast between the importance placed on linen at the time, and the unseemly haste with which it was ripped aside by those hunting for treasures thousands of years later), the stories of the clothes taken by slaves who harvested cotton, the space travel section and the swimming costumes (I used to be a competitive swimmer myself so it was intriguing). Highly recommended.

21. Defining You - Fiona Murden
Excellent guide to defining your personality, values, passions and purpose in life. It’s short but packed with useful ideas and exercises, well worth the 99p I paid for it - will definitely be revisiting. I think its appeal lies in the balance between a genuine desire to help people make the best of themselves and a thorough understanding of the realities of the workplace.

I will return to reading things that are not self-help/ job-hunt related at some point...

I have done myself out of one book - that should have been:

21. The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History by Kassia St Clair

I also meant to comment on the discussion about "book snobbery". I've never found this thread snobbish taken as a whole - people on here are quite open about what they like, which ranges from Stephen King, to crime novels, to regency romances, to very serious non-fiction, to sci-fi, magical realism and modernist literary fiction. I am not personally a fan of what's marketed as "chick lit" for the most part, although I love Marian Keyes who is very definitely in the chick lit wheelhouse. But I love what many would deem trashy crime novels and have literally just said I am going to devour an extremely trashy revenge roman a clef about the author's relationship with Martina Navratilova, so I am very definitely not in any position to be snobby about other people's reading choices! I also can't abide magical realism which means I miss out on books that many on here think are great, and I can't personally get on with sci-fi. Doesn't make them bad, just not my thing (and I feel I ought to try harder with the sci-fi. I really have tried with magical realism and I'm not doing it again!)

@cassandre I really liked both your posts just upthread!

Bookmarking this thread for reference later.

I mean, to return, read and post later.

Marian Keyes is a touch above your average chick lit though. She tackles some tough subjects in her books - alcoholism, rape, abortion. There’s one passage on a teenage girl having to go to London from Dublin for an abortion which is a fantastic and heartbreaking piece of writing.

@BestIsWest I agree her books are much better (from my perspective at least) than the other "chick lit" labelled stuff I've read. Rachel's Holiday is brilliant and clearly written from a place of knowledge.

I don’t find this thread snobby - highly opinionated at times certainly, but that’s half the fun. Everyone has their own biases - I avoid anything ‘cosy’ out of continuing rebellion against a mother who thinks Alexander McCall Smith books are the best thing since sliced bread. You’re more likely to find me knee-deep in folk horror or forensics, but my favourite author in terms of amount of enjoyment provided over time is Bernard Cornwell. Incredibly formulaic, not at all literary - but it’s a formula that works over and over again, and the ultimate comfort read for me. I’m possibly the only person who has spent the early stages of induction of labour reading Sharpe’s Escape...

@cassandre

Is book snobbery such a terrible thing? Some books repay the time spent reading better than others, so why wouldn't you be alert to signals that an author is lazily following a trend?

This is interesting, bibliomania. The critic Roland Barthes said there were two types of texts, 'readerly' texts and 'writerly' texts (in French, 'lisible' and 'scriptible'). Readerly texts are easy to interpret because they offer their meaning up to you on a platter. Writerly texts are more demanding, because the reader has to work actively to make sense of them; the reader (according to Barthes) has to form their own interpretation as they read and so becomes a kind of co-author with the author. In practice, I find that more demanding books do repay the effort -- I'm more invested in them and they stay in my memory longer.

On the other hand, it's obviously too simplistic to divide books into two camps, and I suspect that a lot of apparently 'easy' texts are in fact 'writerly' texts as well, if you look at them carefully enough.

Also the Booker Prize shortlists have annoyed me for some years now, because some of them are books that seem to wear their literariness on their sleeve, if you see what I mean. And just because a book is difficult/bleak/ambiguous doesn't necessarily mean it's good.

Great points. It's also why fucking whatisface, Kite bloke, can dress his war and destruction and oppressed women up as much as he wants and his books will never be either literature, or any chuffing good.

Fuxache. That's Sol posting there. As ever

fucking whatisface, Kite bloke
I am changing my name to this.

Weighing in on the discussion of the day.

I'm one of those whose eyes roll so far back in my head that they nearly fall out whenever I see a book with The "Male's Occupation" "Male's Relation" title - they are getting increasingly ridiculous and contrived and I really dislike the fact that in so many books where a woman is clearly the main character she is defined only by the occupation of her male relative. But that is just my opinion and I certainly wouldn't judge anyone who read that type of book and I'd read and consider their review in the same way I would any other. I think that is true of pretty much everyone on the thread. There have definitely been cases where I have thought a book isn't for me but seeing reviews on here has prompted me to give them a go. For me that is one of the best things about this thread, getting exposure to books I might not come across otherwise.

I also love the robust discussions, a lot of us are very opinionated, but not to the point where it's disrespectful of the opinions of others. I think everyone who has been on this thread for a while picks this up - and if they don't they certainly will by the first time they are around for a mention of NLMG or Station 11 .

Everyone likes different books and most people like a mix of books. Personally I enjoy a good mix of genres and run the whole gamut from history, science, classics and 'Literature' to what is considered more 'low-brow' fare by some like crime, chick-lit and horror. Sometimes I want something that is going to challenge me and make me think but other times I just want something easy. One of my favourite authors is Stephen King and I refuse to call his books, or any other books I read and enjoy a guilty pleasure - is he ever going to win the big literary prizes? No but these books bring enjoyment to me and millions of others.

I was interested in the explanation of readerly and writerly cassandre as I use the term writerly for those overblown books that sound like they are Creative Writing MAs by numbers but didn't know it was Barthes (which makes sense now). I guess they are taught to be either readerly or writerly perhaps?

I have just finished the wonderful Half Of A Yellow Sun and I think Adichie treads this line supremely. The book is devastating but highly readable and yet so well written. I have no idea why it took me so long to egt round to reading it. I think I thought it was about something else. Fairly ashamed how little I knew about Biafra. I know the word but little else. I think I thought it was a famine and vaguely knew there was a war; couldn't even have told you it was something to do with Nigeria.

I learn so much from reading. I think that may be my issue with 'chick lit' type stuff . I feel like I learn nothing from it and I like to gather knowledge wherever I go. I am a bit of a book snob but only insofar as I try to contain my eyeroll when a fellow English teacher says their favourite book is Dan Brown, or (as happens with alarming regularity ) say 'oooh, I don't really like books'.

Talking of Booker Prize, Half of A Yellow Sun wasn't shortlisted .Case in Point. I quite like Kite bloke

I've just bought Half of a Yellow Sun - thanks Piggy. I like the Kite bloke too

Looks like this debate is less divisive than the cream or jam first one...

Moves Half of a Yellow Sun further up the TBR pile. I feel now like so many people have raved to me about Adichie's writing that I'm not quite sure what to do if I don't like her books. And if I do like it that's going to add a couple more to my TBR pile.

There is comfort reading just as there is comfort food; you don't want posh cuisine all the time...

I think anyone who reads a lot reads comfort books in among the more challenging books. The food comparison is very apt, I need chocolate as well as roughage.

I also think there is a lot of snobbery about 'women's fiction' that means that very talented writers are not taken as seriously as they should, Marion Keyes is an example of that. I suspect if she were a man writing such readable books on such difficult subjects she would have won a serious literary prize by now.

The Grand Sophy
Another Heyer re-read. If not her best, then definitely in the top three. Ridiculous perfection.

Ooh I’d love Adichie to release a novel: she’s one of the few I’ve read / enjoyed them all.

Too add to the defence I never find judgement on this thread, and I read plenty of ‘shite’. There are very few other places you can talk about everything you read and almost always find someone whose read it or might like too.

Plenty of people enjoy the ‘chocolate box’ type books so popular right now. But these titles are a marketing tool and it’s not snobbish to discuss that. I find it harder and harder to cut through marketing to figure out what I’ll actually like these days. So getting know people’s preferences here with no agenda really does make for trusted opinions.

I think the signalling of style in genre fiction by title/cover can be quite useful though? So as a romance lover - "A Seditious Affair" with a photo or realistic drawing of a shirtless man on the cover is definitely different to "Trouble at the Radical Bookshop on Half-Moon Street" with a stylised picture of a bookshop, even though both would theoretically fit the plot within. (The former involves explicit sex & has a body count, the latter definitely wouldn't.) It's important to get the right sort of comfort reading for your mood!

I'm currently reading Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare, so definitely in no position to be snobbish about anyone's choice of books.

And I'd very happily read reviews of Little Cafe genre books, tbh recommendations for good quality non-lit-fic are really helpful, as they're far less likely to be reviewed in the paper.

I learn so much from reading. I think that may be my issue with 'chick lit' type stuff . I feel like I learn nothing from it and I like to gather knowledge wherever I go

This is me, I like to have learnt something or read something that made me think and consider when I read a book. I've just read a few easy reads (including a vampire romance) as that's just what I need atm and it's been very enjoyable but I'm unlikely to remember the content in a couple of weeks.

Americanah is my personal favourite Adichie novel but also loved half a yellow sun.

I want to read a heyer book, my mum didn't romance novels so I feel like my teenage self missed out, any suggestions?

@BadSpellaSpellaSpella - I am a Heyer reader and have to say that they are generally all of a good standard - so you can’t really go wrong. Those of us on the thread who are fans do disagree over favourites but I think Venetia is one of those that consistently crops up as a favourite. Now waiting to be shouted down....

@BadSpellaSpellaSpella I love Venetia, and ThecGrand Sophy mentioned up thread is fab. My first Heyer read was These Old Shades which is one of her 18th century ones - they tend to have more drama and action. I've ended up much preferring the Regency ones but ill never forget the rollicking good fun of my first time.

I've only read each Heyer once, until this week. I also struggle to remember which is which. However, I remember particularly enjoying:
The Grand Sophy
The Toll Gate
The Masqueraders