50 Book Challenge 2021 Part Five

[southeastdweller]

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

How're you getting on so far?

@Tarahumara

It was The Lacuna I really struggled with actually, couldn't keep enough focus on it to follow it AT ALL

Ah fair enough Eine. I loved it!

Janina, Magpie Lane is set in Oxford if you fancy a page-turner rather than a classic.

Cara Hunter’s thrillers are also set in Oxford. There’s also the Morse books.

I liked Poisonwood but the exceptionally good section is the first bit where the sisters are children, it looses its intensity after that. My favourite of hers is The Lacuna, but again the first half is stronger.

Real life is v busy at the moment, have just moved into my new house and have gone back to work 4.5 days a week, so reading has slowed right down. I’ve also started lots of different non-fictions so am not engrossed in any one thing, although Fierce Bad Rabbits is edging its way to the front of the pack.

Two Self Helpy Type Things :

54. Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Matt Haig's account of his breakdown in Ibiza and the years of depression that followed.

I think this book is so important, but more so for Men's Mental Health as depression tends to be more fatal in men. It is very "male perspective" naturally, but a lot of Mental Health Basics really resonated, particularly the way people treat sufferers of depression and the comments said to them that they wouldn't dream of treating /saying to someone with a visible illness.

Like others on the thread have said before me, I much prefer Matt Haig The Person, to Matt Haig The Writer, whose fiction is frequently a bit twee.

It's a simple book of personal insights into depression and I would say worth investing in if you have a Struggling Young Male in your life.

For me, most of this was Preaching To The Choir and I do feel like most of this would be of more benefit to someone supporting someone, particularly a male, with depression and struggling a bit

55. The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

So this was a bit hit and miss. It's very New Age Vibe and has a lot of value in certain ways. Eg I totally resonated with his thoughts on overthinking, obsessing on the past, and damaging the future by creating scenarios that don't or won't happen and feeling disappointed. I am totally guilty of this. He also talks about situations that only bring pain and anger that you feel trapped in and how to positively walk away.

I find he is less helpful on drama, believing drama exists because the ego allows it to be created. In some instances this is true, my former best friend cannot seem to exist without entirely self generated drama, hence former. But if you have people in your life who create unpleasant and unnecessary drama, it cannot be said to be your fault, and yet you still have to deal with it, and just "surrendering" and "focusing on your own inner peace" isn't necessarily always doable.

I also think that if there are serious problems unresolved in your past or you know they are waiting in the near future, focusing on The Now can be an insurmountable challenge.

Some good content though, and definitely worth reading as an analysis of toxic thought processes.

@DesdamonasHandkerchief big Christie fan here. In addition to the great recommendations already here, I like:
Sleeping Murder - best Marple book
Towards Zero - not Poirot or Marple
Three Act Tragedy - Poirot

I avoid Tommy and Tuppence ones and the ones with Ariadne Oliver! Generally the ones written in the 30s & 40s are the best, I'd say.

40. Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro. Haters of Never Let Me Go, look away, this book is not for you! A return to form for Ishiguro after the strange mythical ramblings of the Buried Giant. It is narrated by Klara, a solar-powered robot known as an artificial friend (AF) who are bought to be a child friend. In he first part of the story, Klara is in a shop waiting to be chosen. It's written very well with descriptions that show how observant Klara is and how she understands the world. She then gets bought by Josie, who takes her to her new home where the sun streams in through the windows. However Josie is ill and there are various plans by Josie's mother and Klara to try and deal with this. This has a lot of similarities with NLMG, particularly the viewpoint of the narrator and gradual understanding of the world by the reader. The themes of isolation, loneliness and not fitting in run through it. I really enjoyed it.

40. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

Probably don’t need to tell you all that it covers the early life of Thomas Cromwell and his career up to the period of Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. A re-read for me in anticipation of reading The Mirror and the Light later this year as I have been waiting for it to come out in paperback. I think it’s the third time I have read this now and still enjoying it.

41. The Pursuit of Love - Nancy Mitford

Another re-read for me in anticipation of the TV series starting tonight. Set between the wars and into WW2 it tells the story of cousins Linda and Fanny and their wider family and Linda’s pursuit of love. Linda’s eccentric family is hugely entertaining and I look forward to seeing how it all translates to the screen.

I am with Stokey on avoiding Tommy and Tuppence Agatha Christie books. Generally, they are all pretty good but probably a reason that Murder on the Orient Express, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Death on the Nile, And Then There Were None are the most well known.

I enjoyed both 4.50 from Paddington and A Murder is Announced when I read them a few years ago.

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver is on the Kindle deals today. Great for children aged around 9-12, I'd say. It's a six book collection & kept my DD1 (10 at the time) occupied for a few weeks during the first lockdown.

I don't know- I go away for a week or so to read a really long book and this thread disappears off my 'threads I'm on'!

So, just finished A Promised Land. Got into an interesting discussion with a supply teacher the other day who said he has read BO's other books but not done this one yet because he finds the title too much.

I found the book interesting in parts (who reviews it a while back and said he pulls no punches on Trump? That was the fun bi!) but, for my tastes and knowledge, too much economy, too much military jingoism, a little bit too much detail on tortuous US political systems. Not enough of the human side. And not quite enough admitting of fault or flaw.

Aligning himself as some great eco warrior when I know what he did and allowed in Flint did grate a little bit! References to poisoned water appear a few times in the book, as if America would never allow such a thing. Still on the whole, he does appear reflective, inspiring and not too egotistical.

I assume the second volume will get juicy on Trump!

For anyone who hasn't read it, I see that The Three Body Problem is on deal today

Agree with Stokey about the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. DD2 (11) loves those books. There are now 8 in the series.

@Stokey

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver is on the Kindle deals today. Great for children aged around 9-12, I'd say. It's a six book collection & kept my DD1 (10 at the time) occupied for a few weeks during the first lockdown.

My dd used to love these. I've bought it for some hopefully interesting but easy bath time reading. :)

@JaninaDuszejko, thank you for the podcast title for A Good Read, I wouldn't have found it otherwise.

44. Nemesis by Agatha Christie, Marple goes on a coach trip to solve an old murder- iirc this was a better film than book, but the book is okay.
45. Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch . I expected this to be more about Internet language use, and it was at least as much a history of Internet use; but I found it interesting anyway (probably because I have been around since the start of the Internet...).
46. 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie. This is a really good one for anyone who hasn't read it- a Marple, but with lots of nice red herrings, and a well detailed setting.

Contemplating some Agatha Christie now.

25. She Wolves by Helen Castor
This is VERY GOOD. Apparently it was a TV series- never saw it but I can believe this terrifically schlocky and rip roaring stuff went down brilliantly on screen. I have a history degree but never found the medieval period interesting- God knows why, reading this. The sheer instability of monarchy and the total reliance on fertility, the ways in which queens found routes to exercise power, the constant civil and private wars.. . Absolutely amazing stuff. I think my favourite moment was when the Bishop of Chichester was hacked to pieces by a,mob and it was a bit ho-hum.

Re Christie
I always liked Murder on the Links, Three Act Tragedy and Death in the Clouds. I think I've pretty much read everything. Prefer Poirot to Marple and found Tommy and Tuppence annoying

I'm struggling with heavy workload right now and don't have enough time for reading, but am still greatly enjoying the thread. DC1's GCSE assessments are going to destroy the whole family before he's done (insert exhausted emoticon here).

I'm another person who's added Prairie Fires to my TBR list on the basis of the above reviews!

Pepe, you probably already know this, but Picnic at Hanging Rock is a classic of Australian cinema, directed by Peter Weir. It's a very atmospheric film, though I remember feeling dissatisfied by the unresolved ending. I didn't actually realise the film was based on a novel -- another TBR for me.

Fortuna, that's heartbreaking about Lemn Sissay. I'm going to read his book soon. He was a judge on the Booker panel who awarded the prize to Shuggie Bain and I suspect he had plenty to identify with when it came to accounts of a difficult childhood!

Janina, I second Tarahumara's recommendation of Magpie Lane as a book about Oxford. It's packed with interesting lore and captures both town and gown extremely well I think. And I love The House in Norham Gardens. Also, this is quite random, but if you come to Oxford with kids I highly recommend G & D's ice cream. There's one on St Aldate's opposite Christ Church and one up past the Ashmolean on Little Clarendon Street. Truly excellent homemade bagels and ice cream .

I've read two volumes of the Cazalet Chronicles so far and I find them a soothing read. I don't have the stamina to read them all in one go but I've read vols 1 and 2 over the past two summers and I plan to do vol 3 this summer.

For an Oxford novel, how about Crompton Hodnet, by Barbara Pym?

Thanks everyone who's recommended the Christie's to look out for, and those to avoid, (Tommy and Tuppence seems to be as roundly disliked as the name would suggest it should be!) but I have many titles to look out for and they have been added to my TBR list 👍

Been a while since I posted and been playing catch up reading the thread. Here are my recent reads....

19. Goodnight Mister Tom. Michelle Magorian I remember the BBC film on this but can’t remember ever reading the book. Enjoyed it, did seem to end rather abruptly like the author wasn’t quite sure where to end so just ended it.
20. Black and British. David Olusoga Listened to this and this version is written for a younger (teenager) audience which made it perfect for audio as was easier to follow whilst out walking etc. Really enjoyed this and felt it was a good starter to understanding a bit more of the British involvement in for example the slave trade etc. Definitely recommend for anyone wanting a starting point on this subject matter.
21. The Island. C.L Taylor YA novel. A group of 17 year old friends on holiday go to spend a survival experience week on a deserted island with a guide. However the guide keels over and the boat has been sabotaged so they are stranded for the duration. Then their worst fears start to come true. Sounds better than what it was. It had some good ideas but never really took off. Ok read.
22. The S.T.AG.S. M A Bennett Another YA book. A girl attends the best private school in England on a scholarship however due to her background is ignored. She thinks her luck has ch fed when the most popular group in school invite her for a weekend of ‘Huntin’, shootin’ and fishin’’ with a couple of other misfits, however things are not as they seem. A fun and good easy read.
23. The Familiars. Stacey Hall Think this has been reviewed on here so won’t go into it and why I must have it on my kindle. Enjoyed, I like how I really didn’t know what what it would go with the main character Fleetwood. A pleasant read.

Thanks for the recommendation of She Wolves, Permanent - I know very little about that period of history, but it sounds right up my street!

Janina, I third the suggestion of Magpie Lane - I read it last month (review pending) and it's very embedded in the city (both town and gown). Other crime books I've read that are set there include Inspector Morse (of course), Edmund Crispin's wonderful Gervase Fen books (The Moving Toyshop is the most famous and the easiest to find), Veronica Stallwood's Kate Ivory mysteries, and Faith Martin's Hilary Greene series. I can't think of so many non-crime books set there, for some reason, but there's Zuleika Dobson if you want something completely different . There's also a list of 517 books supposedly set in Oxford here (but as the second book listed is Adrian Mole, I'd take it with a pinch of salt, unless I've forgotten that Oxford does actually feature in AM?!)

Also, this is quite random, but if you come to Oxford with kids I highly recommend G & D's ice cream. There's one on St Aldate's opposite Christ Church and one up past the Ashmolean on Little Clarendon Street. Truly excellent homemade bagels and ice cream

DH and I were students in Oxford in the 90s and George and Davis on Little Clarendon Street was popular back then as well. Good to know it's still going.