50 Book Challenge 2022 Part One

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the first thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2022, 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.

If possible, please can you embolden your titles and maybe authors as well of books you've read or going to read? It makes it much easier to keep track, especially when the threads move quickly at this time of the year.

Who's in for this year?

1. The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Elix Katz

I've had this on the go for a while - it's a seriously chunky book, and covers an awful lot of ground. It's a history / cultural guide to all the different fermented foods used across the world, from dairy ferments (yoghurt, cheeses, kefir etc etc) through sauerkraut/kimchi type vegetable ferments, alcoholic and non alcoholic fermented drinks, sourdoughs, tempehs & other mould based ferments, all the way to fermented meats and fishes. It's also a 'how to' guide for making these foods at home - I've already made a kimchi-style vegetable ferment (there's explanations of how the process works, rather than direct recipes as such), hoping to get some tempeh starter & try that this spring, and also interested in the very short-fermented lightly alcoholic fruit mead and hoping to try that with the honey from cappings this summer. Much recommended if you have any interest either in food culture, or the practical production of fermented foods. (I got this copy from the library, I definitely need to buy my own, but will look for a paperback as the hardback is a bit heavy physically)

I did d not realise there was an Agatha Christie challenge so it’s entirely coincidental that I have just read one!

4. Midsummer Mysteries - Agatha Christie

This is a collection of short stories which I picked up in a kindle deal notwithstanding that I am not that keen on short stories. They feature a variety of sleuths including Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, Parker Pyne and Mr Satterthwaite. As you would expect some are better than others but I won’t be rushing to re-read.

@TheAnswerIsCake I read The Shift not long after it came out. I thought it was poor.

I am slowly catching up with reading this thread, a bit to go.
I have finished my first book of the year! An audiobook from borrowbox library. It was narrated really well. For me I have to enjoy listening to the voice but if it grates I end up not listening to the rest so how a book is told really is make or break for me. I listened to this one as recommended earlier in the thread.
1) A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier I give this a very worthy 3/5. As discussed earlier in the thread a 3/5 sits as average in my opinion and most of the books I read tend to get this rating. It really has to grab me to get a higher rating. Anyway this book is about a single young lady called Violet Speedwell and is set in 1932. It is about how Violet starts a new life for herself in Winchester. She falls in with a group of embroiderers and later a group of bell ringers. I enjoyed the descriptions of the cathedral and the embroidery work. It reminded me of when I was a student at Southampton and I used to just take myself off to Winchester and look around the cathedral and sit having a coffee in the cathedral cafe. I love visiting cathedrals and Winchester is magnificent. I plan on doing a break to Chester ( which is nearer to me) and having a look in that cathedral at some point this year. Yes this book certainly evoked some fond memories. I recommend it.

I am still reading The Ghost Tree by Barbara Erskine I’m half way through it’s a bit of a mammoth book, getting there though.

And I have just borrowed another audiobook The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd which is a romance which I like so that grabbed me.

@TimeforaGandT The Agatha Christie reading challenge is here, if you're interested Agatha Christie

I like the sound of the Agatha Christie challenge too. Just signed up.

I've never read an Agatha Christie in my life, not a single one. Which one should I read? It might be the only one I ever read so recommend me a good one

So many good ones. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is good. Death in the Sun, Murder on The Orient Express and Death on the Nile.
I prefer Poirot to Marple but of the Marples I like The Mirror Crack’d
Of the Miss Marple
And then there were none which features neither Poirot or Marple is good too.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie glad it wasn’t just me that didn’t rate it. I think poor books in this vein are such a shame. It paid lip service to some issues that are important. Addressing important issues poorly can often end up doing more harm than saying nothing at all. Trouble with all the bandwagon jumping in the media, I guess, but a good reminder to me to be more careful about the non fiction books I pick! (Deals are almost always a bad idea!)

I like the idea of the Christie reading challenge too. Both the (Suchet) Poirot and Marple tv series are my comfort viewing, but I have only really read the Christmas Poirots and a few of the shorter stories. I’ve actually listened to the Sophie Hannah Poirots on audible too. About time I actually read some of the real thing I guess.

I’ve signed up but I’m not sure I will manage to complete it - have the Hard Times read along and despite a fairly good start to my reading year I still am finding it difficult to fit uninterrupted reading time into my days. I’ll definitely try to include some of the books this year though.

That said, I’m well underway with Sorrow and Bliss now - which was a recommendation from this thread I think, and also a 99p kindle deal. Mixed feelings so far.

I WAS going to read my Bob Mortimer next but it’s a lovely glossy hardback and as I can only really read in bed at the moment, and dd is in the room with me, it has to be kindle or nothing. I’m going to take a day for myself the next weekend we don’t have plans and read it I think.

@Teaandakitkat

I've never read an Agatha Christie in my life, not a single one. Which one should I read? It might be the only one I ever read so recommend me a good one

My first Christie was the murder of Roger Aykroyd so I would recommend that one. I've got a few on my list to read.

How would people count anthologies of books/stories? Do you count full novels individually? I have some on my list.

1. Put a wet paper towel on it Lee and Adam Parkinson.

If you're a teacher/school staff and a fan of ICT with Mr P you'll probably enjoy it. Its a funny reflection on education (with one chapter on what Mr P feels are the problems) I would say the chapters felt a little short for me but I still enjoyed it and was a nice easy read at start of the term. It does flit between the two authors so can understand why some people feel it's podcast-like.

@eitak22 that sounds right up my street. Might have a nosey now

@IsFuzzyBeagMise

3. Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

I read this in French with the English translation alongside, to pick up what I missed or didn't get.

This is a short book, a novella, only twelve chapters long, published in 1954. It's an absorbing read, however. It's set in the sunny South of France. Cécile is seventeen; young, pampered and indulged by her father, who lives a carefree existence. This easy way of life is threatened when an old friend of her father's enters the scene and Cécile is torn between her admiration of this woman and her determination to keep her personal freedom at any cost.

I liked this book, in spite of the characters being completely unlikeable. An air of sadness permeates the book as the protagonist reflects back on her actions during that summer. It's a good psychological study as we're not quite sure if Cécile will follow through with her plan or not until it becomes evident. (Four stars).

There are eighteen chapters, not six. It's in two parts.

1. The Mermaid of Black Conch - Monique Roffey

A young woman cursed to become a mermaid and live in the sea for all eternity is caught in a fishing competition, strung up on the jetty with the other fish caught that day and rescued by David, a local fisherman who takes her home, hides her in his bath until she turns back into a woman, falls in love with her then has to put her back in the sea when she returns to mermaid state.

I wouldn't really recommend this. It's kind of a love story and touches on the variety of ways in which humans are regularly unpleasant to each other but it didn't really interest me. I didn't hate it but I probably won't ever read it again.

In a Lonely Place by Dorothy Hughes
Crime novel, where the perspective is with the killer throughout and it seems as if he's going to keep getting away with murders. Even though we're seeing it all through his narrative, we never really discover his motive. I thought this was okay, unsettling obviously but it carries you along, but I thought the ending was poor. Apparently, the writer was a poet too, and you can see this in some of the descriptions. Ultimately though, a bit disappointing.

8 - My Brother's Name is Jessica by John Boyne (audiobook)

I am a huge John Boyne fan - Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is one of my favourite ever books.

This is another upper middle grade book exploring the impact on a family when their 17 year old child reveals they are transgender. Told from the perspective of the 13yo brother. Mum and Dad are both in politics with Mum working towards being the next PM.

I remember this book being heavily criticised when it was released as the title was considered insensitive. Consequently, it has acquired numerous one star reviews from people who refuse to read it (yet still feel entitled to leave a lengthy rant/'analysis' on Goodreads).

I liked this book though did have some issues with it. I felt it was well written but the character of Sam (13yo) seemed very young to me, more like a 10 year old, which may have been a deliberate choice to keep the book more in the middle grade category rather than young adult. I felt like Sam's reactions and feeling were portrayed realistically but didn't like how the last chapter was a '2 years later' thing and he had made a total u-turn and now had no issue with his sibling being transgender whereas the whole book up to that point was how difficult it was for him. We didn't get to see his journey towards becoming more comfortable with it so the finale seemed a bit forced in order to give a happy ever after ending.

I liked the parents and felt that their reactions and emotional journeys were believable. Boyne nicely addresses the issue of sexism against working mothers throughout the novel, particularly against mums who are public figures. On that note, I also found it interesting to see how children of famous politicians are affected by media interest etc. I did not like the last scene in front of the cameras where it felt like the parents were using their children to win votes.

I hated the aunty and felt the scene with Sam visiting her was totally unsettling. She was completely gaslighting Sam. Basically, Sam went there to find his brother who he hadn't seen for a month. When he arrived, his aunty said something like, "Oh I haven't seen your brother for months" and left Sam stewing with worry for several hours whereas what she actually meant was that Sam's sibling was now identifying as his sister and that she had seen her only a few hours ago. It seemed very close to emotional abuse this scene for both children (yes, i'm counting the 17yo as a child!)

The 17yo Jason/Jessica broke my heart. I just felt how troubled and lonely they were and how much they craved acceptance from their loved ones. Jason/Jessica acted selfishly at times but I thought this was believable for the character and being that age.

I didn't like the psych scene when the whole family went for the initial appointment. I've obviously never been in that situation, but it still felt completely unbelievable. Would a doctor even entertain having a whole family in like that? I found the questioning interesting but also contradictory. Jason/Jessica says they felt like a girl when they were younger because they felt more comfortable with girls and wanted dress and dolls. But then the doctor reminds Jason/Jessica they also love football, which is considered a masculine interest. Jason/Jessica becomes defensive and starts ranting about how damaging gender stereotypes are. This goes unchallenged by the doctor which annoyed me as it was just confusing. I felt like this scene could have explored this more to explain other reasons why Jason/Jessica is transgender rather than just the stereotypes here. E.g. why then aren't all boys who play with dolls transgender since this is a main reason given here for identifying as a girl? I think that if you were reading this with children, it would need to be discussed more. I'd be worried about children coming away from this confused about gender stereotypes e.g. dolls are for girls but football is for both.

Overall, it was an interesting story and the afterword from the author shows that he did his research and believes in writing about things in order to learn more about them and grow as a person. So he doesn't believe only transgender people should write about transgender characters. I tend to agree. I think if the author was writing this book from a first person POV inside the head of a person who is transgender, there might be issues however.

I found it a really interesting story but not sure it would ever make it into my primary school as an upper school read because the author casually refers to 'stiffys' and some swear words which is a shame as I think this story has a lot of great learning opportunities in its themes.

Maybe one to read first if considering it for children.

@MaudOfTheMarches I much preferred Such A Fun Age to Leave The World Behind. I thought Riley wrote the character of the "white saviour" brilliantly and it felt very uncomfortable in parts. On the other hand I thought Alam's prose was over blown with some ridiculous metaphors and similes. Just goes to show it's all so subjective. I also loved The Mermaid Of Black Conch which @YolandiFuckinVisser was unmoved by, so maybe I'm just out of step.

Thanks for linking the Christie challenge @LittleDiaries. I'm another big fan and accumulated about 50 of her books as a teen in the 80s. I tended to avoid the non-Poirot/Marple ones so not sure if I have The Man in the Brown Suit but will give it a go. Some of the old copies I have have beautiful covers.

I seem to remember on last year's thread quite a few of us had done English A level and had studied Chaucer's Wyf of Bath. I saw Zadie Smith's modern take on it The Wife of Willesden this week and really recommend it. She's done a great job of modernising it.

@TheAnswerIsCake thanks for the review of The Stranding. I have it on my Kindle and was thinking of choosing it for book club as its my turn but will look for something else!

I’m on that Agatha Christie mailing list and enjoy her books. I started collecting old editions a few years ago, I love the bonkers 1970s illustrations on the covers. I’ve set myself some challenges this year and taking part in both readalongs on here so decided it was one too many for me, but I’ll enjoy the reviews.

Stokey That's really interesting, thank you. I still have Such A Fun Age on my Kindle and I will give it another go. I know it had a few good reviews on here and I have a tendency to ditch things too quickly.

1. Nina Simone's Gum - Warren Ellis

Tender and intimate where the Beastie Boys Book is brash and sprawling, but every bit as joyful in its way. The Bad Seeds / Dirty Three musician rescued the eponymous gum at Simone's last ever London concert, and this is an account of its part in his life since then. It explores our relationship with artefacts and the power they have to inspire us, hold memories and build connections.

I agree with Stokey about the white saviour trope being thoroughly skewered in a way that felt fresh and painfully accurate in Such a Fun Age.

I wouldn't worry about which Christie to read - her voice is consistent so you'll know quickly if you like it or not. That said, I avoid the Tommy and Tuppence ones and my favourite is Murder in Mesopotamia, as I love the background of the archaeological dig - she's writing from her own experience. I might dip in and out of the Christie challenge - have already requested The Man in the Brown Suit from the library.

I remember reading a lot of Agatha Christie novels when I was a teenager, and loving them. I have no idea why I've left it until now to revisit them. DH is a fan of her novels and has been growing a collection of them, so I shall be raiding his shelves for the Challenge. I may even read a few extras. I have now found The Man In The Brown Suit, so will read that one too.

I watched the old Murder on the Orient Express film, with Albert Finney as Poirot over Christmas, as well as two Peter Ustinov as Poirot - Evil Under the Sun and Death on The Nile. Also looking forward to the new Evil Under The Sun out next month, with Kenneth Branagh as Poirot.

biblio and stokey Thank you. I'm really looking forward to reading it now.

@StColumbofNavron this is one of my favourites.... I was properly spooked by it as a child. Good story too.

I don't really like her thriller ones so I think I'll start with The Mystery of the Blue Train instead.