50 Book Challenge 2022 Part Two

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second 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, it’s not too late to join, 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 the 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.

The first thread of the year is here.

What are you reading?

Notes from a Small Island is the one where he goes to Aberdeen and complains there's no granite, just lots of grey stone. It was impossible to tell if it was a not very funny joke or he really was that stupid. I never read another Bill Bryson after that.

I've only finished one so far so not going to list. Currently reading Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wreath by Sigrid Unsted and it is very dramatic. So far there's been murder, suicide, life changing injuries, children born out of wedlock, and elopement.

Speaking of dramatic, I googled Yukio Mishima after the review of his book on the last thread. Not what I was expecting!

1. I who have never know men by Jacqueline Harpman

2. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

3. Bad Blood by Lorna Sage

4. The best catholics in the world by Derek Scally

5. All that man is by David Szalay

6. Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith
   This was a strange one. Set in the 1950s, a married women openly has affairs (she invites her lovers to the house and as a plus 1 to parties) her husband decides to tell her latest lover that he murdered a previous lover which sets the marriage into a spin. The atmosphere of a rather nasty claustrophobic marriage is well done and I as the reader began to think that certain problems would go away if so and so was murdered but I think overall I need to let this one sit with me for a while.

First DNF - Circe by Madeline Miller – I got very far into this but didn’t really get on with the writing and I don’t think Circe is an interesting enough character to sustain for 300 pages. It is an easy read but I knew I’d be dragging myself through the second half of the book.

For anyone interested in Mishima I would recommend the Paul Schrader film of the same name, scored by Philip Glass.

@MaudOfTheMarches

For anyone interested in Mishima I would recommend the Paul Schrader film of the same name, scored by Philip Glass.

It was me who read the first in his tetralogy. I too fell down a bit of a rabbit hole about the author. I found the book too slow moving and the characters not interesting enough to warrant reading more at this point. It felt like a lot of teen navel gazing in the first one. I'm aware it's the same characters as they age across the rest of the books and it's a very interesting concept, one person continually tries to save his friend from death in various reincarnations. I think my opinion is a little skewed as I read it so soon after Dostoevsky, which was much richer in terms of context and setting.

I've read a few modern Japanese works in the past few years and wanted to read something seen more as a classic, but it doesn't quite live up to the drama of the Russian/English/French greats. It was a lot more philosophically reflective than set against huge political or social upheaval. I assume that comes in later books in the series, but 400 pages of a teenager mooning about getting his rocks off was tedious regardless of the backdrop.

Thank you for the new thread! Can I ask, why are some titles in people’s lists in bold? Is it for the books we have particularly enjoyed?

@DuPainDuVinDuFromage

Thank you for the new thread! Can I ask, why are some titles in people’s lists in bold? Is it for the books we have particularly enjoyed?

When chatting in general we bold titles and authors as it makes it easier to pick up on.

In lists of books which are typically posted at the start of a new thread, we bold our outstanding books and italicise any stinkers.

The lists are controversial, some like it as a way to keep track, others find them annoying and pointless. A vague vote a few years ago determined more like them as don't. Some people count their books, others don't. We're not that interested in the numbers, or lists, it's the book chat that's important.

End of year lists are always worth posting as it's interesting to see which books seem to be universally well liked. I often go back to the last thread of the previous year to have a look at the bolds.

You soon get a feel for who likes similar books to you, so you know whose recommendations to look out for.

Being on these threads has really expanded my reading as there are books I would never pick up unprompted, but if a few have bolded them, it's usually worth a look.

I read Girl, Woman, Other last year for my book club and it met with mixed feelings. Most disliked the conscious lack of punctuation which seems gimmicky in the first few pages. Then the inclusion of a trans woman character, which I assume came under the "other" umbrella, initiated a great deal of interesting/conflicting opinions. This particular group is very pro women's rights and strongly feminist (and we are all aged 50+ and white - though not all British) so that was always going to promote "robust" discussion. I felt much more connected to some chapters/characters than others but now about 8 months later I cannot recall a single one and that is always my touchstone for a good read - it has to be one that stays with me and this did not.

Thanks for the new thread southeastdweller. Reading Longbourn by Jo Baker, listening to The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex on audio and following the readalongs for War and Peace and Hard Times.

Won't be doing any lists for a while as I'm not counting numbers and only making a quick note on my phone of each book when I finish them, I felt I got too focused on numbers last year and as you say FortunaMajor the chat is what makes it!

@SirSidneyRuffDiamond the trans character in Girl, Woman, Other was a transman (female sex) not a transwoman (male sex).

Thanks for the new thread @southeastdweller

So far no bolds, but I think that might be general January grumpiness!

1. Piranesi - Susannah Clarke
2. Scoop - Evelyn Waugh
3. The Camomile Lawn - Mary Wesley
4. Vile Bodies - Evelyn Waugh

Oops I hadn’t realised we’d filled the last one up! Was wondering why it was so quiet. Thanks for the new thread southeast

List so far

1. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas - Agatha Christie
2. Golden Hill - Francis Spufford
3. The Heart’s Invisible Furies - John Boyne
4. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World - Elif Shafak
5. Sorrow and Bliss - Meg Mason
6. And Away - Bob Mortimer

I’m currently listening to Love After Love on audible, reading Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day and also Hard Times for read alongs. I’m reading Excellent Women by Barbara Pym on my kindle too.

Grape I loved Excellent Women but didn't get on with Jane & Prudence which has out me off any more.

I'm planning on catching up with good female authors I haven't got round to yet and have Margaret Drabble in the pipeline. Could anyone recommend a particular book by Beryl Bainbridge please?

Grape I loved Excellent Women but didn't get on with Jane & Prudence which has out me off any more

I’m glad you liked it, I’m enjoying it. I started but didn’t return to Pym’s Quartet in Autum though I may have another go at some point.

I haven’t read any Drabble or Bainbridge but will look out for your reviews. I have enjoyed Barbara Comyns and Elizabeth Taylor after seeing them mentioned on these threads though.

Love Beryl Bainbridge but her books are very dark and not for you if you want to like all the characters.

Every Man For Himself is about the Titanic and was nominated for the Booker and won the Whitbread. I loved that and her other historical novels, The Birthday Boys is probably my favourite but that might just be because Scott's attempt at the South Pole is endlessly fascinating.

An Awfully Big Adventure and The Bottle Factory Outing are both very popular as well. I've not read all her novels but I've got most of the later ones and they are all incredible and she packs so much into such short novels and her writing is dreamy. One of my favourite writers.

@SirSidneyRuffDiamond

I read Girl, Woman, Other last year for my book club and it met with mixed feelings. Most disliked the conscious lack of punctuation which seems gimmicky in the first few pages. Then the inclusion of a trans woman character, which I assume came under the "other" umbrella, initiated a great deal of interesting/conflicting opinions. This particular group is very pro women's rights and strongly feminist (and we are all aged 50+ and white - though not all British) so that was always going to promote "robust" discussion. I felt much more connected to some chapters/characters than others but now about 8 months later I cannot recall a single one and that is always my touchstone for a good read - it has to be one that stays with me and this did not.

Someone suggested on another thread that each story involves a mother, a daughter and a third party - hence Girl, Woman, Other. It's some time since I read the book so I'm not sure if this theory stands up to scrutiny

I'm glad we're not getting bogged down in numbers because I've finished the grand total of one book so far this year! I think I better scale back my expectations and stop buying bloody books!
I'm in awe at Fortuna Major with her book a day habit and henceforth I nominate you as the thread swot Fortuna
I'm listening to How To Be A Boy, reading War & Peace one chapter a day, haven't started Hard Times yet but will for the read along, and reading Rosie on Kindle very slowly.

Wow @JaninaDuszejko? That shows just how little the characters stuck with me! I can remember the book club discussion being heated but none of the details.

@FortunaMajor thanks, that’s really helpful! Here’s my list then:

1. Snow - John Banville
2. First Class Murder - Robin Stevens
3. Jolly Foul Play - Robin Stevens

4. The Betrayals - Bridget Collins

Thanks as ever @southeastdweller for keeping house so well.

My list to date:

1. No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

1. Merivel by Rose Tremain
2. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
3. How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

Currently reading The Only Plane in the Sky, which is obviously as good as you all said.

@DesdamonasHandkerchief

I'm glad we're not getting bogged down in numbers because I've finished the grand total of one book so far this year! I think I better scale back my expectations and stop buying bloody books! I'm in awe at Fortuna Major with her book a day habit and henceforth I nominate you as the thread swot Fortuna I'm listening to How To Be A Boy, reading War & Peace one chapter a day, haven't started Hard Times yet but will for the read along, and reading Rosie on Kindle very slowly.

How very dare you! If I could keep it up, I'd be impressed. Chessie is the real one to watch for maintained book marathons. When I first joined the thread, I used to look in awe at anyone with 100+ and wonder how the hell they did it. I was so chuffed to make 50 for my first two years. I found the year I went for a big number on purpose it was very stressful, so I'm taking it as it comes now.

There was a thing doing the rounds about Girl, Woman, Other that showed all of the connections between the different characters, most of which I didn't pick up in at the time. A Google search for it should bring it up. Like Sidney I remember very little about it now and don't think it's a book I'd be that bothered about reading again. I did like it at the time I read it though.

Thanks for the new thread! Marking place for now.

Character connections in Girl, Woman, Other. The general opinion I get on here seems to be that Mr Loverman is better than Girl, Woman, Other but I've not read it yet.

@JaninaDuszejko

Notes from a Small Island is the one where he goes to Aberdeen and complains there's no granite, just lots of grey stone. It was impossible to tell if it was a not very funny joke or he really was that stupid. I never read another Bill Bryson after that.

I've only finished one so far so not going to list. Currently reading Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wreath by Sigrid Unsted and it is very dramatic. So far there's been murder, suicide, life changing injuries, children born out of wedlock, and elopement.

Speaking of dramatic, I googled Yukio Mishima after the review of his book on the last thread. Not what I was expecting!

Yeah thats what I meant about not being too patriotic. He finds something to dislike in most towns, so if you find the one about your town unfunny, you might be put off the whole book.