50 Book Challenge 2022 Part Three

[southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third 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 and the second one here.

What are you reading?

chessie I feel like we keep choosing the same first reads options. Also based on your username I think we possibly have very similar reading tastes. I'm definitely going to be paying more attention to your recommendations

I decided it was time I tackled some non-fiction so obviously my reading speed has slowed right down. NF requires so much more concentration that I can only read it when I have time to pay attention. Going on holiday on Thursday so hoping to find some time then (if the kids allow it!)

I haven't read any of the novels on the Women's Prize longlist either, Fortuna, which is a bit unusual for me! I haven't heard of most of the authors either. I did read When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson a long time ago, and I remember liking it, but that's all I remember about it really...

I will try to read the longlist again this year, but aim to be done by the time the prize is announced (15 June) instead of by the time the shortlist is announced, which is too soon for me (27 April).

I haven’t read any of the list, and haven’t even heard of most of them. Must do better!

I've usually got a headstart of at least 4-5, but nothing this year. Only a few of these were in the top 20 of the predicted list on Goodreads.

I am going to aim for the shortlist date, but some of my reserve dates at the library are currently showing May. It will be very tight this year and I don't expect to make it.

Riders, Jilly Cooper

I suspect that this needs no introduction as every woman I know appears to have read this when they were 16. I've tried to read it twice before and never really clicked but I had some free time and needed something frivolous and this seemed to fit the bill and I hated and loved it.

It is obviously dated and the sexism, racism, ageism, sizeism and general any negative ism you can think of is present but I just felt compelled to carry on. I hated everyone really but I loved hating them.

For those who might be unaware, Riders takes place in the later 1970s and early 1980s and is 900 pages of showjumping and bed hopping. Rupert Campbell-Black is the resident rake but everyone else is just as bad as him, he is just more upfront.

I hate that I enjoyed it, but I did and will read the others in the series.

I generally haven't read any of the list as I buy pretty much all of my books once they are on offer. It's pretty rare these days that I spend more than 99p on a book.

Goodness, I haven't even heard of a single writer on that list...

Re Monisha Rajesh. I thinks she was one of the writers who got into the huge (ongoing) conflict with/about Kate Clanchy.

A new , similar sounding book about teachers and student has just won a prize. I have read bits of it and wondered when the shit will hit the fan on that one..

I've only read Great Circle and Sorrow & Bliss, but both were in my books of the year last year. Picked up a couple on Kindle just now that were under £3 - The Vietnam and Trinidad ones.

They are Build your house around my body and The bread the devil knead.

15. Giants: the Dwarfs of Auschwitz - Yehuda Koren & Eilat Negev

An extraordinary story of a family of seven dwarves and several other family members who were transported to Auschwitz in 1944 and were used by Josef Mengele in his 'experiments'. The book follows the family history, from their rural village in Romania, through the War, and up to the 2000s.

A pretty tough read in places as you can imagine, but ultimately inspiring and a story that needed telling.

So soon after We Were The Lucky Ones - I'm going to go for something light and fluffy next.

I'm currently reading Sorrow and Bliss from the longlist - will post my review soon.

19 A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine
I’m working my way slowly through the free Audible readings of Barbara Vine novels, and this is the second. Adam, Rufus, Shiva and Vivien find themselves in the sprawling Suffolk house that Adam has inherited from his uncle in the heatwave of 1976. They have alcohol and dreams and youth on their side, but this is all derailed when Zosie – a fragile and troubled young girl – turns up at their door.
I loved this. We know from the start that a woman and a baby dies, but it’s only towards the end of the story that it becomes clear who is dead and why. The story is told from the perspective of the three men who were there, both at the time and in the present as the police investigation unwinds. There’s real tension and some unexpected twists (although I did predict the final one in an idle moment of reflection which isn’t something that usually happens). This was the kind of crime fiction I really enjoy; thoughtful, focused on psychology and incredibly tense.

20 How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie
Different kind of crime fiction, best described as black comedy. It was dark and quite funny, in fact. Grace is the daughter of a retail tycoon (a very thinly disguised Philip Green) who was brought up by her mother with no contact with her father or his family. Fed up by his treatment of her mother, she decides to seek revenge, killing off family members one at a time in highly inventive and character-appropriate ways. All this is told while she languishes in jail for a crime that she did not in fact commit (or so she tells us). I enjoyed this a lot, particularly the swipes at the Guardian-reading middle classes and influencer culture. It wasn’t deep, but it was entertaining, and it made for a very diverting weekend read.

Fortuna Thank you for posting the list. I haven't read any of those yet but I have Great Circle on my Kindle. Remote Sympathy looks interesting, and I'd also like to read The Exhibitionist.

I read Around the World in 80 Trains just before I joined these threads, so I didn't review it at the time, but I recall feeling that she found the whole thing a bit of a chore. Her boyfriend was unwell for large parts of the trip, though, so that would take the shine off it. They also picked up a really obnoxious travelling companion - Mark? - who I would have ditched immediately, because he was liable to get them arrested or into a fight. I love train travel and I think I was disappointed Monisha Rajesh didn't seem to share that feeling.

@DameHelena Thank you for the review of Islands of Mercy. I haven't read anything by Rose Tremain but it doesn't sound like her strongest.

[quote MaudOfTheMarches]**@DameHelena* Thank you for the review of Islands of Mercy*. I haven't read anything by Rose Tremain but it doesn't sound like her strongest.[/quote]
No, I wouldn't say so. It is worth me saying again though (because I feel like I'm putting people off ) don't NOT read it because of one minor naysayer...
I didn't not enjoy it; I think all of her books are worth reading. But yes, there are stronger ones IMO.

Don't worry, I will probably read it at some point and it's good to have slightly lower expectations - better than going into it thinking, right, Rose Tremain, this is going to be amazing! I'm sure it'll be worth a read .

@KeepingOnKeepingUp
I loved A Fatal Inversion and reread it a couple of years ago. Such good writing. There's a 90s TV adaptation knocking around somewhere which was very good- a young Douglas Hodge if I remember correctly.

I'm a bit behind on the thread, finding it hard to concentrate on reading at the moment, hopefully it's just a blip. Seem to be on a bit of a 99p kindle spending habit and as we all know, buying books and reading books are 2 very different hobbies 😂

Anyway here's my latest updates.

1. The fell by Sarah moss oh my goodness what to say I absolutely loved it. It put into words so many emotions about the pandemic that I've felt and not been able to express, made me cry alot but that was actually quite healing. I found the ending quite abrupt though!

1. The ladies midnight swimming club by faith Hogan this was good but not great. I thought it would be about swimming more than it actually was but still a good story.

1. The sanatorium by Sarah Pearse this was fab, quite spooky at times but I enjoyed it

@RomanMum

15. Giants: the Dwarfs of Auschwitz - Yehuda Koren & Eilat Negev

An extraordinary story of a family of seven dwarves and several other family members who were transported to Auschwitz in 1944 and were used by Josef Mengele in his 'experiments'. The book follows the family history, from their rural village in Romania, through the War, and up to the 2000s.

A pretty tough read in places as you can imagine, but ultimately inspiring and a story that needed telling.

So soon after We Were The Lucky Ones - I'm going to go for something light and fluffy next.

I've read this. Took me a long time to track down a copy!

I felt it was interesting, but that there wasn't quite enough material to justify the length of the book.

@StColumbofNavron Jilly Cooper books are awful yet great aren’t they? Like Jeffrey Archer 😂 My favourite (and the only one I’ve kept) is Polo - I might be ready for a re-read soon, it’s been a while!

5) Tomorrow will be a good day - Captain Tom Moore
This was my first non-fiction book of the year, it took me a while to get through, his story is worth a read and overall I enjoyed it.

6) Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
This was by far the best book I have read in a long time, I absolutely loved it and didn't want it to end.

Haven't read any of the long list but I was bought The Paper Palace for Christmas and it's sitting on my TBR

I also have A Fatal Inversion on my TBR, another Christmas present, so pleased to see a couple of people loved it.

God knows when I'll next start a new book though, managed half a chapter of my NF last night and still have an estimated 10 hours of reading time left

@MaudOfTheMarches It did come across that she enjoyed train travel but she worried a lot that no one else did. Marc was the friend they planned to meet and had a good time with, but there was a guy on the trip to North Korea who kept doing stupid things. I liked the book but didn't love it.

14. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

I have two separate thoughts about this book. Firstly how on earth was I unlucky enough to get Far From The Madding Crowd as my GCSE text when the group down got this. I read this is in a couple of hours. We never even finished Crowd before the exam! It put me off classics for 20 years and it's only now I am reading things like Anna Karenina and Pride and Prejudice and really enjoying them. Ok end of rant.

Second point. What a book. Didn't see the end coming. Love George and Lennie so much. I could have spent more time with them. My heart is aching a little.

@RazorstormUnicorn Yes, I think you're right actually. It's been a while since I read it so my recollection is a bit hazy.

17. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Possibly it was reading The Pull of the Stars that gave me a sudden urge to pick this up again, as I thought the very short timeline of that book had a similar feel to Mrs Dalloway's single day. I last read it when I was a teenager, definitely didn't get it, and I'm not sure I even finished it. This time round it was an absolute revelation. I am really not up for reading "difficult" books at the moment, but I didn't find it hard to read at all. It just sort of flowed in and out of my mind, as the narrative flows through the various characters' consciousness. There were little sparkling bits of writing and humanity on almost every page. I looked up the publication date and see Woolf was exactly my age when this was published. Perhaps that's why it resonates so strongly with me now. A completely unexpected highlight of my reading year thus far.