50 Books Challenge 2022 Part Seven

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the seventh and (and probably) final thread of the 50 Books 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 even though it's late in the year, it’s not too late to join. Please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

How have you got on this year?

1 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
2 Kirstin Lavransdatter I: The Wreath by Sigrid Undset. Translated by Tiina Nunnally
3 Esther's Notebooks 1. Tales from my ten-year-old life by Riad Sattouf. Translated by Sam Taylor
4 Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami. Translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd
5 Esther's Notebooks 2. Tales from my eleven-year-old life by Riad Sattouf. Translated by Sam Taylor
6 Esther's Notebooks 3. Tales from my twelve-year-old life by Riad Sattouf. Translated by Sam Taylor
7 Oldladyvoice by Elisa Victoria. Translated by Charlotte Whittle
8 Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans
9 Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov. Translated by George Bird
10 The Instant by Amy Liptrot
11 The Book of Not by Tsitsi Dangarembga
12 Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman
13 The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett
14 The House with the Stained Glass Window by Żanna Słoniowska. Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
15 Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro. Translated by Frances Riddle
16 Letters written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark by Mary Wollstonecraft
17 The Pear Field by Nana Ekvtimishvili. Translated by Elizabeth Heighway
18 Love after Love by Ingrid Persaud
19 Alexa, what is there to know about love? by Brian Bilston
20 Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov. Translated by Boris Dralyuk
21 The Owl Service by Alan Garner
22 The Embassy of Cambodia by Zadie Smith
23 My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Translated by Ann Goldstein
24 Morvern Callar by Alan Warner
25 The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante. Translated by Ann Goldstein.
26 Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo. Translated by Jamie Chang
27 Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands by Sonia Nimr. Translated by Marcia Lynx Qualey
28 Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga. Translated by Melanie Mauthner
29 Hilo Book 8: Gina and the Big Secret by Judd Winick
30 The Road to Lichfield by Penelope Lively
31 Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
32 V for Victory by Lissa Evans
33 The House of Ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazán. Translated by Paul O'Prey and Lucia Graves
34 Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

An interesting exploration of race and a romance. I struggled with Ifemelu and Obinze's relationship once they were both in Lagos again, we're suppose to see it as a great romance but I struggle with that when it involves adultery. I thought the sections in America were excellent and a much more intelligent and nuanced look at race that made me think much more than e.g. Such A Fun Age. Not as good as Half of a Yellow Sun but still better than most of what i've read this year.

Oops - only just realised there's a new thread. Feels a bit late to post my list now, but I've got a few to review:

93 Clothespegs by Susan Scarlett
Thanks to Remus for the recommendation. I enjoyed this, not much to add to others reviews. It did make me think of George Orwell's essay about weekly magazine stories though "The chief impression that one carries away from almost every story in these papers is of a frightful, overwhelming ‘refinement’." (But I liked it all the same!)

94 Cold Water by Dave Hutchinson
Latest book in his Fractured Europe sequence of SF-thrillers, set in a post-pandemic near future where Europe has broken up into dozens of tiny micro-states and the 'Coureurs des Bois' run people, documents and other contraband across borders. I really enjoyed the earlier books in this series, but this one although perfectly readable wasn't anywhere near as good. The previous (written pre-2020!) books referred only glancingly to the pandemic, but this one went back to fill in more details on lockdowns & border closures. The thriller element was also not particularly thrilling, & I've forgotten most of the details already.

95 The Way We Eat Now by Bee Wilson
I really enjoyed her earlier How We Learn to Eat & had high hopes for this one. In practice I found it very patchy. Overall it felt like a series of long newspaper articles cobbled together, with some much better researched than others. There were various annoying inconsistencies - for example, a well written section on the issues with ultra-processed food was followed later in the book by a section on plant based meat replacements with not a mention their ultra-processed nature. There were also a couple of shockingly ableist throwaway comments that I was very surprised weren't picked up in editing.

I thought the overall tenor of the book was well summarised by the 'what you can do' conclusion. Essentially the point of the book was to highlight the obesogenic nature of our modern food environment, and the profits being made by big agri-food businesses off the back of this. But instead of pointing readers towards political actions that could address this, instead she suggests buying smaller plates, giving up sugary drinks & other entirely individualistic changes.

96 The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Unpleasant rich people gather together, one is murdered, and we work forwards in time to discover who the victim is and whodunnit. This was remarkably similar to The Hunting Party, but I enjoyed it all the same and have just bought The Paris Apartment on deal.

97 Dead in the Water by Matthew Campbell & Kit Chellel
This uses the story of the Brillante Virtuoso, attacked by pirates & set on fire in the Gulf of Aden in 2011, to tell a wider story of maritime insurance fraud & criminal activity in the shipping industry. An enjoyable fast moving read following two London based detectives unpicking the case.

60. The Sandman : Act III by Neil Gaiman (Audible)

Perhaps controversially, I prefer the Audible dramatisation of The Sandman graphic novels, to the recent Netflix attempt at adaptation. The casting is better, and it relies on imagination over cheap looking CGI. In this installment Morpheus, also known as Dream, helps sister Delirium on a quest to find their brother, Destruction.

With this as an ongoing concern, it has to be said, that Act I was a runaway bold for me, and subsequent editions have simply not matched my enjoyment. When or if Act IV appears, I will definitely buy it, but it may be the last one, unless it manages to cure the mildly growing stench of diminishing returns.

61. Empire Of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Much reviewed already. In brief, if perhaps oversimplifying gross narcissists paint their name across every respected educational and arts institution in the globe, on the back of the lives ruined by a drug that should never have been on wide sale. (Though it did predate Oxy, the insistence is still quite weird)

I like his writing style, how he lets you get to know the people, I will definitely read more of his, but preferred Say Nothing to this, just on subject matter.

I did have some empathy for those who bore the Sackler name but weren't in any way responsible, or even involved in the company, but punished by association. Yes, they also enjoyed the wealth but in particular the heirs, never chose to be born into that family. Like blaming Prince William for the actions of Edward VIII... maybe? Yell at me if you disagree.

Days like these by Brian bilston
Undoctored by Adam Kay

Both 999p

99p !

Have just started to read Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore (friend lend) - another writer I had never heard of. This is compelling and particularly good at writing about the inner lives of women.
It's set in West Texas in the seventies. Fourteen year old Glory turns up at the door of Mary Rose Whitehead's isolated cattle farm - she has been attacked and is bleeding and in shock.
Don't know if anyone has watched Richard E Grant's BBC 4 'Write around the world' series - watched the Italian programme last night. It focused on different parts of Italy and novels associated with that part of the country. Especially good on Naples ( Ferrante ) and living under the shadow of Vesuvius (Robert Harris).

Just finished The Prestige which I really enjoyed. It’s a tale of two rival magicians treading the boards in the late 18th century with various oddness and twists and turns along the way. There’s a modern story alongside which I found less interesting and the ending was a bit abrupt but generally worth a read for anybody who likes odd!

Had anybody else read it?

Gingerwarthog I loved the Richard E Grant series and I hope he makes another one.

@MaudOfTheMarches
I thought it was superb and he was so joyful!

I read Valentine earlier this year @Gingerwarthog started well but some of the meandering from the plot frustrated me

Gobbled down book 46 in tow days : Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman. I found this really fascinating and many of his ideas, derided by so many, make perfect sense once he costs them, explains them and gives the history. I found his parts on universal basic income (the parts on Nixon are fascinating), on giving money to the homeless and his bits on how many of us (well you probably do - I don't!) do, and acknowledge they do 'bullshit jobs', and a bit on how to get people to value the non bullshit jobs. I would have liked more on this but Bregman is Dutch and teachers and nurses are paid more 'fairly' there.

My DS - who likes to say he is a Keynesian- recommended this to me as he said I would agree with the author and I do.

Most apposite was his chapter on open borders with some real eye opening stats - particularly that Mexicans in the US used to return to Mexico. Now there's' a wall , there are more than ever illegal Mexicans in the US... you don't say...

Great book. I am a bit behind the curve on this so lots of you have probably read it.

54. Threads of Life - Clare Hunter
This was great but took me months to finish. Hunter explores how needlework and textile art is used to transmit culture, to protest, and for therapy. It covers a lot of ground, from Mary Queen of Scots to the Glasgow School of the 1920s, how needlework came to be seen as a female pastime and was simultaneously devalued, African American slave quilts, and much else besides. Recommended if you have an interest in needlework of any kind.

55. Geek Drama - Holly Smale
Feelgood bedtime book, very low-effort - it's YA (even younger, actually, as the protagonist is at school). Nothing bad happens, so they're restful to read in between heavier books.

Remus yes, a long time ago, maybe when it first came out. I remember it being twisty turny. I think there's a movie of it, I want to say with Guy Pearce.

@Stokey I haven't seen the movie, but a friend loves it. If it's Guy P, I'll check it out as he's one of the few actors I actually recognise and like.

This isn’t a list, but a desperate attempt to catch up with my reviews. I really don’t have an excuse, although going back to work has made me pathetically tired, and DD’s OCD is particularly bad atm, poor love.

93.Horribly Harry - Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey
Sweet but not very exciting Australian ‘fake boyfriends’ romance.

94.Eyewitness Mesopotamia - Philip Steele
For children, but very well illustrated.

95.After Sappho - Selby Wynn Schwartz
A group biography of late 19th/early 20th century feminists, mostly lesbians. Billed as fiction, but the bitiness doesn’t work for certain key aspects, such as the development of romantic relationships. And she doesn’t have anything of interest to say about Sappho.

96.Rome in the Late Republic - Mary Beard and Michael Crawford
An excellent textbook I read before my trip to Rome.

97.The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett
Started reading this on my phone out of desperation in two-hour queue for check-in at Ryanair. I know it’s not supposed to be that great. The biggest problem for me was the lack of peril; it becomes obvious pretty early on that the main characters will survive anything. I also think that riding dragons near-naked would cause unpleasant if not painful chafing.

98.Family Secrets: The Things We Tried to Hide - Deborah Cohen
An excellent exploration of changing ideas of family privacy and secrecy in the last two centuries or so, with impressive and often moving use of archival material, from gay uncles to children with Down syndrome.

99.Dark Rise - C.S. Pacat
YA novel, clearly first of a series, set in (a lightly sketched) Georgian England, of ancient forces of good and evil being reborn in a number of young people for a new battle. Nicely sinister and some genuinely unexpected plot twists.

100.Black Narcissus - Romer Godden
Read for the Slightly Dated bookclub. Group of nuns go doolally in the Himalayas of the British Raj. Very atmospheric.

101.Ocean’s Echo - Everina Maxwell
A mind-engineering version of a ‘forced marriage’ romance, very entertaining space opera.

102.Under the Whispering Door - T.J. Klune
Whimsical romance about the soul’s journey after death, as a curmudgeonly lawyer is reformed by the influence of his sweet-natured pyschopomps. Sickly sweet at times. Death is much more painful than this, and A Christmas Carol is a lot better.

103.One Damned Thing After Another - Jodie Taylor
Time travelling academics. I didn’t like this as much as I hoped I would: the main character/narrator is an irritatingly perfect Mary Sue; far too much plot; the outside, everyday world is only vaguely sketched cf. Ben Aaronovitch’s contemporary London.

104.Fences Vol. 1 - C.S. Pacat
Rival fencers at US elite boarding school. Clearly will go on for volumes, so would rather wait and read the whole lot.

105.A Start in Life - Anita Brookner
Another Slightly Dated read. I had the idea that Brookner would be depressing, and focused entirely on luckless women with hopeless relationships. In fact, there is a splendid cast of characters and a great deal of social comedy. My favourite line: “Anthea had already run through the entire gamut of adult female experience, from promiscuity to dyed blond streaks in the hair.’ Will definitely read more.

Apart from War and Peace, am reading Victoria Wood’s biography, and contemplating a festive re-read of The Dark is Rising.

Just marking my place. Not putting my list up but no where near 50 but will try again next year. Still enjoy popping in to read everyone’s reviews. Enjoy all the lists too as like seeing what everyone’s bolds are to see if there is anything I fancy reading.

Received a copy of Manchester Fourteen Miles by Margaret Penn in the post so looking forward to read this. It’s an oldish copy and someone has put their name in it and marked it July 1984.

Currently reading Shiny Pennies & Grubby Pinafores by Winifred Foley and really enjoying this so far so will mark this as a bold. I will read her other book Full Hearts & Empty Bellies as well at some point.

Listening to The Girl from Bletchley Park by Kathleen McGurl enjoying this so far as well.

Thanks for these @ChannelLightVessel, lots that look interesting to me. I went straight to buy Family Secrets and the Kindle version is £1.99 today - no idea if that's a fixed term deal but thought I would pass it on.

@Midnightstar76 Thats an impressively quick delivery of Manchester 14 Miles despite the postal strikes!

I read Family Secrets earlier this year and rated it - I looked up my review:

This turned out to be an unexpectedly absorbing read - Cohen examines aspects of life that have historically been sources of shame, including illegitimacy, marital infidelity and divorce, adoption and homosexuality, and traces the changing attitudes to the keeping of secrets, with plentiful and illuminating case histories.

The most difficult chapter to read was the one dealing with children branded 'feeble-minded' and consigned to asylums: some of the stories are heart-rending.
Much to think about here from the perspective of the modern world in which sharing everything - however intimate - has increasingly become the norm.

Pereira Maintains is on my select list of 17 books that I have ever given 5 stars to.

Oh whoops, I thought I was replying. Never mind. I’m 100% not making 50 but that’s cool. I hadn’t planned to start anything new but try to finish some of the things I am
part way through but then I got side tracked by Viv Groskop’s latest on French literature.

88: The Dancing Bear - Frances Faviell

This was Frances Faviell's first book, although chronologically it recounts her real-life experiences in post-war Berlin, after the events of the war years she described in A Chelsea Concerto. I read that a while ago and found it quite gripping, full of humour and vividly evoking the craziness of living through Blitz-torn London, and I expected this book to be much the same in tone.

Well, it isn’t - no punches are pulled in describing the horror of war-devastated Berlin and the abject misery of its citizens. Faviell became friendly with a German family, the Altmanns, who become the main characters of the book, and a tragic fate they have too. One of the most surreal aspects of the narrative is Faviell's descriptions of the utter poverty and destitution of the Berliners, in contrast to the hectic non-stop partying of the occupying military forces, who had access to everything in abundance. At least she did everything she could to try and alleviate some of the distress. Quite a bracing and at times uncomfortable read, but in a good way (if that makes sense).

62. Blonde Roots - Bernadine Evaristo

A reimagining of the Slave trade from the other way round, where white Europeans are captured and sold to African plantation owners as slaves. This was told mostly from the viewpoint of a woman originally from North-East England, Doris, who tells her life from before she was seized and transported overseas to work for a wealthy owner. For someone who loves a historical setting 😊, the mix of time periods was confusing, with everything from Georgian-style dress to modern self-help books and tube trains. I couldn't work out when this was set but I suspect that was the point. Elements of satire contrasted with harrowing passages which were presumably not too dissimilar to real life experiences of slaves. A thought-provoking read.

The Faviell books sound intriguing, Terp.

It's a good one, biblio - I think I wasn’t expecting it because it’s a Furrowed Middlebrow, and while I generally love them for reviving huge amounts of forgotten women's lit of the 30s/40s/50s, they do have a fatal tendency towards the cosy (there are reams of DE Stevenson that I steer clear of). You definitely couldn’t accuse this of being cosy, the discussion of rape, starvation and people freezing to death is frankly engaged with. But it’s a compelling read.

Terpsichore I found The Dancing Bear fascinating (I read it straight after A Chelsea Concerto which I think I read on the back of your original recommendation) and as you say, she brilliantly contrasts the circumstances of the occupiers cf the occupied. I also thought it was really striking that the son of the German family went straight from the Hitler Youth to the Young Communists. I spotted an old hardback edition of The Dancing Bear in a charity shop last week and was sorely tempted, despite having the modern paperback and far too many books piled on the floor due to lack of shelf space.