50 Books Challenge 2023 Part Two

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second thread of the 50 Books Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2023, 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.

The first thread of the year is here.

What are you reading?

9. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot's first outing. Whilst staying with an old friend and his family in the Kent countryside, Hastings is delighted to discover another old friend, Poirot, is also staying in the village. This becomes especially fortuitous when the matriarch of the family, Emily Inglethorpe, dies in suspicious circumstances.

I read this a few years ago and didn't gel with it at all but after reading a couple more Christie's I decided to give this another go. It was definitely more enjoyable this time, not really sure why. Although Hastings really is a complete idiot. Not sure if he becomes less stupid in later books

The Terror by Dan Simmons

First DNF of the year. I'm only 7% of the way through but I feel like I have been reading it for years. Maybe if it was a bit shorter I could have persevered but I felt like I was wading through some really cold treacle, while someone told me boring stuff about boring ships. Too long, too detailed and too boring.

7 Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason.
I’m conflicted about this one. It tells the story of Martha and her mental illness- how it impacts her life, her family, and her marriage.
On the plus side- it’s not as heavy as it sounds as the dialogue is often light and witty despite the dark themes. I found it addictive and moving and read the whole book in just two days.
However, there were some negatives for me. Martha is from an English, bohemian, middle-class background. Yawn. This has been overdone, and of course she always has her quirky wealthy family to fall back on in times of trouble. I don’t know why an Australian author chose to portray this type of family when she could have used something fresher.
Secondly, I would like to read at least one piece of women’s fiction where motherhood (or lack of) is not at the centre of the book. While it’s an important issue, it’s a bit reductive that it always comes back to it in these type of books.

Thanks for the new thread Southeast 😁

Because I'm making a concerted effort to go through some books on the shelf that I've been carting around for far too long, I'm aware that some are of zero interest to a wider audience, so I'm only going to "review" some. Have managed to get to thread two without buying anything new at least! Although as always I have added many titles recommended here to my "want to read" list...

17. The Classic Slum by Robert Roberts. I picked up this Penguin in a charity shop some time back. It's a little like something by Orwell - The Road to Wigan Pier for sure - but rather than an outsider looking in, is written from the perspective of someone who actually grew up in the slums of Edwardian Salford and later "got out" (becoming a journalist), looking back. I'm not sure there's anything particularly ground breaking, large parts of slum life sound utterly grim, but that's hardly news. What is depressing is that over a hundred years later, we're still wrestling with some of the exact same issues. One quote will suffice:

"Ever since the passing of the Compulsory Education Act private charities in the cities had struggled to provide breakfast, in winter at least, for a few of the many thousands of children who came to school hungry. By 1900 attempts were being made to have such meals subsidized from the rates. But The Times was having none of it:

'There is a section of the School Board for London [announced an editorial in 1901] which aims at the saddling upon the ratepayers of the responsibility for the feeding of the children sent to school without their proper meals; a policy which we have contended from the first, will inevitably tempt a large class of parents to starve, or half-starve their boys and girls in order to escape a burden to which they are legally subject and one which they are well able to bear.'"

And now, following on from Deren Brown earlier in the year, a much longer volume on the Stoics reserved at the start of January has come though on the Libby app, I imagine it will take some time...

@Passmethecrisps I've just finished Tomorrow x3 and really enjoyed it. I think if you liked Ready Player One, you'll like it too.
It starts in the 90s when Sadie and Sam remeet each other in front of a magic eye picture, and goes through the next 20 years of their relationship and building games and a company together. I'm a similar age to the characters in the book and have fond memories of playing Streetfighter - the sole female character obvs- and MarioKart with my male flatmates as students. I've read it in a couple of days as found myself totally immersed in the plot. I didn't mind the bit where it went into a game, I think it worked. I wouldn't call myself a gamer but DH is quite into them so have played a few in my time. I bought this thinking DD1 would like it, but actually now I think DH would enjoy it. I think there's enough here to like even if you don't know much about gaming.

Finally finished Babel my first book of the year. Very long and quite complex but beautifully written and I enjoyed it.
Interesting look at colonialism and whether violence ever the answer. Wasn't what I was expecting when I bought it but glad I've read it. Need something quicker and lighter for my next read.

Missed this thread, on my 6th book of the year.

the last book I finished was ‘kim Jiyoung, born 1982’

i really enjoyed it, i always knew how deeply misogynistic china was but reading this was very eye opening and sad, it was a mix of chinese traditions and values but also what women face everyday, especially once you become a mother.

would definitely recommend

Thanks for the new thread Southeast

Just been very underwhelmed by The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O'Farrell. I loved Hamnet but this was overlong and largely dull. I reached for my phone to see how much was left and was horrified to see it was only on 23%. It did pick up in the second half, but didn't really do anything for me. A shame because it's a brilliant premise for a book.

1. InK Black Heart By Robert Galbraith

Felt very early on that this wasn’t going to compare to Troubled Blood which I absolutely loved. The cold case / intricate look at historic relationships really did it for me in that one. This time there was a lot I found annoying or distracting. I often find art in books tricky to imagine and the central focus here was of an art community / fandom focused on a Netflix cartoon and internet game. Also whilst I enjoy Robin’s development as a detective I think her celibacy and trepidation at confronting Strike about his self destructive habits are held into high regard - with Rowling loathe to describe any heroine as a nag. That terrible female trait. I’d love to see Rowling’s next series focus on a strong female character as the main protagonist rather than side kick.

But…obviously I loved it regardless. Do we really need 300 word descriptions of every location, no but it was a great way to spend January. It was immersive and the right amount of red herrings and a great conclusion. About half way through I stopped everything else I was reading and raced to the end.

P.S. All hail Pat.

Thread Two! Thanks @Southeastdweller

*3. H Is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald
Many of your will have read or heard of this when it was a big seller a few years ago. I took me a while to get into - the author has a poet's use of and interest in language which I loved, but it felt like the book jumped about a bit. Once I was a third of the way in, I was absorbed and had a feel for the different threads - the author's grief after the death of her father, her experience of living with and training Mabel the goshawk and sections eferring back to thr life of T.H. White and his book The Goshawk. Enjoyed it overall, and this has been in my Audible library for so long that listening to it in January was a statement of intent that I WILL reduce my TBR in all formats this year!

4. The River King by Alice Hoffman
We are introduced to the small town of Haddan, Massachusetts where local residents live uncomfortably alongside the staff and pupils at a prestigious boarding school. Lives intertwine as new pupils Carlin Leander and August Pierce arrive at Haddan, along with new teacher Betsy Chase...and when a body is found, local police officer Abel Grey becomes involved with a determination to find out exactly what has happened.
That makes this sound like a crime novel, and there is a mystery to solve, but this is more a portrait of the town and the main characters with lots of description. With the help of a little magical realism, Hoffman creates a strong sense of mood and setting - definitely one to read in autumn or winter when the days are short and gloomy. I didn't always love the plot, just because I hate bullying and became completely annoyed by how little the school staff cared about supervising their students, but I found the book as a whole to be fascinating and I know it will stay with me.

Thank you for the new thread Southeast!

I rewatched a bit of Doctor Who again too @DuPainDuVinDuFromage - Amy was great - I think I started properly liking Clara when they did the montage of her with all the former Doctors! If I'd had a DD I'd have definitely used it for a name (goes well with our surname too) but I only have boys...

That's sad news about CJ Sansom @highlandcoo and @OldCrone22 - the last Shardlake book was reeeeeeeally long and rambling though.

I enjoyed Good Omens more than I thought I would too @RomanMum, it was all the rage when I was at school many, many a few years ago, but I only got round to reading it just before the Amazon series came out! The bit about the M25 very much struck a chord with me

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I really liked the premise of The End of Mr Y and there were bits of the book I was enjoying - but not enough to actually make me finish it!

I love the Murder Most Unladylike series @Natsku - I read the Ministry of Unladylike Activity over Christmas and that was great fun too

How very depressing about the slums description @Waawo, especially with all the current issues over damp and mould in housing. I did a project on Joseph Rowntree (of chocolate and the Rowntree Foundation fame!) at uni and he would have been horrified that these problems are still ongoing when our society is (allegedly) much advanced from his time.

I usually find Ken Follett books engrossing @coolmum123 but had to force myself to finish Never

It's years since I read a Kate Mosse book @SolInvictus, I don't think I'd have the time/ brainpower since I had the DC, although I think I'd enjoy them again if I did! She's on tour soon but I can't make the only date when she's vaguely near us, unfortunately. I thought the film of The Ghost was actually much better than the book!

Loving your Spare review @ChessieFL

I'm looking forward to reading Ink Black Heart @Palegreenstars but am taking a breather with some other shorter books first before diving back into their detective agency.

I'm also on a mission to complete my challenge to myself to read all of Nicci French's novels. I started properly in 2021 and have seven left. Currently reading Until its Over. I read the Frieda Klein series first and loved them. The standalone novels are good but not a patch on the series.

This year's list so far:

1: EC Bateman - Death at the Auction
2: Sophie Irwin - A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting
3: Deanna Raybourn - Night of a Thousand Stars
4: Lynn Messina - A Brazen Curiosity

5: Lynn Messina - A Scandalous Deception
6: Lynn Messina - An Infamous Betrayal
7: Lynn Messina - A Nefarious Engagement

A continuation of the Beatrice Hyde-Clare mysteries - a 26 year old 'spinster' solves cosy mysteries in the Georgian period and (surprise, surprise) finds love along the way. Nothing wildly exciting but rattle along nicely and help me make the most of my Kindle Unlimited membership! Although - to continue my rant from last time - if you're American writing about England and (presumably) trying to be as accurate as possible, why wouldn't you ask for any obvious errors to be edited out?! English people don't/ didn't say 'fall' (for autumn), 'yell' or 'gotten'; these are just the ones which spring to mind but there were a fair few. Grrrr.

8: Richard Armitage - Geneva (audiobook)

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr Sarah Collier is showing signs of with Alzheimer's, but is persuaded to attend a conference in Geneva by her husband Daniel (also a doctor) to discuss a groundbreaking product in the same field. Sarah has been trying to take a step back from the limelight to spend more time with Daniel and their small daughter, but this puts her firmly out of her comfort zone and she finds subsequent events confusing and threatening.

Twisty turny thriller read in turns by Richard himself and Nicola Walker as Daniel and Sarah, plus an extra narrator - I don't think it's available yet as a book but I'd like to read it again when/ if it is, as I'm sure I missed some plot twists! Overall very entertaining apart from a couple of irritating little details; I'm sure plenty of research was done but for example, there's one scene where a main character has to change their hair colour quite significantly. The description is something like "X puts on the hair dye, then washes it off a few minutes later and their hair is completely different" - IT TAKES MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES RICHARD!! IT'S LONGER THAN THAT JUST FOR ME TO DO MY ROOTS!

Anyhow, definitely worth a listen, and if the lovely Mr Armitage would like to work with me over any future hair colour queries then I'm available any time

2 This Must Be the Place - Maggie O'Farrell

An American moves to 1980s London to pursue his studies, gets involved with an older woman with whom things go sour and he returns to the USA to be with his dying mother. Years later, one failed marriage and estranged family on, he meets and marries Claudette, a super-famous movie actor living in self-imposed exile in rural Donegal. A voice from his past prompts his eventual decline into obsession with the circumstances of his ex-girlfriend's death 30 years before, the breakdown of his second marriage and struggle with alcoholism.

I enjoyed reading this - I like a bit of bleak introspection in a fictional character. Daniel's life is a mess but he likes to blame his father/his ex-wife/his ex-girlfriend/his old friends/his 2nd wife's ex-husband/everybody in the world apart from himself. Only in the last chapter do we meet the new improved Daniel, and the book ends rather abruptly on a note of cautious optimism.

All hail Pat! Agree with you, @Palegreenstars . She is an icon.
Also echoing the praise for @ChessieFL and her review of Spare which I now definitely don't need to read or think about until my Kindle breaks on holiday and I find it on a holiday home shelf.

I am halfway through a PD James which is very distracting - I should be working but keep sneaking downstairs to cram in a few more pages. And I just joined the library near my office, which was extremely exciting. It's how I plan to get a handle on my book addiction - I figure there is no downside at all in a long list of reservations and taking out all the books I want. I realise "join a library" is hardly a revelatory New Year's resolution but for some reason I just never got round to it. So this is great, and I am hoping it will keep my book buying habits in check.

5 Smoke by Dan Vyleta
I have had this on my TBR list for ages, and when it came up at a good price on Kindle I snapped it up. I thought the premise – that in a parallel Victorian universe, people who sin are marked by smoke that they emit, and that aristocrats have learned to master smoke to give the appearance of purity and moral superiority – was a fascinating one, and I enjoy that sort of “what if” concept. Plus I like a bit of Victoriana steam punk type stuff.

It was, however, about twice as long as it needed to be because of the author’s incredibly annoying habit of describing everything in exhaustive detail when it was entirely superfluous to narrative requirements. If he’d been a great writer I could have just about forgiven three pages of someone eating bread and cheese, but he is adequate at best, and as a result I couldn’t be bothered to give the actual story the attention it needed to figure out what was going on and who was motivated by what. I still don’t really know what happened at the end because by that point I was barely engaged.

What I have taken away from this book is that life is too short to read books that aren’t either entertaining or illuminating, and that if something hasn’t grabbed me by page 69 (random but I remember someone – possibly John Sutherland – writing that you can tell if you want to read a book by going to page 69 and seeing if it appealed. Far enough in for the tone and direction to be clear, too early for spoilers) it’s not going to improve. So not an entirely wasted effort on that basis.

6 East West Street by Philippe Sands
Really glad I finally got round to this, after hearing nothing but good things about it. Sands is a human rights lawyer so well placed to write about how the concepts of crimes against humanity and genocide were integrated into the Nuremberg trials and the differences between them. He is also the grandchild of Jews who left what is now Ukraine but was Poland then (the area we now call Lviv) for Vienna and then London as Hitler moved across Europe, which leaves him well placed to examine the trials through a human lens. The story of his grandfather Leon is told alongside the story of two human rights lawyers, Hersch Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin, also from the same area who were both instrumental in the trials and the direction they took.

The stories of the three men and peripheral characters are sensitive and well rendered, and the more technical legal side never gets too abstract. Would highly recommend.

7 The Reading Cure: How Books Restored My Appetite by Laura Freeman
Freeman suffered from acute anorexia throughout her teens and continues to struggle to a lesser extent with food. The book does what it says – it’s about how, through reading, she was able to re-engineer her approach to food by exploring tastes and appetite in print then gently trying to push herself in real life. Aside from being a very moving account of mental illness and the best explanation of how anorexia takes hold and consumes someone that I have read, it’s a delightful exploration of the impact that books can have on us. I added several to my TBR on the back of her recommendations, and not just for the gusto with which all her preferred authors approach the subject of food. As memoirs go, this is definitely one of the best I have read recently. And a reminder of how to enjoy food and consume it mindfully.

Love The Reading Cure.

Currently deep in *The Dark Queens, by Shelley Puhak, a "narrative non-fiction" account of two 6th century Merovingian queens. It's rattling along with great brio, with lots of betrayals and assassinations and reversals of fortune. A slave girl rises to be queen and the Byzantines lurk in the background, planning to put a bastard heir on the throne. Stirring stuff.

@bibliomania Dark Queens was one of my favourite books last year, you can't beat the Merovingians for full on bloodthirsty carnage, and I loved the centring of the women. It's a shame I'm peri-menopausal as I want to have a daughter just to name her Brunnhild Fredegund 😉

Such a good read, Mama, though not sure abot naming a daughter that - if she resembled her namesake, I'm not sure Fredegund in particular would contribute to domestic harmony.....

Dark Queens sounds absolutely great. I love a bit of Visigoth plundering and they did seem to have quite progressive views on letting women get on horses and do some fighting. I mean, maybe not that progressive - I bet it was a pretty miserable existence generally, and particularly for women. But I love the idea they had female queens doing the stuff that men typically did. I will thank you now @bibliomania so that when I read it and inevitably forget who suggested it, you will now I am grateful!

@ClaraTheImpossibleGirl I think I'll have to see if Ministry of Unladylike Activity is in the library for DD (and me), is it aimed at a younger audience than the murder most unladylike books? Though I suppose DD won't mind even if it is because she liked the other books so much (she can be quite fussy with books, half the books I've bought her she's refused to read!)

Finished number 3 last night Alex Rider: Secret Weapon, such a change to read short stories after the last few books I've read, no concentration needed.

You're welcome in advance, Pepe, although it should really be Mama who gets the credit. Currently free in kindle unlimited - the selection of free books seems to have improved a lot since I last tried it.

There was someone on the thread who recommended Dark Queens before I read it, but I can't find who it was.

Ooh brilliant - just downloaded it. Was going to cancel unlimited but I actually have found the same about how some better books seem to be included all of a sudden.

@Covetthee I think kim Jiyoung, born 1982 is Korean, not Chinese.

Ah, but I intend on any daughter of mine being an unholy terror rampaging across Europe 😉