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?

3.. La Controverse sur le Timbre du Contre-ténor by René Jacobs

This was a non-fiction book written by the great Belgian countertenor René Jacobs that has been out of print for quite some time but was lent to me by a friend who shares my fringe interest in Baroque music and its historically-informed practice.

Countertenors are those rare adult male voices in the Alto range. In our days, they are Barytons who train their voices to sing almost entirely in falsetto. Current examples include Andreas Scholl, Tim Mead, and Philippe Jarrousky.

I will describe this book a bit, since I know that you are all so interested in the subject René Jacobs' "controversy" is basically his belief that the countertenor should NOT sing in falsetto and he uses Manuel García's Traité (1849) to support this view. In there are some dubious claims such as men and women generally using falsetto to sing in the same range of notes, and that haute-contre is just the term for countertenor in the French language.

René Jacobs was an exceptional singer in certain ways that may be related to an unusual physiology, so perhaps that is why he believes countertenors should all be able to sing in the female alto range with their full "throat" voices rather than in falsetto. In any case, my previous reading shows that it had been known at least since the time of Tosi and Agricola (1700s) that adult male altos are falsettists.

This is an interesting little book that contributes to a field with very few books ever written, and I would recommend it if anyone manages to get their hands on a copy. However, do take its argument with a grain of salt.

Thanks Cote, that sounds interesting. Can I just add the sublime Iestyn Davies to your list of counter tenors as I have a huge crush on him.

Finished number 5 Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam.
My god, the descriptions! The first 3 or 4 chapters were hard to get through because of them, but then I had to keep reading to find out what was happening, what will happen, only to be ultimately disappointed by the ending. But the scenario will likely play out in my head a lot over the next few days, it was interesting.

I'm on number 14: 'River Sing Me Home.' By Eleanor Shearer.

Set in Barbados, It's about a woman trying to find her children (who have all been sold into slavery,) following the introduction of The Emancipation act in 1794.

The author is a fantastic writer, despite this being her first novel.

I'm really enjoying it. ❤️

Recently finished 'The Reading List' by Sara Nisha Adams, which I read for my book club.

It is about the friendship that forms between a young librarian and a customer at a library in London. The librarian finds a reading list at the library and recommends the books on it to the older gentleman, leading them to form a book club of two.

I loved this and found it really moving. It explores themes such as death, love, connections, and the power and Joy of books. ❤️

5 stars from me 😃

That sounds lovely @ICrunchCrispsNotNumbers

It was, @Taytocrisps ❤️

House of Glass - Hadley Freeman. I'm not sure why I hadn't read this as I have read her two other books but I'm so glad I did.
It was outstanding- moving but not in any way mawkish. I thought I had a good knowledge of the period and the countries involved but there were many things that shocked & appalled me
Beautifully written and will stay with me a long time

4. The Dark Queens, by Shelley Puhak
As previously described, this was a vivid account of two sixth century queens. Although based on original sources, it was told with a light touch, like fresh gossip from the palace. I enjoyed it.

5. A House in the Country, by Ruth Adam.. A non -fiction account by a woman who moved to a Tudor mansion in Kent immediately after WWII with family and friends and tried to make a go of it. She doesn't over-romanticize - or rather, she describes how their romantic vision turns out to have a dark side. Evocative of the immediate post-war era.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie love your description of On the Road, exactly how I felt. * *

Thanks for the recommendation, I've added it to my list.

I actually quite enjoyed Labyrinth I think. I just remember it being a bit of fun, quick read, nothing serious. I've been to Carcassone and a few of the places mentioned which I always enjoy. * *

You're welcome @TattiePants. Hope you enjoy it.

Another warm welcome to @UnfinishedBusiness. I'm a newbie too, (only joined at the end of the last thread) but I think this thread is wonderful ❤️

I tried to read 'On The Road.' After it was featured on one of my favourite comedies (The Book Group), but I couldn't get into it at all.

@Natsku always good to see someone else who reads Alex Rider 🙂

Hi all, and (belated) thanks to south for the new thread. A couple of spooky reads:

1. Haunted Inns of Surrey - Roger Long

Interesting topic, but the book was sorely in need of a proofreader. Spelling, grammatical, and homophonic errors all over the shop, including some town and inn names. I spent much of the read sighing.

1. The Haunted Hotel - Wilkie Collins

A proper Gothic chiller, and surprisingly readable. A Venetian palace, once the scene of a death and disappearance, has been converted to a hotel and members of the family involved in the earlier dramas end up staying there. An intense buildup leads to a shocking denouement, even to a modern reader. Fun stuff.

@ICrunchCrispsNotNumbers have you read 84 Charing Cross Road? If not I'd highly recommend it. It's about the relationship that develops between a forthright American writer searching for books and a staid British book dealer.

7 Hell Bent by *Leigh Bardugo.
Absolutely loved this sequel to The Ninth House. Just marvellous. Demons, secret societies, toothy motherfuckers……. At the heart of both books is the existence of soulless collections of (mainly) men who are brought up to rule the world and will use any means, including magic, to hold onto that power. But only if there is a ‘ninth house’ to clear up after them.
In the hands of a less talented author the basic story would be a boring mishmash, but it hits all the right notes for me, with echoes of John Connolly, early Stephen King and Michael Marshall Smith.
I am left with a cracking Book Hangover and a yearning to live in the sentient Il Bastone.

1. Abide With Me, Elizabeth Strout

I didn't enjoy this as much as the two other Strout's I've read (Anything is Possible and My Name is Lucy Barton). Although they all deal with difficult issues, I have to say that I found this unremittingly bleak. The book centres on the death of a mother of young children, which will always be dark. Harking back to previous discussions my views may be coloured by my mindset when I was reading it. My head wasnt in a great place to start with. At times, to be honest, I didn't feel i wanted to return to it. The atmosphere of a small town during the height of the cold War is stifling and oppressive. It made me very glad I dont live in 50s America. There is no denying that some aspects are incredibly well written and moving. There is a scene where a small child is sent to stay with relatives in the final stages of her mother's illness that will stick with me forever. Strout captures the small, mundane details of terrible situations and doesn't let you look away. I think one of the reasons that I didn't connect to it as much ad the others is that there is a strong focus on faith. Tyler, the central character, is a pastor and his thoughts on theology and relationship with his congregation are central to the story. I'm not religious so sometimes found this difficult to connect to. I also had issues with the ending that I won't go into so not reveal spoilers.

Wow, how have some already read so many books?! I'm still on chapter 2 of my second book! I must be a slow reader ,🤣🤣🤣

Vagabonds by Oskar Jensen A study of life on the streets of nineteenth century London. Hmmm. On the positive side this had some fascinating first-hand accounts from people living in poverty on London's streets, ranging from beggars, muscicians, porters and hawkers, men, women, children, older people and immigrants. However I often found myself intensely irritated by the author's own writing. The whole text - not just the source material - is written in the present tense; this is not just annoying but leads to some clumsy writing, open to misinterpretation, eg: "To the audience of the day, disability is embarrassing: most people see a wooden leg, for example, as not only pitiable but intrinsically comic". The other problem I have is that Jensen is trying too hard to be empowering and politically modern. In looking at the lives of women he lacks the empathy of Hallie Rubenhold's The Five. He tries very hard to be understanding, for example of two women partners (one of whom dresses as a man) who perform on the streets and in pubs, but ends up writing the nonsense that it was "surely a true queer partnership between the redoubtable Isabella and her flamboyant, talented, intensely vulnerable trans husband".

At the end of the book is an extensive list of source material, much of which is freely available on the internet, and I think it might be a better bet to go straight to the horse's mouth.

During Mother's Absence by Michele Roberts A collection of her short stories. I love MR's writing and think she is particularly good at evoking life in France. As with all short story collections, it's a bit uneven but at its best it is very good indeed.

Thanks for the review of Abide With Me, Owlbookend. I'll get round to reading it at some stage. I agree with you when you said that Strout captures the small, mundane details of terrible situations and doesn't let you look away. That's very true.

musicians not muscicians

I have just looked this one up and it sounds lovely! My new years resolution is to buy at least 1 book per month from my local bookshop so I have ordered this one! Thanks ☺️