50 Books Challenge 2023 Part Three

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third 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 and the second one here.

Can anyone recommend an ereader that's least horrible for someone who really only likes reading actual books? Because keep seeing so many interesting books in these threads that aren't available in the library system over here at all so ebooks are my only option (as buying actual books from the UK is just far too much hassle now. Thanks Brexit.)

My list so far:

1. One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow, Olivia Hawker
2. Passing, Nella Larsen
3. Take My Hand, Dolen Perkins-Valdez
4. Abide With Me, Elizabdth Strout
5. So Sweet A Changeling, Ruth Adam
6. Im Not Complaining, Ruth Adam

DNF - The Unheard, Nicci French (psychological thriller - got automatically returned to Borrowbox before I got into it, might get another chance)

Currently reading The Four Winds - depression era historical fiction. It's not very good, but an undemanding page turner.

Apologies if all the highlighting shows - can't seem to get rid of it.

My list since the last thread:

5 My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley
6 Tin Man by Sarah Winman
7 Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
8 Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
9 Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Palin
10 The Fell by Sarah Moss
11 A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
12 Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Thanks SouthEast, here's my list:

1. Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

1. The Quantum Curators and the Faberge Egg by Eva St John
2. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
3. Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

5. A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe 6. Good Pop, Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker

1. In a Good Light by Clare Chambers

8. Ballad For Sophie by Filipe Mello and Juan Cavia

1. The Quantum Curator and the Enemy Within by Eva St John

10. The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn 11. The Quantum Curators and the Missing Codex by Eva St John 12. The Trouble With Lichen by John Wyndham 13. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 14. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 15. Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane 16. The Quantum Curators and the Shattered Timeline by Eva St John

DNF

• The Terror by Dan Simmons

17. The Quantum Curators and the Great Deceiver by Eva St John

Probably my least favourite of the series as this was purely focused on the political situation on Alpha Earth, rather than on time travel. However, this is the end of Phase 1 of the series and the author has said there will be more focus on the time travel element going forward and I like the characters and the concept, so I’ll continue with this series.

Natsku I love my kindle paperwhite and I am definitely a person who likes reading actual books too! Don’t get a kindle fire as that is just a tablet - you can read ebooks on it but it doesn’t have the special screen that a dedicated e-reader has which makes it easier on the eye.

However this does mean you’re tied into Amazon which you may or may not mind.

I’ve never tried any other e-readers so don’t know how they compare with kindle.

I don't like the idea of being tied to Amazon but care about my eyes more I suppose

Thanks @Southeastdweller! Here's my list:

1.The Downhill Hiking Club - Dom Joly

1. In Praise of Walking - Shane O'Mara

3. One By One - Ruth Ware

1. The Will - Rebecca Reid

5. The Palace Papers - Tina Brown

1. To the Land of Long Lost Friends - Alexander McCall Smith
2. Dear Reader - Cathy Rentzenbrink

8. Valley of the Dolls - Jacqueline Susann 9. The Sentence is Death - Anthony Horowitz 10. The Journey Through Wales - Gerald of Wales 11. The Description of Wales - Gerald of Wales

Natsku I agree with everything Chessie says about the paperwhite. Also the paperwhite is waterproof, while the basic kindle isn't, if that makes a difference. I find it really handy for reading in the bath.

I second the Kindle Paperwhite. The back light means it doesn't have any of the glare of a screen so it's very easy on your eyes. It also means you can read it when your partner is sleeping beside you without disturbing them - great for the light sleepers among us! Also although Amazon is a slightly demonic presence in the world, they have loads of amazing deals on Kindle books.

Though I haven't tried any of the others either.

These threads are moving fast (much faster than my reading!).

1. The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett
2. The Storyteller - Dave Grohl
3. What If? - Randall Monroe
4. Explaining Humans - Camilla Pang
5. The Power - Naomi Alderman
6. Four Thousand Weeks - Oliver Burkeman
7. Rewild Yourself - Simon Barnes

Just finished:

8 - Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari

Absolutely loved this - it is quite provocative and borderline misanthropic, but an extremely interesting and thought provoking read. I have another of his books on my TBR pile, but have just started Otherlands (thought I would love it, but actually not sure at the moment).

Mine so far:

1. The Secret Diary of Charles Dickens, Aged 13 3/4 - Lee Jackson
2. Boy in a China Shop: Life, Clay and Everything - Keith Brymer Jones
3. On Turpentine Lane - Elinor Lipman
4. Célestine: Voices from a French Village - Gillian Tindall
5. Desert Star - Michael Connelly
6. Madly, Deeply - The Alan Rickman Diaries
7. So Sweet a Changeling - Ruth Adam
8. Threads of Life - Clare Hunter
9. Someone at a Distance - Dorothy Whipple
10. The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660-1900 - Barbara Burman & Ariane Fennetaux
11. Blaming - Elizabeth Taylor
12. Contested Will - James Shapiro
13. May Day - F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm juggling two books at the moment, one a non-fiction history of the exploration of the Alps, which is good but for some reason proving a bit hard to get into. The other's a very readable William Trevor novel.

Thank you for the new thread, Southeastdweller!

Continuation* *of my list since last time;

1. Minor Mage: T. Kingfisher.
2. Les Années: Annie Ernaux.

6b. The Years: Alison L. Strayer.

1. Foster: Claire Keegan.
2. Someone at a Distance: Dorothy Whipple.
3. A Tale for the Time Being: Ruth Ozeki.

I'm currently reading The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn on Borrowbox.

Don't get a Kobo. Had someone bring one into the library a few weeks ago to one of our tech sessions with an expert. The expert was really slating them and how pointless they are compared to literally anything else. She really knows her stuff. A proper kindle wins hands down every time..

I use a bog standard android tablet and sometimes my phone as I simply wouldn't read the volume of e-books to warrant buying a kindle. I've even used a laptop in the past when I lived abroad. You do get used to it, even if it's not the best option.

Some UK libraries will let you join for digital membership without needing to be resident.

Oh FGS forgot one:

1. Sovereign - CJ Samson

1. Murder before Evensong - Rev Richard Coles
2. Dry - Augusten Burroughs
3. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death - MC Beaton
4. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
5. The Last Mile - David Baldacci

7. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

1. The Word is Murder - Anthony Horowitz

And DNF The Keeper of Stories - Sally Page (because I found the main protagonist a bit annoying - better than The Keeper of Lost Things which I couldn't stand and only finished out of pure determination, but still annoying. At least the women had some agency in this book, but I just don't think SP's characters or stories are to my taste)

Sounds like Paperwhite is the way to go, perhaps I'll suggest it for my Mother's Day present

Some UK libraries will let you join for digital membership without needing to be resident.

That is interesting to know, will have to look into that!

Thanks for the new thread southeastdweller

My list so far:

1. Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard
2. The World I Fell Out Of by Melanie Reid
3. The Running Man by Stephen King
4. A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons by Cressida Cowell
5. The Ruin of All Witches by Malcolm Gaskill
6. Healthiest You Ever by Meera Lester, Murdoc Khaleghi, Susan Reynolds & Brett Aved
7. A History of the Vampire in Popular Culture by Violet Fenn
8. House of X / Powers of X by Hickman / Larraz / Silva

and

9. Mr Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn

Meh.
Regency romance. A duke has been in an arranged engagement with the daughter of an earl since they were both infants, but so far no wedding date has been set.
Just as they’re starting to grow fond of each other, a previously unknown relative appears who may be the rightful Duke, which casts the whole engagement into doubt.

It’s easy reading, but it’s not particularly interesting or memorable as Regency romances go.

I would welcome some book recommendations for a friend, who is undergoing some gruelling chemo. So nothing taxing or depressing but unhelpfully I don't know much about her reading habits so thought it would probably be best to avoid fiction. I wondered about some kind of uplifting non-fiction - along the lines of Wintering but possibly less controversial! Any suggestions very welcome. Or if I'm way off the mark with books full stop, do tell me - I don't have much experience of the interim and aftermath so very happy to be steered away from books and towards something else as a small pick-me-up gift.

Bringing my list while we're still on the first pages...

1.The Murder Room by PD James

1. Vaxxers by Sarah Gilbert and Catherine Green
2. The Lighthouse Witches by SJ Cooke
3. Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater.

5.The Ghost by Robert Harris DNF Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. 6 Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

I'll do my review of n7 while I'm here as I'll finish it today, though no review needed really...

7 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

Did it! (well, I will by the end of today have done it) Nothing much to say to what has already been said and for years. Masterpiece, majestic etc etc. I took my time (after failing miserably with it in 2017) and looked up every Thomas and Mary as I went. Which helped. I also girded my loins for the present tense and after a couple of hundred pages didn't notice it anymore. I did flag about 200 pages from the end- the bit before the Anna Regina chapter, but ultimately, sublime writing and very exciting too. In the midst of all those words, some sentences and paragraphs of such eternal beauty that a) I've copied them down b) I imagine HM had them in a notebook somewhere for years before finding the right vessel for them to be carried in.

I'll be reading a couple of violent police procedurals after this before digging in with the next one in the series.

@PepeLePew You know what I think about Wintering so I'll just wish your friend well. Maybe Kathleen Jamie essays?

Thank you southeast. It’s moving so fast, I can’t keep up. Bringing across my list:

1. Old Filth - Jane Garam
2. Sad Cypress - Agatha Christie

3. Three Hours - Rosamund Lupton

1. Light Perpetual - Francis Spufford

5. Trespasses - Louise Kennedy

1. Crossfire - Felix Francis
2. Long Story Short - Jodi Taylor
3. A Storm of Swords - George RR Martin
4. Partners in Crime - Agatha Christie

10. Back Trouble - Clare Chambers

And adding my latest read:

11. The Man in the Queue - Josephine Tey

This should probably be on the “dated” thread as it was written in 1929. Old school detective story with a thoughtful policeman, Inspector Grant. A man is stabbed to death in a theatre queue yet apparently no-one saw it happen. The victim has nothing to identity him and no- one comes forward to report him missing. Inspector Grant gets to work to identify the victim, a motive for the murder and the killer. I enjoyed this other than the jarring references to one man as “the dago”!

Now onto the next Slough House

@Natsku

Some UK libraries will let you join for digital membership without needing to be resident.

This may be true, but the library ebook apps usually don’t work with kindles. Therefore if you get a kindle and still want to borrow ebooks from the library your options are:

• get an alternative e-reader just for library books (obviously not a practical solution!)
• read library ebooks via the library app on your phone/tablet (which means you don’t benefit from the special screen that dedicated e-readers have so is hard on your eyes)
• do something complicated (and illegal) to convert them to read on kindle. I have no idea how to do this but I know it can be done!

I don’t like any of these options which means I just don’t bother with library ebooks (I do use the library for real books!)

I don’t know if you would be able to access library ebooks living abroad even if they don’t need local residency? Don’t know how it works but I know some apps are blocked when you’re overseas.

@Natsku I bought a kindle for this very reason 8 years ago. I am still very much a 'real book' person but I flipping love my kindle now. Would be lost without it. I'm lucky though in that my local library has a very good selection of English books including some quite recent ones eg Lessons in Chemistry!
I've never tried to borrow ebooks from a UK library so can't advise on that. I'm furious, sad and everything in between that it's now very difficult and/or costly to buy English books since Brexit. Hope you find a solution that works for you.

Thanks for the new thread @Southeastdweller

Here's my list:

1. The Christmas Bookshop – Jenny Colgan
2. Les Cahiers d’Esther : Histoires de mes 10 ans – Riad Sattouf
3. The Pants of Perspective – Anna McNuff
4. L’Assommoir – Emile Zola
5. Beautiful world, where are you? – Sally Rooney
6. This book could save your life – Graham Lawton
7. Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus

Currently reading The Foundling by Stacey Halls and listening to How to be famous by Caitlin Moran and really enjoying both.

@nowanearlyNicemum brexit really messed things up, didn't it? I used to regularly order books from book depository and the book people (before they stopped shipping abroad) but now rarely buy books.

Thank you for the new thread!

So far I've read:

The Secret of Chimneys, Agatha Christie
Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively
Stories For Christmas And The Festive Season, Various
Jane and Prudence, Barbara Pym
Momenticon, Andrew Caldecott
Galatea, Madeline Miller
Murder in Mesopotamia, Agatha Christie
My Son the Fanatic, Hanif Kureishi

Currently on Frenchman's Creek, by Daphne Du Maurier, my first of hers. On a bit of a go-slow at the moment, keep getting distracted by other stuff.

I use Kindle For iPad

My list so far:

1 Shrines of Gaiety - Kate Atkinson
2 This Must be the Place - Maggie O'Farrell
3 The Porpoise - Mark Haddon
4 Human Croquet - Kate Atkinson