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.

20. The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn I finished it. It did get better after the rather tedious early part whilst the children were all still quite young and I was getting bored by the family's antics.

When the action moved on about ten years to WW2 it started to get more interesting. I do like novels set in WW2, on the home front, but also enjoy anything to do with the SOE. So that part alone improved my opinion of the novel.

However, I do still think it was over long, and could have comfortably been 100 or so pages shorter, without impacting on the storyline.

@Natsku I'm not sure I've read any Finish literature so will definitely put this on my TBR pile. I have been to Finland but that was years ago now -
I love the sound of the language!

@dontlookgottalook alas as @countrygirl99 discovered, the books are difficult to find these days, even the bookshops here don't seem to have them in stock and the library had them in storage rather than on the shelves. But good if you ever manage to find them, though the style takes a little getting used to.

Excellent review @magimedi 😂

Another thing - is JK Rowling being paid to advertise expensive London restaurants? She’s always going on about the Ritz and has told me at least three times now that you can press for champagne at Bob Bob Richard.

@dontlookgottalook Unknown Soldier is available on Kindle. If you like books like All Quiet On The Western Front it will probably appeal.

Happy Women's Prize Longlist Day to those who celebrate!

18. Girlfriends by Holly Bourne. Fern is a successful journalist, with a good boyfriend and nice flat etc, when her estranged best friend from school comes back into her life. She reflects on what caused their friendship to end, the period of intense misogyny they lived through in the early 2000s, and how this still affects them now.

This was a bit of a strange book. There was an author's note explaining that she started out just writing about friendship, then decided to explore mid-00s rape culture as well, and it does feel quite spliced together. I do think she captures a particular cultural moment very well, it was when I was at university and I vividly remember the club nights, the sexist fancy dress themes, the boys making constant jokes about sexual assault that she describes. But I'm an adult now and I don't need to be hit over the head with an explanation of why it was wrong.

@magimedi what a disappointment! At least you had the patisserie goodies to comfort you 😄 I think you deserve another (better) book in English as a reward for all the French reading. Do you feel it has helped you improve? I have one book in French on the go at the moment (Les Années, Annie Ernaux, based on recommendations from this thread) and I’m learning lots of new vocabulary! Although some of it is from the 50s and unlikely to be useful in daily life - there were some words that my French DH hadn’t heard of 😂

Hi @DuPainDuVinDuFromage , how are you finding it (Les Années)? I found it an intense read, definitely challenging. Funny that your DH has learned a few new words :)

I haven't updated on this thread for a while, mainly because I haven't had too much by way of riveting reads.

12. Qijong and the Tai Chi Axis: Mimi Kuo-Deemer.

I've wanted to learn the basics of Tai Chi for a while as I just love the fluidity of the movements. This is a lovely* *guide to the practice of Qijong, the older form of Tai Chi. It's simpler and easier to grasp than Tai Chi which can be challenging for a beginner. Recommended for anyone who wants to engage in a gentle mindful practice.

13. The Diary of a Bookseller: Shaun Bythell.

This was an enjoyable read about the challenges of running a second-hand bookshop in a quiet Scottish town. I liked the interaction between Shaun and his eccentric shop assistant the most. She was as mad as a box of frogs.

14. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day: Winifred Watson.

Read for the Rather Dated Bookclub. The very genteel Miss Pettigrew works as a governess and is finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. One day she turns up for an interview for a new post and her life is completely turned upside down.
I really liked this book. It caught me up in a whirl, rather like Miss Pettigrew who didn't know if she was coming or going. Very heartwarming.

15. Nocturnes: John Connolly.

This is a collection of supernatural short stories and it also contains a novella that features the detective Charlie Parker. This was very good. I really like Connolly's writing. It's very witty and clever and there's humour in it that lightens up the mood so it's not always too grim.

I've just started a Maigret book in French and then I'll move on to Still Life on Borrowbox.

@FuzzyCaoraDhubh I’m enjoying it so far, although I’m not very far through - reading it in small chunks when I don’t have my iPad and need something on paper. Lots of cultural references which are very obscure to me!

Oh yes, same here. I didn't know much of it at. It really gave an insight into the France of that time. It must be fascinating for French people who are of a similar age to Ernaux to relive those times reading the book.

Women's Prize long list 2023

Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris

Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova

Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

Homesick by Jennifer Croft

I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel

Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

Pod by Laline Paull

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin

Of those I've read none but own three.

Thanks @FortunaMajor some big surprises there!

I’ve never even heard of 11 of those. Of the remaining 5 I’ve got two on my kindle and one on my l library waiting list.

Lots I haven't heard of too. Of the ones I have, I've read Trespasses and The Marriage Portrait. I'll definitely read Cursed Bread and maybe Demon Copperhead, not that interested in Glory or Stone Blind. The others I need to research...

Ooh interesting list. I've only read Glory, have just started Trespasses and have Demon Copperhead on my Kindle. Have heard such mixed reports about The Marriage Portrait and Stone Blind that I'm not sure. I haven't heard of the others really, a couple of omissions that everyone was talking about like Maame. How was your anticipatory read @FortunaMajor?

If anyone fancies making a start, I'm a fan is 99p and Memphis is £2.99 on Kindle

I've been hopeless at contributing to this thread, but I feel obliged to pop up whenever my beloved Annie Ernaux is mentioned. 😁Magimedi, that's very impressive that you've been reading only in French! I'm sorry your English read was disappointing. I can't be doing with Strike either. I've read the whole of Harry Potter multiple times to multiple DC, and I really liked Casual Vacancy, but I stopped with the first Strike novel and don't regret it.

Exciting about the Women's Prize longlist! I don't think I'm going to try to read all the books on it this year. Will aim to read the 10-12 or so that appeal to me to me most. The only one I've read on the list so far is The Marriage Portrait, and I did love it. Glory was a DNF for me, as I found the satire too heavy-handed, though maybe I should have persevered as I know some people on this thread admired it.

Demon Copperfield and Trespasses were already on my TBR list due to recommendations on this thread.

Homesick by Jennifer Croft I'll definitely read, as she is on my radar due to being a famous translator; she has translated Olga Tokarczuk.

In general I have a soft spot for retellings of ancient Greek and Roman myth, but I didn't like Natalie Haynes A Thousand Ships very much; I just thought Madeline Miller, Pat Barker, etc., did that kind of thing better. However, I will read Stone Blind now that it's on the longlist.

I'll probably not read Pod by Laline Paull as I didn't love her book on bees (although I know others did!). This one is apparently set in a world of dolphin characters.

One of the reasons I like the Women's Prize is that it's a way of discovering women writers of colour I haven't read before. So I'd like to read Fire Rush by Crooks, The Bandit Queen by Shroff, and Wandering Souls by Pin. However, none of these have even made it into my county library online catalogue yet, which is annoying. Memphis by Stringfellow is there though, so I've reserved it.

I'm eager to hear your thoughts, Fortuna, as our resident Women's Prize stalwart!

I'm surprised Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow didn't make the list, and Babel.

I’ve gone for I’m A Fan, with Cursed Bread on my Wishlist.

15 The Last Straw by JD Kirk. Needed something undemanding and fast, these hit the spot.

Currently reading The Ghost Woods. It’s ok, but there’s a faint air of anachronism about it that irks at times, plus I’ve spotted the Twist early on and I’m waiting for the main characters to catch on.

14 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin I got this from BorrowBox on the basis of the reviews on here, and it didn’t disappoint - I really enjoyed it despite not being into video games. I liked the characters, and the writing style was very much “show, don’t tell” and flowed really well. I thought the last bit (after the section within the video game) wasn’t as good as the rest - it was really just a winding down of the story so that it could reach an end - but still loved the book overall.

Of the longlist I’ve only read Trespasses which I loved.

A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin Cafferty sends Rebus on a mission on territory Clarke and her police colleagues are also investigating. Rebus and Clarke are such old friends that it’s hard to let go but this was never enthralling and there’s far too much Cafferty.

Standing by the Wall by Mick Herron This is one of the Slough House ‘interludes’ between novels and is so short it’s definitely story rather than novella, but it’s all good pre-Christmas fun featuring Ho and Lamb, and I really enjoyed it.

36. The Snakehead by Patrick Radden Keefe

PRK's latest focuses on human trafficking and in particular Chinese Immigration into the United States.

The focus is on "Sister Ping" herself a Chinese immigrant and the widespread illegal network she built. It also focuses on a ship called The Golden Venture which ran aground off the New York coast whilst carrying hundreds of Chinese immigrants in an unsafe manner in the early 90s. I would have been too young at that time to know much about US Current Affairs and so this was new territory for me.

I found this a bit of a struggle and read it piecemeal, sometimes giving it up for other things. It's an interesting story yes, but I didn't find it as riveting as either Say Nothing or Empire Of Pain

Thanks for the longlist info @FortunaMajor

I’ve not read any - have Demon Copperhead on my wish list thanks to this thread - was debating whether to use this month’s audible credit on that.

Stone Blind also on my radar as I enjoyed Pandora’s Jar and have been listening to the author’s podcast series.

I’m not going to set myself up to fail by promising to read any more because I’m really struggling to read anything at the moment for one reason and another, but I’ll probably end up buying some to sit on my kindle until I eventually get round to them long after everyone else has finished discussing!

@AliasGrape Demon Copperhead is today’s daily deal on audible for £1.99. It runs out in an hour though.

Lots of books I hadn’t heard of on the Women’s Prize list. I’m currently reading Trespasses (along with about 4 other books - I need to start finishing some, I’m flirting between too many things at the moment). I own Memphis and Demon Copperhead but haven’t got around to reading either yet. I also grabbed I’m a Fan (thanks to PP above for drawing attention to it being on sale. A few others look interesting and I’ve added them to my wish list.

Flirting should of course have read flitting. If I’ve started flirting with my books I’ve really taken this reading thing too far.