50 Books Challenge 2023 Part Four

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth 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, the second one here and the third one here.

What are you reading?

@RazorstormUnicorn I've only tried Norwegian Wood guy but he creeped me out so much that I don't think I'll be reading any more Japanese writers, which is a shame as it's another culture that fascinates me. (Public Service Announcement: if you haven't watched Giri/Haji you need to!)

Finished:

17 A Thousand Ships Nathalie Haynes.

I really rather enjoyed this and raced through it. Yes, it's Greeks and Trojans by numbers, despite the intention being a feminist (?) view of focussing on the "forgotten" women in all of this. That element kind of doesn't work, as I'd say Troy is one of few wars, historical or fictional where the women are very much focussed on in the literature, but hey ho. I imagined it would be rather more literary in style (maybe that's me equating "nominated for prize=literary in style" though) but it wasn't, a straightforward York Notes kind of compendium. It hit the right notes this weekend though, and has reminded me that I like Greeks and Trojans.

17. The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
Previously reviewed, I really liked this. I haven't read much (anything??) set in India and this felt like it had a strong sense of place, bringing in references to language, culture, festivals, lifestyles, caste etc. It's hard to sum up the style or genre briefly - I felt differently about the plot as the novel went on and could definitely picture certain scenes being played for laughs in a film version while there are some really difficult underlying issues, particularly looking at the lives of women in this rural Indian community. The characters are not immediately likeable and I found myself frequently mulling over their complexities, particularly main character Geeta. Unlike anything else I can think of and I rated it highly.
18. The Passengers by John Marrs
Set in a near future Britain where only self-driving cars are now allowed on the roads. Eight passengers find themselves locked in their cars and no longer in control of their destinations as a mysterious figure named The Hacker takes over and threatens them all with imminent death. Broadcasting their terror over social media, The Hacker asks members of the public and a gathered group of jurors to debate who they want to save and who should be killed.
This thriller takes place in the same world as the author's earlier novel The One. It's a pretty quick read with a some suspension of disbelief required. I didn't love the ending but parts of the plot will stay with me. There is a lot to ponder in here about bias and prejudice in how we look at other people's lives - should a parent be saved ahead of a single person? What about an illegal immigrant? Or an OAP? And how much can you tell about a person from these labels anyway? It also asks interesting questions about social media, and about who holds power as we adopt new technologies.
19. Exiles by Jane Harper
Harper returns to her police officer lead character Aaron Falk who previously featured in The Dry (which I really liked) and Force of Nature (which I did not like). We are in the vineyard country of South Australia, with Falk visiting friends for a christening and unofficially investigating the disappearance of a woman a year earlier. Kim Gillespie's six week old baby was found alone in her pram at a food and wine festival. Suicide is suspected, but as Kim's friends and family think back to when they last saw her, some struggle to believe that she would have left he baby alone and question whether there is more to the story.
I have loved reading this over the past few days. In my opinion, Harper makes really good use of setting in her novels and, barring a couple of chapters where a romantic storyline takes over from the central mystery, I find her pacing very even in a way that makes me feel like I am in good hands as a reader. There's a recurring theme around a tight friendship group growing up in a small town where everyone knows everyone else, and what happens as people move away, return, build relationships and suffer break ups - this aspect felt quite true to life. There are likeable characters to root for and, in the genre of crime fiction, this is mystery without violence or terror. Ideal read for me while I was off work for Easter.
I have lots of books lined up that I am looking forward to reading, but have had Putin's People out of the library since February, am about 100 pages in and just find myself avoiding picking it up. Planning to give it a final attempt this week.

@DuPainDuVinDuFromage I found Molmoth unreadable.

Apple Bough by Noel Streatfeild
One I hadn't read before. The usual stuff of generally nice children doing generally nice things, meeting generally nice people and getting a nice happy ending. Nice!

Remus, have you tried Noel Streatfeild's novels not for kids? For example, The Whicharts was one of her first books and is a much darker version of what might really have happened to the characters of Ballet Shoes (though listening to BS on audio last year, I found the mix of fantasy, pragmatism and social history detail like the process of applying for licences for children in theatre, really interesting - there's a lot there that I think would wash over kids' heads but I've enjoyed rereading (at least my 2nd time as a grown up).

@elkiedee Yes. Liked it a lot. Have read most but not quite all of hers now, I think.

(Public Service Announcement: if you haven't watched Giri/Haji you need to!)

YES!
One of the best and most unsung things on TV in the past few years. I'm eagerly awaiting the day when I feel like I want to go back and rewatch it.

On Japanese novels, I liked The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. It does have a slightly affectless feel and the language seems quite simple, but it actually ends up packing a real emotional punch (for my money anyway).
Also, if you get a hard copy, the cover is beautiful.

14. Love Marriage Monica Ali Yasmin a junior doctor in London is engaged to Joe. This follows the intertwining of their families over the course of their engagement. First, the positives. It is easy to read. I'm finding it hard to finish anything at the moment, but got to the end of this. Yasmin's, sometimes fraught, relationships with her brother and father are well captured. I thought the siblings relationship was really well done - you don't get a lot of adult brother-sister relationships in fiction. I also liked that the geriatric ward she worked on seemed quite realistic (I have several relatives who work/worked in these types of settings). With one exception the staff & patients weren't heroes or villains, but were rounded individuals trudging onwards within the constraints of the NHS. & now for the negatives. Harriet (Joe's mum) just seemed like a bundle of cliches to me. But worse were the therapy session chapters. I just found them absolutely infuriating. Sandor (the therapist) seemed like some sort of yoda character who made pronouncements on life in a god-like fashion. Despite a very traumatic reveal towards the end everything is tied up very neatly. Overall, it didn't really work for me. I'm really hoping I'll be posting some more positive reviews soon.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie good to hear it’s not just me! I really liked The Essex Serpent by the same author but Melmoth is a very different book.

@CluelessMama I’ve reserved Exiles on BorrowBox, it sounds right up my street based on your review!

@CluelessMama

I really struggled with Putin's People a couple of years ago - I have retained almost none of it

My review at the time :

Putin's People by Catherine Belton

I started this 4 months ago. It's only 480 pages. I had to dip in and out - absolute trudge, drains what should be an interesting and intriguing subject matter of any life whatsoever. Absolute beast of burden.

In a nutshell :

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely

But nobody needed this book to know that. Lots of boring financial shenanigans basically.

I gave up on Putin's People last year. It felt like hard work for limited insight beyond a lot of specific detail on people I wouldn't remember once I shut the book. If you want a better book on modern Russia and how it works (or doesn't) then Nothing is true and everything is possible by Peter Pomerantsev was both a good read and broad in scope. Although I should add a disclaimer that I don't know anything about Russia, so I am taking him at his word that what he says is indeed how things go.

I was just dropping in to say thanks to @noodlezoodle for the Feral City recommendation. My library didn't have it, but I downloaded the audiobook and am happily making my way through it. I disagree with a large number of the sentiments expressed so far, but it is giving me lots to think about and I am really enjoying the writing. The whole "these people ruined my city" is really annoying me, but the way the relationship between an individual and the city is portrayed is fascinating.

I thought Putin's People was really interesting. Yes, it was very complex and required concentration, but I thought Catherine Belton did a great job of reminding the reader who people were and where they had fitted into the narrative earlier. I only wish I could remember more of it a year after finishing! (My failing.)

Thanks @CluelessMama Bandit Queens is 99p
on Kindle so have just purchased.

Thank you so much to everyone who has shared their thoughts on Putin's People. I really appreciate it. You've confirmed what I was feeling and helped me to leave it behind and move on to books that I am looking forward to reading. Hurray!

Really glad you're enjoying it Pepe. Like you, I disagreed with a lot of it, but found it incredibly engaging and yes, some beautiful writing.

I have a few books about NYC lined up on my TBR but don't imagine I will enjoy any as much as Feral City.

Re Putin biographies, I enjoyed (in a depressing kind of way) The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen.

28 The Moth And The Mountain - Ed Caesar

This was a recommendation from on here though I can’t remember who from? Anyway it was right up my street - and a part of Everest history that I knew nothing about. A fine edition to the mountaineering canon.

23. A Thousand Ships - Natalie Haynes

Not sure I can add much to So1's review. Enjoyable romp through the Trojan War going backwards and forwards in time to tell the stories of the women involved. The only weaker part was the Penelope letters. Not easy to do if you're going to tackle that aspect of the story in letter format (and there is a classical precedent for this) but it felt slightly clunky "dear husband, the bard says you did this - <exposition>".

Hand in Glove by Robert Goddard

Continuing my reread of all Goddard’s books. This one features a mystery linked to an English poet who died in the Spanish civil war. Almost 50 years later his spinster sister is murdered and secrets linked to the Spanish civil war start coming out of the woodwork. I really enjoyed revisiting this one.

@MegBusset I need to go back to The Moth and the Mountain - I think I tried it at the wrong time and I kept falling asleep over it.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
A re-read but read when I was about 13 and that’s a very long time ago! Hinton was 17 when she wrote this and it’s an impressive piece of work. Ponyboy is a greaser from the poor side of town, at constant war with the rich Socs.

Horrible things happen but there’s a real tenderness in the way Hinton depicts Pony and his friends- tenderness but not mawkishness.

My only criticism is that at times the writing felt a bit too feminine. It’s well worth a read if you haven’t come across it, or a revisit if you have.

Also, I’ve just read the introduction by Jodi Picoult, and she gives away big chunks of the plot.

@MegBusset I reviewed The Moth and The Mountain back when it came out and really enjoyed it - I think Eine may have read it more recently.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I did The Outsiders at school * *in what is now Year 9. Absolutely loved it at the time (& still enjoy it now - ive reread it more than once since). Not sure it would be on the syllabus these days as not seen as 'worthy literature' by the powers that be and perhaps a rather romanticised vision of violence. We spent many lazy lessons watching the film that features many of the bratpack. My 13 year old self enjoyed this very much 🙂.
If you haven't read her others Tex and That was Then This Now are similar and set in the same area.

Thanks @Owlbookend I’ll try to get her others. I haven’t seen the film either, so will try to find that too.

I don’t think it’s any more romanticised than Romeo and Juliet tbh.