50 Books Challenge 2023 Part Seven

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the seventh 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, the third one here here, the fourth one here, the fifth one here, and the sixth one here

I was at St John's in the mid 90s @ClaraTheImpossibleGirl - I wonder if I knew your friend

@FortunaMajor i can't believe you followed the gimp!!

@Tarahumara
@FortunaMajor
I would have been tempted! Especially if you think it's someone you might know. Intrigued and might order this..

Just finished I Heard What You Said: a black teacher, a white system by Jeffrey Boakye. Really thought provoking. Made me examine myself a lot. An added bonus: Jeffrey and I share a lot of values about teacher autonomy.

He mentions Katharine Birbalsingh once. I'd love to see them in the same room. Would be quite a showdown.

In other news, I didn't get to Norway. I spent the whole day before throwing up. Gutted. Literally and metaphorically.

The Norwegian books have been parked for a while.

Oh @Piggywaspushed , how awful for you! I’d not be able to face the Norway books either, if I were in your shoes.

@Piggywaspushed What a disappointment - hope you're feeling better.

54 The Haunting Of Las Lágrimas by WM Cleese
A pleasing take on the Governess Employed In Haunted Mansion genre. In this book, the Governess is a Gardener and the mansion is in the middle of the unforgiving Argentinian pampas region, thus fulfilling the remit of any help being days away with a gaucho and a team of horses to get you there.
Ursula Kelp is a restless, green fingered soul, rejecting a stifling middle class upbringing and arranged marriage. She is still mourning the death of her beloved Grandfather, who encouraged her independence and love of nature. If I have any gripe with this book it’s that Beloved Grandfather is mentioned a few too many times, in the manner of TV programmes where there’s a recap after every ad break as if the viewer has the memory of a goldfish. But that’s a minor criticism and I was drawn in by the atmospheric descriptions of the chilly, unwelcoming Las Lágrimas (House Of Tears, Ursula unwisely ignoring the translation of the house’s name), plus detailed explanations of precisely which plants and trees grow in the neglected grounds.
There’s a mysterious locked door to the Treasure Garden, Hogarthian employees, skittish maids, only two baths a week, wailing ghostly children at night and an estate manager you instantly mistrust even before he starts alternately smarming around and negging Ursula. Matters worsen, as you just know they must, when the owner of the estate arrives with his family. It’s not a spoiler by that point to say that the eldest son is definitely “beaming down in a red shirt” as the saying goes. You’re not too sad about that, however, as he’s an entitled little brat and whatever haunts Las Lágrimas has good reason to fulfil the prophecy over and over.
It’s all nicely constructed - WM Cleese is the pseudonym of a thriller writer (haven’t managed to discover who, yet) and the book bears the mark of someone who knows how to write a good yarn. Wouldn’t say it’s a bold but it kept me gripped well enough.

Oh no Piggy! What a disappointment.

Thanks all. I'm now at the feeling sorry for myself stage.

I’d be doing this! For the entire duration of my missed holiday.

Oh Piggy that sounds hellish

Remus Pioneers definitely ruined it as a bold for me and someone else said similar recently

Ha!

That looks more like DH....

Oh, Piggy - I’m so sorry about your holiday.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit Yes. The Pioneers section was probably intended to be clever and a bit cute, as well as showing the characters in terms of loss and obsession, but it just felt trite and a bit silly to me.

I’m now reading Looking Glass Sound by the writer of The Last House on Needless Street. Enjoying it so far. So glad that I’ve overcome my reader’s block.

Sorry to hear about your holiday Piggy and hope you're feeling a bit better.

Fortunately we had better festival weather than expected, so I had a lovely time & didn't read any of my pile of library books, though I did finish my re-read of the CS Pacat Captive Prince trilogy. Book 2, Prince's Gambit is definitely the strongest of the three for me, with lots of action & politics. Book 3, Kings Rising wraps up the series neatly but felt a bit predictable.

So sorry that you haven't made it to Norway @Piggywaspushed but hope you're on the mend. I remember how pissed off I was when I had to cancel a trip to Budapest when I had food poisoning.

Ah yeah. Sucks. I think I may have had gastric flu or food poisoning. Not convinced insurance will cough up...

Aw Piggy, I'm so sorry to hear that.
Gutted for you.

Oh no Piggy, hope you’re feeling better now.

Nooooooo poor Piggy!!!!

Thanks for the sympathy !

Oh that's rubbish @Piggywaspushed I hope you are feeling better and get to go to Norway another time.

Really feel for you piggy - hope your feeling better soon and get to go another time.* *
36. The Mysterious Affair at Styles Agatha Christie
I haven't read a Christie in years, but have enjoyed them in the past and love a Joan Hickson

Marple on TV. However, I didn't think this was one of her best. Even more than usual - it stretched credulity. A false beard was involved amongst other things .... I did enjoy the period detail - it's set in WW1. I do generally prefer Marples or the stand alones to Poirots (that this was).

99. Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson

This book charts the development of the CRISPR tool, which can be used to edit DNA. CRISPR can help to identify viruses, cure diseases, including genetic conditions, and can even be used to make enhancements to our genetic code. I found some of the science a little difficult to get my head around, although the author did a pretty good job of explaining difficult concepts. I have to admit I had zero idea that there’d been such huge advancements in bioengineering, and this book was a real eye opener, providing excitement / concern at the possibilities, in equal measure. The discussions of the ethical dilemmas that come with these scientific developments were really interesting and thought provoking. I don’t understand why the author chose to centre his book around Jennifer Doudna, as there were multiple players, it gave the appearance of bias, perhaps in instances where there wasn’t actually any. I think I’m probably being a bit naïve here, but I was surprised by the scale of backbiting, greed, competitiveness and bitching between the scientists, which is a shame as the focus should be fully on their amazing scientific achievements.

Wishing you a speedy recovery Piggy

Noodle & Ginger it's the instructions rather than the scenarios that will have you laughing. It isn't very long and ultimately very silly, but it was a bit of fun in the midst of some longer and heavier books.

@Piggywaspushed what terrible timing. I hope you are on the mend soon.