50 Books Challenge 2023 Part Nine

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the ninth 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, the sixth one here, the seventh one here and the eighth one here.

What are you reading?

Checking in on the new thread- thanks southeast.

Thank you Southeast

I really liked The Fell too @CluelessMama

Just listing my September/Oct reads

• Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• The Rising Tide, Ann Cleeves
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
• The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry
• The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

I would actually recommend them all except the Ann Cleeves and Christina Henry which weren’t for me.
Currently reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and enjoying it so far.

Thanks for new thread Southeast.

Lovely lists from everyone. Like the sound of the Curtis Sittenfield

Currently got Rory Stewart’s Politics on the Edge on Audiobook and a sample of Robert Harris- Act of Oblivion on Kindle on the go.

Thanks southeast.

Persis, I will take you up on the coffee offer.

Stokey, I'm a bit late re dd recommendations, but I asked my 15-year old and she loves The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski.

@BoldFearlessGirl I got my signed copy of Tough Crowd today too!

Thanks southeast.

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

1. Beautiful world, where are you? – Sally Rooney
2. This book could save your life – Graham Lawton
3. Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
4. The Foundling – Stacey Halls
5. The Paper Palace – Miranda Cowley Heller

10. Les Cahiers d’Esther : Histoires de mes 11 ans – Riad Sattouf 11. How to be famous – Caitlin Moran 12. The land where lemons grow – Helena Atlee 13. Just Kids – Patti Smith 14. Trespasses - Louise Kennedy 15. Sheltering Rain – Jojo Moyes 16. The Island of Missing Trees – Elif Shafak 17. Love, Nina – Nina Stibbe 18. Sorrow and bliss – Meg Mason 19. Children of Paradise – Camilla Grudova 20. Spring – Ali Smith 21. Mothering Sunday - Graham Swift 22. Clothes, clothes, clothes, music, music, music, boys, boys, boys – Viv Albertine 23. A Doll’s House – Henrik Ibsen DNF: Under the duvet – Marian Keyes 24. Streetcar named desire – Tennessee Williams 25. The Other Mother – Jen Brister 26. Decluttering at the speed of life – Dana K White 27. Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh 28. One more croissant for the road – Felicity Cloake 29. The island of sea women – Lisa See 30. Let that be a lesson – Ryan Wilson 31. The Salt Path – Raynor Winn DNF: Parsnips, Buttered – Joe Lycett 32. Summer Skies – Jenny Colgan 33. Man at the helm – Nina Stibbe 34. How to be a woman – Caitlin Moran DNF: Paperweight – Stephen Fry

Currently reading Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris which will almost certainly be a bold and listening to Lessons I've learned by Davina McCall which won't.

Quick heads up for Strout fans - Lucy by the sea is in the kindle daily deals.

@nowanearlyNicemum What did you think of Zola's L’Assommoir?

cassiatwenty, I thought it was amazing. Totally captivating and you're transported to 19th century Paris with all the hardships that the working class were facing at that time. The characters are all so flawed, so real. I really want to read more of his books about the Rougon-Macquart. There are other fans on the thread too. Have you read it?

Thanks for the new thread Southeast

Just placemarking. Getting over a nasty bout of flu and haven't been able to concentrate on anything properly.

Thanks for the new thread Southeast

Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov "Beautiful, spirited" Jamila's husband is fighting at the front and she falls in love with the enigmatic Daniyar, new to the village, who was wounded at the front . This was very favourably reviewed in a previous thread but I'm afraid I found it rather flat and one-dimensional.

So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan This, on the other hand, is an absolute gem. More of a short story than a novella, it is a pitch-perfect but depressing account of Irishman, Cathal, looking back on his relationship with Sabine and women in general. I know some might find £8.99 for a small, 47 page book excessive, but to my mind it is worth every penny and I reread it as soon as I had finished. Another stunning and highly recommended book from Claire Keegan.

An Autobiography by Edwin Muir Muir is probably best known for his poem The Horses, link here if anyone is interested: https://allpoetry.com/poem/8496359-The-Horses-by-Edwin-Muir He was born in 1887 to tenant farmers on a small island in The Orkneys and spent a remote rural childhood until he was 14, when his family were forced to move to the mainland and ended up in Glasgow. This was a terrible shock to them all and several rapidly succumbed to illness and death. His life becomes even more difficult when he moves to Fairport to work in the offices of a bone factory, which he describes in sickening detail. Things improve when he meets his future wife in 1918 and they live and work around Europe and Britain for the next few decades.

Overall, this was a fascinating read, although not without fault; Muir was a passionate autodidact exploring religion, politics and philosophy and his narrative (very) occasionally gets bogged down in metaphysics and accounts of his dreams. This is a minor quibble as most of the book is an absorbing account of a rich and varied life, lived to the full at a time of momentous change.

Thanks for the new thread southeast!

1. Unmasking Autism: the power of embracing our hidden neurodiversity - Devon Price
2. Lolly Willowes - Sylvia Townsend Warner
3. Act of Oblivion - Robert Harris
4. Asperger’s and Girls - Tony Attwood et al
5. And Finally - Henry Marsh
6. Ask A Historian - Greg Jenner
7. Riddley Walker - Russell Hoban
8. An Immense World - Ed Yong
9. Head First: a psychiatrist’s stories of mind and body - Alastair Santhouse
10. A Million Years in a Day - Greg Jenner
11. The Dangerous Kingdom of Love - Neil Blackmore
12. Side Hustle - Chris Guillebeau
13. Feminism for Women - Julie Bindel
14. I’m a Fan - Sheena Patel
15. Exercised - Daniel Lieberman
16. Fairy Tale - Stephen King
17. Children of Paradise - Camilla Grudova
18. Woman, Eating - Claire Kohda
19. The Sensory-Sensitive Child - Karen A. Smith & Karen R. Gouze
20. Less is Lost - Andrew Sean Greer
21. Trespasses - Louise Kennedy
22. Dead Famous - Greg Jenner
23. Secrets of the Sea - Robert Vennell
24. From Here to Eternity - Caitlin Doherty
25. Fire Rush - Jacqueline Crooks
26. Confessions of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell
27. The God Desire - David Baddiel
28. Untypical - Pete Wharmby
29. The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O’Farrell
30. An Emotional Dictionary - Susie Dent
31. Pod - Laline Paull
32. Pandora’s Jar - Natalie Haynes
33. The Happy Puppy Handbook - Pippa Mattinson
34. Life Ceremony - Sayaka Murata
35. Idol - Louise O’Neill
36. Jung: the key ideas - Ruth Snowden
37. For Thy Great Pain, Have Mercy on my Little Pain - Victoria Mackenzie
38. The Portable Door - Tom Holt
39. Mortal Monarchs - Suzie Edge
40. The Mental Load: a feminist comic - Emma
41. Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett
42. Puppy Taming - Caroline Davis
43. Where I End - Sophie White
44. Femina - Janina Ramirez
45. All Dogs Great and Small - Graeme Hall
46. The Old Curiosity Shop - Charles Dickens
47. The Book of Margery Kempe
48. Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet - John McWhorter
49. Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield
50. Sorrow and Bliss - Meg Mason
51. Words on the Move - John McWhorter

52 The Patriarchs - Angela Saini
Well-nuanced exploration of how patriarchy came to be the dominant model for human societies, using archaeological and historical examples to show how this is far from a ‘natural’ state. Particularly interesting on the parallels between patrilocal marriage and slavery - take someone from their home and kin, place them in a dependant and subservient position, demand domestic and sexual service from them… Did go on a bit too long about how good things were for women in Soviet-controlled countries in the mid-twentieth century. Covered a lot of ground and could easily have been longer; the kind of book that makes you look at the references to see where to go next to learn more.

Thanks South!

And thanks Nicemum (I think) I've just gone and picked up Lucy By The Sea.

Currently 2% into London. I really want to like it, but I don't want to pick it up which is going to make it a chore. I'm going to try and get to 5% and make a decision.

@nowanearlyNicemum thanks for the heads up on Lucy by the Sea. I’ve been waiting for it to come down in price.

Thanks for the new thread, @Southeastdweller !

Here’s my list - slow progress over the last few weeks as Jonathan Strange took forever (but it’s quality over quantity 😊):

1. Exit - Belinda Bauer
2. Watching Neighbours twice a day… - Josh Widdicombe
3. The Bastard of Istanbul - Elif Shafak
4. The Plant Hunter - T L Mogford
5. House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family - Hadley Freeman
6. The End of Mr Y - Scarlett Thomas
7. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher - Kate Summerscale
8. Apples Never Fall - Liane Moriarty
9. Great Circle - Maggie Shipstead
10. Angelmaker - Nick Harkaway
11. Hiding from the light - Barbara Erskine
12. A Curious Beginning - Deanna Raybourn
13. Snap - Belinda Bauer
14. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin
15. Femina - Janina Ramirez
16. Insomnia - Sarah Pinborough
17. Les Années - Annie Ernaux (in French)
18. A Spoonful of Murder - Robin Stevens
19. A Perilous Undertaking - Deanna Raybourn
20. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie
21. The Holiday - T M Logan
22. Melmoth - Sarah Perry
23. Le Chapeau de Mitterand - Antoine Laurain (in French)
24. A Desperate Fortune - Susanna Kearsley
25. Wrong Place, Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister
26. A Hat Full of Sky - Terry Pratchett (read to the DDs)
27. Ne lâche pas ma main - Michel Bussi (in French)
28. The Atlas Six - Olivie Blake
29. Beach Read - Emily Henry
30. The It Girl - Ruth Ware
31. Babel: or the Necessity of Violence - R F Kuang
32. Bonjour Tristesse - Françoise Sagan (in French)
33. Percy Jackson and the lightning thief - Rick Riordan
34. Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries - Kate Mosse
35. The Death of Mrs Westaway - Ruth Ware
36. Stupeur et Tremblements - Amélie Nothomb (in French)
37. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
38. That Night - Gillian McAllister
39. Les Cahiers d’Esther: Histoires de mes 12 ans - Riad Sattouf (in French)
40. The Spy and the Traitor - Ben Macintyre
41. The Ghost Woods - C J Cooke
42. Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse - Rick Riordan
43. Exiles - Jane Harper
44. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
45. The Bandit Queens - Parini Shroff
46. Death in the Spotlight - Robin Stevens
47. The Atlas Paradox - Olivie Blake
48. Upgrade - Blake Crouch
49. A Change of Climate - Hilary Mantel
50. Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett (read to the DDs)
51. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke

72 Tough Crowd by Graham Linehan
It was ok. Bought it to support him rather than in the expectation of learning something new about Father Ted etc. He freely admits he hates talking / writing about himself, so those bits are Moss Level Awkward (not that interested in the masturbatory habits of the younger Glinner tbh), but touching vignettes about his parents. Applies the word ‘punk’ far too many times to ex writing partner Arthur Mathews. There’s nothing I didn’t already know in the second half of the book about the mass pile-on and destruction of his professional and personal life, but it’s written in a fair and measured way, without losing the spark of justified passion that has kept him going. I got the impression there was an awful lot left unsaid and non-patronising Well Done to him for not giving some people both barrels when I suspect they deserve it.
Decent man, who is still sticking up for his principles at great personal cost, so very glad this book got published, good on Eye Books, I’ll make an effort to buy direct from them in future if anything catches my eye.
I also accept the mission to watch Count Arthur Strong as many times as it takes for him to earn the BBC advance he still owes. It’s an understated gem of a series. Anyone for a Soupover?

That was quick! @BoldFearlessGirl

Still off work with Covid @EineReiseDurchDieZeit . It’s like being a teenager again, lolling about on various settees and beds with a pile of books next to me
Back to wobbly normality tomorrow, so less time to read.

I'll be interested to see his first weeks sales

Placemarking and thanks @Southeastdweller ❤️

Oh We used to love Count Arthur Strong here. I think we saw it live although sadly without Rory Kinnear.

Thanks for the new thread southeast, here is my list:

1. Halloween Party – Agatha Christie
2. Silver Bay – Jojo Moyes
3. Troubled Blood – Robert Galbraith
4. Wizards and Warriors – F X Nine
5. Lethal White – Robert Galbraith
6. The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J K Rowling
8. The Silkworm – Robert Galbraith
9. Career of Evil – Robert Galbraith

10. Sugar Men – Ray Kingfisher 11. Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls – Ann M Martin 12. The Turn of the Key – Ruth Ware 13. All That Remains – Sue Black 14. The Princess Bride – William Goldman 15. It Ends With Us – Colleen Hoover 16. The Ink Black Heart – Robert Galbraith 17. Gang Leader for the Day – Sudhir Venkatesh 18. World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume II 19. The Drop – Michael Connelly 20. The Enemy – Lee Child 21. April Fools – Richie Tankersley Cusick 22. The Island of Missing Trees – Elif Shafak 23. The Curfew – T M Logan 24. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin 25. Creature Teacher: Final Exam – R L Stine 26. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Age 13 ¾ - Sue Townsend 27. The Truth About Stacey – Ann M Martin 28 The Marriage Portrait – Maggie O’Farrell 29. The Stranger – Harlan Coben 30. Trespasses – Louise Kennedy 31. The Magician’s Assistant – Ann Patchett 32. The Fellowship of the Ring – J R R Tolkien 33. Small Pleasures – Clare Chambers 34. The Deep End – Jeff Kinney 35. The Pearl Sister – Lucinda Riley 36. Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes – R L Stine 37. Menopausing – Davina McCall 38. Tonight, Somewhere in New York – Cornell Woolrich 39. Then She Was Gone – Lisa Jewell 40. Total Recall – Arnold Schwarzenegger 41. Taste – Stanley Tucci 42. Dubliners – James Joyce 43. Murder Most Unladylike – Robin Stevens 44. Shelter Mountain – Robyn Carr 45. The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett 46. A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini 47. Eric – Terry Pratchett 48. Dawn of the Aspects – Richard A Knaak 49. Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson 50. Shoot the Teacher – David Belbin 51. The Two Towers – J R R Tolkien 52. Hired – James Bloodworth 53. The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett 54. Sugar Money – Jane Harris 55. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy 56. The Black Box – Michael Connelly 57. The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson 58. The Old Curiosity Shop – Charles Dickens 59. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August – Claire North 60. The Burning Room – Michael Connelly 61. Carrie Soto is Back – Taylor Jenkins Reid 62. The Colorado Kid – Stephen King 63. The Eye of the World – Robert Jordan 64. The Mystery of Four – Sam Blake 65. One Shot – Lee Child 66. Blue Genes – Val McDermid 67. The Running Grave – Robert Galbraith

Listening to Madame Bovary on audio and reading both Nicholas Nickleby and The Shipping News. I know the latter has had a lot of praise here but tbh, I’m not loving it as much as I want to. It might be the author’s writing style that I find jarring, not exactly sure.
Anyway, after this I’ll be on to the Halloween reads, have an old R L Stine Point Horror that I found on World of Books, plus I have How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix to collect from the library tomorrow.

I've read just one book since the last thread started but work has been very busy and the day I took as TOIL I slept rather than doing any reading.

1 Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante. Translated by Ann Goldstein
2 The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante. Translated by Ann Goldstein
3 The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
4 Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden
5 The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre. Translated by Stephanie Smee
6 Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
7 Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree. Translated by Daisy Rockwell
8 Kristin Lavrandatter II: The Wife by Sigrid Undset. Translated by Tiina Nunnally
9 Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
10 Heaven by Mieko Kawakami. Translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.
11 South Riding by Winifred Holtby
12 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
13 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
14 Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
15 Jamilia by Chingiz Aïtmatov. Translated by James Riordan
16 Alberta and Jacob by Cora Sandel. Translated by Elizabeth Rokkan
17 Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada. Translated by Margaret Mitsutani.
18 Island by Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen. Translated by Caroline Waight
19-21 Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen. Translated by Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favala Goldman
22 Music and Silence by Rose Tremain

137. A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (Spotify)

This is Rob Delaney's grief memoir after the death of his son Henry, aged 2.

Hard to recommend. It's very good, but extremely upsetting. I cried. Worth reading but only if you are in the right headspace.

I love Count Arthur Strong. Saw him live quite early in his illustrious career and almost expired with laughter at his 'vent' act with Tiny Tut the Egyptian mummy. Must buy Glinner's book.