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?

The Woman in White is another book I’ve owned for 20+ years. I really need to stop buying new books and read the ones I already have.

. I really need to stop buying new books and read the ones I already have

Said the whole thread

Tom Gauld in the Guardian last week:

😂maybe I should set myself a New Year’s resolution (definitely not doing it yet). I can buy one new book for every 5 that I read.

>I really need to stop buying new books and read the ones I already have

Not going to happen!

I blame you lot. I used to buy a fair few second hand books but since joining this thread and discovering Kindle and the joys of 99p books, I’ve gone a bit mad! Just checked and I’ve bought 110 Kindle books this year. I’m telling myself that I’ve actually saved money as they would have cost much more as physical books…..

Sorry- missed this earlier.

I’ve consoled myself by buying a new (book) copy of Into Thin Air as I promised myself a reread back when I first read it years ago, but never got around to it.

Good call Remus

58 Roumeli - Patrick Leigh Fermor

More joyful traveller’s tales from PLF, this time taking us round the north of Greece in the postwar and pre-mass tourism period, encountering nomads, monks and beggars along the way. What an amazing life he led, and how sad that such a journey would be impossible now.

On the subject of reading books you own, this year I set myself the target of reading 2 books I own as physical copies each month, regardless of what else I read. It is giving me a bit more sense of control over the whole thing.

This is a good idea! I just keep making vague promises to myself not to buy anything else but then I don't keep them up.

Also - I'm probably too late to add my list now, so won't bother - I'm unlikely to reach 50 this year I don't think, though its just possible I might have a sudden surge - had the lurgy and that plus the colder weather means I've rediscovered my taste for going to bed early and reading.

Just finished my number 37 - The Last Devil to Die - Richard Osman - I know they get mixed reviews but I've found this series really enjoyable and just a nice comforting read (listen in my case) despite recognising that the plots are ridiculous. I was quite move in parts, particularly the plotlines around Stephen. I've listened to them all on audible, I do wish Lesley Manville had stayed narrating them, but I don't mind Fiona Shaw really apart from when she tried to do a Liverpool accent, which unfortunately she was required to do a fair bit for this book.

23 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
No review required for this one I believe! Outstanding book, not sure why I've never read it before. I haven't seen the film either, although I did once attend a Gatsby-themed party.

42. TheTenant of Wildfell Hall Anne Bronte I've finished 😀I know there are people on this thread who've read Tolstoy but to me, in a world when I could be catching up on new Neighbours or binging on The Missing, this is a big achievement. Was it any good? Well, I can only review books in terms of whether they are intrinsically enjoyable (essentially a good read) or whether they are enriching because they open my eyes to new ideas or perspectives. I'm definetely no judge of literary merit (I looked at that recent thread on 20 greatest works of literature or similar and quickly scuttled away). To start with I thought Tenant was going to fit into the good reads category, but as it progressed I struggled a bit. Not consistently entertaining, but certainly made me think about what it would be to be a 19th century woman. It begins with Gilbert (stolid country farmer) writing to his friend about the arrival of Helen. As the new tenant at nearby Wildfell Hall, she causes ripples in the small rural community. Gilbert's almost courtship with the dull vicar's daughter cools as he becomes more interested in Helen. After intially being welcoming, the community becomes more suspicious of her status and rumours sspread that she is not virtuous. Gilbert rejects these rumours until he sees her talking to another man. Let's just say he doesn't react well to this turn of events. All this occurs in part 1 that rattles along and had me hooked. It is part 2 that I struggled with more. This section is Helen's diary that she passes to Gilbert to explain her situation. We learn of her earlier life and the events that led up to her coming to Wildfell. Helen is just so good and pious it becomes a little wearing. Things pick up again in part 3 where Gilbert is again the narrator. Everything is tied up neatly and we learn of the fate of not only Helen and Gilbert, but also of many of the minor characters. As you would expect from the lives of the Bronte sisters, this is a novel steeped in religion. Helen's deep Christain faith is unwavering and to the forefront. Unless the bad characters repent and change they come to a very sorry end. At times it felt all rather one-dimrnsional and moralistic. However, it is also clear why this is considered one of the first feminist novels. Helen is resilent and assertive and confronts the strict gender roles imposed by society. She is in no way rescued or saved by Gilbert. You can see why it shocked some readers on publication. I enjoyed the critical introduction in my edition particularly the discussion of Gilbert. Is he a sympathetic character? Or yet another male looking to control Helen? Overall im really glad I read it and persisted even though at times I found it hard going.

I did Gatsby for A-level and had an enormous crush on him. Even Robert Redford in the (old) film of it didn't quite live up to my fantasy.

Have only read Jane Eyre of Bronte books and often think I should read others but can't quite face them.

92. Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld. Reviewed up thread by @PersisFord and by a few others earlier this year. I was in the like camp, although I did think the first third was the strongest part. I really enjoyed all the Saturday Night Live parts and comedy. It became a bit too predictable in the second half and was wrapped up a bit too perfectly but I guess that's the point of a romantic comedy.

49. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
This is a tricky novel to describe, and I feel like I'm still deciding what I thought of it. We begin by hearing about Eva's family background...her grandparents, parents and her arrival in the world as the cherished daughter of her chef father. Subsequent chapters catch up with different, sometimes seemingly unconnected characters who all turn out to have some tie to Eva. We are roughly checking in with Eva every few years, but each chapter has a different cast, different foodie focus and a slightly different tone. Having liked the opening of the novel I was a bit thrown by the sudden changes each chapter and there was one fairly early chapter that felt too sharp and spiky in tone which put me off a bit. The second half of the book then grew on me again and the ending made me wish I had taken in more of the little details through the whole book - I liked the ending but I think some aspects might have been lost on me. Overall, a good read and I would try this author again. Looking back, I wonder if I was misled as both the cover image of my copy and the blurb across the front gave completely the wrong impression of what the book was about.

50. The Note by Zoë Folbigg
Maya Flowers falls for a stranger she sees on the train on her daily commute into London. She tells all her colleagues about Train Man at the fashion firm where she works, and eventually gets up the confidence to make an advance by giving him a note. He gets back to her to say that he has a girlfriend, but their paths continue to cross. Will they or won't they? You can probably guess!
Linked to the previous chat about acquiring towers of books (digital or physical), I have been trying to complete a bookish bingo challenge linked to a group I am part of and the category was "oldest book on your TBR", so I picked up this - the kindle book that I have owned the longest but never read. It was a light read - enjoyable and undemanding which is what I have required this week. I am really trying to make a dent in my TBR collection of books bought and never read...think I've tackled 24 books that I owned before 2023 started which sounds good, but I also think I've bought and not yet read about 30 more so far this year so the total is definitely going up instead of down!

Oh how annoying - just typed out a massive post and lost it because I am incompetent. The gist of it was admiration of anyone who gets anywhere with James Joyce. My brain is not on that plane!!

Three more for me - have been v busy and also not on MN for a while because I forgot my password!

The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden.
This is a Russian fairytale-inspired ghost story and I really enjoyed it. Lots of great characters (strong female lead and a page-turner @Stokey but might be too scary for your daughter) and lovely atmospheric details. It's like a scarier Naomi Novik book and I thought it was great.

LaRose by Louise Erdrich
For some reason my book subscription picker thinks I want harrowing stories about sad things happening to children. This isn't generally the case BUT I did enjoy this. A man accidentally shoots a little boy when hunting, and to make amends, gives the family his own son. Its tangled up with the story of his ancestors, and of the father's childhood which as a native american child growing up in care , is predictably dire. I think the book's redemption comes from its wonderful, fully-fleshed characters. It's quite like Valentine I reviewed on the previous thread though so if the multiple POV thing isn't for you then i would give it a miss!

In This Bright Future by Peter Grainger
My obsession with DC Smith books continues, I love them! Detective books with a kind and clever main character and enough auxiliary people to keep it fun. This one is set in Northern Ireland with reference to the Troubles, and I would recommend for fans of Louise Penny, Ellie Griffiths, Ann Cleeves etc.

It's freezing here. That always encourages more reading as it's too cold to stay up so more reason to go to bed with a hot water bottle!

@CluelessMama I too set myself the challenge of reading the oldest unread books on my kindle. Mine go back to 2011, though I have made a dent in the virtual pile and got through 15 books this year.

My latest reads (not from my old TBR) are:

Milly Johnson - A Cat Shaped Space a favourite author of mine, she has penned a compilation of poems, loved the humour, loved this and will definitely read again. I was lucky enough to hear Milly read The Trollop of Scunthorpe at a meet the author evening.

Billy Connolly - Windswept and Interesting the big yin in his own words. Enjoyed this.

Verity Bright - Mystery by the Sea Eleanor and Clifford and staff are on holiday, but get swept up in investigating as a corpse is being brought out of the hotel they are staying in as they arrive. Cosy crime, easy to read series of books.

A few updates from me...

24- The Twist of a Knife- Anthony Horowitz

I like this series of books- they're always entertaining and don't take themselves too seriously.

25- The Secret Rooms- Catherine Bailey

Recommended on here- I can't remember by who, but thank you! This was really interesting, particularly the WWI stuff. I did feel slightly manipulated at the end though- don't want to give any spoilers, but I think the writer was very careful in how she managed the reader's sympathy for John, and by the end I didn't have a lot left. Without that sympathy, in large part this is just a story about rich people doing shitty things.

26- Other Women- Emma Flint

This is a bold for me- flew through this. Set in the 1920s, it's about a typist who has an affair with a married man and is based on a true historical court case. I'm not big on crime (and there are some pretty grim bits in this) but thought this was brilliantly written with a strong feminist viewpoint. (Feel that I should also mention- trigger warning for cot death.)

@Whosawake I like those Anthony Horowitz books too! Imagine writing yourself into your own books, I think they are very clever!

31 Enbury Heath by Stella Gibbons
This was popular on here a while ago, I bought it then and it's been sitting on my new TBR bookshelf. Well, I quite enjoyed it and find myself thinking about the main characters, but it's quite impressionistic and doesn't hang together that well. It's also trying too hard to make us think that transient things are universal. I'll forgive a lot for the description of the Dodo Game though.

@CluelessMama when you say that the blurb and cover of Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal gave you the wrong impression of what it was about, what was the misconception? As a foodie who loves travel writing the title fills me with hope but maybe I'm getting the wrong impression too!!

@nowanearlyNicemum My copy has this cover, with the line "it only takes an instant to let someone go, but a lifetime to find them again". I didn't need there to be a big romance, but from this image and sentence I realised I'd kept waiting for a big romance as I was reading and there isn't one. People from the past sometimes resurface, but no one spends "a lifetime" trying to find anyone else.
The back says "Have you met Eva Thorvald? To her father, a chef, she's a pint-sized recipe taster and the love of his life. To the chilli chowdown contestants of Cook County, Illinois, she's a fire-eating demon. To the fashionable goodie goddess of supper clubs, she's a wanton threat...One by one, they tell their story: together, they tell Eva's." That sums it up much better, giving more of an impression of the way that it feels a little like interconnected stories at times but comes together as a novel.
It is a hugely foodie novel, lots of seeking out heirloom tomatoes and perfecting recipes. It is neither light fluff nor heavy and dense - if it appeals to you I'd say go for it!

Just place marking really - but am reading 'The Favour' by Nicci French. It starts with what seems like a ridiculous situation - a woman who hasn't seen her first boyfriend for ten years is asked by him to do her a favour. This involves driving his car to Norfolk, using his credit card to buy petrol and staying (with him) in s cottage overnight. Well that's the plan anyway.
As you read on why she does this is explained and the story picks up pace.

Haha indeed!