50 Books Challenge 2024 Part One

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the first thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2024, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

If possible, please can you embolden your titles and maybe authors as well of books you've read or going to read? It makes it much easier to keep track, especially when the threads move quickly at this time of the year.

Who's in for this year?

4 Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson. This is about two young black people who meet and fall in love. And, er... that's it really. I have no problem with books that focus on character rather than plot, but this one didn't even develop the characters that strongly either. It is beautifully written though.

5 The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre. Patience Portefeux is strapped for cash after being widowed and having to pay her mother's care bills. She works as a French-Arabic translator for the French legal system, and suddenly an opportunity presents itself for her to make a lot of money. This is great fun, and Patience is an interesting character.

@Tarahumara I tried reading Open Water and gave up even though it's very short! It is all in second person or am I making that up? I'd heard really good things about it, but didn't like it.

Yes that's right @MillicentTheMagnificent, it is written in the second person with an unnamed narrator. I didn't mind that - I quite like that kind of thing. It was the lack of plot (or anything else) that made me feel 'meh' about it.

@Tarahumara and @MillicentTheMagnificent I too didn’t get the hype with Open Water and agree we never really got to know the characters well. Everything seemed to be n reference to other pieces of art/ literature and especially music rather than the people themselves. I didn’t DNF but it was definitely one of my disappointments last year.

3.Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Read. Crikey this was a bit soft. I think I’d like a rock and roll novel to have a little more dirt. I enjoyed 7 Husbands before Christmas but felt similarly that there’s something a little too clean about her writing. I didn’t believe the author had ever been to a gig let alone been on a tour bus 🤣. I listened to the audio and all the men blurred into one, denim blur.

Teenage dd adored Open Water and managed to get her grandfather to read it. I wouldn't think it was his type of thing at all, but he didn't want to disappoint her and he duly informed her it was very interesting.

I was unable to resist this in a charity bookshop today.

@Palegreenstars try Espedair Street by Iain Banks for a much grittier and realistic rock and roll book.

I’ve had Open Water on my wish list for a while but recently I’ve read lots of less than positive reviews. Don’t think I’ll be in a hurry to purchase.

@TattiePants it isn't terrible or anything and it is short. Interesting is probably about right! I couldn't get on with the second person thing, but it gets a lot of praise and I definitely admire the author's way with words.

@Palegreenstars agree about Daisy Jones and the Six! I really enjoyed The Seven Husbands too but wasn't mad on Daisy Jones. Nowhere near as warm or Interesting to me - characters and plot

@UnaPeacock I thought Mrs Caliban was brilliant at the end of last year. I just found it knocking about the office.

@satelliteheart DH is watching the new Reacher series and of course he can beat everyone up - have you seen him 😀

Betty Tiffany McDaniel
This was given to me by a colleague at Christmas, but I also had it on Kindle already. I think others have read it. This is a coming of age story told through the eyes of Betty, a half Cherokee, half white girl. There is a lot of sad, really sad content but somehow, even when I was sitting in my work coffee shop crying ugly tears at lunchtime it still somehow was uplifting at times. There is lots of Cherokee myth and storytelling throughout which I loved. The writing was wonderful, just enough telling, at times I thought this is what A Little Life might have been (I wasn’t really a fan). This will be a Bold.

Such a shame @MillicentTheMagnificent as I though after 7H that I’d have a nice meander through her back catalogue but not sure I can be bothered now

Thanks @TattiePants will add that to the list

The Drift by CJ Tudor is a typically entertaining but silly thriller with added snow, cable cars, bus crashes, viruses and zombie type things.

Predictable, clunky but passed time at a crackling pace owing to its three parallel protagonist , very short chapters structure.

Soldier Sailor - Claire Kilroy
A very raw exploration of the first few years of motherhood. A new mother copes with the stresses and strains of changes to her body, emotions and identity that wreak havoc on her life, while her somewhat useless husband causes even more strain on her sanity and marriage.

There are a few lighter moments, but it's quite intense. It's beautifully written and deserves the hype.

Chrysalis - Anna Metcalfe
A young woman comes out of an abusive relationship and transforms herself physically and mentally and goes her own way rather than conforming to societies rules. It's told through the eyes of three people around her who witness her extraordinary change from different viewpoints.

It's a bit of a strange one, no plot to speak of, and the character is only seen through the eyes of others. It's more of a reflection of society. It's incredibly mundane and yet oddly compelling. I enjoyed it a lot, but could see that it will probably be quite a marmite book.

I've been finding it really hard to concentrate on reading recently but managed to finish these.

4. Christmas Pie by Jodi Taylor

I was just about to spend an audible credit on the recent Christmas St Mary’s short story when I remembered the Spotify audiobooks and listened to it there for free. Despite it being narrated by Markham, who is one of my favourite characters, this is not one of the better Christmas short stories. However I did like the end bit and would love for Markham’s background to be explored a bit more.

5. The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

The next book in my read of the Bosch universe book, although Bosch doesn’t actually appear he’s just mentioned. The Reporter from The Poet is made redundant, spends his last week investigating a crime and discovers a serial killer is on the loose. Not one of the best in the series but far from the worst.

Lovely! Is that Richmond Castle?

5 Unruly - David Mitchell
Very entertaining romp through the English monarchy, from Anglo-Saxon times to Elizabeth I. I listened to the Audible which benefitted from Mitchell’s characteristic middle-class, middle-aged, slightly ranty delivery (I am also middle class, middle aged and slightly ranty).

6 Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Well, this is good, isn’t it? Turns out my knowledge of the original novel was minimal and consisted mostly of random images of a bolt-headed monster and a mad scientist shouting ‘It’s alive!’ - neither of which appear in the book.

It manages to be both a gripping read and a deep philosophical exploration of themes of the over-reaching of human ambition, the hubris of poking into the inner workings of nature versus the spiritual benefit of engaging with its outer beauty, the need for friendship and the madness and descent into evil that can happen without it. It is the precursor of so much in later sci-fi, especially the whole Blade Runner-esque genre of robots/AI created by humans but falling into conflict with them.

Manages all this despite Victor Frankenstein himself being a wimpish idiot whose lack of self-knowledge makes him an unreliable narrator by default. At times I wondered whether the creature even existed or was just Frankenstein’s delusion, a splitting off of his own murderous impulses born of his isolation from human society. But the framing narrative has sea captain Walton seeing and ultimately meeting the creature, which mitigates against this reading.

Definitely marked for a future re-read, and one of those books that my brain will be working over in the shower for weeks to come.

Militates against, not mitigates against. I can English, honest.

@FortunaMajor Glad I'm not alone in liking Soldier Sailor. I read it in one sitting at the end of last year - very rare for me - and absolutely loved it.

Looks like Helmsley.

oh I’ve never been to Helmsley - somehow my parents must have missed it out from our English Heritage visits!

Go at once! It's one of my happy places.
The best sandwiches in the world were from the deli on the market and the food in the local pubs is amazing.

@LadybirdDaphne im reading it at the moment - Frankenstein is SO wimpish. Frames someone for murder but he has it worse cos he feels bad. I love it.

Absolutely loved The Godmother @Tarahumara impressive translation. Just a really enjoyable read.

@BlindurErBóklausMaður I’ll have to try and get there sometime - sadly these days I’m much too far away for a day trip!