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?

It wasn't on my radar at all, but having read it, I agree it's a surprise it wasn't nominated for the Booker. The Booker was a weak list this year so I'm shocked something so good didn't make it. It must be a serious contender for the Women's Prize, it ticks all the right boxes. Roll on 5th March.

Right of course, Janina, it's Helmsley castle. I walked past it when finishing the Cleveland Way last summer but by that point in the day I couldn't face any proper exploration.

@FortunaMajor I seem to remember there being quite a bit of outrage at the time that it wasn't on the Booker list. They're were a few other ones that people were expecting that weren't chosen.

I agree it was very good and far better than some of the rather odd books they did select.

F. Scott Fitzgerald- The Great Gatsby

I’m a bit under the weather today so I lay on the sofa under a blanket reading this. It must be 40 years ( I can’t believe the 80s are 40 years ago!) since I last read it and I had no memory of it at all apart from the scene where they check into the Plaza and drink mint-juleps. I had some dark chocolate mints instead.
Such a sad book. Thanks@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I’ve had a perfect day (apart from feeling slightly grotty).

Helmsley to Rievaulx is one of my favourite ever walks 😊

6.Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart I put off reading this for quite some time, as I knew this story of a poor and neglected Glasgow childhood would be bleak and upsetting. It was these things, but there was a warmth to it, and a wryness that elevated it above most stories of abuse and neglect. Shuggie’s relationship with his alcoholic mother Agnes captures beautifully the complexities of loving an addict. The writing is lovely despite the darkness of the themes, and life on a poor estate in the 80s is evoked in perfect detail.

Checking back in for the first time since my Happy New Year post

list thus far:

1. The Furthest Station - Ben Aaronovitch
2. Guards, Guards - Terry Pratchett
3. Eric - Terry Pratchett
4. Paper Cup - Karen Campbell
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- JK Rowling

I have decided to reread all the Discworld series in order so I reread Guards, Guards. What an absolute joy. It really benefitted from a second reading. Daft and silly and clever and profound. Loved it

Eric is a parody of Faust. I am not familiar with Faust but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of this. Again, this was full of laugh out loud moments as well as incredibly clever reflections on humanity.

Thank you so much for the recommendation of Paper Cup. I don’t recall who mentioned it first but I do know @highlandcoo was interested in my thoughts. Actually, was it you who mentioned it first? I absolutely LOVED this. Kelly is an alcoholic who drifts around the streets of Glasgow and is barely surviving. A chance encounter, traumatic experience followed by an opportunity lead her back to Dumfries and Galloway. She heads back to a part of the world I know very well indeed. I wore the blazer she sets fire too, attended dos in the Town Hall and I sat on the beach she walks into the sea on. This is small town Scotland and Karen Campbell’s descriptions are beautiful, evocative and incredibly insightful. The understanding she showed of rural poverty, small town attitudes (especially that one) and her descriptions of streets and houses I know so well made it both extremely compelling and, at points, almost painful to listen to. I am not sure I have ever heard anyone put into words my feelings about that place

the story itself is great. Lots of chance happenings and engaging plot. I could see it becoming a Sunday evening drama.

my reread of Harry Potter with youngest child has us finishing Prisoner of Azkaban. We read these with my older child who enjoyed them well enough but it wasn’t a big deal. Youngest is OBSESSED!! There was actual tears this evening even she realised we didn’t actually have Goblet of Fire in the house. No idea where my copy is but we can’t find it. So emergency Amazon purchase for tomorrow it is then!

I mulled over what to move onto next. I have a few things lined up including Hilary Mantel’s Beyond Black and Strong Female Character. True to form I went straight into another Terry Pratchett with Moving Pictures

7 I invited her in - Adele Parks
Mel and Abi used to be friends at uni but lost touch when Mel fell pregnant and had to drop out. 17 years later Abi makes contact with Mel and they rekindle their friendship. Abi comes with an ulterior motive however and seduces Mel’s son in an act of revenge.

Adele parks used to be my guilty pleasure when I was at uni so I was quite looking forward to this but god it was awful. Irritating characters, unrealistic storylines and I guessed all the thinly veiled twists in the first five minutes. Luckily it was a quick easy read but one I won’t be recommending.

Glad you enjoyed it @BestIsWest and hope you’re feeling more, ‘Over the weather’ today.

I bought and have started Careless People but it isn’t calling to me terribly loudly. Finding it quite awkward and contrived.

<adds Helmsley to Venn diagram of 50 bookers>

The pub opposite Byland Abbey and almost every single pub in Ampleforth were probably single handedly responsible for my middle aged spread. I went every September with my mum (pre DD) before coming back here and had to keep adding days on to fit all the pub grub in.

A tragic disappointment came the year we went back to find the best pub in Ampleforth had been gutted through and had laminate floors and bright lighting put in and slot machines. 😳

@MrsALambert a friend of mine knew AP from uni and said she was horrible if that makes you feel better 😂

@Tarahumara and @HollyGolightly4 I also loved The Godmother.

@StrangewaysHereWeCome
I felt the same about Shuggie Bain a grim read but it stayed with me for quite a while.

I might give The Crossing Place a go for my bedtime book, currentyl being bored to tears by The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex, think it may be a DNF

@BlindurErBóklausMaður that does make me feel better actually 🤣

@bibliomania that's so sweet. I can imagine my dad doing exactly the same for my DD!

@MrsALambert I agree about Adele Parks - I used to love her books but the recent ones have been rubbish.

Happy to see that others enjoyed The Godmother @Welshwabbit @HollyGolightly4. It was probably from here that I got the recommendation!

@StrangewaysHereWeCome I loved Shuggie Bain for the same reasons as you.

I am all caught up. Some fab reviews on here that aren’t helping my TBR pile. I’m tempted by a heart that works as I like reading books that challenge you emotionally. However I am only 6 months post partum so not sure I can quite take the subject matter yet. Talking about emotionally challenging have completed:

3.Columbine by Dave Cullen. I found this on my kindle and have a suspicion it was a recommendation from this thread in earlier years. It is a detailed retelling of the Columbine attack in 1999 and analysis of both what led up to it, the aftermath and its portrayal in the media.

I feel like enjoyed is the wrong word given the topic but it kept me engaged. The horror is jaw dropping but the lead up and aftermath is so complex and thought provoking. It was also dispiriting in places as there were missed opportunities to prevent the attack and afterwards a cover up to try and hide that fact. It feels like a story as old as time with these kinds of events.

Definitely a book that will stick with me. Undecided on whether it is a bold yet, will sit with it for a bit.

14 Letter From New York by Helene Hanff

In 1978, Helene Hanff, already known for her book 84 Charing Cross Road about her correspondence with the bookshop at that address, was asked to do a series of short broadcasts on Woman’s Hour about aspects of life in New York. This continued until 1984 and this is a collection of the majority of the transcripts from those broadcasts. I really enjoyed this - there’s no plot to speak of as it’s just her talking about her life, but we meet various neighbours and friends (both human and canine), hear about life in her apartment building and wider New York events. It’s like a time capsule - at one point she’s talking about booking a seat in the smoking section on a flight! Recommended if you’ve enjoyed 84 Charing Cross Road.

@BaaBaaGlitterSheep I’d recommend reading A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold (mother of Dylan) as a companion piece. It’s her coming to terms with what happened, asking herself how she could have prevented it and helping parents spot the signs of poor mental health in their children to hopefully prevent such tragedies in the future.

Have been dipping into Broken - in the best possible way by Jenny Lawson and have read all of it now.
It's a series of honest observations- sometimes funny, as in the chapter 'Awkward brings us together' and sometimes very moving (she writes about her depression and the treatment she has sought for this). Cried laughing at her descriptions of a romantic spa break with her DH.

Thanks @TattiePants i will check it out. One of the things I kept thinking about was how you come to terms with your child doing that so it sounds interesting.

Hello everyone, I’m back after a holiday, with limited internet. I got loads of reading done and had a lovely relaxing time.

@ICrunchCrispsNotNumbers – Lovely to see you! I am also using StoryGraph. Looks much better than Good Reads.

@BlueFairyBugsBooks y – have you read the Bernie Gunther series by Phillip Kerr? Sounds very like his first book, March Violets.

My latest books:

1. The Menopause Reset – Dr Mindy Pelz – I have been struggling with sleeping and other menopause related issues. I heard Dr Mindy on a podcast, so thought I’d give her book a go. She has lots of interesting things to say and I am going to take on board some of things that she recommends.

5. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – Winifred Wilson. Like others, I was shocked at the casual racism. I enjoyed the concept and will probably look out the film.

1. Past Lying – Val McDermid. The latest in the Karen Pirie series. I didn’t enjoy this as much as previous KP books. Its set in April 2020 and feels very claustrophobic. There is also a book set within the book and I got a bit bored with that. I did like the ending though. Very clever.

1. The Winter List – SG MacLean. I very much enjoyed this. It was a 99p Kindle deal and I hadn’t realised that it was actually the 6th in the Seeker series, doh! Set in York in 1660, Charles 2 has just taken back the crown. Those deemed as traitors to the crown are being hunted down. Against this backdrop is a murder. Loved it.

1. The Seeker – SG MacLean. After realising that I made a mistake in reading The Winter List first, I wanted to read the rest of the series. Again, I had bought this as a 99p- Kindle special. Loved this and am looking forward to reading more from SG MacLean.

1. Cross Roads – Val McDermid. Another 99p Kindle special. Its two short stories that were previously published in a newspaper in 1996. One is a Kate Brannigan story, well worth the 99p.

I’m still ploughing through Stephen Fry’s Mythos on Audio, just another 3 and a half hours left! I also have an SG MacLean stand alone book, The Bookseller of Inverness, so planning on making a start on that. I’m also looking for another audio to get for my sub this month. Thinking about Judi Dench, especially if she narrates it. Or maybe David Mitchell's Unruly? Decisions, decisions...

Hello everyone ! hope you are all keeping warm ! I have reading :
5. The Lonely Londoners - Sam Selvon
This is an account from 1950's London of mostly male West Indianian immigrants to London and their difficulties adjusting to life in Britain, including the racism they faced. This was okay. Alot of it was in train of thought and Paitos which was hard for me to follow. There was quite alot of misogyny in this but I feel it is important to have these accounts. Andrea Levvy gives a stunning fictionalised account of the female voice from the same era in her novels. 3/5
6. Noon Day - Pat Barker
Concluding part of a trilogy of books- the othee two I read last year. It surrounds three friends from Art College; 2 male and 1 female and their experiences at the outbreak of the Great War. This book finds them older during WW2. Pat Barker is an amazing writer and raises many questions over class, sex, sexuality, and the futility of war. 4/5
7. Philomena Cunk: Cunk on Everything
Audible listen. Hit the spot when I needed a chuckle. 4/5
8. Christine Falls- Benjamin Black
The first in the series of Quirke books. Black/John Banville can clearly tell a gripping yarn but he irritated the hell out of me as this is his second book where some random much younger woman/nurse/barmaid strips off and services the protaganist ! Was that a common thing in '50s Ireland I wonder or is John Banville just a sleaze? (Sorry my tolerance for this crap gets less and leaa the older I get!) So for this, I will be giving this a 3/5! I won't read him again. Would like to read the one he won the award for The Sea or something but his "dect books can do one !
Currently reading, a book on Goth and listening to Robert Gailbraith's Running Grave (only on CD5 out of 27!!! Bloody heck!

sorry for the typos!

@Tarragon123 Oh thanks for the heads up about Menopause Reset! I have been struggling with my sleep as well! It's horrible isn't it? Will look out for this book and give it a try!

@AgualusasLover I haven't watched the new series but I might switch the books for the series. For some reason I'm much more receptive to nonsensical human strength on screen than I am on paper so it might annoy me less

@BaaBaaGlitterSheep

I read Columbine on the thread about 2 years ago - it was possibly me