50 Books Challenge 2024 Part Two

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second 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.

The previous thread is here

@BaaBaaGlitterSheep ah yes sorry, I couldn’t find your original post.
I would definitely say the first quarter is the worst for repetition (we get it, they don’t wear uniform anymore) and there are bits throughout that so it still, but some of the stories of the inmates are fascinating.

Currently reading Politics on the Edge - Rory Strewart

So far, I’m finding it a slog, which I’m surprised at as I enjoy Rory on The Rest is Politics podcast and I think it’s generally been favourably reviewed. I’m still in the Cameron years at the moment, so perhaps it heats up a bit.

I can’t help but think at this stage he sounds like an irritating grad training scheme boy

@DietCokeandHulaHoops i would love to say Rory stops thinking he is the only decent competent person in government at some point in the book.

And, to be fair, he quite likes David Gauke.

But otherwise…

@whinsome e – I also like Denzil Meyrick!

13. Terms of Restitution – Denzil Meyrick (audio)

I’m a big fan of Denzil Meyrick, but have only read his DCI Daley and associated tales from Kinloch, which is Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre. This is a standalone book and is about crime syndicates in Paisley, Glasgow and West central Scotland. Its more violent and graphic than the DCI Daley books, but I enjoyed it and binge listened.

I've 'lost' my copy of Demon Copperhead. Well, not lost exactly, but misplaced. So I'm going to give The Grapes of Wrath a try. My sister was clearing out her books and was horrified that I hadnt read it (English Lit grad and snobby about reading). I wonder if she nicked Demon Copperhead when she was here last lol. I'm not confessing to re-reading Chalet School to her!

Can someone remind me?

I've tried looking

It's 1979 by Val McDermid that's good and 1989 that isn't...correct ? They are in the Audible sale and I'm desperate for a new audiobook

That was my view Eine, although I know quite a few people didn't get on with 1979 either! But I think those of us who read 1989 universally disliked it.

7 Rising to the Surface - Lenny Henry
This has been on my Audible account for a couple of years I think (bought in a 2-for-1 sale probably) so used it as something to listen to walking the dog. Not as interesting as his childhood memoir, which covered growing up as a child of Jamaican immigrants in the 60s and 70s; this was all about his showbiz career in the next two decades, which I’m too young to have been very aware of, apart from Comic Relief. Passed the time, and the sections on his relationship with his mum were poignant and moving.

I'm totally hooked on the Boudica books! I can see myself devouring the whole series and then not wanting to read anything else for sorrow at having finished a series I enjoyed so much. I will try and restrain myself. Luckily the sequel to one of my favourite books is out next week Red Side Story - Jasper Fforde if anybody likes funny dystopian reads.

10 The Wrong Girl short stories by Angela Slatter

Have read most of these in anthologies previously but always a pleasure to revisit her exquisite, female-centred stories.

@Tarragon123 that's funny about your sister, mine is an English graduate and is much less of a book snob than me.

I am now tempted to find some Chalet school books to reread though.

I thought 1979 was really boring so never bothered with 1989.

I DNF'd 1979 as an audiobook. I had had high hopes for it but was so bored by it. Not going to try again or any more from the series.

I DNF 1979 either. To me, it felt like she'd watched Life on Mars followed by Tennyson and thought "I have a cunning plan". Really cardboard cutout characters and silly dialogue.

@Lastqueenofscotland2 I loved David Lodge. Changing Places is also very satirically funny.

@DietCokeandHulaHoops @SheilaFentiman I’m also finding the same with Politics on the Edge. It’s readable though so will persevere with it.

3. The Extra Mile by Kevin Sinfield
Autobiography. I am full of admiration for Kevin Sinfield and his extraordinary running achievements to raise money for charity and raise awareness of motor neuron disease. This book pretty much confirmed my suspicion that he is a really decent guy and someone to look up to.

4. The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley
Fourth in The Seven Sisters series, taking us to Thailand and Australia. I felt that there were a couple of bonkers plot twists in this one. Not my favourite, but I'll continue reading the series after a few different reads in between.

5. The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen
Set in Helsinki and translated from Finnish. Henri is an actuary who lives his life with a focus on facts, probability and management of risk. When his brother Juhani dies suddenly, Henri inherits his brother's adventure park. This includes a colourful team of employees and some significant complications.
This is a humorous, quirky read with elements of a thriller as Henri finds himself in some bizarre and very dangerous situations. It's the kind of book where you have to put yourself in the author's hands and trust that it will be okay - I wasn't always 100% sure that I understood what was going on but enjoyed seeing it all become (slightly) clearer in the end.

Currently reading The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves (Vera Stanhope book 1).

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit I thought 1979 was a lot better than 1989. I find Val McDermid very uneven as a crime writer though. I've enjoyed her Karen Pirie books but have DNF'd a couple of others that were just rubbish.

@CluelessMama I like the sound of The Rabbit Factor and I see Chris Brookmyre rates it so that's a good recommendation. It's 99p on kindle just now. I much prefer a real book but for 99p I'll give it a go.

I didn’t mind 1979 if only for the music playlist at the end but 1989 was a stinker.

8 The First Fossil Hunters: paleontogy in Greek and Roman times - Adrienne Mayor
Scholarly work exploring Greek and Roman knowledge and understanding of the giant bones (of extinct mammal megafauna rather than dinosaurs) that litter the Mediterranean world. These fossils are brought to light, both now and in ancient times, by ploughing and mining, as well as natural disasters like earthquakes and flooding. Fascinatingly, ancient reports of the locations of giants’ and heroes’ bones often match up with fossil sites; mythology was the tool used to understand these finds in the absence of modern scientific concepts, and the fossils were often carried to temples and shrines to be stored as sacred or special objects. I suspect Mayor is a little credulous with the evidence at times, but makes important points about what we can learn if academic disciplines talk to each other, combining scientific and historical understandings.

I mean, I found it fascinating but I suspect you have to be the kind of weirdo who likes both ancient people and fossils, and is willing to read a textbook (in the bath, in my particular case).

We might be exchanging recommendations at the moment @highlandcoo. I'm about to return The Rabbit Factor to the library and collect Paper Cup.

I know we always say this, but wow the thread is moving fast! Loved seeing Stephanie Plum come up -now I'm definitely considering a revisit, I read quite a lot of these years back but can't remember what number I got up to, I might just see if I can start from the beginning again. (Let's just ignore the absolutely towering tbr pile for now shall we?!)

On the topic of Janet Evanovich - I listened to an audiobook of The Heist by her and Lee Goldberg a few years back, I think when I was doing some reading challenge with a heist as one of the prompts. I remember it being silly but really good fun, so for any fans of the Stephanie Plum series might be one to check out?

5 The Beggar Maid - Alice Munro
This is fairly short so should have been a quick read, but actually wasn't for me due to not being particularly well and also I think it was one of those books that benefitted a slightly more thoughtful pace. Think it was a recommendation from a 50 Book thread from last year - I'm sorry I really should start noting down who recommended it as well as the title!

It's a collection of short stories that do work on their own but together they read like a novel as they all centre around Rose, born into poverty in a tough Canadian town, and how she is shaped by this and particularly by her relationship with her stepmother Flo. This put me in mind of Elizabeth Strout actually, having not read any Alice Munro before. I can't deny that the writing is masterful. I found the earlier stories more compelling actually, and some of the depictions of the abuse that went on both at home and school and just generally in the community were really hard going. I found myself less engaged as Rose grew up - there really was some incredible writing and insightful character exploration in there, but for some reason it left me a bit cold somehow.

Not sure what's next, DH is pushing to watch the next series of Slow Horses so I think I'm going to have to quickly read the next Slough House book even if it's not come down in price and so breaks my no more than £3 on a kindle book rule. It's not available on borrowbox through my library and I don't really want to do audiobook although I'm sure it would be great.

1. How to stop time by Matt Haig

A history teacher is actually aging slower than the rest of the population and is really 400 not the 40 he looks. This book travels through his past as he grapples with life and the mysterious society meant to protect people like him.

This was an interesting idea but there was something about the writing that was missing for me. I felt similar about the midnight library. Should make an interesting book club discussion later though.

11 Unruly by David Mitchell

I’ve been ploughing through this off and on since I bought it and I found it quite disappointing. I do like Mitchell and the stuff he does, whether comedy, serious or autobiographical but this just didn’t do anything for me. Too full of easy quips, boring asides about contemporary politics and I was glad when I finished it. A few funny bits, such as Historians inadvertently making History too interesting, so back to the Corn Laws for you! etc but ironically I felt he didn’t manage to make that much History that interesting himself. Horrible Histories (original books and the TV series ) do this sort of thing much, much better.

9 Bunnyman - Will Sergeant

Not particularly brilliantly written autobiography of the Echo and the Bunnymen guitarist, but nevertheless an engaging account of his Liverpool childhood and adolescence, finishing as the group are on the cusp of success (there’s a second volume, which I enjoyed this enough to reserve at the library for future reading).

Thanks for all your info @highlandcoo @BlindurErBóklausMaður @BestIsWest @ChessieFL @BarbaraBuncle I've gone with it and I'll see how I get on.

15. The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

The small village of Midwich becomes cut off from society overnight, when normal service resumes all adult women are pregnant. The children produced are golden eyed and strange. What do they want?

Me and @MamaNewtNewt have been working our way through Wyndham, this is my sixth after :

Day Of The Triffids (great)
Chrysalids (great)
The Trouble With Lichen (meh)
Chocky (meh)
The Kraken Wakes (meh)

I think this will be my last for a while though I do have a SS collection on TBR. This dragged for me, absolute uphill struggle from start to finish, unlike some of his other work it does feel quite dated and I just plodded through without much enjoyment which is a shame. I also think I spotted a plothole. He is capable of better.