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

I wasn't gone on Golden Hill but I'm the minority.

@TattiePants It's making me want to read all of her books. I've also got a copy of The Burgess Boys on my kindle and Amy and Isabelle. And Amazon tells me there will be a new novel later this year, Tell Me Everything, which connects The Burgess Boys to Lucy Barton.

I've got an Elizabeth Strout on reserve at the library. I picked up one of the Lucy Bartons for 99p and have hopefully found the first one in the series so I can read in order!

DNF Adventure Revolution by Belinda Kirk
I have really tried and am even 42% of the way through but I just don't want to read three more hours. It's about studies on how adventure is good for you and how it helps different groups of people and can improve all areas of your life. I know all that. I wanted to hear about what she has done, and how you plan a big one. I am relieved to mark it as read and make it go away from my kindle library.

7. Slow Road To Tehran by Rebecca Lowe

Rebecca is a journalist and after visiting the Middle East decides to cycle from London to Tehran. The opening chapters are short on the kind of detail I like. She does no physical preparation other than a daily short cycle commute but apparently is just fine to start cycling 100km a day. She barely mentions how that side of things is going.

And there is no discussion on how this is funded. No sponsorship worries which dominate other adventure books, so I guess she self funded? And little is written about the partner she leaves behind. Is he now covering all their joint bills while she gallivants? Who knows!

There are travel anecdotes but really this is about the people in countries which are not democratic and how they feel about it and will rebellions happen. It is interesting, and there is so much I didn't know about the different religions and cultures of this part of the planet. I also didn't know other than a vague idea of how much Britain meddled in that part of the world then ran away.... As a country we really should be a bit more embarrassed than we are.

I gave it 3.75, I definitely didn't love it and it's not quite adventure travel so I feel a bit tricked into learning (despite the fact I am pleased I did learn!) Lois Pryce - Revolutionary Ride is better in my opinion.

1. Falling Animals Shelia Armstrong

Reviewed recently by @FortunaMajor, I loved this. An unreserved bold for me. It opens with the collection of a body found on an Irish beach and then presents narratives from different people who are in some way connected with the discovery or the dead man. I loved the writing, the structure (you never return to the same perspective, but occasionally characters are seen again from another's point of view) and the scope and scale of the author's imagination. The chapters are like interconnected short stories that fit together to make a satisfying whole.

I forgot, it's not the man's body that is being collected at the start, but a seals. My memory is terrible these days. No matter - the body is found soon after.

@Owlbookend, the author's previous work was short stories which also looks worth a read. I think she did a brilliant job weaving everything together. She's definitely an author to look out for in the future.

Falling Animals sounds good. Thanks Owlbookend and Fortuna.

Are you planning your own adventure @RazorstormUnicorn ?

Interesting review of Slow Road, Razorstorm. I wanted to enjoy it and did get about half way when I tried last year but found it a real struggle.

@DesdamonasHandkerchief not right now, but I don't know why not.

I have wanted to for so long, and always thought it was out of my financial reach. However, I probably could right now if I really wanted to, and I definitely could in about 5 years. But somewhat embarrassingly I find myself more fond of creature comforts than I previously imagined. And I lack a lot of skills such as cooking over a gas fire or even the desire to learn to do this! Maybe one day. People have hiked the PCT with much less experience and knowledge than me. At least I know what I don't know!

Ha Razorstorm, you'd probably surprise yourself. It's amazing what we can do/put up with when we know it's for a finite length of time.
In the mean time it sounds like you're reading some good research material.

13 Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson

Enjoyed these short stories a great deal. When the first repeated character/reference occurred I did roll my eyes and mutter please don’t start with the arty farty metaphysical stuff but it all hangs together quite delightfully. She has such a wry eye for the pettiness of human nature, as well as the poignancy of hopes and dreams.
The type is quite big in the hardback version is my only criticism but I suppose I’m spoilt by being able to adjust the font on my Kindle.
After the confused mess that I considered Shrines Of Gaiety to be this felt like a return to form, so I’ve moved her off my Only If It’s 99p list to Hmmm, Maybe For Half Price.

Also reading A Pocketful Of Happiness and feel bad I don’t like it. I’m not even going to say why, because he’s a lovely man who has had a dreadful loss. It’s just not doing anything for me

Thanks for the info on Tell me Everything, I didn’t know she had a new book out this year. Bob Burgess is introduced in Lucy by the Sea so I’ve got The Burgess Boys lined up on kindle too (and A & I and Abide With Me). I’d better get reading!

I've not been on for a while, so lots to catch up on.
Still not reading as much as I used to but have managed to knock off the latest Ken Follett. I know he is a bit divisive on here but it was an easy Audible read.

5. The Armour of Light by Ken Follett I have loved all the Kingsbridge books, ever since I first read Pillars of Earth years ago. This one didn't disappoint and followed the usual pattern - strong but downtrodden woman, badly behaved gentry, innovative young man trying to change the world, unpleasant bishop, the whole cast, including a few dodgy sex scenes for completeness. Told the story of the people of Kingsbridge at the end of the 18th Century when Napoleon is rampaging through Europe and the industrial revolution is beginning at home.

I lapped it all up and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think I would love it if it was clearer who is descended from who is the previous books, or maybe a few more references to past events. I think it would make the books gel together as a series (for me anyway)

I'm still trying to get back to reading on Kindle, have abandoned the incredibly boring Lamplighters, trying to decide if Edward Rutherfurd's New York might hit the spot? Or possibly Slow Horses

I enjoyed Golden Hill but thought his Light Perpetual was appalling after the first two or three pages of stunning writing. Not sure why I persevered with it as I was bored and angry throughout it.

In my quest to find a new crime fiction series to get into I have just finished:

6. Angel by LJ Ross. This is the fourth book in the DCI Ryan series set in the North East. I haven’t read any of the others and there are a few threads that seem to run through the series so if I read anymore I will go back and start at number 1 to avoid any more spoilers. A pretty standard, readable crime fiction rooted firmly in its chosen location (very Ann Cleeves). Overall it was an easy read. My only annoyance with it was about 80% of the way in DCI Ryan out of the blue solves the case and the rest of book is setting up a trap for the perpetrator to reveal themselves. The trap is needed as they have zero evidence to build a case. So how on earth did he know who did it?! All felt a bit rushed. Still I would probably give another one a go because sometimes an easy read is exactly what I need.

Slow Horses is amazing
Edward Rutherford is not.

I've only read New York but it's ridiculous. Characters find themselves shoehorned into Every Single Memorable Thing That Ever Was. Just silly.

Someone's walking through a park and comes across Abraham Lincoln making a speech. That same person's descendants get killed in the factory fire that inspired Women's Day and their descendants are in the Twin Towers. Etc etc.

@BlindurErBóklausMaður hmmm so not up to Sarum standards then?

I've not read it but New York put me off him! Which is a shame because I love the concept.

Shadows of London by Andrew Taylor
I struggled to get into this and some of the writing was really clunky, but actually I ended up quite enjoying the story whilst remaining irritated by some of the writing.

He’s perfectly capable of writing complex sentences, but too often he lapses into awful short sentences where two or three in a row begin with a pronoun: ‘I got off the horse. I felt stiff. I needed a drink’ or, ‘ She was exhausted. She sat on the chair. She thought about her day’ sort of things.

I was annoyed by it. I nearly gave it up as a bad job. I carried on reading.

Belated thanks @FuzzyCaoraDhubh for the further T. Kingfisher recommendations. @Sadik I'm a newbie to these threads so full credit to Fuzzy for mentioning her.

@YnysMonCrone24 I wish I'd abandoned The Lamplighters. Your excellent self-preservation instincts call for Slow Horses as a reward!

Did abandon Jo Baker, The Midnight News, at the halfway mark. Skipped to the final twist and it was indeed preposterous shite, so felt vindicated. Wouldn't even have attempted it if not for bookgroup as I found Longbourne insufferable and also DNF'd her dreary Beckett book. Admittedly the unrelenting overwritten wet wet wetness was not helped by the audiobook narrator's on-the-edge-of-faux-tears voice. Props to her for getting this reader of Jewish descent to cheer on the Luftwaffe, I guess?

Lamplighters was hard work. The most interesting thing about it was the regime of manning a lighthouse.

The Fraud - Zadie Smith
I don't even know where to start with this one.

Historical fiction, late 1800s. Based on real people and events.
Three storylines very loosely stitched together.
Mrs Touchet, housekeeper and cousin to a once popular novelist William Ainsworth. She falls in love with his wife, has a brief affair with him and then raises his children while he bumbles about in the literary scene of the day. It critiques the tropes of Victorian literature and explores early feminism.
An Australian butcher impersonating the thought-to-be-dead Sir Roger Titchborne, heir to a large fortune. The family contest his claims and it becomes a very long drawn out legal case that captivates and divides the nation.
Andrew Bogle, former plantation slave and key witness in the trial. He was brought to England to serve the Titchborne family and his own fate is tied with the outcome of the case. This looks at racism and colonialism switching between his past in Jamaica and his present experiences in England.

There is some really strong writing in this, the dour Mrs T has some great lines. There are some really astute observations on human nature, race and class. BUT! It hops between each storyline every few pages with changing timelines. It's hard to keep track of what is going on when with who. It's really long, wears it's research too heavily and ultimately it was quite boring, none of the storylines seem to go anywhere. Despite a strong start there's no momentum. It could have been a lot better if she wasn't trying to achieve so much in one book.

I think it would be a great book to study and really take to pieces from a literary perspective, but for the casual reader it's a bit of a fail. Brilliant but boring. You will either love it or hate it IF you can muster the will to finish it.

If you fancy this, I'd avoid the audio, she reads it herself and it's a mistake.

10. Old God's Time: Sebastian Barry.

On the face of it this seemed to be a simple murder mystery relating to an old man's past, but it turned out to be quite a complex read.

Tom Kettle is a retired detective and is enjoying a quiet life in the picturesque sea-side village of Dalkey, Co. Dublin. One night he is startled by a knock on the door. Two young detectives want to ask him about an old case from the 1960s concerning a murdered priest and Tom's recollection of it. He is forced to relive painful memories of that time and the reader gradually learns about his difficult childhood and his wife's, both of them survivors of childhood sex abuse.

The retelling of events is complicated by Tom's frail and aging mind. Most of the book takes place in Tom's head and as the old fellow looks out onto the choppy waters of Dalkey harbour, the reader is cast adrift with an unreliable narrator, lurching to and fro between present and past and meeting people who are real and imaginary. It is difficult to know who is more confused by it all, Tom or the reader. Eventually, the single thread that runs from the beginning to the end of the book, the great love Tom has for his wife, keeps him tethered and gets him through some very rocky moments.

This was a sad, poignant and tender book. It's harrowing in places and it contains descriptions of child cruelty that are difficult to read. It's quietly powerful and the story is told sensitively in beautifully lyrical language. For all that it was challenging to get a grasp on the shifting narrative, it is easy to get to know Tom and appreciate his strong moral view of the world and grow a bit fond of him by the end. Recommended for its unusual narrative perspective, strong character portraits, its richly descriptive language and its compelling account of the emerging scandal of sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland during the 1990s.

👋🏻!

Update from me

10. 'Public Places.'- Sian Phillips

As with her first book, I read this one in about two sittings. It's really well written and flows brilliantly. At times it was a very hard read, as it touched on the post natal depression she suffered after the birth of her first child and her troubled marriage to Peter O'Toole. Nonetheless, an excellent read. 5/5 ❤️

11. 'I Remember Paris.'- Lucy Diamond

Divorced mum and journalist Jess gets her dream commission to write the memoir of reclusive artist Adelaide Fox in Paris. As time goes on, the two women are forced to uncover home truths, and secrets that they thought were long buried are in danger of becoming unearthed.

I've read all of LD's books to date, and this was a pretty standard read from her. I enjoyed the different storyline and seeing the bond between the two main characters finally develop into friendship after a few false starts. It is quite well written though, and provided a bit of light relief. I'd give it a 4/5 ❤️