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

@ÚlldemoShúl, your review of the Aeneid made me laugh. I do love Virgil (Dido! She's not going to forgive Aeneas, not even in the afterlife!), but what you say is fair enough. Which translation did you read, I wonder? I think the Shadi Bartsch one is very good (and so is her introduction).

Some catch-up reviews. I finally have some bolds!

1. The Wife of Willesden, Zadie Smith 5/5

I was very impressed by the way this play brings Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s tale to life in contemporary times. Obviously reading it is a very different experience to seeing it staged (I’d love to see it live!), but it’s amazing how closely Smith mimics the details from Chaucer, and how absolutely relevant these details seem today. The heroine is compelling if not always sympathetic, just as she is in Chaucer. You gotta love a woman who can hold the floor like she does.

1. Black and British: A Forgotten History, David Olusoga 5/5

I finally got round to reading this book, which was positively reviewed several times on the threads a couple of years ago. Anyway, in my opinion it's a tour de force; it’s an extremely readable overview of centuries of Black British history. I learned many things I probably should have learned before, but didn’t know: Washington trying to get his slaves back after the American Revolution, the British abolition movement in the 18th/early 19th c. (flawed but still important), the Black soldiers who fought in both world wars and how their contribution largely failed to be recognised. It's amazing to me that Olusoga’s tone remains so scholarly and moderate, in view of the some of the atrocities he describes. I would have liked even more chapters covering the 20th/21st centuries, but I suppose the timespan covered is already dauntingly broad.

1. The Darkest Evening, Ann Cleeves 4/5

This Vera novel didn’t disappoint, with excellent characterisation and a strong sense of place. There are some implausible plot twists toward the end, but I didn’t mind.

1. Le Coeur à rire et à pleurer : Contes vrais de mon enfance [Tales from the Heart : True Stories from My Childhood], Maryse Condé 5/5

My favourite book so far this year, this is a gorgeous collection of autobiographical short stories from Condé about her childhood in Guadeloupe (with stints in Paris). Condé writes with sympathy and humour, in a series of deftly sketched scenes that portray her family (especially her formidable mother), her friendships, and her growing consciousness of race-based oppression (at one point she says, ‘I was “black skin, white mask” and it was for me that Frantz Fanon was going to write’).

1 Still Life by Louise Penny
2 The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly
3 A Whispered Name by William Brodrick

4 An Eye For An Eye by MJ Arlidge

Someone is leaking the whereabouts of the child murderers* that have been granted lifelong anonymity. They are passing their information to the victim’s families who then have the opportunity for revenge. Set over six days around Christmas, DS Chandra and her team race to discover who it is and stop them.

Although it was an interesting concept, it was a bit too dark for me and some parts were far too graphic. There were lots of short paragraphs, but in some very little happened – it could have done with about a third of the book being cropped. There were so many characters (some with two names obviously) that I found it hard at times to keep track – there were about six characters in the Probation Service and at least eleven from the Police Force plus many others. It was a bit all over the place but basically framed as a whodunnit but I didn’t care about that as not sure the ‘twist’ mattered? Nobody seemed to have any redeeming features other than Chandra and Nimish. There were a few things that were not plausible or were highly unlikely. And I am not sure how many grieving families would exact grisly revenge (or be capable of doing it) if they had the opportunity, but who knows? Could imagine that there absolutely there would be mob rule though. It was certainly thought-provoking but the novel itself could have been better.

*murderers who were children when they committed their crimes

I love HDR, @BarbaraBuncle. The illustrated editions are fantastic ❤️

@BarbaraBuncle HDM, I meant!

1. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume. I was intrigued by this as I read, I think, all of her YA books as a child, but never her adult fiction. The book follows two girls who spend every summer together in one of their family homes in Martha's Vineyard, developing an incredibly intense friendship which is tested by a romantic betrayal as they become adults. It feels a bit dated and really lays on the issues, which is what I'd have expected from Judy Blume, but she really is a great storyteller and writes very compellingly about young women coming of age.

1. The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton. I seem to remember lots of people read this a couple of years back when it was nominated for the Women's Prize. It's written as an oral history of cult punk/rock duo Opal and Nev and a defining moment in their career when racist violence broke out at a concert. It does seem an extraordinary coincidence that this was written at the same time as Daisy Jones, and there is a touch of Evelyn Hugo as well in Opal's relationship with the 'author'. I enjoyed it, it had more depth than Daisy Jones, although the ending was a bit of an anti-climax. I also struggled a bit more to imagine what the music would have sounded like, always difficult with fictional bands I guess.

@Romanmum those are beautiful chess sets.

I don't have the sort of brain that embraces chess - I like learning languages - however I did pick up an interesting fact about the game not long ago. You may already know it ..

Apparently there are more possible chess games than there are grains of sand in the world??? I just can't get my head around that fact.

@cassandre I did love the Dido story- that was definitely the high point. I read the Fagles translation- same for The Iliad and The Odyssey. Thanks for the recommendation of the Bartsch translation. I’m hoping to read the Emily Wilson Iliad and Odyssey in the next couple of years so will line up the Bartsch to go with that. Have decided to do a few ancients this month so am now on Oedipus Rex and after the Theban plays I’m going to give Lysistrata a go!

@cassandre I saw the Wyf of Willesden at the Kiln theatre in Kilburn in 2022, it was so good, the set was a pub and she's the landlady. I went with a group of school friends, we'd all done the Wyf of Bath for English A level so knew the original text pretty well. Definitely recommend seeing it if it comes back again.

Damn it! Fell off the last thread -

1. The Maid - Nita Prose
2. The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods
3. Unruly - David Mitchell
4. Lucy by the Sea - Elizabeth Strout
5. The Sober Girl Society Handbook - Millie Gooch
6. The Marlow Murder Club - Robert Thorogood
7. Anti-Diet - Christy Harrison
8. Call The Midwife - Jennifer Worth

Can I join? I’ve recently got back into reading. my target is 40 books, but I think I could do 50.

@Dottina / what did you think of The Lost Bookshop? I’ve just finished that one. Also, what did you make of the Marlow Murder Club?

@saturnspinkhoop

A mixed bag for me!

I really loved it at the beginning. I actually know the bookshop in Paris and used to live near it! So that was a lovely reference for me personally. To my shame I had no idea how old and important it was! I just stumbled in there one day looking for a book about a specific artist for my uni course. I am also irish, so the parts set in Dublin were interesting for me too. I quite liked the magical parts of it and I really liked Opaline and the sister who has a baby (was it Emily?).

On the other hand, I found the romantic storylines a bit irksome and / or unbelievable. I didn't like the modern day girl and her relationship with the academic English guy is really weird. Why does she keep getting so offended by everything he says? All that running off in tears with him scurrying after her - not appealing and a bit adolescent.

I also couldn't understand what the lady who owns the big house in Dublin was all about...felt as if the author had meant her to have some sort of big significance but then never actually settled on what that was, so just forgot about her.

I enjoyed some of the literary references but they were really shoehorned in there by the dozen.

Also the villains were SO villainous - it got silly. Half expected one of them to tie someone to a railway line while twizzling his moustache.

So, although I really liked the idea of it and was really excited at the beginning as it seemed like such a lovely book, I was ultimately a little bit dissapointed.

I did like it though, just not as much as I was expecting to

Sorry, I was talking about The Last Bookshop - just noticed you also asked about Marlow Murder Club!

I enjoyed it. It is cosy crime / lighthearted murder (which doesn't sound as if it should be a thing but it is). It reminded me a little bit of Agatha Raisin (which I also enjoy).

Thanks @Dottina. I had no idea the bookshop was real! Totally agree with everything you said re The Lost Bookshop. A couple of plot points I could see from a mile off. I still can’t figure out that lady either. I enjoyed the book, but ultimately felt it could have been better.

Ive read the second Marlow Murder club book and won’t be reading anymore. It’s a genre I usually like, but I found the characters so annoying.

I started the second one and couldn't finish it @saturnspinkhoop! It was really annoying

I think the characters were supposed to be quirky and endearing, but I really disliked the main character.

Oh no, I actually warmed to her in the first one! I forget her name and keep wanting to call her Agatha as she is quite like Agatha Raisin. A bit of an anti-hero I think (or I think that's what the author was going for - clearly a bit hit and miss there).

The reason I had a did not finish with Death Comes to Marlow was the storyline - the nurse who fell in love with the Lord of the Manor and a big fight over inheritance. It may have been meant to be satirical but I don't think it worked that well and I just didn't care very much (based on what I read which really wasn't much tbf). I also found Bex a bit annoying in both books.

Judith! Had to Google it

Unfair Play by Sharron Davies This is not the best written book and there is a lot of repetition. Having said that, it is an interesting and important book about how women and girls have been consistently (and still!) let down in the sports world. (This is highlighed by an early chart comparing how long women have had to wait to join men in Olympic sports - much of it only achieved during my lifetime, and some in my children's lifetime!) She begins with her own experience when competing against the East Germans who swept the medal boards as a result of doping. She doesn't blame the women themselves, (who were often just girls at the time and largely unaware of what they were being given, and suffered the physical and mental consequences thereafter), but rails against the system which not only allowed it, but has yet to make reparations. With the advantages gained by testosterone long known, she segues into a discussion of transwomen in women's sports. But this is a book about wider neglect and injustices, from access, funding, indifference, sporting governance, media coverage and misogyny at many levels. The International Olympic Committee comes in for particular criticism. She concludes with a list of recommendations to help women - and all athletes - get justice.

Sharron Davies is an amazing sportswoman and campaigner; she deserves huge respect and thanks for all her tireless work on this issue, often at great personal cost.

Alberta and Jacob by Cora Sandel Coming-of-age story about a young girl in the north of Norway, first published in 1926. It was discussed on a previous thread so I'll just say that I enjoyed it as much this time as I did when I first read it 40 odd years ago. I'll (slowly) progress to the other two in the trilogy.

Interestingly, I know someone who swam with Sharron Davies. She was not complimentary. At all.

Billie Jean King's book is great on women in tennis and has a very different view on trans inclusion so makes an interesting complement / supplement to the debate. She's also a good writer (if she wrote it!)

15. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
    Book 2 of the Emily Wilde series. In the early 1900s, Emily's academic career is progressing well following publication of her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. She's now back in the field working on her second book, a comprehensive atlas of faerie lands, while trying to help colleague, friend and love interest Wendell avoid being killed by faerie assassins.
    This is definitely at the cosy end of the fantasy genre, & there's definitely things to be picky about. In particular, Fawcett's Cambridge sounds much more like a US university, and the plot is a bit thin on the ground in the middle of the book. Despite this, it's still a lot of fun, & I'll definitely read the next one when it comes out. I think it helped that I had it on audio, & it was really well read.

16. Power Trip by Damian McBride
    2014 book by disgraced Labour party spin doctor McBride, detailing his career in Westminster from junior civil servant in the late 1980s, to key member of Gordon Brown's entourage.
    
    Alarmingly, many passages made The Thick of It feel like documentary rather than satire. McBride's career is unedifying to say the least, and reading the book definitely lowered my opinion of Brown. But it's a gripping read in a car-crash sort of a way (definitely better than the Rory Steward which I DNFed), and I feel like it's good to understand more about the way media reporting of politics works.

17. Julia by Sandra Newman
    1984 retold from the POV of Julia. I know a couple of people read this last year, & didn't rate it.
    
    The first half was the best for me, where we see Julia & other women negotiating their way through society as best they can - getting hold of black market goods, dealing with unwanted pregnancy & pragmatically trading favours to stay alive & out of trouble. The second half didn't work as well, & the ending wasn't really convincing, but I overall I was glad I read it, & thought it was an interesting book.

18. Sunstruck by Polenth Blake
    Ari & Ben have new jobs, as the two members of the Spokane Ecology Board. They only learn on their first day that the reason for their recruitment is that the two previous incumbents were murdered. Their first task is to find out who killed them, and why.
    
    They also need to learn to work together; Ari is non-human, and the team's Bigfoot liaison. Ben grew up hearing stories of Bigfoot, but has to learn about the region's whole range of supernatural inhabitants very fast.
    This was a very nice read, & did a great job both of worldbuilding (we learn a lot about the Bigfoot colony along the way) and of building the relationship between Ari & Ben. It's billed as 'the Bigfoot Mysteries book 1', and I hope there'll be more.

Tunnel 29 - Helena Merriman

Thanks to @TattiePants and @ÚlldemoShúl for this recommendation. A group of students dig a tunnel from West to East Berlin under the wall which splits the city in two to allow friends and family to escape from East to West.
This was brilliant - tense, emotional and powerful. There was something in my eye at the end.

The Worst Journey In The World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard

Excellent tale of Scott’s last, fateful journey to the South pole. I realised a few chapters in that I had read this before about five years ago so I skimmed it this time. It is marvellously detailed though, funny as well. I do find myself feeling do sorry for the ponies and dogs so skipped over those bits.

Steeple Chasing: Around Britain by Church - Peter Ross

Peter Ross crosses Britain visiting cathedrals, country churches, monasteries, holy wells and other places. I’m fond of a visit to a country church or a cathedral myself, not particularly religious but I always feel a sense of awe at the history these places have seen. Very good.

Three bolds and to celebrate a photo from a visit to a local church with stained glass commemorating Scott’s last journey .

Love that stained glass window, @BestIsWest.

Two excellent books there, @BestIsWest Glad you enjoyed them both.

The woman in Waterstones tried to sell me Steeple Chasing yesterday, by saying it has cute cats. I told her that my tolerance for cats is even lower than my tolerance for religion, so it probably wouldn't be my thing, but, like you, I do like a nice church.

Love that glass window too. I've read extensively about Scott and every time, I hope that this time they'll make it back. Sadly, they never do, so I have to keep reading.