50 Books Challenge 2023 Part Eight

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the seventh thread of the 50 Books Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2023, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, it’s not too late to join, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

The first thread of the year is here, the second one here, the third one here here, the fourth one here, the fifth one here, the sixth one here and the seventh one here

Wow. I took a few days out and the thread went crazy busy. Belated to cassandre, that's quite a life - thank you for sharing it. Busy in the Roman house too so reading is slowing down for the time being.

51. The Butcher of Berner Street - Alex Reeve

Third in the Leo Stanhope series of Victorian-London set whodunnits, and perhaps the least frantic so far. An anonymous letter leads to Leo visiting a rough Whitechapel club, only for the owner to be found dead shortly afterwards. The story is worth pursuing but leads to civil unrest, hardline political views and danger to Leo and those he cares about.

The plot was thinner on the ground too but the characterisations made up for it, with complex, flawed characters who you find yourself rooting for despite being frustrated by much of the time.

I'll definitely be seeking out the fourth in the series at some point, but also need to tame the TBR and stop buying more books.

130. Run Towards The Danger by Sarah Polley

Recommended by Tara I already had this on my Kindle because I loved her documentary Stories We Tell ( Her fathers reaction to this doc features in the book and is thought provoking)

This wasn't really quite what I needed at this time because essentially it is a trauma memoir and as such I found one of the essays a bit triggering.

Though multiple topics are covered Polley comes back time and again to what has to be PTSD from having been a child star and the alarming way in which she was basically a victim of child abuse in a number of different forms during her time in the industry with parents who to call them checked out would be a politeness. Her mother died when she was 11 as well.

An interesting set of essays as memoir though perhaps not with wide appeal as much as they appealed to me, if you don't have some idea who Sarah Polley is.

Sorry Eine, I should probably have warned you that some of her stories are rather distressing (and possibly triggering). I found them completely absorbing but can see they might be too much in some circumstances. I hope you are ok.

Ha - so I read 6 of the Booker Longlist, none of which made the shortlist!

Now I need to start reading books by men called Paul...
I may be some time.

No Tara it's fine. It wasn't what I was mentally prepared for but I did get into it.

@Stokey I noticed that - 50% of the shortlist by men called Paul! I do have Prophet Song out of the library but it's probably going to take me a few weeks to get to it - it looks interesting but I have a few newish and even more in demand books - Tom Lake (Ann Patchett) is now top of my reading pile and I've started The House of Doors so will probably read that next. I also have new books by Zadie Smith (c 24 in the queue for 4 copies) and Anne Enright (only 1 in the queue, 3 copies in the system) out.

@elkiedee I'm really interested in the new Zadie Smith and Anne Enright.

I've started the audible of Prophet Song today but feel like it's going to take me a while to get through.

18 Trespasses - Louise Kennedy
In 1970s Belfast Cushla, a young Catholic woman falls in love with an older man. He is already married and a Protestant so it doesn't end well. At the same time, Cushla is doing her level best to help one of her pupils, 7-year-old Davey, who is having a hard time in school (because he smells funny) and at home (his Mum is Protestant, they live in a Protestant area and his Dad is in hospital following a savage beating)

This is beautifully written. Savage and tender at the same time. Cushla's relationship with her mother and brother are of far more interest (to me personally) than that with the man. The mundanity of her personal life set against the violence and horror of her surroundings is jarring but the author holds it together extremely well.

63: Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death - Laura Cumming

I bought this when it was 99p recently and rather stupidly failed to register that it’s largely about much of the art I saw on my recent trip to The Hague - so I should have read it before I went, and definitely would have looked at the pictures with a more informed eye. Anyway, no matter - this memoir is stunningly good. Cumming's father was a painter, and she links her poignant memories of him to her love of Dutch art of the 17th century, with a special focus on the elusive Carel Fabritius, painter of tantalisingly few canvases, one of which is the sublime 'The Goldfinch'. Fabritius died agonisingly, aged only 32, in a terrible explosion (the ‘thunderclap' of the title, caused by carelessly ignited gunpowder stores) that utterly destroyed part of his home town of Delft in 1654. But many other Dutch painters - his contemporaries - are explored along the way, with all sorts of sidelights to make you stop and think. Cumming writes so clearly and fascinatingly about art, in a manner that genuinely makes me think in a different way, that this has gone straight to the top of my bolds list.

64: This Is What Happened - Mick Herron

One of Herron's non-Slough House novels. I can’t say much about this without completely giving away the plot, but it opens with a woman, Maggie Barnes, engaged in a nerve-shredding mission that must be carried out in top secret. So far, so Slow Horses. As things develop, though, it turns into something different, more depressing yet tragic, and then finally gripping once again. I did guess what was happening quite early on, but stayed hooked for the denouement. Very different to the Slough House series, but worth reading, I’d say.

I seem to be reading too many books simultaneously so it's hard to make headway, but here are the ones I've managed to get through:

105. Raising Demons, Shirley Jackson
The author's tales from her domestic life as home-maker and mother to four children in 1950s America. It's interesting to see how engrained the idea of women's work is: the bank manager comes to discuss getting a mortgage with her husband and she obediently takes herself off to wash the dishes so she's not seen as pushy. She's picking up after her 12-year old son and looking forward to him growing and getting a wife who'll take that over instead. It explains why a talented writer ended up with a limited output - not sure all those hours making meatloaf were the best use of her time. She also died in her late 40s.

106. One Year's Time, Angela Milne
It's 1940s England and Liza is a thoroughly modern woman, embarking on a love affair with Walter, even though he clearly has no intention of marrying her. It's surprisingly frank, considering it was published in 1942. We don't get accounts of body parts thrusting, but "How funny to be in bed with nothing on while he leans over me in just his socks". Preparing for a date is more about polishing your shoes than depilation. We're in Liza's mind throughout, from the initial post-coital bliss to her later frustration that he's holding all the power in the relationship and she's afraid to be her real self as he can just walk away. Read it and side-eye your granny.

107. Watson's Choice, Glady Mitchell
Another 1950s book, this time crime fiction. Lord Wossname has decided to marry the governess, despite her mysterious disappearances, but it doesn't end well. Gladys Mitchell shows how economical Agatha Christie is in setting up her scenarios - by contrast, here we have an elaborate scenario involved a Sherlock Holmes tribute party, a Mexican bullfighter, a brief appearance by a sword-swallower and various other shenanigans. It's not as much fun as it sounds, just complicated. I've given this author a fair chance but the one remaining book I have by her is going to charity shop unread.

108. Cutting Teeth, Chandler Baker
Coming back to the 21st century. American moms discover their kindergartners have developed a taste for blood. And then their teacher is found dead....Heavy-handed metaphor about the sacrifices demanded by modern expectations around attachment parenting. A couple of observations were amusing, but the pacing dragged in the middle and it was all fairly unsubtle.

50. Demon Copperhead: Barbara Kingsolver.

I finished this earlier in the week. I thought it was very good on the whole and excellent in parts. I had to pace myself and put it down because I found the continuing difficulties he suffered as a child very harrowing; one traumatic event followed another.

The writing was sharp and it was a very acute portrayal of addiction and presumably a good description of a small, rural American backwater and how many people succumbed to easy available drugs. I liked Demon as a character. I don't know 'David Copperfield' but I thought it was clever how Kingsolver used it as a basis for this. I enjoyed references to characters from Dickens' novel and I really loved Demon's encounter with Betsy and Dick. It was a lovely interlude in between the misery. I think this will be a bold on my list. It has encouraged me to read 'David Copperfield' as well later this year.

Continuing on with my September shorties.

109 We had to Remove this Post by Hanna Bervoets
I heard about this one on booktube (maybe Jen Campbell’s channel). It’s the story of moderators working on a social media platform. It really brings home how people can be firstly horrified and later numb or radicalised by what they are fed by the internet on a regular basis. The toxic relationship at the centre of the book is less interesting and the climax was a bit of a confused mess but like I’m a Fan earlier this year, while I didn’t quite like it, it did make me think.

110 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
I expected to love this but I just didn’t. As I’m sure I’m the last to read it, I’ll be brief. It tells the story of Miss Jean Brodie, a teacher in a private school, and her coterie of girls. It started out strongly but I lost interest as I went along- the device of using repetition became a drag after a while.

111 Foster by Claire Keegan
Much reviewed. Any author who can make the lump rise in my throat and tears threaten in 88 pages read on public transport on the work commute is a genius. A definite bold. Looking forward to reading her others.

112 A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
I challenged myself to read 6 plays this year (as I usually avoid them) and this is number 6. The story of Nora and Torvald, a married couple. Nora has a secret which is threatening to be exposed. The first two acts were a bit humdrum but boy did he turn it around in Act 3. I can see why the play is seen as feminist. Not quite a bold but good all the same.

I didn't rate We Had To Remove This Post when I read it earlier this year. A good concept wasted I thought.

A Doll's House needs to be seen. Ibsen was a genius, and I'll accept no argument to the contrary.

Yes I totally see what you mean Eine. I feel the definitive book on social media is still waiting to be written- and could be a cracking read.

Remus I agree plays are much better seen. There’s a few I’d like to catch at some point- this and A Streetcar named Desire being the big two I enjoyed of the ones I read this year.

I'd love to see 'Streetcar' on stage. Never managed to catch it at the right time/place yet.

Book 6 Old Filth by Jane Gardam. It’s been reviewed on here before as it was that review that reminded me it was sitting on my bookshelf unread. Overall I enjoyed the book. Some parts more than others. The non sequential narrative was at times confusing to follow. I won’t go out of my way to read the rest of the trilogy.

Still reading Atomic Habits and about to start book 7 *Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov. My book group read this month.

As ever behind with this thread but I’ll keep plodding on

Sorry! Life has been manic and this thread has raced on.
Just finished The Figurine by Victoria Hislop. This was a proof copy from a friend of a friend. Not sure it is out yet. I read The Island years ago and enjoyed it. This was much longer and slower. Learnt a lot about Greek Politics though.

Currently got loads on at work and in the process of buying and selling a house so struggling to read much at all.

The usual moral and literary dilemma begins- readers, do I buy or not buy The Running Grave?

Yes please Remus and then have second thoughts and give it to my local charity shop on arrival! Am on the library reserve list but who knows how far down…

😂

There would be 262 people ahead of me in the reservation queue in my library service if I were to reserve The Running Grave, so I figure I may as well buy it - in Sainsbury's or Tesco it may even be sold for less than what Waterstones and Amazon are selling it for (£12.50).

Normal Rules Don't Apply - Kate Atkinson. Mixed bag of short stories, some very amusing, some dull as hell. Sorry to say, but as someone who's read eleven of her books I feel she's now way past her prime.

I’ve preordered the audio. I love Philip Glenister’s narration.

I have preordered.