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

Can't believe I've dangled a participle to the point of describing myself as bracingly short and focused - I am none of those things IRL

Strike's going on Mumsnet!

Yes, the Blackwood sounds my sort of thing. I’ll get it.

The Running Grave
Although less irritatingly written than Ink Black Heart, I actually thought this was worse overall. The church stuff bored me, there were so many characters that I kept forgetting who was who and who was related to who, and I found the big reveal really silly. I’d pretty much stopped caring by well before then, anyway. I think JKR didn’t care much either. Lazy, long and lacklustre.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie you've finished it!!!! This thread is like Strike therapy.

Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch this is the most recent of the Rivers of London books, which chronicle the adventures of a lovable London copper who falls into the magical branch of the Met. Comedy ensues. I do like these books but I am getting a bit fed up - the first one was excellent, very pacey and scary, but the cast of characters keeps increasing, I can't really remember how they all fit in, and the actual main crime to be solved is getting very forgettable. They give the impression of working up to a big climax - have that "filler book" feel.

But in exciting news I have lots of new library books recommended from this thread so looking forward to that!

Glad I influenced you @Sadik, or me and the whole book TikTok industry! I'm a bit embarrassed about how much I enjoyed it as a fully grown adult woman, but it really is a very charming book, I understand why it's such a phenomenon. Trying very hard to get my post-covid brain into reading serious literature again now.

Looking at the new deals… Has anyone read The Hunger by Alma Katsu? It’s a horror based on the true story of the Donner party. It looks a bit like The Terror which is one of my all time favourites, but I don’t want to be terribly disappointed.

Finished a book this morning . It's October so, technically I only managed two books in September ... poor show.

October's first book was Gary Younge's Dispatches from the Diaspora. It's a collection of newspaper articles in four parts. One section contains interviews with the great and he good. It's largely US focused with forays to South Africa, Europe and the UK.

Some of the articles are excellent but it's probably better as a book to dip into.

I've read it. It's okay; not great. I'll try to find my review.

Just finished Winter People, Grainne Murphy, a stand out of the year for me. Beautifully written, felt very autumnal. Has got me out of a reading slump and made me remember the joy of a good book, even though it's not a cheerful story.

Advanced search isn't cooperating @LadybirdDaphne , sorry. I can't remember much about it, but it's probably worth a shot for 99p.

The deals aren’t great but I’ve bought:
Love Marriage
The Burgess Boys
Frenchman’s Creek
The Time traveller’s Guide to Medieval England
Woman, Eating
We Need New Names
The Life of an MP (Jess Philips)

Also spotted these which are all excellent:
Queenie
Tunnel 29
When the Dust Settles
A Woman of No Importance

I was also tempted by The Mitford Girls by Mary S Lovell. Has anyone read it?

Just grabbed Catherine Bailey's Black Diamonds, which has been on my wishlist for a while and was much-recommended on here - down to 99p today.

I've bought When the Dust Settles. Thought the selection was dreadful, but agree that Tunnel 29 is worth a read.

Annoyingly, I bought physical copies of both of these in the last two weeks.

It’s the worst monthly deals I’ve seen in a while. I bought White Riot a thriller that was highly recommended by The Times a while back and Cold Mountain which has been on my long term tbr

Yep will probably just go for it, thanks - it does seem to tick a lot of my boxes. You were the person I was thinking was most likely to have read it too!

I bought Lucy Worsley’s Agatha Christie and Alexandra Heminsley’s The Queue in the deals.

I picked up Babel , Build your house around my body, Sophia, and LimeLight in the monthly deals

I’ve bought nothing in the deals (which is not a bad thing, my physical TBR pile is getting ridiculous! I’ve been travelling quite a bit recently so largely reading kindle/audible books - the travel should calm down after this week so hopefully can start moving some of the physical books on!)

Yeah I thought the deals were rubbish too. I think this is the first time in years I've not bought any.

@TattiePants I've read that Mitfords book and loved it. Definitely worth 99p.

The Woman In Black is on the deals which is a masterclass in ghost stories in my opinion.
Also The mad woman's ball - translated historical novella about a famous Paris asylum. Thought it was very accomplished

@TattiePants , I've not read her Mitford book (but sure a few on here have read and loved it), but I have read her book on Bess of Hardwick Hall which I bored my family about for months, so clearly a really good biography! One of the best I've read in fact.

@splothersdog I’d never heard of The Mad Women’s ball but it sounds right up my street. I’m tempted by The Woman in Black but I’m a complete wuss when it comes to anything remotely scary. I’ve seen the play but not sure if I can cope with the book!

Ive succumbed to the Mitford book.

I didn't like The Mad Women's Ball. I wondered if it might have been a problem with the translation, but I thought it was pretty poor.

I thought the premise was good, but I'm not sure about the execution. I read it in French (Le Bal des Folles). I might read it again to see why I think that.* *