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

I like the sound of The Untouchable.
I've read books by him before that I liked.

Maybe he changes his writing style sometimes or the editor lets him get away with it. I'll see if I continue with it. If I see another dithyrambed daffodil, I'll definitely chuck it!

I know! What the heck does it even mean?!

Thanks for the new thread southeast.

I can't be bothered to bring my list over but I will say that I'm quite happy with how my reading is going this year, in January I make up a list of books that I hope to get through over the coming year and I'm progressing really well with that.

I'm aiming to finish Bleak House, four years after the readalong on here. I stopped after a sudden bereavement and I'm now feeling it's the right time to carry on with it so I'll be cracking on with that now we're between current readalongs.

@FuzzyCaoraDhubh I had to google but a dithyramb is a 'a passionate choral hymn in honour of Dionysus, or any piece of writing that resembles this' so he's referencing the famous Wordsworth poem (because who knows another poem about daffodils) in a 'look at me I know lots of obscure words' way.

1 Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante. Translated by Ann Goldstein
2 The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante. Translated by Ann Goldstein
3 The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
4 Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden
5 The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre. Translated by Stephanie Smee
6 Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
7 Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree. Translated by Daisy Rockwell
8 Kristin Lavrandatter II: The Wife by Sigrid Undset. Translated by Tiina Nunnally
9 Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
10 Heaven by Mieko Kawakami. Translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.
11 South Riding by Winifred Holtby
12 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
13 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
14 Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
15 Jamilia by Chingiz Aïtmatov. Translated by James Riordan
16 Alberta and Jacob by Cora Sandel. Translated by Elizabeth Rokkan
17 Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada. Translated by Margaret Mitsutani.
18 Island by Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen. Translated by Caroline Waight
19-21 Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen. Translated by Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favala Goldman

My excellent summer reading has completely changed all my top reads. Currently sticking with books about Denmark and reading Rose Tremain's Music and Silence which is as good as you'd expect but suffers by comparison with Tove Ditlevsen. I should maybe have read a trashy filler between them.

Thank you @JaninaDuszejko Much appreciated!

114. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

I didn’t think I’d read this book, but according to Goodreads, I read it 9 years ago and didn’t like it. I liked it even less this time round, this just didn’t do it for me. I found it incredibly dull. There was no tension, no real scariness and I found the character of Trisha really unbelievable as she seemed way older than 9 to me. One of my least favourite King books.

Gasp! I loved it @MamaNewtNewt 🤣

I agree she is older than 9 though

I can't read books with child narrators anymore because to be accurate they'd be unreadable. My 10yo can't have a 5 minute conversation without threatening to tickle me and insisting we watch a Grian youtube video about Minecraft never mind sustain an interesting narritive over 300 pages.

I’m in #TeamTomGordon I’ve read it three times and loved it every time.

🤣 agree, my nearly 9 year old would fill about 100 pages consisting solely of how many handstands she could achieve against the biggest tree could find

19.. Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality by Helen Joyce

This was a fascinating insight into the trans activist movement of the past 10 years, how it is funded and organised, how it captured politicians, schools, and corporations, and the challenges that were brought to it as the public slowly became aware of it.

If you have been reading MN’s FWR boards perhaps you are aware of the feminist issues and RL problems with Self-ID such as housing of rapists and murderers with intact mail genitalia n women’s jails, but this book unveils so much more that I believe it is a powerful, essential reading for women today.

Recommended.

101 If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffrey
This was the only Booker longlisted book my library has on Libby so I thought I’d give it a go. These are linked short stories, mainly from the POV of Trelawney, a young Jamaican-American, though some are from the other men in his family. They explore race, identity, masculinity and the father son relationship in Florida in the aftermath of the hurricane. Some stories are beautifully written and moving, others are a bit meh.

102 Whispers Underground - Ben Aaronovitch
Another decent audio listen- it won’t set the world on fire but it’s entertaining and well narrated. Peter Grant investigates the death of the son of a US senator and finds links to the fae and an underground community.

103 East of Eden- John Steinbeck
I officially love Steinbeck. I’m going to have to read everything the man wrote. Despite often exploring dark themes and some dark characters , he always manages to keep some hope and warmth. Cathy is a bit one dimensional but Samuel Hamilton and Lee are so lovable they make up for it. A bold.

I also read (but won’t count) Galatea by Madeleine Miller- a short story based on Ovid’s metamorphosis. I enjoyed this more than her other works as I really liked the voice in it. Very enjoyable, quick read.

I’m buddy reading The Brothers Karamazov over the next few months (at a chapter a day) so I think I shall stick with mainly short books during that epic read- it’s my first attempt at one of the big Russians so I hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew!

I forgot to mention a DNF- Transatlantic by Colum McCann. Linked short stories again of protagonists across different eras, though all based on Irish American relations- one is the flight of Alcock and Brown, the second Frederick Douglass’s visit to Ireland in 1845 and the third Senator George Mitchell at the peace process talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement. The voices were too similar and the writing too staccato for my tastes. I only stuck at it so long as my MIL had lent it to me. I’m not sure if the remaining stories continue these links and I’m not reading on to find out!

30 Let that be a lesson - Ryan Wilson
As previously mentioned, a very personal account of his 10 years in the teaching profession. Overall a pretty balanced view, in my opinion, tending towards his reasons for resigning in the final chapters. Enjoyed his narration on audible.

With audible in mind can I ask you lovely lot for some recommendations?
I have a VERY long drive over the next couple of weeks. Think 22 hours one way !! I'm doing all the driving but we're stopping off at various places on the way. So something good to listen to for me and DD who's about to start uni - something lighthearted and funny?!? Then for me on the way back to stop me blubbing for 22 hours straight 😂- so maybe also lighthearted and funny!!
I'd thought we could listen to the Salt Path on the way there as that is the area DD will be living in but I started it today and it 'reads' like a misery-fest 🙄- I'm only an hour in. Am I judging it too soon?

The Baillie-Gifford Prize long list is out today for the nonfiction fans.
www.thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk/inside-the-covers/news/the-prize-announces-the-2023-longlist
I've read Time to Think and I'm in the library queue for Ultra Processed People. There's one or two others that look interesting.

Just finished The Families of Eleanor of Aquitaine - JF Andrews which is a look at her 10 children and the influence her family had across Europe for a significant period. I found it really interesting as an overview all in one place.

@nowanearlyNicemum
I don't think The Salt Path would be great as the kind of binge listen you need on a long journey. Have you read Firekeeper's Daughter? I listened to it recently and loved it.

@nowanearlyNicemum I loved the audible of Fire Rush, about a young black woman in South London and later Bristol and Jamaica in the early 80s. Touches on dub music, racism, police violence and a bit of woo.

I'm currently listening to All The Little Bird Hearts which is about an autistic woman and her new exotic neighbour which I'm also enjoying. She also has a daughter whose just finished her GCSEs and is thinking about Uni so should have something for your daughter too.

Just realized you said light-hearted and funny.... They don't necessarily tick that box!

I don't know about audible, but for sustained laughs I'd want either some Wodehouse or some Bill Bryson, I think.

My shelves are really light on humour - I'd like to correct that

Eine, I always feel the same thing. My brother comes up trumps with occasional funny reads. James Acaster for example. I'm also reading Joe Lycett's Parsnips Unbuttered (I think that's what it's called) which I find funny if I pick it up and read a chapter but several chapters in a row doesn't work for me at all!

Stokey, Fire Rush could actually be a good call for the outward journey with DD. Will shelve the Salt Path for now.

CluelessMama - I will check out Firekeeper's Daughter

Remus, I'm ashamed to say I've never tried any Wodehouse. Might be good for my journey home. Or some comforting Bill Bryson. Haven't read anything by him in years.

I bought Ultra-Processed People recently on audible but might need something a little more fluffy on the way home. Given I have 22 hours I can probably alternate 😂

@nowanearlyNicemum I love Christopher Brookmyre- if you and your daughter have a dark sense of humour that could work. There’s violence but the baddies are cartoon figures iykwim. I know David Tennant narrates some of his audiobooks, not One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night (my favourite) though. Maybe try a sample ..

I usually recommend Ducks, Newburyport for long listens at it clocks in at 45 hours, but might be frustrating for your daughter to only get half way through.

@FortunaMajor Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of my fave historical figures so will have to check that one out.

Interesting that I seem to be in the minority with The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, perhaps you all read a version that didn't describe a certain type of bug as "minges" throughout 😳

115. Say Her Name by Dreda Say Mitchell and Ryan Carter

Eva was adopted as an eight-year-old, and twenty years later decides to find her birth parents. As her search becomes entwined with the disappearance of a number of young black women in 1994, who no one bothered to look for, Eva finds herself in danger.

An interesting idea, and a couple of decent twists weren’t enough to rescue this book from a, frankly generous, one star rating. I don’t know what distresses me more, the terrible writing, the terrible characters, or the fact that 1994 is seen as some kind of prehistoric era. I’m so old.

59. Period Piece - Gwen Raverat

Charming, sometimes spiky, wholly delightful classic book of memoirs of a childhood in Cambridge in the late 19th century. Raverat was born Gwen Darwin; her father was George, Charles Darwin's second son, and the huge Darwin/Wedgwood clan is vividly evoked here - one of my favourite parts of the book is Raverat's pen-portrait of each of her Darwin uncles, in all their eccentricity. Raverat became an artist and the book's illustrated with her own witty line illustrations, a delight in themselves.

60: The Old Curiosity Shop - Charles Dickens

Finished for the readalong. I think we all agreed that this isn’t one of Dickens's stand-out books in terms of plotting and tension-building, famous though it was in its day for the saintly Little Nell, a decidedly saccharine character to 21st century tastes. I’m glad to have read it, though. Onwards with Nicholas Nickleby next.