50 Books Challenge Part Three

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third 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 first thread is here and the second one here.

I'm about 150 pages in and just finding the voice rather grating.

Piggy, I'm not a huge fan of the voice in Demon Copperhead either! Which also makes me feel like an outlier. It was the read for my book group recently and almost everyone else loved it unreservedly.

I think the whole concept of the book is very clever, and I'm very much on board with the politics, but Kingsolver is not a subtle writer IMO. The voice of Dickens' Copperfield is much more nuanced.

Interesting! Is this typical of her books? I've only read DC.

I think my problem is that I loved David Copperfield and she does , thus far, just seem to be copying it, plot wise. So that doesn't seems hugely clever.

Plus, I am irritated by not remembering the Dickens well enough so distracting myself looking up names etc.

I liked it too, but I still have a very soft spot for Noel Streatfeild's The Painted Garden, about a rather bad-tempered child who's unexpectedly cast as Mary in a Hollywood film of The Secret Garden.

Yes @Terpsichore I loved that too!

@CluelessMamaThe Secret Garden is one of my most favourite books. I reread it every 10 years or so and get something different from it each time, as I get older. I wanted desperately to be Mary Lennox when I was a child, read it for nostalgia in my 20s, winced at the depiction of Colin’s disability later on and now in my 50s my heart goes out to Mary again, seeing a remarkably modern depiction of a child suffering trauma and with visible signs of neurodiversity. I am also (in)famous in my family for bursting into tears at the music from the tv adaptation (would be the 1975 series) and saying “oooh, a Secret Garden!” at any door in a wall
I was obsessed with smocks, button shoes and grumpy but kind distant relatives, none of which featured heavily in my life apart from between the pages of this book. I did have quite a collection of smocks on my teens, thanks to Laura Ashley when it was good and a mother who can sew very well.

Love that @MorriganManor

@Piggywaspushed I had this problem too but the voice does develop as the character ages and becomes less intrusive. By the end I really enjoyed it.

I'll keep going....

@PepeLePew I’ve got the last episode of S3 of Slow Horses to watch tonight. I’ve loved it! I might have a second stab at the books. I tried last year but didn’t get into it but now I’ve watched the series may be more successful. Thanks for the Emily Maitlis recommendation too. I have a bit of a fan girl crush on her.

I’m embarrassed to say as I know it’s been loved on this thread that I DNF Demon Copperhead.

The Maiden - Kate Foster - over long, writing average. Characters one dimensional and weak attempt to overlay modern moral concepts onto a historical setting. Yuk!
How the hell did this make the WP longlist??!?

Me neither. And I DNF The Poisonwood Bible either.

I'm not embarrassed, either. We don't have to like everything, and it doesn't mean we're somehow horribly flawed if we don't like what other people do like. Here endeth the lesson.

Amen.

24 Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee

I’ve read this book several times, although not for many years, and used to love it when I was younger. I still enjoyed the depiction of rural life at the end of an era, a way of life that those living it did not realise was about to change drastically. I’ve mentioned before that while I’m not really a fan of poetry, I do enjoy reading prose written by poets, and there was some beautifully evocative writing. So why wasn’t I able to recapture my love for an old favourite? I just found the casual racism, and sexism, really took the shine off. And yes I get that it is ‘of its time’ and an ‘honest account’, but the last chapter where the author casually outlines a planned sexual assault with his friends, was just awful and crossed a line for me. I doubt I’ll ever read this one again.

This thread wouldn’t be half as much fun if we all agreed.

I used to hold back a bit on reviews of books that other people had said they loved, but I post more honestly now. I don’t mind if people DNF or slate the books I like, it’s not a personal reflection on me. I mean, they’re wrong about Cuddy and I hope one day they realise that …….
I’ve had Demon Copperhead on my Kindle for ages but I want to read it at the ‘right’ time so I do it justice, if that makes sense. I have the feeling if I try it at the wrong time it’ll be DNFed, but that goes for a lot of books.
I started Music In The Dark the other day and found it underwhelming at first but kept going and I quite like it now. I’m hopeful that the hinted at tragedy explains why the main character is such a drag, so I can dredge up some sympathy.

I'd have been kicked off a long time ago if we all had to agree on what we like. 😂

@Piggywaspushed I'm reading DC at the moment and am loving it - but as a disclaimer I'm a big Kingsolver fan. I also loved David Copperfield (the only one of your readalongs that I've finished so far!!) but am going with the flow and not checking things that are niggling parallel questions - I'll do that when I've finished probably!

As others have said, it would be terribly boring on here if we all enjoyed the same books! Regeneration by Pat Barker and Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson are two examples where I just didn't feel the overall 50-bookers love.

I've been at 3% on DC and it's just not calling me back. Mind you, I said the same thing about A Gentleman in Moscow and ended up loving it.

It's enough if we all agree that reading is good - we don't have to agree about each individual volume.

I think I will try anther 100 or so pages this weekend. It may be I am force reading when I am too tired. I shall persevere!

26 The Premonition by Michael Lewis

Non-fiction book about people involved in US public health etc, trying to plan for a pandemic. By the writer of The Big Short and Liar’s Poker, both of which were great.

This was ok. ML is a gripping writer and brought out some interesting characters, but dotted about a fair bit in time and never really reached any conclusions- the book just stopped. An easy read but I wouldn’t be rushing to recommend if.

Onward to more fictional Scottish murder 😀

I have really enjoyed some of Barbara Kingslover’s books, and I think David Copperfield is the only Dickens novel I’ve actually finished (admittedly on audible), but I can’t bring myself to start Demon Copperhead for some reason. Often these books that I sort of want to read but am put off starting end up being the ones I really love, but it could go either way!

I’m disappointed with how much reading progress I’ve made this year, this was definitely going to be the year I did 50 again and really got back into reading but I’m still only on 11 for the year and most have left me fairly unmoved to be honest. The last two I finished have been good though, not sure if bolds yet:

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev - Dawnie Walton
Much reviewed on here last year I think. Oral history style novel about the rise of an interracial rock/ proto punk duo in 70s America. This was a bit of a slow burn for me, I found it hard to get engrossed at first with the format constantly shifting between perspectives, though that definitely worked well once I was ‘in’. I also found the use of real world names/ celebrities etc - whilst I can see how it was meant to give context and even draw parallels - it pulled me out of the story sometimes. Small things though, overall I thought this was great.

Walk the Blue Fields - Claire Keegan
Collection of short stories mostly set in rural Ireland. I loved how complete most of these felt, despite being short. Disturbing even heartbreaking in some cases, but beautifully written and most had a hopeful element too. I’m really grateful to these threads for introducing me to Keegan‘s work.