50 Books Challenge Part Eight

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the eighth 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.

Some of us bring over to the new thread lists of the books we've read so far, but again - this is your choice.

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

What are you reading?

110 The Truth About Melody Browne - Lisa Jewell

This is a page turner, for sure! I’m in transit so my brain isn’t switched on enough for my current non-fiction read and have devoured this instead on today’s flight.

Melody’s son - who she had at 15 - is about to turn 18. She’s reflecting on her life and goes on her first date in a while - and ends up a subject in a hypnotist’s show, which starts to trigger memories that have been buried since she was rescued from a house fire aged nine.

We see the flashbacks to her childhood before Melody does, and it’s good to see it all pieced together. It stretches credibility somewhat but it’s a lot of fun.

Enjoy your holiday @SheilaFentiman

205 Pearl by Sian Hughes
I decided to catch up on some unread longlisted books from the last couple of years that were languishing on my kindle from 99p deals of yore. This has been mostly unsuccessful so far. I DNFed Cursed Bread and Nightbloom. I struggled to care about the characters in either. Pearl was much better- an exploration of grief and mental health that was moving and most importantly I cared about the protagonist.

206 The History of Sound by Benjamin Shuttock
A series of short stories set in New England across different time periods and all connected to music and sound. Some of the stories also connect to each other. I listened to this on audio and the stories were beautifully read. I believe the title story is going to be made into a movie with Paul Mescal (who also reads one of the stories). A late bold for me. Highly recommend to people who liked North Woods especially.

111 Breathtaking - Dr Rachel Clarke

A quick read - Dr C is a palliative care doctor often working in an hospice and her book focused on how we die was great. This was written largely in the early months of the pandemic and is much more raw, but is intersting and angry, on the subject of both the NHS experience and that of her patients.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit - I'm currently reading Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay. Its very short and very easy to read. CW there is an abortion scene, but he does give a warning, not a CW, but he does describe it as upsetting and you can click past on the Kindle.

Not actually particularly Christmassy, but I have been saving it for December. Kay himself is Jewish (although not practising), which is why he ended up working so many Christmas Days.

Thanks @Tarragon123 but I haven't read any Adam Kay and I'm not sure he's for me.

Just finished an Audible last night

131. The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (Audible)

This story told by all four members of the Barnes family was a good yarn. It's been reviewed a lot already so I will just say I enjoyed it but a rape scene made me very uncomfortable and I thought the denouement/cliffhanger was silly and not believable, so therefore not a bold. That's two books that have ended on cliffhangers for me recently. Don't like it. End your book properly!

Oh! We have reaction emojis now! Is this new? Or have I only just noticed it?

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit if you're getting on ok with Audible, why not stick to that for a bit? I would absolutely recommend Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir on Audible if you havent already read it? I appreciate that I was late to the party with that one. Definitely my favourite Audible of the Year.

I don’t much care for the reaction emojis 🤔

I liked her other books but Alexandra Benedict's Murder on the Christmas Express is about rape. Seriously. In a dressed up as Christamssy book which sounds like a fun Agatha Christie. With a quiz and recipes at the end and anagrams scattered throughout.. I mean WTAF. A PP warned it was bad but that doesn't cover it.

I DNFd ten pages before the end. When I recover, I'll do the quiz.

Eeeurgh, no, a small step away from a Like button <shudder>
Although if they are visible only to the recipient it might not be so bad.

Yes, also my Audible of the Year @Tarragon123 I RAVED about it lol, it's probably my book of the year all told

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit have you read Rizzio? Short but absolutely gripping.

Yes! Either last year or sometime this

*Score! - Jilly Cooper’

Jilly’s only murder mystery. Film people, horse people and opera people gather at the home of conductor Rannaldini to make a film of the opera Don Carlos. The actual murder doesn’t take place until about half way through but there is plenty of scene setting and the victim is pretty repulsive with some shocking acts.

Plenty of bonking and drinking and eating and dogs and countryside as usual. Some hilarious bits too. Rupert and many of the characters from past books show up for good measure.

Tremendous fun - enjoyed it immensely.

151. Let the Dead Speak, by Jane Casey
152. A Stranger in the Family, by Jane Casey
Two more in the Maeve Kerrigan series, nicely twisty police procedurals.

153. The Naked Neanderthal, Ludovic Slimak
Non-fiction translated from French. Archaeology with a macho swagger, all about challenging archaeological digs in Siberia and cramped caves in France, and rubbishing everyone else's theories as they don't have his field experience. I love this kind of thing and enjoyed it very much.

154. Sunken Lands, Gareth E Rees
Also non-fiction. The author decides to confront his fears about global warming and sea levels rising by looking at places that have flooded in the past (lots about mythical lands off the coast of Cornwall and Wales) and where it is happening now. Surprisingly enjoyable given its subject matter. It's always comforting when you think how fleeting our concerns are in the context of geological time.

155. Rural Hours, Harriet Baker
This looks at the experiences of three female writers, living in villages in first half of the twentieth century. I don't think it quite worked in its own terms - the stories didn't do much to illuminate each other. I was interested in Sylvia Townsend Warner - the text came alive whenever she was quoted and she did seem to trying hardest to find a new mode of living.

156. Super-Infinite: The Transformation of John Dunne, by Katherine Rundell
Some of my favourite books of the year were literary biographies and a book by this author on vanishing animals (the woman has range) so this seemed a sure-fire bet, and so it was was. Donne was an interesting man living in interesting times, and Rundell has a wonderful way with prose, so this was a delight.

I'm currently reading Period Piece, by Gwen Raverat, about her Victorian childhood in Cambridge as one of the offspring of the Darwin family. @PermanentTemporary mentioned it last June, and when I was buying some books for Christmas presents, I thought I deserved a present too. What a pleasure - it's had me laughing out loud, and it's so affectionate about her extended family and their foibles.

The Doll's Alphabet by Camilla Grudova

Opinions were divided on the thread about Grudova's novel Children of Paradise. I liked it and so decided to read this collection of short stories. They are all fantastical and take place in a world that's grubby, risque and with a sense of European faded grandeur or post revolutionary collapse. Reading them is like watching an adult stop motion animation set in a dystopic world. Several themes repeat again and again, in particular sewing machines feature in several of the stories. If you didn't like her novel you'll probaby hate this, I kind of liked it although inevitably some stories were stronger than others and she has an over reliance on the use of lists.

I love Period Piece @bibliomania - one of my all time favourites.

It's lovely, @Tarahumara - another reason to be grateful to this thread!

Life has been crazily busy since late October, so I've only just had time to catch up with parts 7 and 8 of this thread. Have somehow purchased nine books in the process. And am very tempted to get my nails painted a lovely dark colour for Christmas

@JaninaDuszejko I'm so pleased you enjoyed The Observations. I've often given it as a present and I think it's always been well received. I might just reread it myself over Christmas actually.

@Terpsichore I liked the sound of The Inn at the Edge of the World in your review, and have discovered it's already on my bookshelves! Another good one to read during the holidays.

Interesting discussion about The Gunslinger. I like the sound of the Dark Tower series but have had a couple of stabs at The Gunslinger and found it really turgid. Would it be worth trying again to get through it?

Strangely, I loved The Gunslinger and didn't get on with the rest!

132. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

Ruth Galloway #9

This one, about homeless deaths, was much better than its predecessor. I seem to be only capable of reading Griffiths at the moment and I'm leaning into it. My 2024 goal is 135. So two more then my current audiobook.

Definitely worth giving The Gunslinger another go and trying to tolerate it. Or one of us could DM you with the things you have to know from it in order to proceed with the series- it could be done in fewer than ten bullet points, I reckon.

@highlandcoo I was the same with The Gunslinger but found the audible book much easier.

Haven't read much of note this month, between doomscrolling S Korean news + flu + work rush, mostly light crime:

Ann Swinfen - The Bookseller’s Tale, The Novice’s Tale, The Huntsman’s Tale, The Merchant’s Tale (Oxford Medieval mysteries #1-4)
Slice-of-mid-1400s-life cosy crime with excellent evocation of time and place, a refreshingly well-adjusted and empathetic amateur sleuth (widower, father, bookseller) and lovable supporting cast; only paused there because #5 takes place over Christmas and there are only 6 in all 😢I know some on here share my fondness for Cynthia Harnett's children's books and would recommend these in a similar vein.

Graham Brack - Dishonour and Obey (Master Mercurius #3)
A disappointing jaunt to England, much weaker than the first 2 books with excessive basic historical info-dumps, though M's snarky voice remains fun. I just hope the series stays on the continent in future!

Jane Casey - The Burning (Maeve Kerrigan #1)
I've been missing a contemporary police procedural series since Jo Spain and Cara Hunter have switched to silly psych thrillers and this was a solid opener - thanks to recommenders on here.

And reread The Ink Black Heart to, idk, maximise my annoyance at the adaptation?? Think I was in a minority in really liking this the first time (poss due to my familiarity with its particular subcultures and the Victorian poets from which it quotes, and for once guessing the killer) and it was even better on a reread - not least because the ebook had been improved to make zooming in on the chat logs much easier. Caught many more echoes among the disparate strands (even appreciating Madeline as another artist and mother), and was better able to appreciate the meticulousness of the plotting, with the benefit of hindsight and not sleeplessly bingeing😅

Did however just binge Jonathan Coe - The Proof of My Innocence:
A sparkling confection of cosy crime, dark academia and autofiction, blended with his staple mixed modes and state-of-the-nation political satire (Liz Truss era). Some of the Gen Z characters came off a bit "how do you do fellow kids,” asks boomer man who’s read a few clickbait articles (Zoomers love: Friends on repeat, being woke, asexuality, food pop-ups...) but overall, glorious fun. (And Friends trivia were ingeniously worked into into several puzzles.) Like Lissa Evans' Small Bomb at Dimperley, this won't rank in the top tier of the author's work for me (the roots of modern Anglo-American conservatism / careful what you wish for political philosophising elements were a bit underworked to convince), but for sheer enjoyment, it's got to be a bold.

It's also made me hopeful of a few more bolds before posting an annual round up - among the other books I've taken on holiday are some board faves and Hot New Things by Ali Smith, Claudia Piñeiro, Kaliane Bradley, etc.

Ah, thanks Remus and others. I'm quite anal so bullet points would feel like cheating unfortunately but I do appreciate the offer. Once I get a rush of energy after Christmas I'll give it another bash. I like a good series to get my teeth into and have enjoyed other Stephen King books so probably worth plodding on through. Will report back ...

And having enjoyed everyone else's book reviews so much I should contribute a few myself, so:

The Red House by Mark Haddon.

I liked but didn't love this. The premise was promising: a brother and sister, who have never been close, spending a week's holiday in a cottage near Hay-on-Wye with their respective spouses and children. Lots of unresolved family issues from the past - and the present - plus sexual tension between the teenagers, marital stress, work pressure, unresolved grief .. there's a lot going on and it's all quite interesting in theory, however I never wholly believed in the characters. They were there to carry the plot and themes rather being fully rounded individuals iykwim. I'm not sure middle-aged men write teenage girl characters very well really.

Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris.

Read for my book group. The story of Zora, an art teacher living through the siege of Sarajevo. I have to admit that while this was happening in 1992, I was so occupied with working and young children that I wasn't as fully informed as I should have been, and I learned a lot from this book. It's based on the author's mother's own experience so presumably essentially authentic.
Zora stays behind when her husband and elderly mother leave for England, planning to join them later but leaving it too late. She is trapped as the siege suddenly takes hold and things go from bad to worse. Phones are cut off, heating and then water and the reality of life in these spartan conditions is vividly described, as is the resilience and determination to survive of Zora, her students and friends. The destruction of the Bosnian National Library is a massive blow. The charred remains of books and manuscripts floating over the city are the black butterflies of the title. And the importance of art and literature to the human spirit, even when physically life is very tough, is very well conveyed. It's interesting too, to witness the gulf that can develop between people who really love one another, when one is safe and the other undergoing a harrowing experience which can never be fully understood. A good read.

61 False Colours - Georgette Heyer Kit comes home on leave from his diplomatic job on the continent because he has had an intuition that his twin brother Evelyn has had some kind of accident - and ends up standing in for the missing Evelyn in the big “meet-the-parents (and grandmother)” event for the girl to whom Evelyn has proposed a marriage of convenience. From there, everything unfolds as you would expect, with the right people falling in love with each other and a happy ending guaranteed. I did find the twins’ flighty, flirty, profligate mother irritating but maybe I’m just jealous 😄 I needed something lightweight and cheerful, and this did the job.