2024 Reading Challenge
- Thread starter Selaws
- Start date
Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
I loved this so much. Tragic but outstanding reading.
jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
Books 29-31
#29 Micajah Henley - Sandinista! (33.3) - I think the sign of a good music book is that it makes you want to listen to the songs being discussed. This book met the brief
#30 TR Napper - Ghost of the Neon God. I didn't realize this was a novella. Nice quick read. Old school Cyberpunk. My 3rd Napper book of the year.
#31 Jeff Gomez - Math Rock. See #29. Reading this did not make me want to listen to a bunch of math rock bands.
#29 Micajah Henley - Sandinista! (33.3) - I think the sign of a good music book is that it makes you want to listen to the songs being discussed. This book met the brief
#30 TR Napper - Ghost of the Neon God. I didn't realize this was a novella. Nice quick read. Old school Cyberpunk. My 3rd Napper book of the year.
#31 Jeff Gomez - Math Rock. See #29. Reading this did not make me want to listen to a bunch of math rock bands.
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Oh fantastic, I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil recently and really enjoyed it, way more than I expected to. I agree with you, the elements focusing on Savannah were just as interesting, if not more, than the plot and crime itself!
ayayrawn
Well-Known Member
My horror Halloween month reading was kind of a dud.
33. The Fisherman by John Langan - an audiobook I DNFed. Liked the cosmic horror idea that it was going for, but never once vibed with the pacing or writing style of it.
34. Poems by Emily Bronte - Y'all already know. Despairing stuff perfect for the season.
35. Berserk vols 1-5 by Kentaro Miura - A classic manga I've never really dived into and holy shit does it slap. Kind of oppressively bleak tho, so going to take a decent break before I continue on but will be doing so.
36. The Cipher by Kathe Koja - Incredibly bleak and gross early 90s body/psych horror. Drags on and on and makes you miserable by design, and was relieved when I finally finished it. Didn't hate it, vibes are unique but did not love and will not read again.
37. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - A blind spot for me. Read for a buddy's book club. Yep, it's depressing.
The last couple weeks I've been reading Say Nothing, a book by Patrick Radden Keefe on The Troubles, which is incredible (and apparently has a miniseries coming out soon, which i had no idea until 10 min ago). I'm thinking of having a nonfiction November, but I'm getting to the point where I really think I need to read something happy lol
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Book 30: The Jazz Scene by Francis Newton (Penguin, 1961)
This is a book that I've been meaning to read for a while and it often gets references as being an important book. I kind of get it, there's plenty of interesting aspects to it, especially for the time period. Its also quite dated at points too. Still, a decent read that cost me less than a quid at my local carboot sale.
Book 31: The Dinner Guest by B.P. Walter (One More Chapter, 2021)
I picked this up on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. Its a classic "who done it" with a twist and it opens with the actual murder, but these more to it than appears. Really fun read.
Book 32: The Game by Scott Kershaw (HQ, 2022)
A similar thriller to the previous book, but this has several seemingly unrelated characters that slowly tie together. Decent stuff!
This is a book that I've been meaning to read for a while and it often gets references as being an important book. I kind of get it, there's plenty of interesting aspects to it, especially for the time period. Its also quite dated at points too. Still, a decent read that cost me less than a quid at my local carboot sale.
Book 31: The Dinner Guest by B.P. Walter (One More Chapter, 2021)
I picked this up on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. Its a classic "who done it" with a twist and it opens with the actual murder, but these more to it than appears. Really fun read.
Book 32: The Game by Scott Kershaw (HQ, 2022)
A similar thriller to the previous book, but this has several seemingly unrelated characters that slowly tie together. Decent stuff!
LeSamourai
Well-Known Member
I really liked this one, although I didn't listen to it... but I can see how someone might not like it as much.
Bull Shannon
Well-Known Member
Yep, this was chock-full of unpleasant people and unpleasant fluids.
Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
I picked this up on a Kindle 99p daily deal a few days back. Looking forward to it, it's had great reviews. If you get a taste for the place and period and you haven't read it already, I can't recommend Milkman enough. It's a fiction but with The Troubles as the backdrop and Burns captures the madness and the paranoia of the period amazingly.
ayayrawn
Well-Known Member
Will definitely check that out! It's such a fascinating period. I think when all is said and done this will be in my top 5 books I've read this year. Incredible work.
ranbalam
Well-Known Member
I'm intrigued now. I just ordered a couple books that I want to read when I finish Stoner, but after reading just a little bit about Say Nothing, it might take cuts.
ranbalam
Well-Known Member
Book 21 - Stoner - John Williams
It really took until the final chapter for me to understand why it was written, if that makes sense at all. It was so linear and, almost clinical.
But his death; the way it was written was so gripping and beautiful, and fucking sad
So I just read a few heavy classics in a row, usually I break things up with some non-fiction. and now I'm definitely ready.
Next up is Hitchcock/Truffaut.
It really took until the final chapter for me to understand why it was written, if that makes sense at all. It was so linear and, almost clinical.
But his death; the way it was written was so gripping and beautiful, and fucking sad
So I just read a few heavy classics in a row, usually I break things up with some non-fiction. and now I'm definitely ready.
Next up is Hitchcock/Truffaut.
Fleetwood-Matt
Well-Known Member
Book 15: How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur
The Good Place is probably my favorite tv show of all time and this is basically just that show but as a book. Schur manages to make big moral philosophy topics manageable and interesting. Not for moral philosophy experts but definitely a solid starting point to someone new to the topic
4/5
The Good Place is probably my favorite tv show of all time and this is basically just that show but as a book. Schur manages to make big moral philosophy topics manageable and interesting. Not for moral philosophy experts but definitely a solid starting point to someone new to the topic
4/5
mdmost
Well-Known Member
I had to bail on The Demon of Unrest. So odd because it's on most of the best of lists but I just couldn't keep going. Since I had a trip with my brother to LA on the schedule, I switched to this one that I've been wanting to look at as I love stories about seedy LA in the Golden Age of Hollywood. It's pretty good. Funny enough, watching L.A. Confidential and Lana Turner and the boyfriend turn up in an amusing scene. Not an amusing story though.
Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
November 2024
Cracking month, some real belters.
Book 66: Delia Owens - Where the Crawdads Sing
Mrs Moore recommended the movie and Mr Moore Snr recommended the book so, I finally got around to it and I loved it. The sad life of a marsh girl in North Carolina faces a family that deserts her and a community that holds prejudices too strong to accept her even as a little girl. As she grows into an incredibly intelligent, artistic, self-sufficient woman, she falls victim to a violent sexual attack, the perpetrator later found dead. The second half of the novel sees her put on trial with the flimsiest of evidence against her and the book becomes a captivating courtroom drama. I was hooked to every word, super entertaining, incredibly emotional and a wonderful, (if not a little predictable) conclusion.
Book 67: Rachel Kushner - The Flamethrowers
This was something else: one of those astoundingly well-written tales detailing fascinating people with well researched historical detail, but not a whole lot of storyline. It doesn't matter though, it captured motorcycle racing on the Utah Salt Flats; the '70s NY art scene complete with bohemian dinner parties, left-wing militant groups and uprisings on both sides of the Atlantic, big industry and labour disputes and it's all held together with totally believable characters and relationships. Proper, proper excellent writing - I've heard plenty said of Kushner in recent years and this is definitely only the first of hers that I'll be reading.
Book 68: Paul Auster - The Brooklyn Follies
Following an Auster free October, I picked up with book 10 in the bibliography and I've got to say, I enjoyed it more than I've enjoyed most so far and I simply think it was because it just didn't take itself too seriously. A basic premise sees a near 60 year old divorcee returning to his childhood neighbourhood in Brooklyn which sets off both his decision to document his past follies but also continue his new life in a series of chapters that are all in their own way light, comical and full of vitality. It's not been a common theme in his books and while his characters were still full of NY smarts, arty and literate, they just seemed more fun and human than in many past works.
Book 69: Samantha Harvey - Orbital
Beautiful poetic prose in this year's Booker winner details the lives and thoughts of a group of astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS over the course of 24 hours, 16 orbits of Earth. Chock-a-block with philosophical ruminations it made me consider man-made constructs and humankind more than ever. Very good and at about 4 hours reading time, treat yourself.
Book 70: Shehan Karunatilaka - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Two Booker winners in a row, colour me cultured! Quite simply though, this is an astounding piece of literature. It has everything: historical fiction; politics; magical realism; horror; thriller; funny as hell; love and relationships; humanity and inhumanity. It is absolutely incredible and I can't recommend it enough. In short, a recently deceased photojournalist in late '80s/early '90s Sri Lanka tries to uncover the instances surrounding his death which he has no memory of, and like all ghosts, he has a week - seven moons - to interact with the world as he knew it to discover the truth. Wonderful, definitely in the running for best book I've read this year, possibly one of the best books I've ever read.
Book 71: Chetna Maroo - Western Lane
I loved this slight novella about a British Indian girl who having recently lost her mother, navigates her young life with her two older sisters and struggling father by practicing squash at her local sports centre, Western Lane. It's masterfully subtle in its telling, never maudlin and profoundly emotional for it. Again, you could spend 4 hours reading much worse material.
Book 72: Martin Amis - Success
I like Martin Amis' stuff. He's very much of his time though and the girl chasing, sexist men portrayed in his novels definitely won't appeal to many of today's readers. I do find him funny though and this story about a year in the life of two gloriously deluded foster brothers and their psychosexual fantasies - each month's events told consecutively by each man, frequently contradicting their counterpart's narrative - had me in stitches at times. As the year progresses the men cross over in (their) terms of success. Mixed in is a rather bleak portrayal of growing up in a dysfunctional family setting and never quite dealing with it resulting in a tragic outcome. Top flight Amis.
Book 73: Charlotte Perkins Gilman - The Yellow Wallpaper
Remarkable short story that details a brief spell in a secluded house that has been rented to offer a rest cure following what I'm guessing would now be considered postnatal depression. During the 3 months isolation she sees almost none of her infant child, doctor husband who has an important case in town, or his sister who is staying there too. Clues indicate she has effectively been imprisoned there as part of the treatment and this cultivates in her a very unhealthy obsession with the wallpaper that adorns the nursery where she stays. As cliched as the 'decent into madness' trope may be, this is masterful in that respect but, it works equally well as an out-and-out horror story. Both the horror of failing sanity coupled with a house that oozes dread to the narrator. I've said it a few times this month but, this one is an hour's read at most, and you could seriously study it for months, there is so much in here.
Onto a Dickens next but that will feature in December's rundown.
Cracking month, some real belters.
Book 66: Delia Owens - Where the Crawdads Sing
Mrs Moore recommended the movie and Mr Moore Snr recommended the book so, I finally got around to it and I loved it. The sad life of a marsh girl in North Carolina faces a family that deserts her and a community that holds prejudices too strong to accept her even as a little girl. As she grows into an incredibly intelligent, artistic, self-sufficient woman, she falls victim to a violent sexual attack, the perpetrator later found dead. The second half of the novel sees her put on trial with the flimsiest of evidence against her and the book becomes a captivating courtroom drama. I was hooked to every word, super entertaining, incredibly emotional and a wonderful, (if not a little predictable) conclusion.
Book 67: Rachel Kushner - The Flamethrowers
This was something else: one of those astoundingly well-written tales detailing fascinating people with well researched historical detail, but not a whole lot of storyline. It doesn't matter though, it captured motorcycle racing on the Utah Salt Flats; the '70s NY art scene complete with bohemian dinner parties, left-wing militant groups and uprisings on both sides of the Atlantic, big industry and labour disputes and it's all held together with totally believable characters and relationships. Proper, proper excellent writing - I've heard plenty said of Kushner in recent years and this is definitely only the first of hers that I'll be reading.
Book 68: Paul Auster - The Brooklyn Follies
Following an Auster free October, I picked up with book 10 in the bibliography and I've got to say, I enjoyed it more than I've enjoyed most so far and I simply think it was because it just didn't take itself too seriously. A basic premise sees a near 60 year old divorcee returning to his childhood neighbourhood in Brooklyn which sets off both his decision to document his past follies but also continue his new life in a series of chapters that are all in their own way light, comical and full of vitality. It's not been a common theme in his books and while his characters were still full of NY smarts, arty and literate, they just seemed more fun and human than in many past works.
Book 69: Samantha Harvey - Orbital
Beautiful poetic prose in this year's Booker winner details the lives and thoughts of a group of astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS over the course of 24 hours, 16 orbits of Earth. Chock-a-block with philosophical ruminations it made me consider man-made constructs and humankind more than ever. Very good and at about 4 hours reading time, treat yourself.
Book 70: Shehan Karunatilaka - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Two Booker winners in a row, colour me cultured! Quite simply though, this is an astounding piece of literature. It has everything: historical fiction; politics; magical realism; horror; thriller; funny as hell; love and relationships; humanity and inhumanity. It is absolutely incredible and I can't recommend it enough. In short, a recently deceased photojournalist in late '80s/early '90s Sri Lanka tries to uncover the instances surrounding his death which he has no memory of, and like all ghosts, he has a week - seven moons - to interact with the world as he knew it to discover the truth. Wonderful, definitely in the running for best book I've read this year, possibly one of the best books I've ever read.
Book 71: Chetna Maroo - Western Lane
I loved this slight novella about a British Indian girl who having recently lost her mother, navigates her young life with her two older sisters and struggling father by practicing squash at her local sports centre, Western Lane. It's masterfully subtle in its telling, never maudlin and profoundly emotional for it. Again, you could spend 4 hours reading much worse material.
Book 72: Martin Amis - Success
I like Martin Amis' stuff. He's very much of his time though and the girl chasing, sexist men portrayed in his novels definitely won't appeal to many of today's readers. I do find him funny though and this story about a year in the life of two gloriously deluded foster brothers and their psychosexual fantasies - each month's events told consecutively by each man, frequently contradicting their counterpart's narrative - had me in stitches at times. As the year progresses the men cross over in (their) terms of success. Mixed in is a rather bleak portrayal of growing up in a dysfunctional family setting and never quite dealing with it resulting in a tragic outcome. Top flight Amis.
Book 73: Charlotte Perkins Gilman - The Yellow Wallpaper
Remarkable short story that details a brief spell in a secluded house that has been rented to offer a rest cure following what I'm guessing would now be considered postnatal depression. During the 3 months isolation she sees almost none of her infant child, doctor husband who has an important case in town, or his sister who is staying there too. Clues indicate she has effectively been imprisoned there as part of the treatment and this cultivates in her a very unhealthy obsession with the wallpaper that adorns the nursery where she stays. As cliched as the 'decent into madness' trope may be, this is masterful in that respect but, it works equally well as an out-and-out horror story. Both the horror of failing sanity coupled with a house that oozes dread to the narrator. I've said it a few times this month but, this one is an hour's read at most, and you could seriously study it for months, there is so much in here.
Onto a Dickens next but that will feature in December's rundown.
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jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
For those of you who buy ebooks I am curious what is your upper price?
Its funny but I have no issue with spending $10-15 CDN for a digital copy of an album on Bandcamp but really can't make myself go past $10 for an eBook. For me what gets stuck in my head is that I now very rarely re-read books but will listen an digital album dozens of times.
But what really picks me is when I find an interesting looking music-related book. And in Amazon the physical book is $27 and the ebook is $24.
Its funny but I have no issue with spending $10-15 CDN for a digital copy of an album on Bandcamp but really can't make myself go past $10 for an eBook. For me what gets stuck in my head is that I now very rarely re-read books but will listen an digital album dozens of times.
But what really picks me is when I find an interesting looking music-related book. And in Amazon the physical book is $27 and the ebook is $24.
ngower
Well-Known Member
I usually just get stuff when it’s on sale for like $2 or use the library.
Mr Moore
Well-Known Member
Yeah, similar really. We're a bit lucky over here though in that you can build a mammoth library of really great books, classics and contemporary, on 99p monthly and daily deals. I've got more than I'll ever get through and still find myself buying them but it has to be something really special to me to convince me not to wait and see if it pops up on a price drop.