2018 50 Book Challenge

[Geoffrey Firmin]

3 Submission by Michel Houellebecq

First up I have read all of his work in English and I thought at one stage he was the Existentialist inheritor of Camus and Sartre. Now well i'm not so sure these days. This is a challenging novel more so considering the mass migration of people occurring at Europe at present. In terms of its politics its bound to piss off the nationalist right,the ethical left and the muslim population and feminists out there. Its central character is nihilistic and apathetic. ******** is his best friend and drink plays major role in his life. I found it at times challenging and disturbing and the ending well that will undoubtedly insult everyone.

Would I recommend this? Indeed I would.

 

[California Dreamer]

Spoiler

1. A Tale for the Time Being 2. The Sun is God 3. The Keeper of Lost Causes 4. Lost and Found 5. Murder on the Eiffel Tower 6. How to be Both 7. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore 8. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth 9. Levels of Life 10. The Seventh Day 11. Fortunately the Milk 11b. The Sleeper and the Spindle 12. The Agile Project Management Handbook 13. Reykjavik Nights 14. The Siege 15. The Torch 16. Being Mortal 17. Hicksville 18. Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen 19. The Buried Giant 20. Another Time, Another Life 21. The Corpse Reader 22. Portrait of a Man 23. All the Birds, Singing 24. Out Stealing Horses 25. Last Winter We Parted 26. The Rabbit Back Literature Society 27. Rituals 28. Bitter Remedy 29. The Ring and The Opposite of Death 30. Old Gold 31. Hausfrau 32. Irene 33. I Refuse 34. Nothing is True and Everything is Possible 35. The Dalai Lama’s Cat 36. Blood Year: Terror and the Islamic State 37. The Eye of the Sheep 38. The Miniaturist 39. Crime 40. Golden Boys 41. The Holiday Murders 42. My Brilliant Friend 43.The Girl Who Wasn't There 44. The Thief 45. Someone Else's Conflict 46. Dark Road 47. The Paying Guests 48. Titus Awakes 49. The Writing on the Wall 50. The Straight Dope 51. Us 52. GOMORRAH 53. Lila

54. The Wake

​

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I read the first few pages of The Wake I had the feeling that picking it up was a huge mistake. Paul Kingsnorth has written this novel of England at the time of the Norman Conquest in an invented language that approximates Old English. I battled with his style initially, but once the reader gets attuned to the novel's patois the narrative fairly rattles along, with only an occasional need to consult the pretty meagre glossary provided up the back.

The narrator of the novel is Buccmaster, a free farmer who owns a large holding in the fens country of Lincolnshire. Buccmaster comes across as a man seething with resentments: at the Christians who seek to supplant the Anglish gods, at his father, at the people of his village whom he considers his inferiors, at the feudal lords who take away his sons and working men to fight for King Harald and, most of all, at the bastard french duke who comes to his country and has his farm burnt and his wife killed.

Buccmaster is inspired by visions of a great Anglish hero, Weland the Smith. He takes Weland's sword, given to him by his grandfather, and flees into the woods and the fens, assembling a small band of men to help him fight the French. He struggles to make any headway or to establish himself as the great war leader he imagines himself to be. Buccmaster is somewhat like Don Quixote in this respect, only his visions begin to taunt him, calling him weak and contrasting him with the greater hero of the resistance, Hereward the Wake. Buccmaster comes to despise Hereward almost as much as he despises the French.

Kingsnorth has written a truly original historical novel in The Wake, far more original than the Wolf Hall novels that created such a stir. He works in significant details of the life and speech of the Angles at the time, of the course of the conquest and of the resistance, yet does not weigh his story down excessively. Buccmaster is a disturbing and fascinating central character and his outraged narrative engages the reader in its intensity. View all my reviews

 

[California Dreamer]

Spoiler

1. A Tale for the Time Being 2. The Sun is God 3. The Keeper of Lost Causes 4. Lost and Found 5. Murder on the Eiffel Tower 6. How to be Both 7. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore 8. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth 9. Levels of Life 10. The Seventh Day 11. Fortunately the Milk 11b. The Sleeper and the Spindle 12. The Agile Project Management Handbook 13. Reykjavik Nights 14. The Siege 15. The Torch 16. Being Mortal 17. Hicksville 18. Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen 19. The Buried Giant 20. Another Time, Another Life 21. The Corpse Reader 22. Portrait of a Man 23. All the Birds, Singing 24. Out Stealing Horses 25. Last Winter We Parted 26. The Rabbit Back Literature Society 27. Rituals 28. Bitter Remedy 29. The Ring and The Opposite of Death 30. Old Gold 31. Hausfrau 32. Irene 33. I Refuse 34. Nothing is True and Everything is Possible 35. The Dalai Lama’s Cat 36. Blood Year: Terror and the Islamic State 37. The Eye of the Sheep 38. The Miniaturist 39. Crime 40. Golden Boys 41. The Holiday Murders 42. My Brilliant Friend 43.The Girl Who Wasn't There 44. The Thief 45. Someone Else's Conflict 46. Dark Road 47. The Paying Guests 48. Titus Awakes 49. The Writing on the Wall 50. The Straight Dope 51. Us 52. GOMORRAH 53. Lila 54. The Wake

55. Last Rituals

​

Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Last Rituals is the first of a series of mysteries featuring Icelandic lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir. As you'd expect from a Scandinavian crime novel, the novel is built around a gruesome crime: the murder of Harald, a German history student whose mutilated body is found at the Reykjavik University. The police soon identify a suspect and arrest him

Thora is engaged by the victim's wealthy family to investigate; they are not happy with how the police investigation has proceeded and think they have the wrong man. This raises the obvious question: why? There is nothing in Thora's backstory that makes their hiring her remotely credible, and it's a glaring weakness in the plot.

As Thora looks into the crime it emerges that there are occult influences at work and Harald's friends come to her notice; they are a pretty strange group.

Thora is pretty much led by the nose through this investigation; there are very few instances where she works something out for herself. When she finally does intuit the identity of the murderer it's pretty well unbelievable, as is the suspect's reaction when accused.

Frankly, Thora comes across as a bit of a ditz, and the love interest between her and the German working with her is unnecessary, silly and clumsy in its exposition. The sex scenes are ridiculous; it's hard to tell if the author is playing it for laughs or not. As a character, she lacks the depths of other Scandinavian crime characters such as Beck, Wallander and Varg Veum. It's almost mandatory for a Scandi investigator to have some deep psychological burden brought to the case, and the best that Sigurdardottir can offer is to make Thora a struggling single mum with a lazy secretary. Given the setting, the obvious comparison is to the Erlendur series; this is not even remotely in the same class.
View all my reviews

 

[LonerMatt]

1. A Wrong Turn at the Office on Unmade Lists
2. Acceptance
3. Shipbreaker
4. Winter's Bone
5. Dhmara Bums
6. Istanbul
7. On the Trail of Genghis Khan
8. Holy Bible
9. The Boat
10. Collected Stories
11. Lost and Found
12. Blind Willow, Sleeping woman
13. White Noise
14. Clariel
15. Off the Rails
16. Sabriel
17 Hitler's Daughter
18. Quack this Way
19. Grapes of Wrath
20. Every Man in this Village is a Liar
21. The Twelve Fingered Boy
22. Riders of the Purple Sage
23. The Sheltering Sky
24. How to Travel the World for Free
25. Deliverance
26. Trigger Warning
27. It's Complicated
28. Fight Club
29. Past the Shallows
30. Wonderboys
31. It's what I do
32. A Long Way Down
33. Men Who Stare at Goats
34. Boxer Beetle
35. This is How You Lose Her
36. No Sugar
37. The Invisible Writing
38. Schismatrix
39. The Water Knife
40. Essays
41. Wolfblade
42. Trash
43. The Honours
44. Cloudstreet
45. Cibola Burn
46. Prince of Fools
47. Nemesis Games
48. Golden Boys
49. Gommorah
50. The Ring
51. Wolves
52. Wind/Pinball
53. Distrust that Particular Flavour
54. Blankets
55. Go Set a Watchman
56. Best Australian Stories 2012
57. Half a War
58. Confederacy of Dunces
59. Half a King
60. War
61. Angelmaker
62. Half a King
63. Eye of the Sheep

62. Half a King

**** yeah fantasy! Lots of fun, lots of cool characters, good times. Characters do not remain pure through ****** situations.

63. Eye of the Sheep

CD reviewed this really well, this book was really, really good. Interesting narration and very insightful elaboration on domestic abuse and cyclic negligence. Character of Liam was intensely fucked.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

2 The Blue Guitar by John Banville

 

[California Dreamer]



63. Eye of the Sheep

CD reviewed this really well, this book was really, really good. Interesting narration and very insightful elaboration on domestic abuse and cyclic negligence. Character of Liam was intensely fucked.

Matt, I thought you'd like that one. I'm glad you did. School potential, do you think?

2 The Blue Guitar by John Banville

Geoffrey, you're definitely working off the same "to-read" list that I am. Almost there!

 

[California Dreamer]

Not sure if anyone's noticed, but A Brief History of Seven Killings just won the Man Booker prize. I first of that book ages back, right here on this thread (can't remember who reviewed it). So we are definitely onto the zeitgeist here. I found it a while back in a remainder shop and grabbed it. Got the new Anne Tyler at the same time. I don't think this book is going to be in the remainder shops again for a while.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]



Geoffrey, you're definitely working off the same "to-read" list that I am. Almost there!

Next up Elvis Costello Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink

 

[California Dreamer]



Next up Elvis Costello Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink

Not on my list. Next up is probably a book from the 20 or so I snagged at the Diamond Valley Book Fair today. 15,000 books @ $2.50; I was in heaven.

 

[clockwise]



Not sure if anyone's noticed, but A Brief History of Seven Killings just won the Man Booker prize. I first of that book ages back, right here on this thread (can't remember who reviewed it). So we are definitely onto the zeitgeist here. I found it a while back in a remainder shop and grabbed it. Got the new Anne Tyler at the same time. I don't think this book is going to be in the remainder shops again for a while.

It was me, your resident expert of Jamaican stream-of-consciousness gangster stories. Some parts feel very repetitive and patience is definitely required. Throughout this very long novel you always have the feeling that it is something special, maybe even great. I gave it a very positive review here but I am surprised it won the Booker prize. If you or others read it, I will be excited to hear what you make of it.

 

[clockwise]



3 Submission by Michel Houellebecq

First up I have read all of his work in English and I thought at one stage he was the Existentialist inheritor of Camus and Sartre. Now well i'm not so sure these days. This is a challenging novel more so considering the mass migration of people occurring at Europe at present. In terms of its politics its bound to piss off the nationalist right,the ethical left and the muslim population and feminists out there. Its central character is nihilistic and apathetic. ******** is his best friend and drink plays major role in his life. I found it at times challenging and disturbing and the ending well that will undoubtedly insult everyone.

Would I recommend this? Indeed I would.

I look forward to being insulted. Like you, I have read everything of Houellebecq's writings that have been translated into English and I have always felt somewhat disgusted and ashamed. Submission is already in my next batch of books from Amazon. While I admit to this on an Internet forum, I don't wish my mother to know.

 

[LonerMatt]

Matt, I thought you'd like that one. I'm glad you did. School potential, do you think?

I hope so!

There are so many great Australian books that have come out in the last 5 years. A real plethora for us to choose from.

Reading our mate T Birch's latest currently. Will review soon.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

1 KILLING THE BLACK DOG by Les Murray The Australian poet laureate writes of his life with the Black Dog and how he overcame it, well at least put it on a chain. Interesting and insightful didn't realise he was so fucked up.

Its one of a series published by Black Ink called Short Blacks, actually its an essay but it is bound and if it looks like a book tastes like a book then it is a book in my opinion.

 

[California Dreamer]



if it looks like a book tastes like a book then it is a book in my opinion.

In an age when the best-seller lists are dominated by colouring books, I think that this is fair enough.

 

[LonerMatt]

1. A Wrong Turn at the Office on Unmade Lists
2. Acceptance
3. Shipbreaker
4. Winter's Bone
5. Dhmara Bums
6. Istanbul
7. On the Trail of Genghis Khan
8. Holy Bible
9. The Boat
10. Collected Stories
11. Lost and Found
12. Blind Willow, Sleeping woman
13. White Noise
14. Clariel
15. Off the Rails
16. Sabriel
17 Hitler's Daughter
18. Quack this Way
19. Grapes of Wrath
20. Every Man in this Village is a Liar
21. The Twelve Fingered Boy
22. Riders of the Purple Sage
23. The Sheltering Sky
24. How to Travel the World for Free
25. Deliverance
26. Trigger Warning
27. It's Complicated
28. Fight Club
29. Past the Shallows
30. Wonderboys
31. It's what I do
32. A Long Way Down
33. Men Who Stare at Goats
34. Boxer Beetle
35. This is How You Lose Her
36. No Sugar
37. The Invisible Writing
38. Schismatrix
39. The Water Knife
40. Essays
41. Wolfblade
42. Trash
43. The Honours
44. Cloudstreet
45. Cibola Burn
46. Prince of Fools
47. Nemesis Games
48. Golden Boys
49. Gommorah
50. The Ring
51. Wolves
52. Wind/Pinball
53. Distrust that Particular Flavour
54. Blankets
55. Go Set a Watchman
56. Best Australian Stories 2012
57. Half a War
58. Confederacy of Dunces
59. Half a King
60. War
61. Angelmaker
62. Half a King
63. Eye of the Sheep
64. Ghost River

64. Ghost River

Set in Collingwood during the 1960s, Tony Birch's latest novel deals very much with oppression and struggle - in much more literal and visceral ways than his previous work. Ren has lived in Collingwood his whole life, Sonny moves in next door and the boys become fast friends - playing down by the River (Yarra), meeting locals and having a wonderful summer (all commonly tread ground by Birch). When they return back to school, Sonny gets in trouble, and is expelled, his next foray into the working world = hijinks.

The boys are continually having to navigate the abusive adults that make up their community - crooked cops, gamblers, petty thugs and sociopaths - Ren remains largely aloof, while Sonny is knee-deep in the thick of it. Through these adult characters, Birch really delves into the ways in which children are at the mercy of the adults around them.

This was a good read - not great. I liked it, but didn't enjoy it as much as Father's Day or Shadowboxing (though I think it's the equal of The Promise). I get a lot of pleasure reading about the Melbourne of yesteryear, though and for this reason alone I hope Tony Birch keeps on writing.