April Group Challenge 2020

For my first month of hosting the group challenge, I had all sorts of ideas. But with all that is happening in the world at the moment and taking into account that many of us will have limited access to books, I think we should keep it simple.

So this month's challenge is just to read a book from the list that you think you will enjoy or that someone has recommended as being an enjoyable or cheerful read. If you have any recommendations, please add them below.

I hope everyone is keeping well and safe.

I have chosen Cold Comfort Farm.

I think that Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson sounds perfect for this challenge.

Thanks for taking this on!

>3 japaul22: Thanks for having me! I think that would be perfect. I saw the movie without realising it was a book so have looked forward to reading it ever since.

Looking through my TBR pile I sadly conclude that there’s nothing cheerful remaining for me to read! However reading the blurb on Dashiell Hammetts The Glass Key looks like an old fashioned 1930s thriller so that might be a bit of fun.

I have H(a)ppy on my list but I suspect it is not going to be.

Good suggestion for these times. I have no idea what might fit the bill - I might choose a favorite author.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency would work for a laugh. Alice in Wonderland or it's sequel perhaps? Modest Proposal for a satirical, tongue-in-cheek laugh. Pippi Longstocking, Out of Africa, Around the World in 80 Days, The Nose, Master and Margarita, Catch-22 - all I remember reading and laughing through (although, I read them a while ago so please forever me if my memory is somewhat faulty).

>5 puckers: Challenges must be near impossible for you now!

>8 Yells: Great suggestions. Any of the childrens' books on the list would be great. I just reread Pippi Longstocking and it was great fun.

Comfort reads are also great. I always find Jane Austen to be a comfort read. Or Elizabeth Gaskell.

I am going to go with Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, the blurbs about it usually include the words "charming" and "magical" so it sounds perfect for right now.

>10 DeltaQueen50: oh, that's a good one. It's not my typical book, but I really enjoyed it.

I love Like Water for Chocolate - it's the book I do with my A Level Spanish class.

Looking for advice! I have these books from favorite authors available to read - which do you think are enjoyable or cheerful reads?

Paul Auster: The Music of Chance, Moon Palace
Margaret Atwood: Alias Grace, The Robber Bride, Cat's Eye
Iain Banks: Dead Air
Muriel Spark: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Doris Lessing: The Grass Is Singing, The Diary of Jane Somers
Angela Carter: Nights at the Circus
Kazuo Ishiguro: The Unconsoled, An Artist of the Floating World

Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

>13 LisaMorr: I've read and loved Alias Grace, The Robber Bride, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Grass is Singing and An Artist of the Floating World but I wouldn't call any of them particular cheerful. My choice among them would be The Grass is Singing or perhaps The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

>10 DeltaQueen50: I have that on my shelf as well. Great choice.

>13 LisaMorr: I would second The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

>14 DeltaQueen50:, >15 JayneCM: Two votes for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - and I've been meaning to read that for a while. Thanks!

And it's been a while since I've read anything by Doris Lessing, so if I'll put The Grass Is Singing in the queue as well.

I finished Cold Comfort Farm - just as much fun as I remember.

I read H(a)ppy quite quickly, it is a free form text, a rather unusual read - with some words in colour and symbols on top of texts made up of repeated words. There is a second thread in the book about Paraguay and a musician, that I found interesting. I think I'll put it down as one of the ones I am glad to have read, but I won't be seeking out more by the author.
So, I had another look at the list and have seen a choice of 3 books by writers whose work I have enjoyed before.
The thinking reed - Rebecca West
The Light of day - Graham Swift
The Time of the Hero - Mario Vargas Llosa - I think I did read this at uni, but I really can't remember it, so adding it here.

>13 LisaMorr: While I wouldn't call it happy, The Music of Chance was such an intriguing and different book for me, I think it could be a good choice. I'm an Auster fan, though.

>13 LisaMorr: I'll third The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and afterwards you should watch the wonderful film with Maggie Smith. It does good things with the book. The book is not exactly upbeat, it's just perfect. For upbeat, Nights at the Circus was one I remember liking.

Do not choose The Grass is Singing which is very far from upbeat. Likewise, >18 soffitta1: do not choose The Light of Day, a good but very upsetting book.

None of the books on my TBR shelf looks terribly upbeat. Many have words like "death" or "sorrow" right in their titles. Perhaps I will read the War with the Newts which sounds too silly to be depressing. Currently reading Mr. Norris Changes Trains which is suitably diverting.

>19 amaryann21: and >20 annamorphic:, thanks very much for your input! I do love Paul Auster, so would be very happy to put that one on my short list to read. And I'm an Angela Carter fan, so I'll grab hers for my short list as well.

I have heard good things about the movie, so I'll need to put that on my list too.

>20 annamorphic: Newts is fantastic! So strange, but so much fun.

I am reading War with the Newts also.

>20 annamorphic: thanks - I'll leave it for the now then.
I thoroughly enjoyed War with the Newts.

I have completed Like Water for Chocolate and I absolutely loved it. This earthy folk tale is enhanced by it's use of magical realism and cooking.

Glad you liked it! There's so much in the book, I love teaching it. I have just started the sequel - Mi negro pasado, the plot has been moved on. I think it will be a cosy read, but not sure it will be a classic.

Raced through The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - it was a good choice for this month. I'm also reading In Cold Blood, and while this true crime book is about the brutal murder of a family of four in Kansas, it's an excellent read and it hasn't really depressed me.

I read and loved Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Set in the Depression it shows how the human spirit prevailed by helping out and doing things for others. Remind you of anything?

>28 gypsysmom: Perfect read for this month!

Right at the end of the month I’m reading Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.. Wasn’t sure what to expect but it turns out to be a witty, at times laugh-out-loud, series of tales amongst the Irish gentry at the end of the 19th century, packed with over the top characters. A good read for those looking for some comic relief.