The New Fifty Books A Year Thread 2020

A few books in June

Look at me - Anita Brookner, a library book taken out before the lockdown. Fairly brief, less than 200 pages. Having read a few of her books now they usually tend to feature women who have inherited large flats in central London and lead exceptionally lonely lives, this was no exception.

Wild Fire - Anne Cleeves, as always enjoyable another of her Shetland series featuring Jimmy Perez

We know, you know - Erin Kelly. Enjoyed this one, well written. Features one of the many asylums from a bygone era that have now been turned into luxury flats. The narrative is in 3 parts,essentially about a woman who returns to her home to help nurse her mother through her dying days. Having left behind a fairly impoverished upbringing. Rather than put up in a hotel, her husband has bought an apartment in what was the old asylum. There is a personal history and back story, where an old boyfriend of the main character is also pivotal to the plot, as is the asylum. The narrative goes back and forth between the then and the now as the plot gradually unfolds.

Beneath the Surface, Fiona Neil - I see you've also read one of her books granfromafar, well this one could be described in exactly the same way as that. So ditto from me. I didn't particularly enjoy mine either. I only ordered it with my Tesco weekly, because I'd read a previous book of hers "The Betrayals" which was quite good.

Right now I've just started the new Ann Cleeves, writing about a different area north Devon and in this she introduces her new detective, Matthew Venn. I've absolute faith in Ann Cleeves, in that she never produces a dud, so I'm sure this will be as good as any of the Shetland and Vera ones.

I'm reading that before bed, but dipping into Lady Glenconner's memoirs "Lady in Waiting" by day, mainly because she knew Princess Margaret intimately who allegedly was a bit of a madam could be quite tricky. Her revelations come highly recommended. Enjoying it so far, particularly her descriptions of the family seat at Holcombe in Norfolk and a lineage that goes back to Tudor times.

I also have just bought "Where the Crawdads Sing" passed it my husband recently as he was moaning about having nothing to read with the comment "don't tell me anything about it if you don't like it" as it's not the sort of book he would pick up. He did say it's incredibly well written and very unusual and he really liked it, so looking forward to that one.

17. The Whisper Man by Alex North. Very creepy story about child abduction.
18. Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson. Interesting self help book aimed at people in different work situations. Read about half then passed to my son as thought it would be useful to him.
19. The Good Girl by Fiona Neill. Rather disturbing story about modern family dealing with a difficult issue. Felt uncomfortable reading it and didn't enjoy it.
20. Last Seen Alive by Clare Douglas. Excellent psychological thriller.
21.Sweet Caress by William Boyd. Another excellent book by this great author.
22. The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter. US crime drama, keeps you gripped till the end.
23 The Brass Dolphin by Caroline Harvey aka Joanne Trollope. Enjoyable yarn set in Malta in the late 1930s

29. The Oaken Heart by Margery Allingham. It’s a bit hard to describe but it’s based on a series of letters describing how one small village in Essex prepares for and then endures WW2, written for an American market. It’s rather wordy but a very interesting look at a past time.

Have just discovered Sheila O'Flanagan. Needless to say she's an Irish writer! Just read Isobel's wedding which was excellent.

22 - Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand

Still reading ..

Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold.

As you might guess, it’s about the Spanish flu. There are some astonishing personal accounts in the books as well as the historic details. It was published two years ago and ironically has brief details of how we should prepare for the possibility of another pandemic.

24. Now You See Her, Heidi Perks
A so-so read. Started well, promised much, tailed off to an unlikely ending.

25. Splinter the Silence, Val McDermid
Loved it. I’ve only recently discovered Val McDermid and can’t think why I’ve left it so late!

26. Madeline, Kate McCann
I bought this for my Kindle in the wake of the new suspect emerging. I downloaded the preposterous book by the Portuguese detective long ago and really should have read it alongside this. Moving and frightening.

27. How the Dead Speak, V McDermid
Well up to expectations.

28. Me Too, Patricia Dixon
Downloaded on the basis of its many 5 star reviews. There’s 99p and a few very tedious hours I’ll never get back. Predictable, and badly written and edited to boot.

21 - Bento's Sketchbook - by John Berger

27. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. A grim read about a reform school in 1960’s Florida. It’s one of those books that’s challenging but you’re glad you’ve read it.

26. I’ve given up on my next book. It’s Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I normally like her books but this one, despite it being much lauded, just isn’t doing anything for me. It’s really rare for me to give up on a book but Urmstongran further back made me realise life is too short to read a book you don’t enjoy!

25 The Woman Who Saved The Children by Clare Mulley. It’s a biography of Eglantyne Jebb, the woman who founded the Save the Children charity in 1919.

It’s a bit patchy, with some bits of rather boring officialdom but it’s a fascinating story. I’d never heard of her.

20 - House Lessons: Renovating a Life

Excellent memoir about the author and architecture-

24. Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield.

It’s set on the upper reaches of the Thames, in late Victorian times, and concerns an unknown child found in the river. It’s kind of magical realism, but also believable, a modern fairy tale, I suppose. I enjoyed it, great escapism.

19 - The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah

Round and round, round and round, round and round- It was like waiting years for a boxing match to end! All she had to do was pull a Celia Foote, grab a skillet, and be done! I developed arthritis waiting for her to make up her mind! Uh ..

17 - Re-read Educated by Tara Westover

18 - Reckless Daughter - David Yaffe
A biography about Joni Mitchell-

22. The Portrait by Iain Pears. It’s quite an old, short novel, set at the start of the 20thC, the plot being that of an artist who is painting the portrait of an art critic. It’s claustrophobic and has quite a twist or two on the way to the end!

23 Please, Mr Postman the second of Alan Johnson’s memoirs, covering the twenty years between becoming a postie and joining the Labour and trade union movements,

Book 8: The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley. The sixth in the series and onr of the best. Eagerly awaiting the 7th and last.
Book 9/10 Second and third of Penny Vincenzi trilogy : Something Dangerous and Into Temptation. Very enjoyable and readable family saga.
Book 11 Ian Rankin Flesh market Close. A good murder investigation.
Book 12 Fern Britton's A Good Catch. Disappointing. Don't bother.
Book 13 Holly Seddon Try Not To Breathe. Gripping story.
Book 14 Barbara Trepido Temples of Delight. Unusual book, funny in places, reminded me a little of Muriel Spark.
Book 15 Holly Hepburn: A year at the Star and Sixpence. Quite enjoyed this, though a little predictable!
Book 16 Ken Follett: Fall of Giants. The first in the Century Trilogy. Starts pre- WW1 and very gripping. Will look out for other 2 in charity shops when they eventually reopen. Is 850 pages so took a while to read.

No 21. Phew, I’ve at last finished a massive biography of Florence Nightingale, by Mark Bostridge. It’s on my Kindle so I’m not sure if it’s length but I think it’s 600 pages of a very detailed story. It even pervaded my dreams at times!

Now to read something lighter, I think.

It’s a while since I posted so have a few books to enter
31- Behind closed doors by B.A. Paris - domestic abuse was main theme

32- picture Perfect - Jodi Picoult - always a good read

33- The ice twins byS.K. Tremayne - an unusual thriller about identical twins

34- windflowers by Tamara McKinley

35- cuckoo in the nest by Nora Kay - wartime saga

36- The gift of rain by Tan Twan Eng - really enjoyed this but was long and small type face. Set in Penang Malaysia so brought back memories of the 2years I lived there.

37- On a wing and a prayer by Helen Carey another wartime story - not my usual read but found them around the house.

38 - Last chance saloon by Marian Keyes

39- The time travellers wife by Audrey Niffenegger - enjoyed this but thought ending dragged on a bit

40- The underside of joy by sere Prince Halverson good easy read.

Well am still working my way through books that are dotted around various bedrooms and bookcases left here mostly by now adult children. A way of reading books that otherwise mightn’t have picked!

I have just finished “ Where The Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens which we are reading for our book club. It is a wonderful book which made me laugh, cry and saddened me at the same time.
Even the men in our group are loving it!

Since last posting I read among others, The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde and a few more stories from a collection of his works.

Then Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I always Enjoy Tom Sawyer hadn't read it for about 10 years.

I read a few books by John Grisham :
The Testament
The Firm
The Reckoning
The Last Juror
Cabino Bay
King of Torts.
They are real page turners, mostly read out in the garden or on those nights when there is nothing on TV. I can see why they are called airport or train books! I then picked up another one set in a prison, but after 2 pages had had enough!

Reread Boris's The Churchill Factor which is written like he speaks and quite engaging in tone.

Now dipping into Into the Silence by Wade Davis about the Mallory expeditions to Everest. A really good read and you can just dip into a chapter at a time. A reread.

Also reading Looking for La Bomba byRichard Neill, which is light-hearted and quite funny. He buys a double bass and takes it to Cuba to learn to play.

Thanks OP for reminding me about Asta's Book. That's going on my list to re-read. .

I've added a few Liane Moriartys to my list:

Nine Perfect Strangers (silly).
The Last Anniversary. (good).
Three Wishes (a bit daft).
The Husband's Secret (good).

Just off to download another one. Light reading but not too fluffy, with touches of humour and well-drawn characters.

Bit like The Clap.

No 20. I’ve just finished a fabulous book, The Secret Life of Books by Tom Mole. It’s about books as physical objects, not about what is inside them. It’s utterly fascinating. I usually pass on my books, but this one will be staying with me.

www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Life-Books-They-Words/dp/1783964588/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&tag=gransnetforum-21&qid&sr

Heavens above! forgotten all about this thread I started

Since last posting I've read the following:

"Finders Keepers" - Sabine Durrant, don't think it's published yet, I read a proof. Fairly good from what I can remember, although she set the bar very high a couple of years ago with "Lie with Me" and haven't read anything she has written as good as that one.

"Tell Me A Secret" - Jane Fallon, her books are very readable, and then forgettable, from what I can remember main character promoted and then colleague, who is also close friend, does her best to sabotage that promotion.

"Asta's Book" - Barbara Vine, how I miss Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell Going through my bookshelves found this one which I remember reading and loving nearly 30 years ago, happily I'd forgotten most of the plot. I did remember it was about Asta and her husband Rasmus Danish emigrees who settle with their two children in 1905 London. Rasmus is often missing, away on business and Asta, left for long periods on her own writes diaries. Fast forward to the 1960s and '70s, the diaries are published and it transpires there are references to an unsolved crime from that era which lies at the heart of this novel. Ruth Rendell's own grandparents were Danish and I imagine she has drawn on their experiences to write this story as there are many references to Asta's early life in Denmark. I loved this book as much as I did when I first read it.

"The Ghost Tree" Audio - Barbara Erskine, the writer has used her ancestor Thomas Erskine as the main character. He was an eminent man in the 18th and early 19th century. Into his own story she has woven some fictitious facts. The narrative switches from present day back to the times of her ancestor charting his rise to the position of Lord Chancellor. I enjoyed the book, although 20 discs in it seemed it had gone on forever, don't know how thick the physical book is but a weighty tome I imagine!

18. The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel
An audiobook, so cheating really. I’m sure I’d have enjoyed it even more if I’d read it properly, as my concentration kept slipping.

19. Those People, Louise Candlish
A very enjoyable read about what happens in a perfect street when the neighbours from hell move in.

20. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, Josie Silver
My reading group choice. The group were split about whether it was touching and realistic or trite. I went for trite.

21. Unleashed, Emily Kimelman
One of those giveaway Kindle crime downloads. It actually started off really well (then went rapidly downhill).

I’m now reading
22. Wire in the Blood, Val McDermid

and
23. Straight Outta Crawley, Romesh Ranganathan