The New Fifty Books A Year Thread 2020

Since last posting I read The Man Within by Graham Greene and Cartes Postales by Victoria Hislop. I do enjoy her books and now have The Return from the library.

I also read The Salt Path by Raynor Winn which I loved and read in one go more or less and it reminded me so much of the hot summer of 1976 when we walked and camped on part of Bodmin Moor and North Cornwall and Devon.

Also reread The Secret Garden (saw a trailer for a new film last week when at the cinema).

Read Doctor Dolittle's Caravan after seeing film two weeks ago.

Currently rereading Emma (again after seeing film ).

The Wish List by Ruby Hummingbird and The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen really enjoyed both of them

Interesting re your thoughts on The Other Half of Augusta Hope SueDonim I thought it got a bit bogged down with irrelevant details

10 Lies Lies Lies by Adele Parks good.

11 Whatever Happened to Margo by Margaret Durrell good.

12Grown Ups by Marion Keys good.

13 Haven't They Grown by Sophie Hannah very good.

14 The Nancys by R.W.R .McDonald good.

15 The Ruin by Dervla MeTiernan very good.

16 The Other Side of the Coin by Angela Kelly interesting written by the woman who dresses the Queen.

17 The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman usually enjoy his books, this one was good but I wish the characters would move forward a little in their lives - wish the doc would marry Robin and have a family etc. Maybe this series is becoming a little tired?

17 Postscript by Cecelia Ahern - for some reason I didn't really enjoy this, well written but just didn't get me interested.

10 - The Gene: An Intimate History / Siddhartha Mukherjee (NF)

11 - The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference / Malcolm Gladwell (NF)

12 - Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth / Sarah Smarsh (NF)

18 Mum and Dad by Joanna Trollope - usual good read from this author.

I have a few more to add to my list
19 The Rumour - Elin Hilderbrand

20 The Walworth Beauty - Michele Roberts set in 1851 and
2011 ok read

21 Until the real thing comes along- Elizabeth Berg interesting
story line of a girl who loves a gay friend and can’t find
anyone to match him. Twist at end.

22 Before the Storm - Diane Chamberlain read this on my
flight back from NZ

23The Villa girls - Nicky Pellegrino easy fun read

24 The Heartbreaker by Susan Howatch long book lots of
pages and small writing. Enjoyed it but was glad to get to
the end.

25 Conversations with Friends - Sally Rooney didn’t enjoy this
As much as thought I would as bit predictable in places.

Almost finished ‘Silence of the Girls’. It doesn’t disappoint even if this is the second time I have read it. I got Hilary Mantel’s new book for Mother’s Day and it will keep me occupied throughout my incarceration! It’s a whopper! Hope it’s as good as the other two.

13. Critical by Matt Morgan. An account of his world as an intensive care specialist.

14 Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo. It’s a tale of a young couple struggling with the inability to have a baby, set in Nigeria between 1985-2008. It’s such an unusual story, my book group loved it.

Tinafl I agree with you, actually! When I said it felt a bit flimsy, I meant that the important stuff was drowned out by the trivia.

19 The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths good as usual in this series but I do get a bit tired of Ruth mooning over Nelson. They both come across as rather poor types - they are disrespectful of Nelson's wife Michelle with their sneaky romance

10. My So Called Life, Joanna Nadia
I bought this for my Kindle as I just needed a light, easy read. I’ve a feeling it was probably written for the young adult market , but it was fun.

11. The Closed Circle, Jonathan Coe
The second part of the trilogy, following on from The Rotters’ Club. This one took the same characters through the Blair years. Very entertaining and insightful.

12. On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan
Short, focussed on the wedding night of a pair of remarkably uptight 1960s newlyweds. Well written and unusual. I felt very sorry for one of the couple, very annoyed with the other.

13. Middle England, Jonathan Coe
The third in the trilogy, with the by now familiar characters dealing with Brexit. I really enjoyed it, though perhaps not quite as much as the others, as I felt that a lot of loose ends were tied up just a little too neatly. Which probably means there won’t be a fourth book set in the time of pandemic.

I’ve got two reading group choices to read now, for groups that of course won’t be meeting. Though in one case we’re going to discuss it on the designated date via WhatsApp. With wine.

God who'd have thought when I started this thread at the beginning of the year we'd all be locked indoors, most of the time, thank heavens for books!

Having said that since finishing American Dirt which I really enjoyed, I've had a couple of dismal books and didn't read a lot during March, probably too focused on the news as it unfolded.

The Gallows Bird Camilla Lackberg (audio) bleak and rather disappointing Scandi Noir

The Sudden Departure of the Frasers - Louise Candlish, usually really like her books, this was one of her first efforts, not up to her usual standard, I'll put it down to the fact that possibly she was still honing her writing skills.

The Skeleton Road Val McDermid (audio) All my audios come from the library which closed suddenly, like everything else and didn't manage to get this and a few others back. This is the third Val McDermid audio I've managed to lay my hands on. Good crime stories worth a listen.

Just come back to the thread, am now reading the new Hilary Mantel ,I am enjoying it but have to keep referring back to character list!
You’re right Sue, great book but I was getting impatient with all the trivia, don’t know if it’s me but I just want to get on with what’s happening , still plenty of time for trivia at the moment ?

Posted to soon has any come across an author like Maeve Binchey I really miss her books nearest I have come is Roisen Meany

Agreed, Terribull! None of us, if we’re not working, will have the excuse that we don’t have time to read. ?

My no 15 was, The Body a guide for occupants, by Bill Bryson. It was a little unnerving to be reading about pandemics whilst in the middle of a pandemic. ?

Tinaf1 have you read Rosamund Pilcher? They’re family saga stories.

The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier both by Daniel Mason

Thanks Sue remember reading one hers years ago will give her another go

14. The Secret To Not Drowning, Collette Snowden
The subject is domestic abuse, but it’s understated rather than sensationalised. It was okay, but I felt some of the narratives weren’t fully explored - characters were introduced, played centre stage for a while, then were just sidelined as if the author lost interest in them.

15. The Salt Path, Raynor Winn
This is a great choice for reading out in the garden at the moment! Plenty of food for thought here about what’s most important in our lives, and how they can change in an instant. I loved it.

No 16. Down & Out in Paris & London by George Orwell. I know it’s a ‘must read’ but I found much of it rather tedious.

Since last post I have read Knit One Pearl One by Gil McNeil a warm enjoyable read and I will look out for others by her when the library reopens!

Also The Return by Victoria Hislop about Spain and the Civil War.

Storms of War by Kate Williams, the start of a family saga.

Picked up The Doll Factory to read again but do not think I will finish it this time (too much graphic detail).

Read a few William books and The Children of Cherry Tree Farm by Enid Blyton 1940, charming but dated.

Now reading Three Men on the Bummel by J K Jerome - gentle humour.

Lockdown books
26- The girl on the cliff by Lucinda Riley. Really enjoyed this but didn’t expect the revelation at the end.

27- The lollipop shoes by Joanne Harris enjoyed this book but took a while to get into.

28- The age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker a bit close to home this one -the impact of changes as earths rotation slows down.

29 - Still voices by Maria Barrett good easy read

30- the Paris Wife by Paula McLain . Story of Hemingway and his 1st wife.

I have ‘found’ lots of books left here by adult children or put aside for when nothing more exciting is available so have decided to work my way through some of them ready to donate to the charity shop.

13 - Hill Women by Cassie Chambers (NF)

14 - Untamed by Glennon Doyle (NF) AWESOME!!!

I think this will be a really interesting read.