2023 - 50 BOOK CHALLENGE

Are you Awake? was OK, but not outstanding. Now reading book 51, Girl Forgotten, by Karin Slaughter. I`m used to her books set in series, but quite liking this one.

I have nearly finished book no. 25 "Exiles" by Jane Harper, and loving it. Someone mentioned it further back (sorry, can't scroll back through 24 pages to find out who) and I'm really glad I reserved it from the library. I've read Jane Harper's other books and they are all good in my opinion.... and I learn more about Australia too, which is a bonus.

Cs783 I hope to start reading "Thornfield Hall" soon after seeing your recommendation on here.

Parsley3 Did you enjoy "The Locked Room" by Elly Griffiths? The next one in the series is the last.

33 Victoria Walters- Murder at the summer fete, Nancy is a bookshop owner helping to solve this crime. Slightly unbelievable but enjoyable, similar to but a bit more serious than the Agatha Raisin stories.

Wow! Just finished "Exiles" by Jane Harper which I mentioned a short while ago. Fantastic book with loads of twists at the end. Feel bereft now I've finished it, and have no idea what I'll follow it with. Sigh.

Book 21 Devil in the Detail by A J Cross. OK, I like the characters, but a bit slow and I worked out who the murderer was well before the reveal. Now off to see if there are any Jane Harper books on BorrowBox.

#16. Beneath The Bleeding by Val McDermid.

Girl Forgotten was a very good read. Just about to start on book 52, Graves on the Fens, by Joy Ellis, never read any of hers before.

#9 A Place for Everything, My mother, autism and me by Anna Wilson. This is a memoir as suggested by the title, but the focus is on the author’s experience of trying to support her parents at what turned out to be the end of their lives when her mother’s serious mental illness, complicated by her as yet undiagnosed autism, made life incredibly difficult for all the family. I have been interested in autism since reading a book called The Siege , about a family in the US in the ?1960s, trying to find ways to reach their autistic daughter at a time when autism was even less understood than now. Anna’s mother was a highly intelligent woman who managed to ‘mask’ her autism outside the family and with a great deal of support from her own mother. The author only realised how strange her mother’s behaviour was when she was in her teens, and not fully even then.

#10 Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. This is a strange story that is partly a (lesbian) love story and partly a horror story. It is also a story of grief, dealing with irreversible change and trauma, letting go. I found it poetic and beautifully written but with many questions left unanswered.

#17 The Toast of Time Jodi Taylor.
This was an audiobook of a novella released in 2021 and part of the wonderful Chronicles of St Mary's. I had previously read the book but not listened to it. One of my favourite narrators (Zara Ramm) reading a book by one of my favourite authors, lovely!
#18 The Crow Folk Mark Stay.
This was a funny, charming, spooky book set in a wartime English village featuring scarecrows coming to life, eccentric witches and bell ringing. I'm not sure who it is aimed at; parts read like YA even a children's book but then there are adult references. I enjoyed it but probably won't seek out the following books in the series.

34. Non-fiction this time. Breath by James Nestor. What an eye opener this is. We could all learn from this book; how we breathe can affect so many of our health conditions. Definitely worth a read if you have asthma or suffer from sleep apnea.

Three months in now my March reads were:

13 The Stranger's Child - Alan Hollinghurst A somewhat ponderous tale which centres around a young English poet killed in WW1. The book spans a 100 years staring just before the Great War covering such matters as class and changing social attitudes towards same sex relationships. I hadn't read any of this author's books before, I quite enjoyed it just found it overly long given the plot didn't really drive the book along, it was more numerous tableaux of social settings, particularly in the English country houses and gardens, as the book progresses through the decades .
14. Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver I posted a review up thread. This I think will remain my best book of the year even though we are only a quarter of the way through, it would take something exceptional to surpass Demon Copperhead for me which is David Copperfield cleverly reworked for the present day. Unlike my previous read, this one is very plot driven covering many aspects of the underbelly of rural American life such as the opioid epidemic, the broken fostering system into which Demon's descends. The hopelessness in becoming a ward of the state and his ultimate survival. Absolutely 5*.
15 The Only Suspect Louise Candlish. She is one of a handful of go to psychological crime authors I really enjoy reading, along with Lisa Jewell and Sabine Durrant. This latest of hers was somewhat disappointing, I'm thinking she may have peaked a couple of books ago when she wrote Our House.
16 The Last to Disappear - Jo Spain. A good crime recommendation from Sparklefizz which she detailed up thread. Set in Arctic Finland, fast moving and great descriptions of Aurealis Borealis, sensational I imagine but would that counterbalance the hideous freezing temperatures which the author conjured up in this book?
17 A Fatal Inversion Ruth Rendell Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine was my absolute favourite of the psychological/crime writer genre, I'm re reading some of her most memorable books again, given I've forgotten most of the plots I read them quite a while ago now.
18 Cleopatra and Frankenstein - Coco Mellors. This book is very prominently placed in bookshops at the moment, so when I saw it on display at my local library I grabbed it expecting something great. I didn't love, I didn't hate it, possibly the sort of book that would appeal to those who enjoy reading Sally Rooney, the couple I read of hers I found over hyped. This is a tale of Cleo, a young English artist living in New York meets, marries, in a short space of time Frank her senior by 20 years. The story unfolds revealing not only their emotional baggage but those in their orbit both gay and straight who all seem to be overly hedonistic in their indulgence of both casual sex and recreational drugs. It was alright but certainly not a book I'd rave about.

I really enjoyed Graves on the Fens, apparently, it`s the 14th in a series, so I`ve missed a lot. Now just starting book 53, The Dark Eye, by Ingrid Black.

Sparklefizz- I think we had a ‘conversation’ about Jane Hatper way back. I was reading Exiles while you had it in order at the library so didn’t want to say too much about it at the time. But I agree, it was as good as her previous books and a great read, I felt a bit lost, too, when I finished it.

#17. The Catch by TM Logan.

35.The Understudy by Clare Mackintosh and 3 other authors; the 4 write chunks that smoothly fit together.
4 teenage girls at a performing arts academy, with four mothers wanting the best future for each one, but suddenly some very strange things start to happen. A story full of suspense, with a twist in the tail.

I have not been well, having been suffering from burnout which has left me exhausted. I have been trying to carry on as much as possible and have found reading a solace. Because of this I have read ten books since my last post and hope you will forgive me if l only mention number 21, Serpent’s Point by Kate Ellis the, latest Wesley Peterson mystery, which l thoroughly enjoyed. The next book I read will be number 31 and l think I should try to list after each one in future.

Pigma

Sparklefizz- I think we had a ‘conversation’ about Jane Hatper way back. I was reading Exiles while you had it in order at the library so didn’t want to say too much about it at the time. But I agree, it was as good as her previous books and a great read, I felt a bit lost, too, when I finished it.

I thoroughly enjoyed it Pigma and actually think it is one of her best. Glad I'm not the only one who feels lost after finishing a good book.

After a couple of dud books which I started and abandoned - life's too short - I have now collected The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish from the library and can't wait to start it.

I've enjoyed several of her other books so hope this one is as good.

Sorry you're not well Musicgirl. Glad you've got plenty of books to keep you going.

I wasn't wildy impressed by The Only Suspect Sparklefizz given I usually do like Louise Candlish books so I'm always expecting something great from her. Let us know what you think of it.

Hope you feel better soon Musicgirl.

Thank you,TerriBull. I have just finished book 31, The Girl Behind the Gates by Brenda Davies. It is a harrowing yet ultimately uplifting novel based on a true story about a girl sent to a mental hospital in 1939 as an unmarried mother, a moral defective, and still languishing there in 1981 when a young psychiatrist gradually brings her back to the outside world. I found it unputdownable.

#18. A Lesson In Dying by Ann Cleeves.

I`ve enjoyed The Dark Eye, coming towards the end now, and still haven`t figured out whodunnit!

Book 22 The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith. Thoroughly enjoyed it and at a bit of a loss about what to read after it.

Sorry to hear that you’re having to cope with burnout Musicgirl, hope you’re getting help and will soon be improving.

Well, The Dark Eye surprised me! Now halfway into book 54, A Necessary Evil, by Alex Kava. Someone is murdering priests.

Hi TerriBull, I've just finished The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish (book no. 28) and enjoyed it, especially the twists at the end which I hadn't seen coming at all. The plot was very unlikely, and probably not one of Louise Candlish's best books, but overall I thought it was quite good.