2026 - 50 Books a Year Challenge

#35 Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
This book brings together a full host of characters from Elizabeth Strout’s previous books; Olive Kitteridge, Bob and Jim Burgess, Lucy Barton, Amy and Isabelle and everyone associated with them. Set in the small town of Crosby, Maine and its larger neighbour Shirley Falls. While it updates you on what’s happened to them over the years, I found it to be a bit of a disjointed ramble and was quite disappointed by it. I enjoyed her earlier books, but I haven’t like any of the Lucy Barton ones. 6/10

35 Someone at a Distance - Dorothy Whipple Audible

Discovered this early 20th century author from GN a while ago, her fellow writer, JB Priestly dubbing her "the Jane Austen of the 20th century" This, her last novel published in the early 50s, by the '60s she'd faded into oblivion her books deemed rather old fashioned. However, of late she's been discovered by another generation and republished with Persephone Book. I've enjoyed what I've read and listened to so far, particularly her books written in the 1920s, when England had emerged from WW1 they're good first hand accounts of the social fabric of the times. She was quite a feminist of her day often to illustrate the imbalance of power between the sexes.

This one isn't so typical, set post 2ndWW, the scenario, a young French woman engaged as a companion to an elderly lady. Social climber, Louise is to inveigle her way into the heart of the family with the specific intention of seducing, the elderly lady's son. Avery, being a successful boss of a publishing firm, happily married to a devoted wife Ellen who with their two children live in some style. Once she achieves her ambition of luring him away and Avery is swayed into a second marriage only to realise he's made a monumental mistake with no way back. I don't think I enjoyed it as much as some of her earlier books, but I shall carry on with her works that are available.

#44. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden.

47-The Murder Game-Tom Hindle
One house, nine guests, endless motives for murder. If you are a fan of the twists and turns of an Agatha Christie mystery, then this is a modern version you'll enjoy. When guests meet at Hamlet Hall for a murder mystery game with a 1920's twist everyone has a part to play, but someone is playing by their own rules.

20. You Broke Me First, Lorraine Brown

A romantic comedy from Amazon First Reads. Not my usual sort of book, but it was well written with believable main characters. Journalist Ava is trying to get over a bad break up when she is given the chance to shadow and write an in-depth article about tennis’s bad boy Marcus Taylor. Yes, it’s predictable, but a good holiday read. I think it would appeal particularly to tennis fans (which I’m not, so I skipped a bit of the tennis tactics talk).

#45. When The Past Kills by MJ Lee.

34. Grow Your Own Veg by Carol Klein.

Really good book and very informative. This is one I will be keeping.

#34 The Suspect by Rob Rinder
This was ok. Nothing special. I like Rob Rinder and expected better from him when I read his first book "The Trial". I saw this latest book in the library and thought I'd give him another chance but didn't find it the "page turner" some reviewers called it.

Maybe it's just me.

I really enjoyed Rob Rinder’s books, Sparklefizz (we can’t all like the same things of course). What I wanted to say was that I read the second one first and it actually gave away a huge spoiler to the ending of book one!

#36 Silent Bones by Val McDermid
When torrential rain causes a land slip on a motorway in Scotland, a body is discovered hidden in the tarmac from when the motorway was built 11 years previously. It’s the body of a journalist who was a murder suspect at the time of his disappearance. At the same time, new evidence reopens the case of a death in Edinburgh which was initially closed as an accident.
DCI Karen Pirie and her cold cases team investigate. As ever, the language and sense of place is great, but I found one of the threads they were investigating became a bit far fetched. Mostly I really enjoyed it though. 8/10

Book 20: Death of a Stranger by John Pilkington
Book 21:The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier author of the Girl with a Pearl Earring. I really enjoyed this book. It is set in Murrano and Venice and follows the fortunes of a family of glassmakers through several centuries. There is a time shift allowing the same characters to be involved in hundreds of years of history and changes in the glass industry. It was a fascinating read. Highly recommended.
Book 22: The Rufflers Child by John Pilkington.

I’ve read about 15 crime fiction books so far this year and wanted a change. So I’ve got a book I read from the children’s library in London. Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. Also the first book I read when I was old enough to join the adults section. The Collector by John Fowles. Both books are quite yellowed paperbacks. Really looking forward to starting them. Have any of you done this?

48-The Empty Chair-Jeffery Deaver
A great thriller with criminalist Lincoln Rhymes working his magic to find the truth.

#35 The Girls who Disappeared by Claire Douglas 6/10

36 Reading in Bed Sue Gee

Another writer I've discovered on GN and have come to enjoy, hard to track down her books at times. This is a story of an enduring friendship sustained by a mutal love of books. In the opening chapter, the two main characters, Georgia and Dido are having one of their regular meet ups at a book fair before they go off to their separate lives, Dido to her family in York and newly widowed Georgia to London. Thereafter the book is to unfold through the womens' lives, grief stricken Georgia who is having to come to terms with her much loved husband's sudden and unexpected death. Her concerns about her only child who is going through an unhappy love affair. Meanwhile, by comparison, in Dido's life all appears well, surrounded by children and grandchildren until two massive issues are to rock the calmer waters of her, on the surface, perfect life. Enjoyed it very much, reminded me a little of Joanna Trollope's earlier books in which she wrote about family dynamics so insightfully.

I love Sue Gee's books TerriBull. I first discovered her with Reading in Bed and moved on to other books by her.

I think it was your recommendation Sparklefizz. My library website has been restructured recently and more of her books appear to have become available to order. Sadly I've never seen any on the shelves. Shame! she's a good writer.

That’s one of the joys of your book challenge threads, TerriBull, discovering new authors. I’ll certainly look out for Sue Gee. Is there a particular recommendation to start with?

No. 21 for me was:

Nobody’s Girl, Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Which was as eye-opening and depressing as anyone would expect. I’d like to be able to say it was positive as well, with Virginia managing to get at least a measure of justice and happiness, but of course her story ended in suicide and the book’s introduction by her co-author tells of allegations of domestic abuse against the husband she described in it as her saviour. It was certainly worth reading though. Now for something a bit less heavy!

I loved Coming Home by her Maggiemaybe as well as the one I've just read.

#46. The Teacher by Freida McFadden.

35 Falkirk and District - an illustrated architectural guide by Richard Jacques.

49-An Independent Woman-Anna Jacobs
This author is my comfort blanket writer. After a complicated thriller I needed an easy read.
Serena Fleming plans to leave the family home after her mother dies, as she cannot bear to live with her bullying father. But he has other ideas, and will stop at nothing to prevent this happening. Serena must risk everything to escape his iron rule.

#37 The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
Alice and Mattia are both solitary misfits, defined by tragic accidents when they were young children. Both are socially awkward and have few friends, but in high school they find each other and an awkward but deep and abiding friendship develops. I really enjoyed this slightly unusual novel and will look for more by the author. 8/10

#38 Come Hell or High Water by J D Kirk
My latest in this series. DCI Jack Logan and his team are called out when a body is found burned, inside a burned out tent, near the remote Ardnamurchan lighthouse. Who was he and who might have wanted him dead? Another really enjoyable read. 8/10

50-Speaking in Tongues-Jeffery Deaver
Tate Collier, once a fine trial lawyer, now a farmer is trying to forget the past. Aaron Matthews is out for revenge.
I didn't enjoy this as much as the Lincoln Rhymes series.

#47. When The Evil Waits by MJ Lee.