2026 - 50 Books a Year Challenge

38 A Rebel and a Traitor by Rory Carroll

I keep meaning to read more non fiction, depending on the subject matter and personal interest they can certainly trounce a so so novel. This is one such book. An account of Irish born Sir Roger Casement, British Diplomat who towards the end of the 19th and the early 20th century spent his life in the colonial service, much of it in Africa where he worked tirelessly to expose the exploitation, leaving government in 1913. The main focus of the book is his involvement and support of Irish nationalism and his collusion with Berlin during the early years of the Great War in trying to get them to support the Irish cause. The ensuing Easter Rising of 1916 in an attempt to free Ireland from the shackles of their British overloads. Subsequently raising an army the attempted coup was to result in failure and the capture and execution of the leaders. The aftermath led to the rise and significance of Sinn Fein and the formation of the IRA in their continued fight for independence. Casement being one of the captured transferred to the British mainland. During his police interviews it had come to light that he had deposited his rather extensive diaries at a previous address in London's Ebury Street and these were to reveal how during his travels lived his life as a closeted gay man detailing numerous sexual encounters, many with male prostitutes To his dread they were brought under the microscope during his interrogations to further besmirch his character as a previously respected diplomat. A, flawed hero, and a man of conflicted loyalties. Convicted of treason he was hanged at Pentonville Prison in August 2016.

Just finished “The Killing Stones” by Ann Cleeves. This is a resurrection of Inspector Jimmy Perez, this time on his home turf of Orkney, instead of Shetland. Great book. Couldn’t put it down. However, I had preceded this with one of her series of George and Molly Palmer-Jones whodunnits and what a slog that was. I never like to give up on a book, but there were no likeable characters in this one and the storyline was just plain silly. Vera would have torn them to shreds in the first few pages!

#48. Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan.

Just started this, hoping to get it read before the last 3 episodes are shown on tv over the next few days,

22. Welcome to the Neighbourhood, Jane Fallon

I needed something light and frothy after reading Nobody’s Girl, and this fit the bill. Kitty moves to London after a break up and finds new friends in the neighbourhood. But are they what they appear to be on the surface (no, is the answer 😊). There’s plenty of conniving and deceit going on under the surface, and lots of humorous situations as well. I enjoyed it.

Diggingdoris

52-The Elephant Whisperer-Lawrence Anthony
This non-fiction book tells of the rescue of a herd of 'rogue' elephants into the Thula Thula game reserve. Lawrence risked his life to create a bond with the troubled animals. He shows how intelligent and loyal these creatures are. A great read.

Glad you enjoyed it Diggindoris. One of my book club reads coming up in a couple of months.

37 Based on a True Story - Sarah Vaughan

Successful children's author, Dame Eleanor Kingman has gathered her family and friends together at her spectacular cliff top Cornish house to celebrate her imminent 70th birthday. The book's opening chapter is the day after, a storm has rolled in and on the beach below lies a dead body. Therein hangs the tale. Who is this person who appears to have met a violent death?. Why, after 4 decades as a best selling author, has Dame Eleanor recently received an email threatening to expose a lie from her younger impoverished life a world away from all the trappings of success she enjoys today. Could the writer be her estranged literary agent, her ex husband also a writer of some note but long since eclipsed by his ex wife's success. Whilst they no longer talk, he does know something of her past and how she's embellished the truth. Over the course of the run up to the big day, her three daughters are gathered all harbouring their various demons and one with a husband who has embroiled them both in a particularly dangerous situation. A reasonably good crime read.

52-The Elephant Whisperer-Lawrence Anthony
This non-fiction book tells of the rescue of a herd of 'rogue' elephants into the Thula Thula game reserve. Lawrence risked his life to create a bond with the troubled animals. He shows how intelligent and loyal these creatures are. A great read.

51-The Black Ice-Michael Connelly
I think I'm getting a bit fed up with American murder thrillers, as I gave up on this one after 70pages. I used to love this genre, but keep finding them hard work. So many have drug related gruesome storylines that make the USA sound an awful place. I've decided to stick with UK detectives instead in the future. Am I the only reader that feels like this?

36 The Year 1000 - What life was like at the turn of the first millenium by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger.

Very informative and illustrated that women had more rights around the first millenium than in later centuries including the early 19th century.

I've lost count. I read far too much crime fiction on kindle Unlimited. Some of it is abject rubbish which gets returned after a few pages but I admit to being a fan of JD Kirk and Stuart McBride. I've just finished a "proper" novel - The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, which is wonderful and beautifully written

#47. When The Evil Waits by MJ Lee.

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.

#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

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.

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

#46. The Teacher by Freida McFadden.

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

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 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.

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

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.

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

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

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?

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.