Fifty Books a Year (or fewer)

10) The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides (3 stars)

Way behind lots of you, but have read Lark Song by Jane Bailey - a fabulous, twisting plot, with dark secrets unearthed, children deeply affected and disturbed by the loss of their beloved father, a truly dislikable interfering MiL, and all with a wonderful love story running through it.

Next up was The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan, a haunting story of love and loss, of death and its devastating aftermath. Beautifully written, with such believable characters, which I am missing already!

Then I read Dodie Smith's 101 Dalmatians to my GD as she was dressed up as Perdy for World Book Day and I felt she really should be familiar with the story

I'm now on book no 9 - Beneath the Water by Sarah Painter. Not overly enamoured so far - it's eminently readable, but the storyline seems predictable and has in all honesty been done so many times before. Let's hope it has some surprises in store for me!

Finished Paul ogradys Country Life , easy read, funny and great tales from his farm and waifs and strays.
Book 13, What Was Lost by Catherine O'FLynn.

Book 12: The Man From St Petersburg by Ken Follett.

12, Long live Great Garfield by Tirzah Garwood. Based on diaries and memoirs of Tirzah, her early life as an art student, her life with the artist is Eric Ravilious and the artists community where they lived. Fascinating details about the very bohemian life she lived.,Lovely read.
13. The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes. Good old fashioned murder mystery with lots of twists and turns.

I read ‘Driving over Lemons’ years ago KatyK and thought it was very readable. A bit like ‘A Year in Provence’ but not as witty (or well written IMO).

‘Tattooist of Auschwitz’ was an easy read. I read it last summer. I could envisage it being made into a film. A real life love story but some factual passages just jarred a little.

I read ‘Educated’ last year. Thought it was excellent.

Just finished "Educated" a memoir, Tara Westover excellent! Started this morning "Transcription" Kate Atkinson.

My first post on Gransnet! LOVE the challenge of 50 books a year. Just read the following in past month:
Life Class: memoirs of Diane Athill, who recently died aged over 100! Her childhood set in Norfolk, so lovely if you are from that area.
Remembered by Yvonne Battle- Felton, recently published, slavery theme. Gripping.
Virgin Queen by P Gregory - love historical fiction.
Tattoist of Auscwitz. Be interested in others’opinions of that.
Love Factually by Laura Mucha - fascinating - how n why we form relationships!

Thank you for the suggestions jessity and alima. They are now on my list. I started on the Ann Cleesve’s Shetland books this morning so have lots of happy hours in prospect with Faith Martin and Mark Billingham. I read Faith Martin’s new ones about the pathologist and the female policewoman in Oxford recently,so I will give her Hilary Green a try as well! ?

Book 11: Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods”.

Just started The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society by Chris Stewart. It's OK. I read one of his before which was Driving over Lemons which I enjoyed.

Just finished Letters to Iris by Elizabeth Noble. Have enjoyed all her books included this, her latest.
Also Memoirs of a Geisha , a kindle 99p buy, and an unusual and really good read. It was written 20 years ago.

Finished All The light We Cannot See, by Anthony Dooer, I had previously read this amazing book, well worth a second read, superb.
No 12. Paul ogradys Country Life.

Since my last post I've finished:

Murder Unexpected - Anita Waller. Really enjoyed this, set in Eyam and other villages in Derbyshire which I know. It's book two, if you're interested you do need to read book 1 first

White Nights - Ann Cleeves, Shetland series, enjoyed it
An Angel's Touch - Elizabeth Bailey
The Governess - Mary Kingswood
That One May Smile - Valerie Keogh, new author to me, book one of a series and I'll certainly read the others

Now reading The World I Fell Out of by Melanie Reid, the Times columnist who is tetraplegic after a fall from a horse. I love her weekly columns, extracts of the book have been published in the Times and I'm really enjoying the book, tragic yes, but very funny too.

eGJ, you might like Faith Martin's Hilary Green series if you enjoyed Peter Robinson's Alan Banks books

Since the beginning of the year:

Between Breaths
by Elizabeth Vargas
A Memoir of Panic and Addiction (3 stars)

My Life So Far
by Jane Fonda (3 stars)

A Piece of the World
by Christina Baker Kline (4 stars)

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?
by Alyssa Mastromonaco (5 stars) Loved it!

See Me
by Nicholas Sparks (2 stars)

An American Marriage
by Tayari Jones (3 stars)

One Day in December
by Josie Silver (3 stars)

Things Japanese
by Nicholas Bornoff
Everyday Objects of Exceptional Beauty (4 stars)

Whiskey in a Teacup
by Reese Witherspoon (3 stars)

I started over a dozen other titles but they didn't keep my interest enough to finish-

Finished Minette Walters "The Devil's Feather" eventually. Covering the life of a journalist who was abducted in a war zone and comes back to the UK. Good but quite dark. I am ready to read something lighter now.

One has just been delivered by the postie, and I think Greyduster mentioned it - "Educated" by Tara Westover. I'm looking forward to it.

Finished “Children of Jocasta”. Couldn’t put it down. Natalie Haynes is another writer dedicated to bringing the classics to life for a wider audience.
Not sure what the next book on my list will be, but at the moment I am reading some local history.

Book 11: The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter.
This author is well named. I am only on page 35 and there has been carnage from the beginning. I am enjoying it though.

No. 9, The Green Road by A Enright, and No. 10, Want You Dead by P James, both done and enjoyed. I was the only one in my reading group who liked The Green Road (the story of an Irish family reuniting for a rather awkward Christmas), so perhaps I’d better not recommend!

I agree with you about the Banks books, Alima. Some of the writing hasn’t aged well.

eGJ, you could try Mark Billingham, he writes about DI Tom Thorne. Also Peter James who writes about Roy Grace. (I am also re reading the DCI Banks books. Just finished The Summer That Never Was. Do you find that the writing is quite sexist for nowadays? Didn’t think that the first time I read them).

Just finished 3 more, up to 11 now.
Murder on the Home Front by :-Molly Lefebure who was the first female secretary to Dr Keith Simpson. It is a true story, vividly set in London and the Home Counties. Very well written, full of amazing stories.
No.10 was actually a play by Alan Bennett called A Private Function. I have seen the film based on this and reading it through was lovely, one of the characters was played Dame Maggie Smith and I could hear her voice throughout!
No 11 was Exceeding my Brief, the memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant. Another true story by a very strong character, very interesting and informative.

Just finished book number13.
The Photograph by Debbie Rix. A new author for me. Highly recommend. Really enjoyable one of those books that you're sad to get to the end of.

Just read "The 4 Pillar Plan" by Dr Rangan Chatterjee. Really informative, whether I can keep to the recommendations remains to be seen . Read this inbetween my Minette Walters " The Devil's Feather", which is good but taking some getting in to, and also very small print which is difficult.

I have reached the half way mark.
21 Old baggage by Lisa Evans
22 Small Great things by Jody Picoult
23 Villa of secrets by Patricia Wilson
24 A French Wedding by Hannah Tunnicliffe
25 A Simple Favour by Darren Bell

All these books have come from the library but a NZ library as visiting my kiwi GC at the moment hence lots of time to sit in the sun and read!