Fifty Books a Year (or fewer)

Have read another two. The Choice by Susan Lewis and The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton. Both were OK.

Just finished "The Hearts Invisible Furies" - thank you for the recommendation on here. Loved the book, funny, sad and the piece at the back written by the author brought tears to my eyes.
Going to start "The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes" by Ruth Hogan.

I am making a fantastic list of books to order from the library. Just finished Kristin Hannah’s ‘ The Great Alone’.

Found it a little grim to start with but then could not put it down.

Previous book was a re-read of ‘Anna of the Five Towns’ by Arnold Bennet which I last read as a teenager. Fantastic descriptive writing but limited action!

Ordered “In Tearing Haste” from the library. That will be my next one.

I’m falling behind! Have finished The Ends if the Earth by Robert Goodard and found it the best of the trilogy. A fascinating picture of Japan post WWI and a very nail biting ending.
My fifth book is The Fear Index by Robert Harris which I’ve just started but which is very promising so far.
I also have a theological non-fiction book on the go all the time.
I’m so encouraged by all your choices.

Book no.8
The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald.
Based on the authors stay in a TB auditorium in Seattle in the late 1940s. Sounds grim but fascinating and funny. Betty MacDonald only wrote 4 books for adults all based on her life and wonderful stories, funny and unputdownable.
The other books are Anybody can do Anything, The Egg and I, and Onions in the Stew.

I've just read number 5. it was The Breaker by Minnette Walters. I was gripped by many of her her books eg The Ice House, Scolds Bridal, Dark Room and The Sculptress. While I did find this an easy read and wanted to find out what happened I didn't find it quite as good. I felt there were quite a few unanswered questions, not least about Hannah the 3 year old child of the victim.

Now inspired by another thread on here I am going to re read some Anthony Trollope

Just finished 'The Love Letter' by Lucinda Riley. I have read her books before so knew i was in for a good read. One of those books that you can't put down but you don't want to get to the end of the story. Didn't disappoint. In the last few chapters found myself thinking surely not and certainly whilst i guessed part of the ending wasn't expecting all of the final twist. Thoroughly recommend

I'm re-reading the Harry Potter books at the moment..then I have 3 new books waiting for me...all about the roots of Christianity.

I have some more books to add to my list.
11 Gabriel’s bay by Catherine Robertson
12 the railway girls by Leah fleming
13 One More Song by Nicki Edwards
14 My Name is Anna by Lizzie Barber
15 Saving Baby by Jo Anne Normile & Lawrence Linder.
This was an insight into behind the scenes of thoroughbred racing and the successful campaign by Jo Anne to save the injured and non winning horses from the slaughter house by rehabilitating them to different disciplines .

My eighth book, Love in an English Garden by turned out to be just as I imagined, a gentle romance. However, it sent me into the past because Bateman's in Burwash is mentioned in the notes. I visited Batemans, which was Rudyard Kipling's home, many years ago and it was lovely to see photos of it. It was a glorious day when we went and remember eating wild strawberries from the garden.

My number nine is a complete change - Admissions A life in brain surgery, by Henry Marsh. I've read his first book though it's suddenly become very pertinent to me as one of my siblings is facing undergoing a brain biopsy next week.

5. Meadowland by John Lewis Sempel. The story of the changes in a Herefordshire meadow, sensitively farmed by him, month by month. DH saw me with it last night and said 'You must have read that book about 15 times', but I love it and do often get it out and re-read the relevant month. I prefer it to any off his others, think it may be his first, anyway earlier than The Running Hare or the Flanders poppies one.

Finished The Suspect by Fiona Barton, found it bland and predictable.
Book 9. About Grace by Anthony Door.

I agree with you Granfromafar. I'm reading The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley at the moment and its a brilliant read.

Just finished book 10, Marked for Death by Tony Kent. Was a gripping read, haven’t read such a good thriller in ages.

3. Re-read of Jane Austen's Sanditon and The Watsons, published together so count as one. Sanction is going to be made into a film I read. JA put The Watsons aside unfinished, said to be because the main heroine was living in too humble circumstances. Ivy Compton Burnett said she nearly cried because she didn't know what the end would be.

4. Lucia in wartime, by Tom Holt, continuation novel of E.F. Benson's marvellous Lucia series. Not sure how I haven't come across these (TH's I mean) before.

Forgot to say am also reading a non-fiction book called 'Where did I leave my Glasses?' by Martha Weinman Lear. Subtitle: The What, When and Why of Normal Memory Loss An excellent book and would recommend to anyone who thinks they or someone they know may have memory issues. Very reassuring to know that the memory lapses we all experience are (mostly) perfectly normal!

Book 1 was The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende which was brilliant.
Book 2 was The Adults by Caroline Hulse ( GN prize) Was ok. Review on separate thread.
Book 3 was After You , Jo Jo Moyes' follow up to You before Me. Loved both of those.
Book 4 Started Stark by Ben Elton but abandoned it for something better! ( I rarely don't finish a book)
Book 5 was The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley Excellent and hope to read her Seven Sisters books this year if I spot any in a charity book shop.
Book 6 is The Girl You Left Behind, another by Jo Jo Moyes. Am really enjoying it.

Overthehills ‘In Tearing Haste’, is a book you have just reminded me I have yet to read. I have two books of Patrick Leigh Fermor’s letters which include some they exchanged. They were both fascinating characters.

Just finished "Sycamore Gap" by L J Ross. Second in the series with the same people but an unsatisfactory ending. I can only suppose that its all made clear in book three. But that will have to wait as now started "The Girl on the Train" which is good so far. I hope the ending is a proper ending !

No. 5 done, Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. Well written, of course, and interesting, but it felt more like study than enjoyment. I’ve now just started no. 6, the GN book club’s February choice, The Suspect. Much more my sort of thing!

Just finished The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths. Not nearly as good as her series about Ruth Galloway but an ok read. Seemed quite obvious ‘who did it’ when still quite a way in the book to go. Didn’t like the detective sergeant- Harbinder Kaur - to start with but she did grow on me so by the end of the book thought she was a good character. Be interesting to see if Elly makes this into a series. Have just ordered her latest in the Ruth Galloway series from the library but I’m 350th on the waiting list so may have to buy this one!

Finished book 9 - Lethal White. It felt like a bit of a marathon tbh but it was an ok read.

Try “In Tearing Haste”, Greyduster, if you enjoyed “Wait For Me”. Letters between Deborah Devonshire and Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Now onto book four, The Gilded Edge, by Danny Miller. A whodunnit by the looks of things, or more accurately, whodun'em, because the story opens with two murders.
This one is among many that have been stored, unread, on my Kindle for far too long, and I thought it was about time I started to get through them, instead of downloading new ones all the time. Not sure how long I'll be able to keep this resolve...