Fifty Books a Year (or fewer)

Book 13 - Anatomy of a Scandal Sarah Vaughan - excellent read, must look out for more from the same author
Book 14 I'm Fine and Neither are you Camille Payan - quite enjoyed this once I had 'got into it'

Umstongran. I read A Year of Wonders quite a while ago. Thanks for reminding me what a great read it was. I think I shall read it again

Since I last posted on 6th February I've read the following:
Book 8 = Sleeping Tiger by Rosamunde Pilcher
Book 9 = Nine Folds make a Paper Swan by Ruth Gilligan
Both interesting enough but unremarkable so
Book 10 = Dead Souls by Angela Marsons, (book 6 in the Kim Stone series) and an excellent, exciting read. I would suggest you start on Book 1 of the series if you want to follow Kim's progress from the beginning. All good reads. I am now starting on Book 11 (book 7 in the series) Broken Bones and really looking forward to it.

Back on January 2nd I said I was reading my way through the Peter Robinson DCI Banks books. I have reached Careless Love number 25 and have so enjoyed reading them in order and seen how the personalities and relationships have developed. Now I must wait until the Autumn to find what happens next!
At the same time I have enjoyed
Nemesis by Rory Clements
Lessons 2 Jenny Colgan
A Rose Petal Story Katie Fforde
The Man Who Planted Trees Jean Giono
The Single Women of Jacaranda Retirement Village
A Store at War Joanna Toye
So that’s 31 towards the total!

Very satisfactory reading a series in order; any suggestions for another author to try?

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!

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.

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 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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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-

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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! ?

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!

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

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

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.

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.