Fifty Books a Year (or fewer)

Has been quite a while since I last updated my list so here goes. Books16 - 25. Been reading anything i can get my hands on as i'm recovering from a fractured leg so-
Without Him-Fiona O'Brien
Scarlet Fever - Maeve Binchy
The Scent of you - Maggie Alderton
Almost French- Sarah Turnbull
A year at Castle Court - Holly Hepburn
An unsuitable Match - Joanna Trollope
A Letter from Italy - Pamela Hart(highly recommend this one)
A Year at Hotel Gondola - Nicky Pellegrino
The Invitation - Lucy Foley(highly recommend)
The Last Night - Cesca Major (a new author for me but turned out to be a really good read)

Book 22 The Story of a New Name the second book in the Neopolitan series.

Now onto ‘A Thousand Ships’ by Natalie Haynes, which is the Trojan Wars from the women’s perspective. Good so far. Natalie Haynes is a very engaging writer.

Book 23 A High Mortality of Doves by Kate Ellis.
A reasonable story but spoiled by 2D characterisation and stilted dialogue.

Book 25 Afloat Danie Couchman - loved this book, spied it in the new books section of the library - it is a memoir, quite a departure for me - highly recommend if you would be interested in learning about day to day life aboard a narrowboat

Finished "Machines Like Me " by Ian Mcewan, the story of Adam the first synthetic human !, Brilliant.
No 22 ' The Secrets of Midwives ' by Sally Hepworth

Book 15. An Absolute Scandal by Sarah Vaughn. Enjoyed it though each mention of The Libertines reminded me of David Cameron.
Book 16. Their Little Secret by Mark Billingham. One of my favourite authors, didn’t disappoint.

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Finished The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth... easy, quick , ok read.
No. 23 Becoming by Michelle Obama.

Finished ‘A Thousand Ships’. Truly sad to come to the end, I enjoyed it so much.
Book eighteen: ‘Elizabeth is Missing’ by Emma Healey. Very promising so far.

No 20. Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell. He owns and runs a secondhand bookshop in Wigtown in Scotland and this is his log of a year in his shop.

He's a curmudgeonly so-and-so and that along with a cast of amusing characters makes for comedic reading.

Just finished book 23
The Sacrifice-Joyce Carol Oates
Always enjoyed everything I’ve previously read by this author, but didn’t like this at all, gad to make myself finish it.
Just started The Librarian Salley Vickers, liking it so far

Book 24. An Unsuitable Match by Joanna Trollope.
I couldn’t warm to any of the characters.

Give up on Becoming by Michelle Obama, may return to it in winter,
So still book 23....I found you by Lisa Jewell.

Book 21. Middle England by Jonathan Coe.

I've just read it while staying with my ds in America. It felt very dislocating to do that, with Trumps visit to the UK in the news.

I think I'll read something lighter next!

Book24

The Librarian Sally Vickers

Highly recommend

My May reading:

25 In Search of Mary Shelley - Fiona Sampson (Biography) Love reading about the writers and poets of that period, such as Byron and The Shelleys, who came across as early 19th century hippies to me, not to mention forerunners of socialism that had yet to arrive, eschewing the conventions of the times they lived in, often dying young having packed a lot in! Mary Shelley however did live longer than her male counterparts. This book dealt mainly with her early life, raised by her father writer William Godwin after the death of her mother Mary Wollstonecraft days after her birth, and her tumultuous relationship with her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
26 The Girl on The Cliff - Lucinda Riley (Audio) Enjoyable escapism I do enjoy her stuff.
27 The Janus Stone - Elly Griffiths Only discovered the Ruth Galloways recently, reading them in the wrong order, one of her earlier ones in this she has just discovered she is pregnant with her daughter. As always good.
28 Dying for Christmas - Tammy Cohen (Audio) psychological crime, twist in the middle which I didn't see coming.Not fantastic but ok
29 Normal People - Sally Rooney. Massively overhyped imo, didn't really understand all the accolades this book received, quite nice tender love story, although the two main characters were exasperating at times. Quite good, nothing special, well not for me, wouldn't rush to read her previous debut book "conversations with friends".
30 Different Class - Joanne Harris (Audio) Now this was special, I've never read any of her stuff before, although had seen the film Chocolat years ago. Loved this thought it was brilliant although quite dark, will definitely read more of her books. Have ordered the actual book from the library for my husband, I know he'll like it, the school in the story sounds similar to the way he describes his old grammar school and I think he'd appreciate the Latin master, having studied that subject to A level and it's his favourite genre, crime

Book 26 No Further Questions Gillian McAllister - very good, would recommend

Has anyone read The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder?
I have abandoned it, should I persevere?

Book 25: Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

This is the book on which the TV series ‘Big Little Lies’ was based. It is a superbly written story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finished ‘Elizabeth is Missing’. Now moving on to Bernard Cornwell’s ‘The Heretic’, but not sure it’s going to be for me.

I’ve read The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder I initially found it quite hard going, but was pleased I’d persevered at the end. I keep notes about the books I read and this is what I wrote - Who killed Bee Larkham? Is the question that this book seeks to answer. Jasper is convinced that it is him, the police seem to think that it might be his dad, and the reader, seeing through Jasper’s synaesthesia is left questioning all of this. As the story unfolds sympathy is felt for Jasper, His Dad and even Bee Larkham as the conclusion to the story is approached. Sad, poignant, but entertaining read.

Thank you Sarahmob perhaps I will go back to it then

Here’s my next 5 books.
41- The hearts invisible furies by John Boyne
42- The Misbegotten by Katherine Webb
43- Circling the sun by Paula Mc Iain
44- A secret garden by Katie Fforde
45- The love letter by Lucinda Riley.

Enjoyed all of these.

Book 22 A local history book of where my son lives, which will be of no interest to anyone else!

Book 23. Marrying Off Mother, a collection of short stories by Gerald Durrell.