The New Fifty Books A Year Thread 2020

7. A Mercy, Toni Morrison

I didn’t think I was going to like this one at first, but ended up really enjoying it. Set in 16th century America, a tale of slavery, deprivation and love. It’s very powerful.

So far this year The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Club by Sophie Green, good, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, good, The Sparkle Pages by Meg Bignell not so good prob too young for me, Reflections by Marcia Willett, good, Magpie by Sophie Draper, didn't enjoy this one skipped a lot of it, and The Weekend by Charlotte Wood very good.

Finished reading The Secret Hours by Sandra Montefiore, a follow on from The Deverills triology. Then Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton. The joy of love, the beauty of silk and the cruelty of betrayal it had all these things enjoyed it. Then two audio books by Karen Swan, one set in Madrid Spain the other in Paris liked both of them with their descriptions of life with unlimited money but still human beings.currently reading Jasmine Nights by Julia Gregson for the book club and have American Dirt to read next.

Three more audio books:
7. "The Battersea Barricades" enjoyed it very much. Jodi Taylor's St Mary Chronicles are becoming favourites.
8 "White Silence" also by Jodi Taylor but not St Mary's. Enjoyed it.
9 "Troll Mountain" by Matthew Reilly. I think it is actually intended for teens but it passed a few hours.
I am currently reading "Hannah Green And Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence" by Michael Marshall Smith -weird very weird but very readable.

Hello , my first post on this wonderful site, thank you to all!
One of my ‘undoings ‘ is Radio 4 ‘Book of the Week’ & I've just finished Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter ( which Greyduster above , would love ! It’s brilliant.
Also the absolutely exquisitely bound & presented ‘Grandmothers‘ by Sally Vickers ( a signed copy too thanks to another dear Grandma friend)
Oh how I cherished slowly every wise, experienced , sometimes suffering word in this all too short delightful story of essentially three increasingly intertwined contrasting grandmothers (but many more in the peripheries.)

Still haven't embarked on The Salt Path Instead on recommendation of DD3
nos 3 and 4 were Philippa Gregory The Lady of the rivers and The White Queen. Enjoyed them both very much, but Oh boy the 2nd one needed a genealogical table
no.5 The Fell Murder by E.C. Lorac, a 1940s British Crime Classic, still enjoying it, but Oh boy does it need a map...

Laineynanna

‘Grandmothers’ is on my pile to read, I’m really looking forward to it.

I did start posting on this thread last year but to my shame did not keep it up so will try again for this year. I only read about a book every 2 weeks as I also spend a lot of my leisure time on craft projects. However I do love reading but these days I only read for pleasure so my choice of literature is mainly ‘easy reads’. To date this year I have read the following:
The Night Raid by Clare Harvey, a book set at the time of the Second World War, an easy, enjoyable book.
The New Rector by Rebecca Shaw. The first in the Turnham Malpas series. These books just have ‘a feel good touch’ to them. I like know I have a series of books I can carry on with and to ‘feel comfortable ‘ reading like a comfy pair of slippers.
The Lying Room by Nicci French. I always like books by this pair of authors. This was a good mystery and well written as usual but I did not think it was up to quite the same standard as their Freida Klein series.
The Love Child by Rachel Hore. I have enjoyed most of Rachel Hore’s books but this one was really good. My most enjoyable read for quite a while so really recommend it if you like a family story with some mystery.

I have only just found this group.
Everyone seems to be reading books that are so different to my choices.
Books this year have included - Here come the girls by Milly Johnson.
The winter wedding by Abby Clements and Christmas cakes and mistletoe nights.
All Rom coms.
The next ones in my pile are both by Mitch Alvin. These are Tuesdays with Morrie and The five people you meet in heaven.
I will look at other people's choices and perhaps broaden my horizons.

I started reading Bill Bryson’s book, The Body but put it to one side when I went away as it’s a big, heavy tome.

Instead, my No 6 is The Dutch House by Ann Patchett.

Last two books quite short

Book 7 Swimming Home -Deborah Levy
A poet and his war correspondent wife, their daughter and two friends, rent a villa for the summer, they discover a young woman, a botanist swimming naked in their pool, and invite her to stay.

It’s pretty predictable after that, I thought I was going to enjoy it, but it wasn’t that gripping.

Book 8 Wide Sargasso Sea-Jean Rhys
This book gives a voice and a name to the first Mrs Rochester, we learn how she came to be the mad woman in the attic.

The book is full of atmosphere, you sense the menace in the country, it’s very claustrophobic, with some very unsettling characters.

It’s hard to have any sympathy for young Mr Rochester, his poor young wife deserves much more.

Since last post I have read Us by David Nicolls, which I really enjoyed.

Then Force of Nature by Jane Harper.

Jamaica Inn which I picked up in Wilko charity stall and had just seen the film on Talking Pictures with Valerie Hobson (later Mrs Profumo) starring. A good read, with shades of the later Poldark novels in it.

Bookseller of Kabul.

Henry and Zoe by Andy Jones a bitter-sweet romance.

The End of the Affair by Grahame Greene, Read it before but saw the film recently with Deborah Kerr in it.

And the best of all, just finished, is Those we have Loved by Victoria Hislop. Set in Athens during the war and to the present day, it tells you so much about Greece in the war and what an awful time they had. We were in Athens two years ago and I was trying to picture all the areas she talked of. A good long read although there are some bits which get long winded.

Also picked up Vogel by LLoyd Jones which I realised I had borrowed before so did not finish as it was not gripping me this time.

Also read The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie, but abandoned it three quarters through as I found it a bit tedious towards the end. Borrowed from library after reading about Graham Young the poisoner who, it was said, had some of his ideas, about thallium poisoning, from that book!!

whenIwasyourage I adore Mary Renault. I have read and re-read just about everything she wrote including the Alexander trilogy and her non-fiction biography of him “The Nature of Alexander”. Her research is impeccable. The only book I didn’t get on with was The Charioteer, but maybe, like you, I should read it again with a fresh eye.
Currently on John Boyne’s ‘A Ladder to the Sky’. I like John Boyne but this book has only one likeable character in it and she’s now dead. The others are thoroughly odious. Why am I still reading it??
Laineynanna I will put ‘Dark Matter’ on my list. Thank you.

7 - Talking to Strangers / Malcolm Gladwell (NF)

8. The Couple Next Door, Shari Lapena
A couple leave their baby at home while they go to dinner next door. When they get back, she’s gone.... I liked this. It makes a change these days to read a book without constant flashbacks.

9. French Exchange with Rubies, Stephanie McCarthy
A kind donation from the author, a fellow Gransnetter. The thread offering the book was taken down shortly after I got the link , and I can’t remember your GN name, Stephanie. But thank you, I enjoyed your book.

No 7. Your Life In My Hands by Rachel Clark. She’s an NHS doctor and was writing at the time of the junior doctors dispute.

I had just started
book 7
Broken Souls by Patricia Gibney when I last posted. Since then

Book 8
The God of Small Things - Arundatah Roy - a struggle!

9) Islands - GB Gwyn - Easy reading

10) So Much Owed - Jean Grainger - good story

11) All By Myself, Alone - Mary Higgins-Clarke - just started.

Finished John Boyne’s ‘Ladder to the Sky’, in spite of myself! Now on number 7, ‘The Irish Princess’ by Elizabeth Chadwick; get on well with her books.

I’ve just read American Dirt which was the GN February book club choice, and found it a very good read.
I’ve been given The Rowntree girls to read. It looks as if it’s going to be an easy read. I’m not sure that it is one I would have chosen myself, but I’ll give it a go.
Greyduster, I think you will enjoy Dark Matter if you can get hold of a copy.

8 - Olive, Again / Elizabeth Strout (F)

Book 10 was "Hannah Green And Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence" Michael Marshall Smith, a bit strange but I enjoyed it.
Book 11 was "Dark Light" Jodi Taylor, another audiobook, enjoyed it too.
Next book will be "Masquerade" by Joanna Taylor.

Amendment! The book is called The Quality Street Girls not the Rowntree girls. An easy read, but not one I would choose myself, but as it was loaned, I felt I should read it.

Just reserved ‘Dark Matter’ from our library service.

No 8 A Country Doctor's Commonplace Book by Philip Rhys Evans.

No 9 Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brook. This was for my book group and very topical as it is about the village of Eyam during the plague of 1666. The ending is a bit unlikely but the story is beautifully told.