*2021 - 50 BOOKS FOR THE YEAR*

Just finished reading Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
Really enjoyed it particularly the current facts on Nigeria at the beginning of each chapter. I lived there during the 1950’s as my father was working there, so it was a real eye opener for me. I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.

22 The Devil & The Dark Water by Stuart Turton. I’m not sure how to describe it - historical thriller, mystery, crime? Anyway, it was barking and enjoyable, set on board a 1600’s Indianman ship.

I enjoyed the Montelbano books more than I expected to. Now reading Death of an Outsider, by M.C.Beaton, a Hamish Macbeth story, yet another TV series that passed me by. It`s OK, but a bit too light hearted, I like my thrillers a bit more "thrilling". Book 55.

Enjoyed The Snack Thief, have since read August Heat, another Montalbano, book 53, now on book 54, yet another Montalbano, The Dance of the Seagull.

I’ve read a few since I last posted on here.
#42 Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce. A charming story, I love Rachel Joyce.
#43 A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody. A Kate Shackleton detective story set in the 1920s. Enjoyable.
#44 Just My Luck by Adele Parks. About a couple who win the lottery jackpot and the effect this has on them, their family and friends and the lies that are revealed. Full of twists and turns.
#45 Where Shall We Run To? by Alan Garner. A memoir of the author’s childhood in the 1940s in Alderley Edge in Cheshire, not far from where I grew up and where most of his children’s books are set (the Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Elidor etc)
#46 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson-Burnett. This book seemed to pass me by when I was a child (apart from a BBC tv series in 1975) so when I found a copy when I was clearing my MIL’s house I thought it was time I read it!
Eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley from Amazon Decided to treat myself to the hardback as can’t wait for it to appear in paperback!

I enjoyed The Voice of the Violin once I got into it. Am now reading another Montalbano book, The Snack Thief, book 52.

#28. The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley.

This will be the 4th book in the series I am about to read. I will keep going until I have read all of them, and I know many of you think they are wonderful, but I am finding them all a bit ‘samey’ they all follow a similar pattern.

Having said that, they are quite readable, though long and rather drawn out.

Hello I'll join in if I may.........

My favourite reads so far this year are,

Seasonal Quartet Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer by Ali Smith

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Lots of ideas here for future reading.

Ladies Night at Finbar`s Hotel was much better than the first book, but still not that great. I`ve just read through a guide to Pompeii, but won`t class it as a book. I`d love to go there.
I`ve just started The Voice of the Violin, by Andrea Camillera, an Inspector Montalbano mystery. I`ve never read any of them before, have been lent 4 of them, I`ve also never seen the TV series. Not sure what to make of it yet. It`s book 51 for me.

Musicgirl
I agree, I’m so interested to hear other people’s opinions on books I’ve read.
I’ve also added a lot to my wish list, authors I’ve not heard of, good to step out of my comfort zone sometimes.

Sara1954, l have always been a big reader but, for a variety of reasons, seem to have floundered in my reading concentration in the last couple of years or so. This challenge has given me the boost l needed to get back to it and I am thoroughly enjoying it it. I like the fact that we are challenging ourselves and are not in competition with anyone else. It is very interesting to see the wide variety of books that we are all reading, too.

Sara1954, I didn`t like The Other Passenger either. Was thinking of giving up on it, but plodded on.
I`ve finished Finbar`s Hotel, not bad, but how it can be described as amusing I fail to see.
I`ve just started the other book of the pair, Ladies Night at Finbar`s Hotel, same format as the other one, each chapter written by a different author. Book 50 for me.

I can’t believe how many books some of you have read, I’m definitely going to struggle to get to fifty this year
Book 16
Patricia Cornwell-Dust
Not one of her best, but a good read. Marino, Scarpetta, Lucy and Benton all managing to be pretty much on the same side for once.
Strong, reliable characters, I think this is book 21, and I feel I know them all pretty well now.
Book 17
I’m thinking of Ending Things-Iain Reid
I’m not sure what to make of this book, I couldn’t put it down, I was gripped from the first page. There was a feeling of menace all the way through,
Basically a road trip, a boy and a girl visiting his parents for supper in a snowstorm, or is it?
I don’t pretend to understand the ending, so if anyone has read it, and has any ideas, I’d be interested to read them.
Book 18
The Other Passenger-Louise Candlish
A quick read, kept you guessing, the problem for me was all the characters were so thoroughly unpleasant, that I really didn’t care what happened to any of them.

#38 was a very easy, predictable read: Happiest Days by Jack Sheffield.
#39 was The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. This takes up the story of Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and is a lovely read, thoroughly in the spirit of the original. It is so easy to sympathise with the plain, overlooked sister and cheer her on as she comes out of her shell when her talents are recognised. A happy ending too, of course.

The above is book 49 for me.

At last I`ve finished Under the Dome, all 877 pages of it. It took me 10 days! I mentioned on another site that it would make a great film, only to be told that it was a TV series years ago, one that I missed, obviously.
I`ve just started Finbar`s Hotel. It`s a collection of short stories, each being by a different Irish author, but all about the same place. It`s one of 2.. the other being Ladies Night at Finbar`s Hotel. The stories are supposed to be amusing, but have passed me by so far.

The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley
The Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

#37, which l have just finished, was The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a clever twist on the classic whodunnit.

#35 an audiobook Come Again Robert Webb. The debut novel by the Webb of "Mitchell & Webb". It is a novel of grief, time travel and second chances. A bit patchy but the narrator Olivia Colman was first rate and I enjoyed it. #36 Nothing Ventured Jeffrey Archer. The first in the William Warwick saga. I do like a bit of Jeffrey Archer and this is shaping up to be at least as readable as his other yarns. #37 The Night Raven Sarah Painter. The first in a new paranormal mystery series. It was ok but I'm in no hurry to read the next one.

#27. The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley.

I am reading “the postscript murders” by Elly Griffiths. I like her books very much. This one is in the vein of Richard Osman’s “Thursday murder club”.

Current read is First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, who was the last surviving of the spitfire pilots who flew in the war. My son in law enjoyed it and passed it to DH who read it in three days and now I’m reading it. He started pilot training in the fledgling RAF when he was barely eighteen, straight from leaving school and made his first solo flight two days before war was declared. It doesn’t bear thinking about, the risks these very young men put themselves through.

Just finished #36, The Governor by Vanessa Frake. It is her autobiography of her years in the prison service from rookie to number four governor at Wormwood Scrubs. She met some very high profile prisoners along the way, including being made a cup of tea by Myra Hindley! A very interesting book.

Thought it was time to update my finished books!
29- The Rosie project - Graeme Simsion
30- The silent daughter - Claire Amarth
31- Heading over the hills - Judy Leigh
32- The museum of broken promises -Elizabeth Buchan
33- The last piece - Imogen Clark
34- Minnies orphans- Lindsey Hutchinson
35- the day she came back- Amanda Prowse
36- the other girl- C.D.Major
37- Theo- Amanda Prowse
38- rescue me- Cathy Bradley
39- the island house- Elana Johnson
40- this changes everything- Helen McGinn
41-The tears of the silenced- Misty Griffin
42- the victory garden- Rhys Bowen

I have enjoyed all these easy reads but the tears of the silenced about a girl placed with the Amish people by her mother and stepfather after years of abuse only to be sexually abused by the deacon of the church before escaping was quite harrowing to realise this is common practise.

21 The Ice Cream War by William Boyd. It’s mostly set in East Africa during the First World War. I do like WB’s writing.

The Son is a hefty read, I know! I liked the flipping back and forth, it was easy to read in short chunks.

I liked The Lost Man much more than The Dry, which I didn’t think particularly good. I’m not a fan of crime novels, so maybe that’s why. The Lost Man had more to it than just crime.

The Bee Keeper of Aleppo was an odd one. The story should have been very touching but I felt that it was all written at one remove, I didn’t believe in it. Maybe it needs to be written by someone who has actually experienced it, rather than someone who has just been a witness.