*2021 - 50 BOOKS FOR THE YEAR*

Currently reading my way through books on loan from friends and relatives to ensure they are ready to return when next we meet face to face. Two recently finished titles I enjoyed a lot were Three Sisters Three Queens by Philippa Gregory and Corsets to Camouflage by Kate Adie which looks at the role of women in war. Now reading J K Rowling's A Casual Vacancy which has been on the tbr pile for far too long. Something a little lighter for a change.

I’ve just finished #32 - Lockdown by Peter May. This was originally written during the bird flu scare of 2005, imagining London brought to a standstill by a deadly virus but was rejected by publishers at the time as being too incredible to happen .... Peter May revived the book last year and it is a fast-paced thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although there was too much bad language for my liking.

The Lonely Wife was a good read. My next book, book 39, is going to be Cry Baby, by Mark Billingham, reverting back to crime.

Since the beginning of March I've read:
A Silent Death and The Black House, both excellent thrillers by Peter May.
Book 9 was Seven Days of us by Francesca Hornak. A lockdown type of scenario but not Covid- related. Quite enjoyable.
Book 10 was A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks.
Book 11 was The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Loved this and was so impressed by the author that I asked for 2 more of her books for my birthday and can't wait to read them.
Book 12 was The Safe House by Nikki French
Book 13 was The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley. This was an intriguing book, part fantasy, so not my usual genre.

#Book 8 - Witness by Caroline Mitchell - Abandoned this as I found it very upsetting
#Book 9 - Sleeping in the Ground - Peter Robinson 5*
#10 - Many Rivers to Cross - Peter Robinson 5*
#11 - When the Music's Over - Peter Robinson 5*
#12 - Necessary Lies - Diane Chamberlain (2nd reading!!) 4*
#13 - The Liar - Norah Roberts 4*
#14 - Just started - The Obsession by Norah Roberts

Flicking through this thread - I really need to get a move on!!

Enjoyed The Empty Cradle, but I`m still pondering over whether I`ve read it before. Parts were familiar, but others weren`t. I`ve just started The Lonely Wife, by Val Wood, it looks promising, book 38.

# 19. A Month in the Country by JL Carr. I must find the film somewhere and rewatch it.

I have just finished Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough.
A creepy psychological thriller, not my usual genre at all. I understand it is on Netflix now but I may not watch it as it was cleverly written but unnerving.

I`ve just started The Empty Cradle, by Rosie Goodwin, book 37.

#22. The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley.

#32 Adventures of the Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owens. There is a TV programme on Channel 5 that features Amanda, her husband Clive and their 9 children on their farm in the Yorkshire Dales. An enjoyable read.

I miscounted my last books.
#28 was Sister at the Sharp End by Lynn Watts, an enjoyable nursing memoir about the 1970s and 1980s.
#29 was A 1950s Mother by Sheila Hardy, a fascinating insight.
#30 was Happy Fat by Sofie Hagen, how we should embrace ourselves whatever our size. I found it too woke and couldn't agree that size doesn't matter, although of course we should treat everyone the same.
#31 was The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde by Eve Chase. I enjoyed this, although it moved a little too slowly some of the time. Although the mystery is in the book, at heart it is story about families and the special bond of sisters.

Refreshed by the audio book, I'm back to the printed page. This time I've chosen The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.

18. A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton.

It’s an account by a woman who lost her daughter and grandson in the atom bomb on Nagasaki in WW2. Then a man claiming to be the grandson reappears many years later. It’s told through her recollections and through letters between various parties.

Each chapter begins with an explanation of a Japanese word that is untranslatable into an English word, as befits the story.

May7
I recently read Anything is possible, thought it was a wonderful book.

Oooh slipped far behind
#11 Anything is possible by Elizabeth Strout. Very enjoyable, loved the descriptive writing
#12 Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell. New author for me. I look forward to reading more of her books
#13 After the war is over by Maureen Lee. Predictable read not really my choice but loaned to me
#The First Lady by James Patterson. Lost interest in this halfway through
#14 The tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. This I've just begun so shouldnt really count this in but it has intrigued me so perhaps I'll finish this book. Finding it difficult to get really stuck into books again.

Just realised, The Killing Habit, which was very good, was book 35, not 34. Book 36 is going to be Spinners Lake, by Anna Jacobs, the last book in the Gibson family saga, I wish it could go on for longer.

Now reading The Killing Habit, by Mark Billingham, book 34

Ah jenniewren your post has decided me ? ?. The Burning Page Genevieve Cogman will be my next read. Thank you. X

#24 Coal Miner's Daughter Loretta Lynn. It is an account of her early years, very early marriage and motherhood and her career in country music up to when she was about 40. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sissy Spacek who played LL in the film of the same name. I enjoyed it.
#25 The Last of the Moon Girls Barbara Davis. A murder mystery/family angst story. A reasonably engrossing read.
#26 Magician's Gambit David Eddings. Book 3 in my reread of the Belgariad. Still enjoyable.
Not sure what I will read next. Possibly I will choose one at random from the TBR 'pile' on my Kindle.

#29 I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb. A humbling account of the immense bravery of a young girl fighting for her right to education.
#30 The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. Good psychological thriller with a breath-taking twist - literally made me gasp!
#31 The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman. The sixth book in the Invisible Library series. I love these books and recommend them if you enjoy fantasy with a helping of intrigue and derring-do

Dead Man`s Shoes didn`t seem as good as the previous 6 books, but it got better, I`m enjoying it now, in fact, I`ve almost finished it.

I`ve finished Hallam Square, am still waiting for the last in the series, so have just started Dead Man`s Shoes, by Ed James, the latest DCI Fenchurch book, book 34.

Finished SPQR by Mary Beard. Enjoyed this book but ready for something lighter now. I have downloaded an e audio book from our library's new Borrowbox app.
This is A Distant View of Everything by Alexander McCall Smith. Hope it's not cheating to have the occasional audio book?

Book 20 Twelve days by Teresa Hill
21 The other Wife by Claire Mc Gowan
22 The house by the sea by Louisa Douglas
23 The bee keepers promise by Fiona Valkyrie
24 Spring House by Mary Ellen Taylor
25 When we believe in mermaids by Barbara O’Neal
26 The beauty of broken things by Victoria Connelly
27 Brave Girl Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde
28 The house of the spirits by Isabel Allende

All these except ,the last one are ,easy reads . The last one took some getting into but enjoyed it once in to it.