*2021 - 50 BOOKS FOR THE YEAR*

I've just finished Klara and the Sun by Ishiguru. Not his best book, I found the narration by the AF (artificial friend) rather irritating and the plot a bit thin. Pity as usually I'm a fan of his books.

#17 The Lost Lights of St Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford. As you can probably guess, this is set on the islands of St Kilda, time-slipping between the late 1920’s and wartime France. It’s a love story set in amazing surroundings.

Jennywren it’s nice to find someone else who enjoyed the Mrs Hancock book! No one seems to have heard of it so I’ve been pressing it onto people to read.

Mumstheword we still have a signed copy of A Year in Provence on our book shelves. There’s a similar book which predates it, but is just as lovely, Perfume from Provence by Winifred Fortescue, published in 1935. It’ll transport you to sunnier climes!

#s 21 and 22 Pawn Of Prophecy and Queen Of Sorcery both by David Eddings. They are the first and second books in The Belgariad. A fantasy series I reread every few years. #23 is The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper. It is a novel about the Queen Mother set mainly during WW2. Real people and events but just like the series The Crown this author attributes fictional thoughts, conversations and secrets to the protagonist, some quite scandalous. I enjoyed it. My next read will be Coal Miner's Daughter Loretta Lynn.

Polarbear
I know!
You can’t actually imagine two people more physically different.

Number 10 The House By The Lake by Thomas Harding. It was very interesting from a factual historical point of view, and he has so much self motivation and persistence.
Number 11 The Horse the Fox and the Mole. Brilliant, easy to read book with fantastic drawings and very positive messages.
Number 12 Us by David Nicholls . I loved this book. I had previously watched the series on TV, but the book was far better, as recommended by another a Gransnet reader. I felt sorry for Douglas whom I thought had not been treated very kindly by his family.
I started reading Three Hours but it upset me too much, so I handed it back to the library.

#21. The Way Through The Woods by Colin Dexter.

No idea what number but
Just started

“Apeirogon” by Colum McCann.

Loved Ridge Hill, in fact, really loving re-reading this family saga. Now on next book in the series , Hallam Square, book 33.

Kartush

I read over 200 books last year but am off to a slow start this year, decided to read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, am up to book 8 but its a hard slog

I got to book 3 and found them a hard slog - everyone else I know seemed to love them.

Im reading The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

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.

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?

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.

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.

#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

#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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

#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.

#22. The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley.