*2021 - 50 BOOKS FOR THE YEAR*

Jenniewren, I also loved The Lost Man. Have you read The Dry, also by Jane Harper?
I`ve finished The Son, at long last, a really good story/saga, but the constant change in time zones annoyed me a bit.
Am just about ton start book 48, Under the Dome, by Stephen King. I haven`t read anything by him in ages.

#26. Death Is Now My Neighbour by Colin Dexter.

#35 was The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. I had heard the hype and put off reading it, thinking that it was one of those books l “should” read. I’m glad I have read it, though. It is very moving and really opened my eyes to the desperate plight of refugees escaping from war-torn countries from their point of view and made me realise just how lucky I was to be born here. There but for the grace of God go l indeed.

#37 The Lost Man by Jane Harper. Thriller set in the Australian outback, really atmospheric.

I do love Jane Harper's books, Jenniewren and Hellogirl.

I have also read The Dry and Force of Nature.

Jane Harper is a brilliant writer, I really enjoyed The Dry and The Lost Man, I have Force of Nature on my pile to read.

I`m not buying books at the moment, I`m too busy trying to work my way through a load that I`ve been given. But Force of Nature will be amongst my next purchases.

I’ve read all three of Jane Harper’s novels, Hellogirl1, and loved them all ?

#41 The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. I’d been putting off reading this as I thought it would be depressing but instead it’s an inspiring story of hope. Looking forward to her next book which is out later this month I think.

Yes great book jenniewren I only read it recently, I didn't think I'd like it either when everyone was raving about it last year, but really enjoyed it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

#27. The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley.

#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.

#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.

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

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 above is book 49 for me.

#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.

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.

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.

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.

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.