*2021 - 50 BOOKS FOR THE YEAR*

Loved A Daughter`s Duty. My next book is going to be The Red Dahlia, by Val McDermid, book 120

#57. Friend Of The Devil by Peter Robinson.

I was surprised at enjoying The Jester, it is my type of book, but wasn`t expecting it from James Patterson. Book 119 will be A Daughter`s Duty, by Maggie Hope.

No 38. Another Croissant For The Road by Felicity Cloake. She’s a food writer for the Guardian and it is an account of her ‘Tour de France’ by bicycle in search of the perfect croissant and other foodie items. It also contains recipes. It’s gentle, very funny and it was a book I was truly sorry to have finished.

Since I last posted have now surpassed the 50 mark with these :

Homecoming (Audio) Susie Steiner. I've read this author's crime books and really liked them. This is an earlier one about a family falling apart with the insurmountable problems faced in running a farm and trying to break even.

Ghosts - Dolly Alderton. She writes a column in The Sunday Times which I hardly ever read but this book has had good reviews so I thought I'd give it a go. I enjoyed it funny and moving featuring two subjects as diverse as dating apps and a parent with dementia both central to the life of Nina Dean who the book is about.

Everyone is Still Alive - Kathy Rentzenbrink I know I really enjoyed this book but struggling to remember what it was about, other than a woman who inherits the family home on her mother's death and for whom she is grieving for throughout the book. Moves from east London to west London. Young son starts new school, stay at home writer husband forges friendships with mums down at the school. Those are the bare bones.

Black Coffee (Audio) vintage Christie, written sometime in the 1930s I believe.

1979 - Val McDermid. Loved her last book, this one wasn't for me found it so dreary in comparison to her Karen Piries. Neither financial fraud or involvement with IRA terrorists made it remotely interesting, struggled to finish it.

Brazzaville Beach William Boyd. This was a bit of a slow burner for me but ultimately thought it was very good. I'm always amazed how different the author's books are, never a common theme or not one I've come across in those I've read. The heroine of the piece, Hope Clearwater is studying chimpanzees in a civil war torn African country. During the course of her studies it becomes clear that chimpanzees are far removed from the image of the cute creatures displayed in PG Tips ads, not that I fell for that one beyond childhood, on the contrary the most savage of all the primates. There are several themes in the book, her work in observing their behaviour patterns, which was the most interesting part of the novel, whilst reflecting on the breakdown of her marriage to a manic depressed mathematician back in England.

Sorrow and Bliss Meg Mason Continuing on the theme of depression and billed as alternately funny and sad, I found this book extremely over hyped and hardly raised a smile, wasn't particularly funny imo. Martha, who the book is about has a vague mental illness which is never actually named. Quite long drawn out descriptions of family dynamics, her growing up years and her long suffering husband. Disappointing!

Girl A Abigail Dean. Riding high in the book charts. Didn't like it, disjointed tale of children abused by their increasingly religious, nutty parents.

The Heights - Louise Candlish. Like Lisa Jewell, her books get better and better. Cracked through this really quickly the opening gambit of the man standing on the balcony of a tall apartment building in Shad Thames viewed across the way in a warehouse apartment by the main character, who knew that man to be dead draws the reader in right from the outset. My 50th!

Next one "The Missing Sister" the much lamented Lucinda Riley. Hoping a lot the loose threads come together.

#76 Doing Time Jodi Taylor.
I always enjoy this author's work and this is the first of a new series set in the unspecified future about an organisation that polices the timeline.
#77 The Infinity Engines Anachronist Andrew Hastie.
Another start of a series and like #76 is concerned with time travel. I enjoyed it and will look out for the next instalment.

A Conspiracy of Bones was good, but then I always enjoy books by Kathy Reichs. Book 118 will be The Jester, by James Patterson.

#56. All The Colours Of Darkness by Peter Robinson.

Child Taken was very good, nice twist near the end. Book 117 will be A Conspiracy of Bones, by Kathy Reichs.

Book 116 is Child Taken, by Darren Young, looking good up to now.

No 37 Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. It’s a Victorian classic which is for my book group. Loads of dreary descriptions which I skipped over.

The Richard Whiteley book did get better, I was in tears near to the end.

#55. Watching The Dark by Peter Robinson.

#67 was One Last Child by Anni Taylor, an Australian crime author about the disappearance and reemergence of five small children.
#68 was The Lullaby Man, also by Anni Taylor, the second in the trilogy. I enjoyed both very much.
#69 was Specks and Planks by Jeff Lucas, a Christian author who delivers a serious message in a humorous, identifiable manner.
#70 was Just Like The Other Girls by Claire Douglas; a thriller with an end l really did not expect.

Better!

I loved The Kitchen Maid. Now reading book 115, Richard, by Kathryn, a book about Richard Whiteley, who I liked a lot, by his partner, Kathryn Apanowicz. So far, it`s a bit boring, dealing a lot with his school and university days, but hoping it will get bettet.

#74:^Lies, Damn Lies and History^ Jodi Taylor.
Another very enjoyable volume of the Chronicles of St Mary's.
#75 Left-Handed Booksellers of London Garth Nix.
I think this may be intended for YA readers but it was entertaining.

#54. The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell.

The Queen`s Governess was really quite good. I Googled and found that the central character, Kat Ashley, actually did exist. She looked after Elizabeth 1 from the age of 3, when her mother was beheaded, until her mid twenties, gave her the love she didn`t get from her father.
My next book, 114, is going to be The Kitchen Maid, by Val Wood.

#72 The Keeper of Happy Endings Barbara Davis.
This was from my pile of 'free' Kindle books courtesy of Amazon Prime First Reads. I didn't have high expectations but actually I enjoyed it.
#73 Case Histories Kate Atkinson.
This series featuring a PI called Jackson Brodie was recommended to me as being out of the ordinary and I finally got around to reading the first one. I found it quite difficult to get into at first, there are lots of characters and it is quite complex but I really enjoyed it and will probably read others in the series at some point.

Sorry, that`s book 113.

Loved Miss Purdy`s Class. Now reading The Queen`s Governess, by Karen Harper, set in the 1500s.

#53. Past Reason Hated by Peter Robinson.

Poppy Day was lovely, some poignant bits as is usual with Annie Murray`s books. Just starting book 112, my last Annie Murray for a while, it`s called Miss Purdy`s Class.

#71 Making History Stephen Fry.
This was an audiobook read by Stephen Fry and Richard E Grant. An alternate history. Suppose you could ensure that Adolf Hitler had never been born? I really enjoyed it.