*2021 - 50 BOOKS FOR THE YEAR*

I enjoyed The Doll Factory too.

Just started my 2nd book, "Such A Fun Age" Kiley Reed, highly lauded debut novel, featuring the themes of race and class.

Finished 2nd book ..audio... In Strictest Confidence, Craig Revel Horwood...easy listen during the night.... found out about his life and his career.....met him on a cruise and he was really warm and welcoming there.

Finished book 2 last night, Katherine Webb, The Disappearance.
Normally really enjoy her books, but couldn’t really get into this one. It’s set in wartime Bath, a little girl who disappeared 20 years before, is uncovered when a bomb falls on her home. Frances, her best friend. , gradually, and not very convincingly, starts to remember things, which lead to the real killer.
I just didn’t find the characters very believable, and Frances, I found very irritating.

I’d heard the last seven sisters book was due out soon Sarahmob. It’ll be interesting to find out the answers to some of the questions raised in the other books! I’ve got ‘The Sun Sister’ waiting to be read on my shelf and then I’ll be ready for the last one ?

2. Winter in Sokchow by Elisa Shua Dusapin.

This is a brief novel set in S Korea near the border with the north. It features an out-of-season french tourist and a French/Korean hotel receptionist. I suppose at base, it’s a novel about identity. One for my book group, I think. The cover is beautiful, too. www.amazon.co.uk/Winter-Sokcho-Elisa-Shua-Dusapin/dp/1911547542/ref=asc_df_1911547542/?hvlocphy=1007383&hvlocphy=1007383&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&hvptwo&psc=1&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvnetw=g&hvadid=394244066349&hvadid=394244066349&hvpone&hvpone&hvlocint&hvlocint&ref&th=1&hvpos&hvpos&hvdev=c&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&hvqmt&tag=gransnetforum-21&hvtargid=pla-879022331973&hvtargid=pla-879022331973&hvrand=9495151636479902752&hvrand=9495151636479902752&adgrpid=85953220470

Oh, sorry for the huge link!

My no.2 was Kissing the gunner's daughter by Ruth Rendell, one of the Inspector Wexford mysteries. I find some of her ordinary stories a bit weird but the Wexford's are worth a read.
Now reading no.3- Margaret Dickinson's The Buffer girls. 1920s hard life in the cutlery industry with a romance. A good read

Just finished 3rd book Christmas is Murder by Val McDermid....good short stories...picked up when too busy to sit and read all day. Christmas present

I have just finished "Reynard the Fox" by Anne Louise Avery, which I was given for Christmas. It is a lively retelling of Mediaeval stories of the exploits of Reynard and his trial by King Noble the Lion for his misdeeds. NOT one to read at bedtime to the kiddies though; there are some quite gory bits in it - well, he was a fox, and that is the nature of the beast. A good yarn, well told, and despite his crimes Reynard is still the quickwitted hero who can talk his way out of trouble.
I have just ordered Mary Trump's book, "Too much and Never Enough".

Finished my 2nd book - The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce. Was a nice easy but predictable read and I’m now ready to get my teeth back into something more thrilling. Next up is Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh. I read his latest book Fifty Fifty a while ago and couldn’t put it down, hoping for another good courtroom thriller from this one.

Finished my number 4, ‘The Man who saw Everything’ by Deborah Levy.
I ordered it from the library after reading something about it - it’s only a slim book (200 pages) but was like wading through treacle. Not a good read for me. It didn’t have much of a plot and I didn’t like any of the characters.

Jenniewren my biggest question is whether Pa Salt is actually dead (I don’t think he is!) and if he isn’t, why has he done what he’s done?

Sarahmob

Finished my number 4, ‘The Man who saw Everything’ by Deborah Levy.
I ordered it from the library after reading something about it - it’s only a slim book (200 pages) but was like wading through treacle. Not a good read for me. It didn’t have much of a plot and I didn’t like any of the characters.

I read Hot Milk by the same author, also a slim volume with characters I didn’t like and like” wading through treacle”!

I finished my 2nd book last night, Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver, a charity shop find. It was written in 1990, I don’t know how I missed it previously as I really enjoy her books.
Next it will be Silver by Chris Hammer, a Christmas gift I requested.

Hi fellow readers. I have done this thread before and really enjoyed reading all your ‘reading’ and suggestions. I got to my 50 books about the end of July last year then stopped recording or keeping a record so have decided to start again thank you terribull.
First book this year was the diary of Ann Franks - the definitive edition
Second was a reread of A child called it by David Pelzer
Third was The family upstairs by Lisa Jewell - not what I expected but enjoyed it.
I have now read all the books ‘left’ around the house by AC and have 3 large containers waiting to be donated - I did put boxes outside first lockdown which helped recycle some. I think I am now going to have to investigate getting books on my iPad as charity shops not open or maybe ebooks from library .
Happy reading everyone.

No 2 presumed Guilty - Tess Gerritsen from my friend's attic. A quick read.

Sarahmob, I don’t think Pa Salt’s dead either! I haven’t worked out what’s going on though!

Just finished number six, The Boy in the Well by Douglas Lindsay. It got better as it went on and I really wanted to finish it. It was a bit fanciful and I don’t think I’ll read any more by him.

Number 3. The Peppered Moth by Mgt. Drabble. Semi autobiographical and the family relationships/dynamics ring true. Certainly not a page turner but one to savour.

On number 2.

1 - Beekeeper of Aleppo - I highly recommend
2 - All Adults Here - family drama that I am enjoying so far.

Finished number 4
The lost boy by Dave Pelzer - interesting read from foster child’s perspective.

Thanks for the heads-up AliBeee I’ll steer clear of her books in the future I think. I sometimes wonder what the Booker judges see in the books they choose for the lists and their winners. ?

My book club read a Deborah Levy last year - I don’t think any of us enjoyed it! We now tend to steer clear of Booker prize winners although we did read Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo which I enjoyed, once I got into it!

Finished number 4 The Moon Sister and number 5, ‘If Only They Could Talk’ by James Herriot, re-read from many moons ago. Decided to read these again after watching the remake of ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ on Channel 5 last year. Quite different from the TV series but an enjoyable easy read.

jenniewren sarahmob ...I'm sure Pa Salt is not dead so I can't wait for the big reveal. Also, isn't there another sister lurking somewhere? It's been a great series and I shall be sorry for it to end.
Well, I only managed 36 books last year which was fewer than in an average year. I intend to increase my reading in 2021 and keep up with this thread.
I'm on book 3 which I'm enjoying. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. It's a novel based on a true story of two giraffes who survived a hurricane.
#1 The Woman in Our House. By Andrew Hart. A psychological thriller. It was ok.
#2 The Magnificent Dappled Sea by David Biro.
This had been lurking on my Kindle for a while - I'm so glad I finally got round to reading it. A moving story of an Italian boy in need of a bone marrow transplant and the donor, an American Rabbi. Recommended.