*2021 - 50 BOOKS FOR THE YEAR*

Book 90 The Holiday Home, by Fern Britton. It`s boring really, if it`s a typical example of her books, I don`t think I`ll bother with any more.

#55 So Many Ways of Loving Christine Webber. The author writes for and about 60 something women. Quite good and it's refreshing to read about 'older' women having sex lives.
#56 A Second Chance Jodi Taylor. The third book in her very good 'St Mary's Chronicles'.

29. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. It’s a sort of memoir cum how to do life book. It’s bonkers and I didn’t believe half of it!

I enjoyed Dead Flowers, although it exposed the seedier side to Nottingham and it`s gangland. My next book will be a bit lighter, The Holiday Home, by Fern Britton.

Loved The Stolen Child, now reading Dead Flowers, by Nicola Monaghan, book 89

#52 was Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. I wasn’t sure if it would be my thing before I started but I loved it. It is set in Cambridgeshire in 1171 and the main protagonist is a female doctor from Salerno. King Henry II is shown in a much more sympathetic light than history normally reports. I will be looking for more books in this series.
#53 was Scraping the Toast by Anne Main. I did not really enjoy this one.

Enjoyed The Widow Next Door. Have since read book 87, Apple of my Eye, by Claire Allan, really enjoyed it. Now just starting book 88, The Stolen Child, by Sajinda Kay.

All thrillers, bar one for my July reads.

35 The Maidens - Alex Michaelides - Killer on the loose among Cambridge under graduates. Alright, not fantastic and somewhat implausible.
36The Secret Place - Tana French. (audio) This was so long about 19 discs if I remember rightly I thought I'd never find out who done it this side of Christmas but good nevertheless, set in a girls boarding school in Dublin, where a boy from neighbouring boys school was found in their grounds with his head caved in. The male narrator was brilliant at getting into teenage girl character, lots of "OMG and Hello!" in that off hand way girls talk these days.....yes it was a long time getting to the conclusion but whiled away the time when doing a pile of ironing!
37 Greenwich Park - Katherine Faulkner I remember I enjoyed this debut novel even though I've forgotten some of the plot, I know that because my husband picked it up and started reading it, but it had to go back to the library before he finished and I couldn't renew it .....he asked me to fill him and well that finer detail eluded me, but I whizzed through it. Again like the Maidens, partly set in the present around Greenwich and ten or so years prior to that when the main characters were students at Cambridge......and of course there is a murder at the heart of the story.
38 Follow You - Peter James (audio) Not one of his Roy Grace's. Main character creepy doctor fixated on woman he momentarily claps eyes on when he nearly runs over her at traffic lights and who later on enters his social circle. Not bad, again helped with polishing off the ironing.
37 The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennet, I saved the best till last. I loved this book it had a similar quality to Crawdads in that it had a theme that stays with the reader. It's the story of very light skinned, black twins, in the book they were described as coloured, the author's words who is black herself. Growing up in a small town in Louisiana. They run away from home to New Orleans when they are 16 and eventually take very separate paths in life. One twin marries a black man who is violent towards her, she leaves him and returns to the small town where she was raised with a daughter in tow. The other twin marries a white man, again has a daughter and lives a very different life in Los Angeles, erasing all traces of her previous identity to live the life of a wealthy white woman. Racial prejudice, racial identity, gender identity and motherhood are all very central to the narrative. Definitely one of the best books I've read so far this year.

I’m actually about to start reading book number 19 The girl you gave away Jess Ryder Psychological thriller, I will be able to complete 50 books this year, basically as the books I read are generally 350ish pages, ?

#43. Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell.

#52 The Secrets of Sunshine Phaedra Patrick. A charming feel good book, I loved it
#53 White Silence Jodi Taylor. The first in a supernatural thriller series. Very good
#54 Dark Light Jodi Taylor. Second in the series and I really enjoyed it. I believe the third book is published next week and I can't wait to read it. Very good unusual thriller series.

I finished A Book of Bones this morning. It was very good, but beware if you don`t like blood and gore.
Since then I`ve read book 85, A Cat Called Amnesia, can`t remember the author. It`s a child`s book, brought round by my daughter, but I liked it.
Now reading book 86, The Widow Next Door, by L A Detwiler. A bit odd so far, but haven`t read much yet.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, I enjoyed it, bit technical in parts, space story from the author of The Martian,
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig, A mix of autobiographical, self help, support and comforting quotes, experiences and observations, its a pick up and put down book until needed.
Trans ...when ideology meets reality...by Helen Joyce,
Thought provoking book, an eye opening work, it will take me sometime to process its contents, but would recommend it.
A Life Without You by Shari Low.
Simple easy enjoyable family/ love story.

#64 Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo. A stand-alone short novel about a man on the run who takes refuge in Finnmark in the north of Norway.
#65 Demon Dentist by David Williams. Not my usual read but my 8 year old grandson loves David Williams’ books and wanted me to read this as it’s his favourite!
#66 The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan. I enjoyed this rather strange mix of tragedy and grief underpinned with a strong message of hope.
#67 Boy by Roald Dahl. A memoir of Dahl’s childhood, particularly his schooldays.
#68 The White Robin by Miss Read. A story about Fairacre School and a rare albino robin.
I’m now starting The Ice by Laline Paull. I read her novel, The Bees, a few years ago which I thought was brilliant so I’m hoping this is as good.

28. The Winter Book by Tove Janssen. Not a patch on her Summer Book, unfortunately.

Book 24
Unsettled Ground-Claire Fuller
This book for me was pure joy. I loved it.
The story of 51 year old twins, living in a dilapidated cottage with their mother.
Her sudden death changes everything for them, they are brilliant musicians, but very ill equipped for dealing with life.
A small cast of exquisite characters, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Book 25
The Shell Seekers- Rosamund Pilcher
I only read this because so many of you count it amongst your favourite books.
I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I did. A cast of likeable characters, and a saga which followed Penelope from being a child in Cornwall, with an artist father, through war, her marriage and finally her death.
Her three children were awful, I guess Olivia was meant to come across as a more sympathetic character, but I didn’t like her.
My favourite was Doris.

The Secret Wife by Gill Paul

What if not all the Romanovs were murdered?

#42. Sleeping In The Ground by Peter Robinson.

#41. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell.

Have just finished The Missing Sister. Think it was the best of the Sisters books, found it more readable than some of them, and more interesting.

I must really update my list more often! Since April I've read:
Book 14 and 15: Perfect and the Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
Book 16: Frankisstein by Jeannette Winters on. Unusual story but quite liked it
Book 17: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Another odd one, not recommended.
Book 18: The Chestnut Man by Siren Sveistrup. Excellent thriller.
Book 19: The Dry by Jane Harper. So glad I was given this as had read great reviews on here which I agree with. Will look for more by her.
Book 20: The Confession by Jessie Burton. Love her books.
Book 21: The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. Ghost story.
Book 22: Family and Friends by Anita Brookner.
Book 23: Black, White and Gold by Kelly Holmes (Autobiography) Was interested to find this as she hails from Tonbridge, where I live, and went to the same secondary school as my son, though a few years ahead of him. Quite a good read though slightly tedious in parts relating to her life in the army.
Book 24:The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn. Follow up to The Salt Path. As discussed on another thread, can't understand why they go on such gruelling trips with husband so ill
Book 25: One August Night by Victoria Hislop. Similar to her previous novels based in Crete/ Greece, but easy reading.
Book 26:Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rif km a Brunt. Brilliant!
Book 27:A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. Very funny and enjoyable.
Book 28: Title and author unknown as I read it on holiday and left it in the holiday cottage! Obviously didn't make a lasting impression on me. It was a thriller of sorts.

The hot weather has given me a good excuse to sit in the garden and read!
#56 The Grantchester Mysteries: Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie. I enjoyed the TV series and found the book even better.
#57 The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Again, I’ve watched all the series on TV. The book was an excellent, if a rather gruelling read.
#58 Kate and Clara’s Curious Cornish Craft Shop by Ali McNamara. Some daft escapism to balance the trauma of the Handmaid’s Tale and perhaps more suitable for the hot sunny weather!
#59 It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet by James Herriot. Rereading these books, still love them as much as I did when I was a teenager.
#60 Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich. Another light read set in Miami.
#61 Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeannette Winterson. A memoir of a difficult childhood by the author of Oranges are not the Only Fruit. Excellent, I love her writing.
#62 The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier. I read this several times as a young teenager. It’s about a family who are separated in Warsaw during WW2 and their journey through war ravaged Europe to eventually be reunited.
#63 The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey. A very different type of story, like a modern folk tale, I really enjoyed it.

Dead Aim was OK, but didn`t make me want to rush back to it. I`ve just started book 84, A Book of Bones, by John Connelly. Looks promising.

Have just finished number 82, Everything to Lose, by Andrew Gross, enjoyed it. Now reading 83, Dead Aim, by Iris Johansen, a bit slow to get going, but improving.

27. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah.

This memoir is an excellent read. Trevor Noah is a South Africa-born comedian and tv presenter, mainly in the US. He is mixed race and at the time of his birth in the 80’s it was illegal for people of different races to have sexual relationships with each other, hence his birth was a crime.

Each chapter is prefaced with information about apartheid in S Africa and how it affected people. I think I learnt more about the reality of apartheid from this book than from any number of more academic works.

#50 This Naked Mind Annie Grace. An insight into the reasons we drink alcohol and the role it plays in Western society. Made me think.
#51 A Symphony of Echoes Jodi Taylor. Number 2 in the St Mary's Chronicles. A series of books about an organisation that "investigates historical events in contemporary time" (definitely not time travel ?). Very good.