2022 50 BOOKS - OR AS MANY AS YOU CAN MANAGE

Just looked at this forum. So many authors I haven't heard of, they will keep me going for a year or two I think!

Witch Hunt livened up a bit, so it wasn`t too bad after all. Book 70 is going to be The Rest of Me, by Katie Marsh.

Sara1954

Calandargirl
I enjoyed the Palace Papers, no big surprises, but little details I didn’t know.
It certainly changed my mind about one or two Royals,
I love The Royal Family, but boy, are they dysfunctional.

Considering it was a thick book, I found the PP quite readable, and got through it quickly. Interesting reading, yes, some if it we knew before, but I think Tina Brown’s sources were accurate and truthful.

#39. Dead Man’s Time by Peter James.

I’m reading all the Roy Grace books from the library, sadly in the wrong order! Going backwards, so I sort of know what’s happening all the time, but it brings me up to date.

#45 The Janus Stone Elly Griffiths.
The second in a crime series about a forensic archeologist, Ruth Galloway. An enjoyable read.

The Rest of Me is a bit boring, but I`m determined to finish it. I suppose it could be called chick-lit, which isn`t really my cup of tea.

#55 was My Sister’s Child by Karen Clarke, which was a very run-of-the-mill thriller.
#56 was The Finisher by Peter Lovesey. His detective, Peter Diamond, is my favourite fictional detective and this book, set as ever in Bath, lived up to my expectations.
#57 was In Plain Sight by Marion Todd. This book, set in St. Andrews, is about a baby who was snatched at a Fun Run but goes on to be intertwined with drugs. I can thoroughly recommend it.

Pleased to have finished The Rest of Me. Just started book 71, Deadly Cross, the latest Alex Cross story from James Patterson.

#46 Sprig Muslin Georgette Heyer.
A bit of nostalgia, I periodically go back to books I read fifty years ago. I still enjoy Georgette Heyer's books, although this isn't one of her best.

I loved Deadly Cross, am impatient for the next one now, Alex Cross is addictive!

Book 72 is Beautiful Day, by Kate Anthony.

Book 30
The Crown in Crisis-Alexander Larman
The story of the events leading up to the abdication of Edward V111
Interesting in parts, Edward reminded me of Prince Harry in many ways.
I hadn’t realised that the obsession with Mrs Simpson was actually quite one sided, she tried to end it several times, she didn’t want him to renounce the throne, I’m sure that life with an exiled ex king wasn’t on her wish list.
I very much liked some of the other characters, fatherly Stanley Baldwin, and proud Queen Mary, didn’t warm to Churchill though.
Catastrophic the whole affair must have seemed at the time, it was probably for the best.

Book 31
The Missing Ones - Patricia Gibney
Detective story set in Ireland, a now deserted childrens home becomes the focus of some murders, dealing with child abuse in the Catholic Church, it’s predictable in some ways, but I warmed to it by the end.

Book 32
Lean, Fall Stand - Jon McGregor
Doc is a technical assistant of many years experience in Antarctica.
The combination of a terrible, sudden storm, and Doc suffering a stroke leads to tragedy.
It’s the story of how Doc and his wife Anna deal with the new situation.
I liked the beginning, and I was quite moved by the ending, but it wasn’t as good as I was expecting.

27. The Siege, Helen Dunmore
A well informed fictionalised account of the Siege of Leningrad. I loved this one, and learned so much from it. In fact I’m still banging on about the horrors of the siege to anyone who’ll listen.

28. A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy, Anne Cleeves
I enjoyed this one as well, as a bit of lightweight reading. Vicar’s wife, saintly Dorothea, is found strangled in the park. Who could have wished her harm? Of course as the story comes out we learn that all is not as it seems….

29. Cry Baby, Mark Billingham
Another good choice, about the disappearance of a child from his local park. I always enjoy MB’s books. But I “read” this one as an audiobook and didn’t quite follow the denouement. It’s not as easy to flick back and check as it is with a book!

I enjoyed Beautiful Dy more than I expected to.
Book 73, to be started later, is The Colditz Story, by P.R.Reid. I remember Pat Reid as one of the main characters in the TV series quite a few years back, so looking forward to reading his book.

#37 Audrey Blake ‘The Girl in His Shadow’ I enjoyed my #30 Cresswell’ ‘The Midwife’ and this is not dissimilar: historical fiction around a woman practitioner of medicine. A well told story, not much suspense but well researched.

#40. Not Dead Yet by Peter James.

22. A Rage to Live by Mary S Lovell. This is a monster of a book, at 800+ pages, a biography of the Victorian polymath and explorer Richard Burton & his wife Isabel nee Arundell.

It’s taken me a month to read but I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly.

The Colditz Story was very interesting. Some of the situations I remembered from the TV series years ago. I never knew till reading this book that Airey Neave was in Colditz and escaped. Sadly he died by a bomb from the IRA many years later.

Just started book 74, Invisible City, by M.G Harris. I think it`s meant to be a teenagers book, but it looks like it might be an OK read.

23. Redhead at the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. She’s always a hit for me.

Invisible City was a bit fanciful, but not bad. Just started book 75, Love, Aubrey, by Suzanne LaFleur. It`s meant for girls aged 9+, but not a bad read so far.

#47 The Shadow Sister Lucinda Riley.
The third in a series about seven adopted sisters who are named after the stars of the Pleiades (this one is Asterope). A good read but over long.

Now on book 76, Manhattan Nocturne, by Colin Harrison. I don`t think it`s going to be an easy read, but will persist.

Book 33
Flesh and Blood - Patricia Cornwell
Haven’t read one of these in a while, I like the characters, Kay, Benton, Lucy and Marino.
It wasn’t one of her best, but it’s good comfort reading, coming back to characters you know so well.

Manhattan Nocturne wasn`t the best read ever, but I managed to finish it. I really didn`t like the main characters at all, so wouldn`t recommend it.
Have just started book 77, Ghost Virus, by Graham Masterton. I think I`ll enjoy this one.