2022 50 BOOKS - OR AS MANY AS YOU CAN MANAGE

No 8. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker. It’s a true account of a family of twelve children, six of whom developed schizophrenia over the years. Horrifying, jaw-dropping and very interesting.

I’ll be moving on to something cheerier tonight, I think!

The Killing Lessons was very good, but not if you don`t like violence, blood and gore. Book 15 is I Saw a Man, by Owen Sheers, but not sure if I`ll stick with it, it`s not doing anything for me so far.

Die Again by Tess Gerritsen. A Rizzolli and Isles story partly set in Africa.

The Legend of Fire Mountain by Sarah Lark, the third in a trilogy about New Zealand in the 1800s.

#13. A Change Of Circumstance by Susan Hill.

Still enjoying The Killing Lessons.

I’m reading Anti-Social
The Secret Diary of an Anti- Social Behaviour Officer by Nick Pettigrew. A fascinating read, such a tough job and written about with humour and understanding.

Rosalyn69

I am enjoying The Twyford Code. It’s “different” and the style takes a little getting used to. I’d recommend it. I have read her previous book.

Thank you for your feedback Rosalyn, about to start The Twyford Code, her last one, took a while to get used to insomuch as the format, a series of emails was slightly off putting as first, but soon got used to that and ultimately really liked it. Hope this one is as enjoyable.

sodapop

For a bit of nostalgia I've started re reading some of the Georgette Heyer novels. Frederica at the moment.

I love G. Heyer...

I have rather let this thread get away from me this year, but I followed Lynda La Plante with “The Thursday Murder Club”, which took a while to get into and then turned out to be quite entertaining. I have just finished “Pine” by Francine Toon, her first novel. A rather creepy Scottish ghost story (it is described as a horror story, but I wouldn’t go that far). A good read. It would translate well to tv.

The Expats was a bit slow and boring, but not too bad. Just started book 14, The Killing Lessons, by Saul Black. Violence from the off, but might be good.

Just finished 'Lady William' by Mrs Oliphant. A much underated 19th centry novelist.

Her characters are recogniseable today and act in understandable ways. Sometimes her plots are a little bit clunky in places.

#14 Jo Wroe ‘A Terrible Kindness’. Very glad to have read this. Wasn’t sure about shifting the focus from Aberfan to another perspective over decades but appreciated its wisdom by the end. I felt it honoured the parents who had to endure, and live.

Interesting

I’ve just finished No 7, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. It’s 600 pages which I read in just over three days.

It took me a while to get into the rhythm of the tale, which is told from lots of POV but it all comes together by the end. It should make for an intertwining book group read this week!

I am enjoying The Twyford Code. It’s “different” and the style takes a little getting used to. I’d recommend it. I have read her previous book.

Thank you, * Juno56*. I’m drawn to this and it’s currently 99p in kindle format. Pretty sure I’ll be absorbed.

#12. In Cold Blood by Jane Bettany.

#13 Elizabeth Acevedo ‘The Poet X’. Poignant coming of age story, told in first person poetic style. Not sure I’d have read it but found it captivating as an audiobook.

#12 A Terrible Kindness Jo Browning Wroe.
Heartbreaking, human and beautiful this may be my book of 2022.

I enjoyed my #8 The Dressmaker's Gift, by Fiona Valpy. A time lapse split between second World War Paris and the present day, the link being grandmother and her DGD. Not my usual choice but it was picked for book club, and was a bit chick-litty, but a pleasant read none the less.

Just about to start #9 - Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. Have booked to see the film next Sunday.

I’ve just finished:

10. Only Child, Rhiannon Navin
About a fictional primary school shooting in the US, the narrator is a child whose brother was killed. It’s well written and touching. On a prosaic note, the author mentions someone “shaking their head yes” several times, as well as “shaking their head no”. I kept thinking how much clearer it is to have two different expressions.

I’m now nearing the end of:

11. The Good, the Bad, and the Little Bit Stupid, Monica Lewicka
I love the title. It’s been okay, but nowhere near as good as that short history of tractors. I appreciate that it’s a comedy, but the plot is way too far-fetched to keep the interest going. And some of the jokes get overused - I lost track of how many times the main characters’ name Pantis got mispronounced, and it didn’t get any funnier.

My next book is Girl A, which my DD1 recommended. It looks promising.

Just finished ‘Eeny Meeny’, book club choice. Not a book I’d have picked for myself. A bit too much gory detail for me!

I have just finished 'The Man in the Red Coat' by Julian Barnes, not one of his novels but a book that is meant to be about the man behind a portrait by Singer Sargent.

Julian Barnes has won the Booker prize and is a superb writer and initially his style is beguiling and very easy to read, very stream of consciousness. The man in the potrait is French Gynagologist and stomach surgeon, Samuel Pozzi, a brilliant and interesting man whose medical achievements saved many people's lives and, but all this book does is trace his life among the French avant garde - and is more about the numerous members of Parisien artistic cafe society than the subject of the painting and, when push comes to shove was really quite, no, very, boring.

The portrait itself is superb.

I Am Death was very gruesome, but a brilliant read, I enjoyed it. Book 13, not started yet, will be The Expats, by Chris Pavone.