2022 50 BOOKS - OR AS MANY AS YOU CAN MANAGE

41 Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd. It’s the memoir of one of the UK’s top forensic pathologists. Gruesome but fascinating.

Shelter, by Harlan Coben, book 128.

Shelter was OK, despite being written for teenagers. Now on book 129, The Shape of Water, by Andrea Camilleri, an Inspector Montelbano book.

54#. The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves. The latest ‘Vera’ book.

It will be very different to the one I have finally finished, the biography of the Queen Mother. It was interesting, very long, but covered her long life admirably.

Book 130, The Quiet People, by Paul Cleave.

#46 Paul Gallico ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’ sentimental and showing its age. I do wonder it hasn’t been made into a film before now (I haven’t seen the recent film). Lots of colourful cliches around life in London and Paris.

I really enjoyed The Quiet People. My next book will be Hurting Distance, by Sophie Hannah.

#94 was The Crooked Shore by Martin Edwards. This was an enjoyable murder mystery set on the southern edges of the Lake District.
#95 was The Neighbours by Fiona Cummins, a somewhat creepy psychological thriller. I enjoyed it.
#96 was The Lusitania Mystery by Edward Marston. This was my favourite book for weeks.

I have started reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. A true account of how he built a s hook first the Karakoram Mountain area in Parkistan and then went on to build 55 schools in remote villages Parkistan and Afghanistan. I read it many years ago but I am now goi g read it again

Book 42
A Little Life-Hanya Yanagihara
Wow! What a book, I didn’t read it when everyone was raving about it, and only after a conversation in a book shop did I decide to buy it, even then it took me over a year to get around to reading it.
Thank goodness I did, I haven’t read a book that has moved me so much for as long as I can remember.
I read an article which said, you have to be depressed to enjoy this book, not true. But it’s not an easy book.
Basically it follows four young men on a journey of about thirty years, from students, to all being highly successful in their careers.
They are all extremely well rounded characters, but it is really Jude’s story, a past so unbearably sad and traumatic, that he simply can’t talk about it. The after affects of his abuse last a lifetime, with him becoming more physically and emotionally damaged as the years go by.
His great love for Willem is his only real pleasure, but although he is surrounded by people who love him, he can never accept that he can be lovable.
Graphic abuse and violence, serious self harming, rape, they are all here, but still it is a stunningly beautiful book.

Hurting Distance was OK, but not riveting.
Book 132 is Dear Amy, by Helen Callaghan.

42 All Among The Barley by Melissa Harrison. Best book I’ve read for ages. It’s a novel framed round an old lady talking about her teenage self in an English rural farming community and the momentous events that occur. It has strong parallels with today’s changing world. The book cover is beautiful too, taken from a children’s LadyBird book

Should have been built a school, sausage fingers and the age old problem of lost glasses and my second pair at the opticians, along with a lost phone to boot

#47 Kenneth Graham ‘’Wind in the Willows’ never read it as a child despite being cast as The Judge in my primary school play. Read it now after a talk by an enthusiast and it has some beautiful writing. Glad to have read it as an adult.

Dear Amy was good, much better than I expected. My next book is going to be With Hearts and Hymns and Voices, by Pam Rhodes, one time presenter of Songs of Praise.

#55. Charles, The Heart Of A King by Catherine Meyer.

#72 The Untold Story Genevieve Cogman.
The 8th, and I think probably final, book in the Invisible Library series. I shall miss the characters and have really enjoyed the series.

Hearts and Hymns and Voices has been a lovely read, a gentle tale of the arranging of a Songs of Praise programme from a sleepy Suffolk village. Some quite comical bits in the story as well.

#56. Cross And Burn: Val McDermid.

Book 134 is Everything to Gain, by Barbara Taylor Bradford.

58 The Palace Papers - Tina Brown I ordered this book from the library so long ago, I'd quite forgotten about it when my turn came up. She writes well, pretty much of it wasn't a revelation most is in the public domain with more bombs being detonated all the time. Of course it was written before the death of The Queen so much has moved on since then, on the whole I think she was pretty even handed about most of the main players, although it has to be said that after the chapter or two on Prince Andrew it's hard to see any redeeming qualities there.

59 The Carer Deborah Moggach. The carer of the piece, Mandy, somewhat overweight and loud and rather grating to the brother and sister who hire her to look after their ageing, once brilliant, but increasingly befuddled father, arouses suspicions in the family when found going through father's papers. However, just when the reader thinks what the outcome of Mandy's indiscreet foraging is going to be, the story takes a completely different twist. Bittersweet in its recollections of memories of the siblings' childhood and their disappointment with relationships within the family and beyond. An unexpected conclusion, insightful plotting in the various stages of the book and DM concludes it well.

60 The Killing Doll - Ruth Rendell vintage Rendell, one of her earlier ones.

61 Nonfiction - Julie Myerson Narrated in the first person, the author tells the story of how she tries to save her teenage daughter from self destruction and drug addiction to the detriment of her marriage. The narrative weaves back and forth in time, describing her difficult relationship with her own mother and recollections of a previous love affair with a controlling man.

62 The Skeleton Key - Erin Kelly ploughing through this overly long and for me tedious book, Over 300 pages in so committed too much time before I realised I'm just not enjoying it. 150 pages to go, looking forward to finishing it, plot sort of a treasure hunt for bones, just not engaged with it in spite of enjoying previous books by this writer, but then there's always one!

I quite liked Everything to Gain. Now reading Murder at the Theatre Royale, by Ada Moncrieff. It`s set in 1935, so has a lot of luvvies in it, and to me it`s a bit amateurish, but I will finish it.

TerriBull
I agree with you regarding The Palace Papers, not a lot that we didn’t already know, but very readable.
I also agree about Prince Andrew, but it did change my mind about Sarah in a favourable way.

I've just discovered this thread so apologies for butting in.
Just started reading Kazuo Ishiguro 'never let me go' , but 60 pages in I cannot so far, see what all the rave reviews are about. I'm pleased I hadn't paid for it, but found it in our village swap kiosk. Is it worth continuing with it? Anyone a big fan?

Welcome Diiggindoris, no apologies needed. Look out for the '23 one which will be starting in January so you can join us for the whole year.

Yes I agree with you Sarah about Sarah I think Tina Brown wrote sympathetically about most of them........but Andrew Oh dear! and woe betide anyone who did get the bed load of teddy bears back in their designated place weirdo strange person