2022 50 BOOKS - OR AS MANY AS YOU CAN MANAGE

Book 93 is The Secret, by Kathryn Hughes, enjoying it so far.

The next three books were all easy reads for the bank holiday weekend and I enjoyed them very much.
#70 was Hurry Up, Nurse by Dawn Brookes. This was a memoir of nursing training in the late seventies.
#71 was A Nice Class of Corpse by Simon Brett.
#72 was Mrs Pargeter’s Pound of Flesh by Simon Brett.
These last two are the comical adventures of Mrs Pargeter, an elderly wealthy widow, who solves mysteries with the help of her late husband’s colleagues, many of whom have names like Concrete Jacket or Wire Cutter Wilson as their former trades were not always legitimate. Written in the eighties and nineties, they are great fun.

Quite liked The Sister Pact. Book 92 is Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. Very far removed from my usual reading matter, but I`ll give it a go.

#47. Hope To Die by Cara Hunter.

The Perfect Girlfriend was OK, but not the best I`ve read. Now reading book 91, The Sister Pact, by Lisa Swift. Not my usual sort of read, but liking it, it`s amusing and heartwarming at the same time.

Finished Lucinda Riley Seven Sisters series earlier this year, now counting the days for the final book next May. Just finished Sarah Halls The Familiars.

#54 Pop Goes The Weasel James Patterson.
I am working my way through my husband's collection of Alex Cross novels. The protagonist is a Washington police detective and psychologist who pits his wits against truly horrific murderers. This is number 5 (of about 30 I think ?). Exciting and a real page turner, I finished it in record time.

#67 was A Jubilee Murder by J P Fraser. A mildly entertaining murder mystery set at the time of the Silver Jubilee in 1977.
#68 was Kiss of Death by Adam Croft. I thoroughly enjoyed this police procedural set in Rutland.
#69 was Thr Legacy by Caroline Bond. I found this interesting and intriguing rather than enjoyable. It is about a family who have to come together in order to sort out a will.

Have just started book 90, The Perfect Girlfriend, by Karen Hamilton.

Not sure if it was recommended here, but I really enjoyed Mary Lawson’s ‘The Other Side of the Bridge’. Currently reading ‘Crow Lake’, another one by her, and enjoying it immensely.

#53 Hitman Anders And The Meaning Of It All Jonas Jonasson.
I had high hopes of this as I had read an earlier book by the author (The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared) and loved it. This one not so much and I struggled to finish it.

The Accidental Husband is readable, but a bit too chick-littish for me, I will finish it though.

#46. Revenge, Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors.

Really looking forward to reading this one!

Firewall was alright, but I won`t be rushing to read any more Inspector Wallender books. Have since read book 88, Tooth and Nail, a Rebus story by Ian Rankin, and loved it, despite it being a bit dated. Am now reading book 89, The Accidental Husband, by Jane Green, but too early to give an opinion.

I'm halfway through American Rust right now and I think I'll persevere!
Where the Crawdads Sing - I loved this book, although the end was a bit of a surprise. It was beautifully written in the description of the natural world and two sympathetic main characters
The Nightingale by Kirstin Hannah. I loved this book set in occupied France and the horrors of that time. At the end I thought it was Isabelle speaking until revealed as Viane. Brilliant depiction of Beck, shame he died, as he was one of the more approachable Germans.
The Good, the Bad and the Little Bit Stupid by Marina Lewycka. This is hilarious in parts and also very sombre in the story of kidney harvesting. Shame George never found his password.
The Self Enchanted by David Stacton about a brutal man who employs an architect to build him a house.
I'm also halfway through Money by Emile Zola. They're always a good read, with huge cast of characters. This is about a failed property speculator in Paris determined to rebuild his wealth. It mentions dealing in the Middle East and the Suez Canal area, and is like a potted history.

#52 The Last Summer Karen Swan.
From my virtual pile of free Kindle books. Inspired by the real life voluntary evacuation of the last 36 residents of St Kilda in 1930 but the characters and events are fictional. It is a love story between two people from different worlds. Naturally things do not go smoothly and there are dark secrets. I enjoyed it and will probably look for the next book in the series when it is published as this one ended with quite a cliff hanger.

I really enjoyed Daylight, but then I love David Baldacci`s books anyway. Have just started book 87, Firewall, by Henning Mankell, an Inspector Wallender book.

#51 A Prisoner of Birth Jeffrey Archer.
A good yarn from a master story teller. It is loosely inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo (man imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, revenge). Very entertaining.

Book 86, Daylight, the latest Atlee Pine book from David Baldacci.

#45. Dead Man’s Footsteps by Peter James.

I have just finished ‘Murder at the Abbey’ by Jan Durham. Light and enjoyable cozy mystery set in Whitby, a town I know and like. That made the story interesting for me.

The characters were good, with interesting interactions. Easy to read - I’ve decided to read the next one!

No 27 Three Men on the Bummel(!) by Jerome K Jerome. It’s a follow-up to Three Men in a Boat but not so good.

#64 was Mrs. Pargetter’s Public Relations by Simon Brett. I love the Mrs Pargetter series, a gentle, humorous crime series mostly published around thirty years ago but this is a later novel. Mrs. Pargetter is a seemingly innocent elderly widow, whose husband left his little black book of people who had worked for him, all of whom have skills honed in criminal circles.
#65 was A Place Like Home by Rosamund Pilcher, a collection of short stories published posthumously. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
#66 was Lucas Unleashed - a book of short anecdotes by the Christian speaker Jeff Lucas. Some were humorous, others more poignant, but all had a pertinent message.

Loved city of Scars, realistic police thriller with a fair bit of humour as well. Have just started book 85, Fear no Evil, the latest Alex Cross book by James Patterson.

#39 Jodi Picoult ‘Small Great Things’, title after a Dr M Luther King phrase on overcoming racism. Recommended by a friend who found it moving and informing. For me, a good say 3/5 book doing its small part in trying to break through the mindsets that harm us.