2023 - 50 BOOK CHALLENGE

#6. The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields.

Have just finished ‘The Bullet That Missed’ by Richard Osmond.

Have read all his, but cannot understand how they are best sellers, nothing special at all to me, far fetched plots and not very believable characters.

I've just read the 6 Peter Grace Enzo books and am waiting for the seventh to arrive from Amazon. Someone on GN recommended them and I've really enjoyed them

Sara1954 still at heart a country boy.

Yes, he was, but I thought he was incredibly selfish and self-centred.

Sparklefizz
Yes, I agree he was, but a lot of his behaviour probably wasn’t so different from a lot of men in those times, be they writers or farmhands.
Emma was also probably quite irritating, had they been living today, I daresay she would find herself a lot more outside interests, and they might rub along a lot better.
Have to admit to being a big fan, so maybe my opinions are a tiny bit biased.

Just finished Acts of Desperation, first novel by Irish writer Megan Nolan. Wow! Incredibly moving and well-written but also searingly raw and intense, brutal and unflinching. A book that is definitely not for the faint-hearted or easily shocked but parts of it so beautifully written they brought tears to my eyes. Very powerful stuff. Do I recommend it? Don’t think I dare! Would I read it again? Like a shot!

Sara1954

Sparklefizz
Yes, I agree he was, but a lot of his behaviour probably wasn’t so different from a lot of men in those times, be they writers or farmhands.
Emma was also probably quite irritating, had they been living today, I daresay she would find herself a lot more outside interests, and they might rub along a lot better.
Have to admit to being a big fan, so maybe my opinions are a tiny bit biased.

I am just an "average fan" so in turn this has probably coloured my opinions.

Too Close to Home was OK, but not brilliant. Am just about to start book 13, Saving Willowbrook, by Anna Jacobs.

So book number 12, as a bit of light relief after the bruising Acts of Desperation is Stop the Clocks by Joan Bakewell. Will read this alongside Meredith Alone which is easy bedtime reading. Enjoyed JB’s latest book about downsizing earlier this year; this one is part autobiography, part reminiscing on a long life well lived and part ruminating on topics that crop up along the way. Only just started, but already by page 30 I have learnt that the dandelion evolved over 30 million years ago, Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman and David Bowie’s son. Zowie Bowie changed his name to Duncan Jones! Also had a trip down memory Lane about trams and their clackety wooden seats. Nice, gentle stuff peppered with interesting facts. Enjoying it very much so far.

No .11 started yesterday; Peter James 'Perfect People'. Looks very interesting as it has the topic of genetic modified babies!

My no10 Ruth Rendell did improve once Wexford came back from China, and as always there is a surprise at the end.

Pigma

Sparklefizz, interested to see what you make of The Marriage Portrait, I read it last year. I love a new clutch (if that’s the right word!) of library books. I use both mine and my hubby’s tickets so can get and order double - a total addiction I’m afraid!

Pigma I'm nearly at the end of The Marriage Portrait and it has turned out to be so flippin' good that I'm pacing myself because I don't want it to end!!!!

Yes, I really enjoyed it, Sparklefizz. She is a very accomplished writer , isn’t she? The characters really come to life. I presume you’ve read Hamnet? That’s a real treat for anyone who hasn’t read it yet!

I’ve finished #2 Outside, the Sky is Blue by Christina Patterson. I rather jumped about while reading this as I got a bit bored but overall it was an interesting read. It is a memoir. The author describes a long period of living as a committed, evangelical Christian, who then violently rejected her faith when her prayers for relief of her own health problems ( eventually she was diagnosed with lupus) and those of her sister who lived with schizophrenia from a very young age, remained unanswered. Christina was director of the Poetry Society and then literary editor at The Independent.

I have also been reading a book by Icelandic climate activist Andri Snaer Magnason, On Time and Water. It is both beautiful and depressing - descriptions of the Icelandic landscape are breathtaking but the details of the shrinking of glaciers etc are scary. Fortunately the author also describes positive developments and ends with the hope for the future. I will count this as #3 though I haven’t finished it yet but just read a chapter at a time as it is quite dense.
#4 will be Three Hours* which has been recommended by several GNers. I have started it and expect I will read this more speedily than my previous ones 🙂

Pigma

Yes, I really enjoyed it, Sparklefizz. She is a very accomplished writer , isn’t she? The characters really come to life. I presume you’ve read Hamnet? That’s a real treat for anyone who hasn’t read it yet!

Pigma I feel bereft since finishing it. Do you ever feel like that after a wonderful book? I don't know what to follow it with

I've recommended it to my daughter who lived in Florence for a year as part of her Italian degree. I know she will love it.

Yes, I bought "Hamnet" to read during one of the lockdowns and it has since been passed round all the family. I do love Maggie O'Farrell's writing.... she is so versatile.

Litterpicker I hope you enjoy "Three Hours" as much as I did.

Litterpicker
I’m sure you will enjoy’Three Hours’ it’s a very memorable book, I’ve yet to hear anyone criticise it.

I read ‘Outside the Sky is Blue’ last year, I really enjoyed it, so sad how everything fell apart.

Book 4 Lady In Waiting by Anne Glenconner. It is a warts and all account of her bonkers life with her eccentric and unconventional husband.

#1. The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel
#2. Saving Missy by Beth Morrey
#3. Em & Me by Beth Morrey

Sparklefizz - yes, I know exactly what you mean about feeling like something is missing when you finish a good book! I tend to mix and match for that very reason, so I follow one type of book with a completely different one and also why I tend to have two or even three on the go at once. There is something so satisfying about being immersed in a really good book but, for me, those types of book are few and far between unfortunately! I’m quite critical and, as the saying goes, you kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince! Have you read the C J Sandom ‘Shardlake’ books? The first few were fantastic, some of my favourite reading ever.

Sorry, really need to proof read better! The C J Sansom books, not C J Sandom!!! I think Dissolution is the first one. A tremendous series of books.

Pigma

Sorry, really need to proof read better! The C J Sansom books, not C J Sandom!!! I think Dissolution is the first one. A tremendous series of books.

Thanks Pigma - I'll check them out.

My first batch for 2023:

1. The Ink Black Heart, Robert Galbraith
I’d started this in December - I downloaded it as an audio book and was well into it before I realised how very long it was! I must say I really enjoyed it, though the constant stream of messages @Tom @Dick and @Harry got a bit annoying when read out loud - I bet the narrator heaved a sigh of relief when he finally got to the last page.

2. One of Those Faces, Elle Grawl
This was a Prime freebie, so at least I didn’t pay for it. The premise of murder victims all looking very similar and like the main character was interesting. But the characters were all unlikeable and the plot just got more and more ridiculous. I felt I’d to skip through the second half in case it had an ending that made sense of it all - I was disappointed.

3. The Edge, Lucy Goacher
I liked this. The story of a girl looking for answers about her sister’s death, and finding her own life in danger.

4. The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley
I enjoyed this as well. A bit contrived, but exciting, and it had a proper ending (always a plus in my view).

5. Different Class, Joanne Harris
I loved this, which surprised me as I had it in my head that I didn’t care for Joanne Harris. It’s set in a boys’ public school, full of intrigue and interesting characters. Apparently it’s the third in a trilogy, so I’ll have to look out for the other two.

Just about to start The Bullet That Missed.

Pigma, I loved the Shardlake series.
I`ve just finished, and really enjoyed, Saving Willowbrook, a nice light read. Just starting book 14, Days of Drums, by Philip Shelby.

Hellogirl1 - yes, Shardlake is my total hero! Great books, aren’t they? Haven’t read the other two you mention, I will investigate.

No 5 The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I expect a lot of you have read this but it’s based on a true story of the 1600’s and accusations of witchcraft. Grim topic but well depicted.

Just finished Dublin's Girl. It was good. Now to find book 5.

I've just finished Then She was Gone by Lisa Jewell. I wanted a complete change after The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (which I also loved) and the Lisa Jewell book was certainly that.

It's a tense book about a 15 year old girl who vanishes and the effect on the family with lots of twists and turns. I couldn't put it down today as I was really keen to know how it would turn out. Won't say any more in case of spoilers.

Now I have to decide what to read next. I still have my lovely pile from the library and also three from a friend, plus some Xmas books.