2023 - 50 BOOK CHALLENGE

Sparklefizz
Oh I really liked him, I thought he seemed so uncomfortable with his greatness, still at heart a country boy.
It seemed strange to hear his siblings call him Tom or Tommy.
Had his odd little ways for sure, but I found him endearing.

Sara1954 Yes, I read "The Chosen" last year and enjoyed it, although I thought Thomas Hardy was more of a nightmare than "remote but loveable"

It was very interesting, though, to learn more about his life and the family around him.

Didn`t really like All the Missing Girls. Have just started book 12, Too Close to Home, by Susan Lewis.

Oh, sorry, Sparklefizz. Keep an open mind and see what you think. Might just be me feeling that way out!!

Book 5
The Fell - Sarah Moss
Set in the second lockdown, this is a cast of very few characters, giving it a very claustrophobic feeling.
I don’t want to give anything away, but I will just say, that Kate, socially distancing with her son is going stir crazy, with serious consequences.
I liked it a lot, written very sympathetically, but it didn’t at any time make Kate’s actions seem acceptable
Would recommend

Book 6
The Chosen - Elizabeth Lowry
Loved this, for any fans of Thomas Hardy, this is a must read.
It covers his later life, following the death of his wife Emma.
They have battled for years, seemingly making each other unhappy, living at Max Gate, childless and lonely.
But on Emma’s death, Thomas is distraught and half crazy with guilt and sadness, as he recalls how much he loved her, and recalls their happy first years of marriage.
There are wonderful characters, Thomas himself, remote but loveable, his countrywoman sister Kate, Emma’s rather odd neice , and of course, Florence Dugdale.

Pigma I've got Bleeding Heart Yard on reservation at the library but it's not in yet. I'm not necessarily looking forward to it now.

Fern Britton's 'The Good Servant' was interesting. It was her interpretation of the years Marian Crawford spent as governess to the royal Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. It made me wonder how an intelligent woman made such mistakes of judgement towards the end of her career. Has anyone else read this and had the same thoughts?

Now started Ruth Rendell's 'The speaker of Mandarin'. My no.10, but I will have read all the Wexford stories when this is finished. It's not easy to get into at the start as it's set in China. I hope it improves!

Just finished book 10, Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths. I like her style if writing but didn’t enjoy this at all other than it was a light bedtime read. Couldn’t get into any of the characters and the ‘reveal’ at the end was, in my opinion, just laughable and totally unbelievable. Very disappointing. I’m still on with Acts of Desperation which is beautifully written but very intense so not bedtime reading for me. I have to read and reread sentences as each one says so much. Just starting book 11 to read alongside, Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander.

Ooh Pigma and teabagwoman Sounds promising re The Marriage Portrait. I'm only on page 79 as I had to hold on for over an hour on the phone this morning to sort out my home insurance, thus wasting good reading time. Hope to make up for it later ......

Sparkle fizz, I reserved judgement on The Marriage Portrait until I was well into the book. Kept going because my dd loved it and she’s usually right..Ended up rationing my reading because I didn’t want to finish it.

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

Sparklefizz - hmmm, might put that on my ‘reserve reserve’ list then. Lots of library books to get through and an awful lot on order. What are you reading next?

I'm reading The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. I'll reserve judgment on it for the moment

I came back from the library on Monday with a lovely big stash of books. I do love that feeling.

🧐 Cs783 - might have a go with the Mitfords. They sound right up my alley. Thanks.

All the Missing Girls isn`t doing it for me at all, it goes back in time all the way through, each chapter is entitled The Day Before, it`s very confusing.

Sparklefizz - hmmm, might put that on my ‘reserve reserve’ list then. Lots of library books to get through and an awful lot on order. What are you reading next?

#7 Summer Knight Jim Butcher.
Number 4 in The Dresden Files series. I enjoy urban fantasy and this series about a Chicago wizard PI is very good.

Book 5 The Tears of Angels by Carl Ramsey. This was an audio book and it got me through the housework but I found it confusing at times and I wasn’t convinced by the characters. It’s another Scottish police procedural but didn’t have much sense of realism about it.

#6-9 Nancy Mitford ‘The Pursuit of Love’ ‘Love in a Cold Climate’ ‘Don’t Tell Alfred’ ‘The Blessing’. Yes I’m having a wallow in weird manners and morals as depicted by the main writer of the Mitford family. An acquired taste? But some humour among the nonsense. I’ll go back to Jessica Mitford’s much more bracing ‘Hons and Rebels’ in time but Nancy paints a vivid if stifling world.

Book number 2 The Wartime Bookshop by Lesley Eames. Really enjoyed this book set in a small village in 1939/40. Interesting characters. Non demanding but relaxing to read. Will read the others in the series that are in preparation.
Book 3 The Body in the Dales by J R Ellis. Didn’t enjoy this book and in fact just scrim read the last third just to finish it. A simple mystery but not enough about the characters for me and quite predictable.
Also listened to Audio book The Fleet House by Lucinda Riley. Really good and well read. Lots of interesting people and a murder to solve.

Finished "Dawnlands" by Philippa Gregory (500+ pages). It became more interesting as I got into it but I much prefer her books on the Tudors.

I know she is meticulous in her research and there were several pages of references at the back of the book.

Judging by the ending there will be a 4th book in this series which I think I'll miss as I'm not that interested in the characters and have had enough of them.

Just finished Still Life by Sarah Winman. I really enjoyed it and the characters were very believable and likeable. I agree with AliBeeee 7/10 as Evelyn’s story didn’t hold my interest.

#5. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman.

I didn`t think at the beginning that I was going to like The Day She Disappeared, but it turned out to be quite good, and I enjoyed it. Have just started book 11, All the Missing Girls, by Megan Miranda.

Read 2 in quick succession of the 10 I had bought before xmas. Both by Nora Roberts - Legacy, then Under threat. Both good reads, up to her usual high standard. Must go and some work before i start my next read

Finished #3. The Divide by Nicholas Evans - the author of the Horse Whisperer, which I loved. I read his interesting obituary recently and it prompted me to try another. I wrongly assumed he was American but he was English- which surprised me.
I enjoyed this book but perhaps not as much as the Horse W. It started off as a murder mystery after a body is found in a block of ice, but it has two strands, as it then diverges into the long and painful description of the crumbling of a family and a divorce. If, like me, you have been through this you will certainly relate to it and it is written with real understanding. The end disappointed me a bit though as it was a bit ‘neat’
I keep seeing Lessons on Chemistry mentioned with mixed reviews so I’m intrigued and might give it a go! Also, I’ve not come across Rosamund Lupton so will look into her. Thank you!
#4 is The Love Song of Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce.