THE BRAND NEW 2024 50 BOOK CHALLENGE

I came to the series late in the day, after reading a recommendation on here.
I’m reading them in order, but pacing myself because I don’t want to get to the end.

Finally, I’ve finished ‘Brazen’! Goodness that book needed some serious editing! I found the first two thirds very interesting and learned quite a lot about the ultra orthodox Jewish way of life. Have to agree with the author - for all the tenets about ‘kindness’ and ‘family life’ it’s about CONTROL of women into less valued second class citizens (what to wear for modesty’s sake, segregation at bar mitzvah’s etc).

The last portion of the book when she ‘breaks free’ is all about how she set up her multimillion ££ shoe business and her sex life in her mid 40’s. The drama, raising finance, TMI about her love life - goodness she was full of herself! I went off her to be honest.

Would I recommend the book? Not really. Anyone interested - I would advise just read up till where she leaves the community.

Now I’m off to find book no.3 for the year! I’m a slow reader plus this one was a doorstop!

Sara1954

I came to the series late in the day, after reading a recommendation on here.
I’m reading them in order, but pacing myself because I don’t want to get to the end.

That's exactly how I feel, Sarah 1954, I was thinking of alternating each title with something completely different to make them last longer!

Thanks again, Sparklefizz and TerriBull. 👍

Book No.6 - The Lollipop Shoes by Joanna Harris. Not my kind of book at all, I didn’t really enjoy it, however I persevered to the end as it’s the February choice for my Book Group.

Book 16 A Valley Secret, by Anna Jacobs

Book 14 None of this is True by Lisa Jewell - I usually love Lisa Jewell but was disappointed by this one. A fascinating character at the centre though, both victim and perpetrator.

Book Number 6 - Lessons in Chemistry

How did I resist it for so long? Two reasons, the title, science was never my forte, looking back to my school days, my brain never seemed to be wired to comprehend anything scientific beyond basic biology, certainly not a branch that at an elementary level one was expected to make sense of the periodic table, where was my Miss Zott? if she'd been fronting the class I might have actually learned something.

Secondly, I'm always sceptical about books that on the surface appear to be massively hyped, my best reads have often been ones that have flown beneath the radar of the best seller lists.

I can't believe this was a first novel it was so accomplished. sublime in fact, never missing a beat in the narrative right from start to finish, the momentum drove it along, well for me anyway.

Never mind the man bashing drivel that is Barbie mooted now as being some sort of feminist inspiration, what every girl needs is an Elizabeth Zott to inspire her. Set against the late 50s, early 60s, here was a woman who fought mountains of male chauvinism and misogyny endeavouring to reach parity and be taken seriously by male colleagues, but never achieved that. Although satisfyingly at least she ended up having the last laugh.

Right from the very start, when the reader is introduced to Elizabeth, she is characterised as a maverick of her time, taking on everyone with her cool, logical tenacity as does her mini me daughter Madeline, or "Mad" as she is more commonly referred to. Characterised by her name, Mad, she is in the angry sense, when like her mother she fights her own mini battles facing down the banalities of the times mainly dished out as day to day school tasks by her narrow minded form teacher. . Mad is no ordinary child, like her mother fiercely clever, precocious and resourceful beyond her years. Completing Elizabeth's family set up, is Six Thirty a stray dog she acquires, again he is no ordinary dog, taught by Elizabeth he acquires a vast vocabulary and understands much of what is being said to him, has an acute sense of danger and can read human moods. All in all a somewhat Disneyesque dog with human qualities. A certain amount of suspension of belief is required as to SixThirty's extraordinary persona, but nevertheless I loved him along with the rest of the family.

Before I read the book, I knew the premise was that chemist, Elizabeth Zott, frustrated in her professional life to be taken seriously as a scientist, whilst ending up playing second fiddle to male colleagues who lacked her abilities, somehow ends up as tv cook, and in my mind I imagined she would morph into a version of our very own Delia Smith. But no, her cooking shows which eventually became a runaway success were actual lessons in chemistry. Casting my mind back to domestic science at school, very much a girl's subject then, so somehow the science part of it wasn't emphasised, it should have been, because the molecular composition of food and how it changes with temperature is how she taught her captive audience and how she makes perfect sense of all of that and even throws some social science into the mix as well.

Into Elizabeth's scientific male dominated world enters the love of her life, Calvin Evans, who again bucks the trend of all of Elizabeth's male counterparts, in his empathy and encouragement, always treating her as an equal. I don't want too much on that score, spoilers!

I loved the book it went way beyond my expectations it was a beautifully constructed, thought provoking novel. Bonnie Garmus wraps it up with an ending so perfect, albeit with a deeply sad revelation, I had tears, but ultimately with a positive outcome for the heroine all women would want to be rooting for.

Only February, but definitely my best book so far and quite possibly best book of the year!

That’s interesting TerriBull, I have this book on my pile, because my daughter raved about it so much, but for the same reasons as you, it’s remained unread.
I will get to it, but probably when everyone has stopped talking about it.

Lessons in Chemistry
I bought it and read it last year, on my TA’s recommendation. It was everything TerriBull says about it.

Seconded Terribull. I read it the summer before last and it was such an amazing read. Hilarious too at times so it had me giggling away - once I remember I was sat in the hairdressers and my shoulders were jumping up and down with pure merriment at the descriptions!

Must go and choose book number 3 to start this afternoon.

I've just ordered Lessons in Chemistry, hope it's as good as your reviews!

Must finish The Lost Bookshop first.

Just finished Book 11 Something in Disguise by Elizabeth Jane Howard

This is about a post-war family and a love story. May's second marriage to Colonel Herbert Browne-Lacey is turning out to be a terrible mistake. Her son, Oliver, leaves home to live in London but can't settle to a job and drifts from one love affair to another. His sister hates living at home with the Colonel so moves to London to live with her brother.

Even Alice, the Colonel's own daughter, is driven into a difficult marriage in an effort to get away from him.

I enjoyed this book because of EJH's writing but I'm a bit unsure about the ending.

6-NYPD red6-James Patterson-Fast moving kidnap of a celebrity thriller. with a second investigation running through about elderly ladies being robbed. I don't know if New York actually has a Red team of detectives or not, but they seem to be red-hot at solving crimes in this book.

#6. Past Lying by Val McDermid.

The latest Karen Pirie thriller. Haven’t started it yet.

I’ve just started book No.3 😁
It’s ’The Editor’s Wife’ by Clare Chambers. I love the way she writes

What drew me to it was a Sunday Tines review “intelligently written with a happy ending. A joy to read”.

Just what I need right now.

*nope nothing to do with forks 🤣

No 5 Songbirds by Christie Leifteri. As others have said, this is quite a distressing novel, with a number of awful scenarios. I think it’s better than The Beekeeper of Aleppo, though because it felt less contrived.

I’m not quite sharing the love for Lessons in Chemistry. I found it a bit muddled in what it was trying to be - a comedy, a comment on feminism, a romance, a mystery? It fell between stools for me. I think it’s been televised, and I’d watch that!

I'm not a fan of Lessons in Chemistry either SueDonim. It was a Christmas present in 2022 and I abandoned it after a while, but wonder if I should give it another try. I'd have to start from the beginning again. Sigh.

I'm in the positive camp on Lessons in Chemistry, it was my number 3 book this year and I thought it was wonderful.
#7 book is The Broken Cage Sarah Painter.
It is the 7th in the Crow Investigations series about the four magical families of London. A mixture of magic, fantasy, gangster families and a private investigation firm run by the lead character Lydia Crow. A really good series but you do need to have read it from the beginning.

Book 15. The Wren The Wren by Anne Enright - this is beautifully written. It’s about 3 generations of women, wife, daughter, granddaughter of an Irish poet who was a selfish bastard though talented,as evidenced by the poems and translations scattered throughout the book. I almost didn’t finish it though as I didn’t feel any emotional connection although I could admire the skill of the writer.

Lessons in Chemistry: I am Team Didn't Like.

#13 Dead North, by Joel Hames, the first in the Sam Williams trilogy (although there is one previous book about this character). Cheap on Amazon, for a reason. Average at best.

#14 The Last Word by Elly Griffiths, in which we meet again the characters from The Postscript Murders, who have now set up a detective agency. Harbinder pops in and out, and there is a new police officer too. They are all as delightful as ever, as is the whole book. Give me Edwin over the whole Thursday Murder Club any day.

There is a new Elly Griffiths series coming out next year, with a time-travelling cold case detective. I will certainly give it a try.

And if you have finished all the Ruth and Nelson books, and are wondering what is happening there... they feature in a long short story in a book of short stories by Elly Griffiths that is coming out this summer. I am not a fan of short stories, but do want the update, so will have to wait for this book to reach my local library.

Book 17, The Murder Bag, by Tony Parsons. Quite a good read, enjoyed it.

My #8 was Expectant by Vanda Symon. This is the 5th book in the police detective series set in Dunedin whose central character is a female detective Sam Shephard. This one opens with the horrific murder of a heavily pregnant women and it becomes personal for Sam as she is about to go on her own maternity leave. Very good, as they have all been. 8/10

Book 6
Endgame - Omid Scobie
Didn’t like this one bit. I knew it was going to be biased, but thought there may be a degree of fairness.
I found it very depressing to read, if Scobie is to believed, no one is to believed, the entire royal family are self serving and malicious, not The Sussex family, they don’t have a word said against them.
It would be naive to think there wouldn’t be some skulduggery going on in the house of Windsor, but this book paints a very bleak picture, with little hope for the future.