THE BRAND NEW 2024 50 BOOK CHALLENGE

Book 36 The Peckham Experiment by Guy Ware. I loved this book. Why have I never heard of Guy Ware before? The decline of social housing is at the heart of this book where gradually socialist principles give way to market forces. Charlie and JJ are twins; JJ, the idealistic Director of housing for a south east London council, Charlie, the entrepreneurial builder. The narrative voice is Charlie’s , remembering the past over a long, sleepless and increasingly drunken night on the eve of both his brother’s funeral and the 2017 general election. It was only a few days after this election that the Grenfell Tower fire happened. The book’s written without chapter breaks or speech marks and this style suits the content though I suspect it might put off some readers.

Book 37 Getting it Right by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Lovely old fashioned, gentle read. About Gavin, a 31 year old hairdresser still living at home with his parents. He’s not sure what he wants, never had a girlfriend, although he has vague fantasies about ethereal, elusive girls. A party invitation that he can’t get out of leads to a chance meeting and an embarrassing situation that brings him out of his comfort zone.

16 A History of Loneliness - John Boyne

This is the third book I've read by this Irish writer and each one has had me completely captivated, I love his writing.

In a a book that spans some 50 to 60 years, starting off in 1960s Ireland, we get a feel of how much that country has changed from what was a virtual theocracy to one that has removed the shackles of subservience to a corrupt church. The central character in this novel is Father Odran Yates, a native of Dublin who enters a seminary at the tender age of 17, urged on by his mother who firmly plants the idea in his mind that he has a vocation for the priesthood. Before we reach that juncture in his life the backstory of how his parents met and married, Odran's childhood with his siblings and the tragedy that blights and changes their lives unfolds. That defining incident changes his mother and leaves Odran open to how she envisages his life playing out. Following her influence, it somewhat characterises certain weaknesses in Odran that will come to pass during the course of his later life.

Odran is one one of the decent priests, but nevertheless oblivious to what is going on around him, the sexual exploitation of children by a clergy that is rotten to the core. The miscreants damming them all, the good guys along with the rotten apples gradually find the trust and affection that the clergy would have had ebbing away by the ongoing scandals and the complicity of the hierarchy within the catholic church by not addressing the wrong doings, right the way up to The Pope. One in particular, Pope John Paul 11 is singled out and John Boyne's palpable anger towards him and his cover ups as to the injustices of the abuse from the power within. There is an interlude when Odran spends a year in Rome as a young deacon where he is placed in a servant role to several presiding popes and speaks fondly of the Pope that never really was, Pope John Paul 1, whose tenure last mere days before he died unexpectedly and was superseded by "The Polish Pope" which is how John Boyne refers to him in a derisory way. His analysis of that pope, his complicity in covering up wrong doings, his misogyny are all laid bare in John Boyne's hyper critical analysis and I imagine is pretty close to the truth given what has subsequently been uncovered.

A very moving conclusion and much food for thought contained within this excellent novel. Definitely 5 stars for me.

#13 Grown Ups - Marian Keyes, I started this last week but realised some way through I’d read it before, so.
#14 Cry Baby - Mark Billingham

#21. The Great Deceiver by Elly Griffiths.

Book 50, One, by Eve Smith. Set in the future, climate changes have put a lot of the world underwater, and the law will not allow couples to have more than one child.
Book 51, The End, by James Patterson and Brendan Dubois.

My middle son very generously gave me a £20 book token for Christmas and a £10 book token for Mothering Sunday. I went to our local Independent bookshop and had a lot of fun choosing what to buy. The photo shows what I selected.

Book 13 None of this is True by Lisa Jewell. A brilliant read. I can't work out what is going on at all.

I’m a third of the way through this one too, Parsley, and ditto! I’m really enjoying it.

I loved None Of This Is True, Lisa Jewell gets better with every successive book imo

Her book is No. 1 on the Times bestsellers list. I've reserved it at the library and hope it will be in soon.

21-The Last Party-Clare Mackintosh. This mystery had the same vibe as Agatha Christie. A celebrity holds a party but he turns up dead the next morning. As Detective Ffion Morgan starts to investigate, she discovers that most of the locals disliked him and each in turn become suspects. The problem is that some of Ffion's family are on the list as well. Definitely a whodunnit, and such a long list to choose from! Unputdownable!

Book 52, The Fall, by Louise Jensen. A quite good psychological thriller, I enjoyed it.

Book 15: Murder at the old Abbey by Pippa McCathy

Book 53, The Guernsey Girls, by Mary Wood. I enjoyed it, now looking for the sequel, Guernsey Girls go to War.

Terribull, I loved A History of Loneliness too. I avoided reading it initially as I thought the theme sounded too upsetting but so glad that I did, a brilliant book.

Book 14 Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. After a few pages, I realised that I have read this book before. However, since I can't remember anything about the plot I will carry on. I like Moriarty's work.

Book 26 Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler.

This is the story of Cordelia Grinstead who, during a warm summer's day at the beach with her family, just gets up and walks away wearing only a swimsuit and a wrap. She just keeps walking, accepts a lift from a stranger to a new town where she knows nobody, and begins a new life.

This book was not really me and I found myself frustrated with Cordelia. Probably that says more about me than the book, I don't know.

There was no major reason for her to do this and leave her life behind, leaving her family to worry, and maybe I should have abandoned the book, but anyway, I carried on.

This won't be a hard book to follow.

I’ve finished my book number 5 ‘The Hours of the Night’ by Susan Gee last night. Thoroughly enjoyed it thanks for the recommendation on here.

Going with my theme of alternating fiction with non fiction I need to cast around a bit choosing book number 6. Often I find autobiographies a bit disappointing. Anyone else? With the exception of course of the stellar one years ago from Michelle Obama which I read in paper form. It was a hard back (I had to have it and couldn’t wait!) and was hefty enough to need its own passport.

Once I’ve decided what’s next up, I’ll come back and let you know.

Falling by Elizabeth Jane Howard - This book takes you back to the 1980s when there was no internet or mobile phones. Henry is flat broke and living rent free on a canal boat. Daisy is a successful writer who buys a cottage nearby. Henry is determined to seduce Daisy, marry her and live off her. Alternate chapters are written from the perspectives of Daisy and Henry. I know it’s a common story in real life where intelligent, mature women are conned by plausible love rats but I was not convinced that the long letters sent by Henry would have been received with anything other than alarm. A man you don’t know, who you’ve employed as your gardener, baring his soul to you in long letters would have sent most women running. Nevertheless, like all her novels, it’s a pleasure to read.

Maggierose

Terribull, I loved A History of Loneliness too. I avoided reading it initially as I thought the theme sounded too upsetting but so glad that I did, a brilliant book.

I'm glad you enjoyed it Maggierose, I love his writing, he hasn't written that many books but the three I've read have all been top notch, definite 5 star quality.

#22. Smoke And Mirrors by Elly Griffiths.

Goodness, how could I have said what I did just now about autobiographies? 🤣

Had I forgotten:
When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanthis
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
I Feel Bad About my Neck - Nora Ephron
A Mother’s Reckoning - Sue Klebold
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
and a good few others (I try not to bore you Dear Reader!)

I think the Linda Robson put me off. I wasn’t great.
Anyway after an enjoyable half hour choosing I’ve chosen this one as my book number 6:

17 In The Blink Of An Eye - Jo Callaghan (Audible)

A debut novel and A Sunday Times best seller, having said that I didn't engage with it that much, maybe listening to a book requires less effort than actually reading it. It was ok as police procedural books go with the added hot topic of the use of AI in the form of a hologram called "Lock" who by the end of the novel seemed to have developed some empathetic human characteristics, having been commissioned to work alongside DCS Kat Frank, recently widowed with a teenage son. The premise, several young men have gone missing, the link they, like Kat Frank's own son have had a parent who has died of cancer, inevitably he goes missing too, saw that coming down the line way before it did. Lots of favourable reviews on Amazon, Yeah ok, somewhat implausible but passed the time.

Recent reading. All for a bookclub I'm part of, so not necessarily what I should have chosen myself

11.Nella Larsen: Passing.
Interesting. Thought provoking. First published 1929 but still relevant today (that is, if we are to believe that Megan Markle, for example, chose to self describe as Caucasian in order to obtain acting roles). Novel deals with the experience of pale skinned black people who choose to 'pass' as white.

12.Shelby van Pelt: Remarkably Bright Creatures.
A light read and an enjoyable one...especially if you're a fan of octopuses

13.Charmaine Wilkerson: Black Cake.
Impressive debut novel. Family saga spanning 60 years. Beautifully written. A real page turner. Loved it.