The Not So New 2024 50 Books a Year - Thread 2

I don’t normally take time to post on this thread, although I am an inveterate reader, however I just have to give a thumbs up for one that I just started and finding absolutely captivating.

The Morville Hours. By Katherine Swift.

It is about a woman’s creation of a garden, and its previous occupants who have tended the same soil.

It is a magical telling of the history of a house and its occupants taking the form of a medieval Book of Hours.

Highly recommended.

When Shadow Falls by Alex Gray. A bit of Tartan Noir.

57-Down the Hatch-M C Beaton-Agatha solves the murder of Admiral Nelson, when he is found dead on the bowling green.
This is the first of the books written with R W Green, and I'm impressed as they are more sensible but still amusing.

Book 125, The Misfit, by Rosie Goodwin

Book 50 Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspe

Non-fiction book about (to quote) "the life-changing power of balancing your blood sugar - Lose weight, stop cravings, get your energy back"

I have hypoglycaemia despite not being diabetic, and this was a very interesting read. It's full of tips and "hacks" (hate that word) on how and what to eat to stop blood sugar "spikes", and recommended by Professor Tim Spector.

I'm going to try her suggestions and hope I get some good results. If I lose a few pounds in weight as well, all good.

58-Death of a Prankster-M C Beaton-Another Hamish Macbeth murder mystery. When a family meet up to see Andrew Trent one last time as he is dying, they get more than they bargained for.

Just finished The Touch by Colleen McCullough (The Thornbirds, Tim) I love her style of writing, and it was a really epic sage of a young girl sent to Australia from a small Presbytarian town in Scotland in 19th century, to marry a cousin. It’s a complex but fascinating story that held my attention throughout.
I’m now reading the newly released sequel to Brooklyn (Long Island) by Colm Toibin. Beautifully written in his understated style. I love the way he can convey a feeling in such few words. The book sees the main character return to Ireland 20 years after the last book. It’s like going back to an old friend.

#32 Killing Time Jodi Taylor.
Number five in the Time Police series. Set in the unspecified future where time travel is possible but illegal; it is about an organisation set up to police the timeline. Very very funny with wonderfully written characters.

40 Snow - John Banville

My first book by another highly regarded Irish author. Slightly bizarre reading a novel with the title "Snow" in the middle of summer, well such as it's been this year, it wouldn't have surprised me if we'd had snow to add to the constant rain.

The format, a whodunnit, almost Agatha Chirisiesque but much darker, featuring a big old house, seat of the aristocratic Osborne family with a few skeletons in their wardrobe.The time is late 50s and the setting is rural Ireland. Detective Inspector Strafford from Dublin is assigned to the case of a brutal murder of a parish priest, a fairly regular guest at the Osborne home, who is found slain at the bottom of their stairs. Gradually, in spite of the tight lipped locals, Strattord pieces together a shocking back story of child abuse airbrushed and covertly hushed up. Obstacles a- plenty obstruct his investigations, several more dead bodies follow until the final revelations which bring the book to a conclusion, and all the while it snows and snows!

Good, I'd definitely read some more of his books, although John Boyne still remains my favourite Irish author on the matter of historic abuse within the catholic church in Ireland.

Thanks for this recommendation TerriBull. I have read “The Sea” by John Banville and really enjoyed it. I must try and get hold of “Snow”.

My #50 (can’t believe I have read 50 already) was Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths . This is the one where Ruth goes to Pendle University to investigate a skeleton found by an old university friend. I am reading them in order, this was number 5.
I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next instalment, though that will be book 7, I read the 6th one a couple of years ago which was what got me hooked. 8/10

Bridie22

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent.
Thank you Terribull for recommending this stunningly disturbing book!!
I have to say I enjoyed it despite its horrific content.
Sallys character is mesmerising and rightly strange.
The book is sad, emotional, dark, horrific, funny and at times took your breath away.
What an imagination Liz Nugent has, it was unputdownable.

Yes, I agree, all of those things Bridie an amazing book. I was in my library looking for some of her other books, but they were clearly all out being read, I'll order another one in the hope it will be as good as Sally Diamond.

Granny Bear, a word of warning, the murder is gruesome.

I believe The Sea was the one John Banville won the Booker Prize for, I'll look for that on your recommendation.

AliBeeBee - You'll be sorry when you come to the end of the Ruth Galloways. I believe Elly Griffiths has some short stories out which feature Ruth and Nelson........Just not good enough! Another full book please Elly, can't understand why she wound the series up, so many fans who'd like more

TerriBull, I read Snow a while ago, really enjoyed it, a book you don’t forget in a hurry

Book 126, Chase, by James Patterson and Michael, Ledwidge, a Michael Bennett thriller. I`m listing it as a book, although it is admittedly a rather thin tome.

TerriBull I read a short story called Ruth’s First Christmas Tree which I got for free, or close to it, on kindle. It slotted in between books 4 and 5 which was conveniently where I was in the series. Good, but short!

Book 51 The Silence between Breaths by Cath Staincliffe.

This book is terrific. The reader becomes drawn in to the lives and concerns of a random group of passengers on a train. In the middle of the carriage sits Saheel carrying a deadly rucksack ....

Cath Staincliffe is such a good writer and has created believable characters in real-life situations. There's a contrast between the ordinariness of daily life building up to the horror that awaits..... the tragedy and the aftermath.

I will definitely look for more of her books.

Book 127, Pure Evil, by Lynda la Plante, very good.

Sparklefizz "The Silence Between Breaths" sounds really good, I'm putting it on my to be read pile, right away!

TerriBull

Sparklefizz "The Silence Between Breaths" sounds really good, I'm putting it on my to be read pile, right away!

I think you'd enjoy it.

#33 Year One Nora Roberts.
The first in the Chronicles of the One trilogy. A global pandemic, supernatural in origin wipes out a large percentage of the world's population. Technology fails but in its place latent magic, both evil and good, rises in many of the survivors. A good read as you would expect from Nora Roberts. I shall look for the second in the trilogy.

No 20. Lessons by Ian McEwan. The plot follows a man’s life story from North Africa in the 50’s to modern day. There’s a lot of glumness and it was too long. I need something more cheering!

I have lost count, but book 27 possibly. The Shadow at the Door by Tim Weaver. I haven't read any if this author's work so am interested to see if I will like it.

Sue Domin..I tried 3 times to read "Lessons", mcewan being my favourite author, I was very disappointed and gave up.

Eventually, I quite enjoyed ‘Lessons’ but I found it uncomfortable reading at times, not my favourite.