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

#34 Bridgerton: To Sir Philip with Love Julia Quinn.
This is the 5th in a series about the romances of eight siblings set in early 19th century England. This is Eloise's story. Netflix are making a series of them. My much loved sister in law bought me all eight books as she knew I love Georgette Heyer and "these are much better". They're really not 😕. However, they are quite entertaining if you skip over the badly written torrid love scenes.

44 Our Holiday - Louise Candlish

From the sun drenched cover, this I think would be a favoured choice for a holiday read around the swimming pool, I just read it in the garden during the recent hot weather.

Bang on trend, the growing animosity between second home owners down from London and the local community. Pine Ridge, is a fictitious part of Bournemouth, knowing that general area, I'd say the author had the Sandbanks, Canford Cliff location in mind from her description. Which is pretty much inhabited by "loadsamoney" people and retirees so in a way she could have chosen a more apt place to make the salient points between those who always have the choices of a number of places of where to rest their heads at nigh and those who are living in caravans without amenities. Unlike greater Bournemouth she described the exclusive moneyed enclaves rather than mixed communities where locals are being squeezed out.. Into this setting come urban affluent couples, Charlotte and Perry, Amy and Linus and their assorted offspring who intend to spend the month of August at their second homes soaking up the sun with lazy days of eating, drinking and time spent down on the sandy beach below their clifftop idylls. Their anticipated escape from the smoke is met by local opposition, mounting skirmishes ensue between young homegrown, disadvantaged without proper homes and "the not just for August" as they are known, culminating in a fatality. By the time the month is over marriages are tested and broken, friendships put under stress and at the heart of the story a crime to be exposed.

I'd say this as the sort of book to pick up at the airport if you happen to be flying off to the sun. The scene setting regarding different characters and their intertwined relationships took me a little longer to get into than usual, but as with most books in LC's chosen genre, the momentum is fast paced, several twists as to the unravelling of the plot with a fairly menacing conclusion hanging in the air. .

65-The Hit-David Baldacci-A fast moving story about hit-men and women in the CIA. Will Robie is tasked with finding Jessica Reel who is supposed to have changed sides and is murdering high up CIA bosses. Robie isn't sure she has turned and is determined to find her and find the truth. This is a real page turner to see what happens next.

#56 was The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig.
Quentin and Lottie can’t afford to divorce. Having lost their jobs in the recession, together they downsize with their 3 children from their big London house to a remote part of Devon. Mud, mice and quarrels and one thing, but why is their rent so low? What is the mystery surrounding their new home?
The area is beautiful, but there’s a dark side that threatens them and by the end of their first year, their lives have all changed completely.
I enjoyed this very much. Great characters and writing, though Quentin was unpleasant and irritating. I hadn’t heard of the author before, I think perhaps someone mentioned her here. If so, thank you. 8/10

Book 41
The Family Remains - Lisa Jewell
This is the sequel to The Family Upstairs
We see the four teenagers grown, all damaged by their pasts, and finally reunited with Lucy’s daughter Libby.
But they are forced to look back at their pasts when the bones of a woman who shared their home, were found on the banks of the Thames.
There is another story running alongside, Rachel the jewellery maker and her disastrous marriage, but the two stories eventually link together.
I enjoyed it, I won’t exactly say a happy ending, but a peaceful ending at least.

AliBeeee It may have been me that recommended Amanda Craig, I think I mentioned somewhere I think she is a really underrated author. The Lie of The Land was the first book I discovered by her and I loved it too. I would recommended these of hers, given you enjoyed that one, Hearts and Minds, The Golden Rule and her latest The Three Graces.

35. Our Holiday, Louise Candlish

Terribull has done a great synopsis of this one a few posts above, so I won’t repeat it.

I’ll add that I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I do any Louise Candlish, even though I didn’t care for a single one of the characters, who were well-drawn but equally, and I’m sure calculatedly, unlikeable. I didn’t really want any of them to prosper, so was a little unhappy with the ending. But all in all, a good read, particularly for a sunny holiday.

#35 The Woman In Blue Elly Griffiths.
This is number eight in a series about Ruth Galloway a forensic archaeologist living in North Norfolk who acts as a consultant to the Norfolk police force and has a complicated relationship with Chief Inspector Harry Nelson. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the series so I'll just say this one involves Ruth being contacted by an old university friend who is attending a conference of women priests in Walsingham. Nelson and his team investigate two murders.
I came late to this series of books and am really enjoying them.

TerriBull thanks for the Amanda Craig recommendations, I have added them to my wish list.

66-Death of a Charming Man-M C Beaton-An Englishman has affairs with lots of local wives , with disastrous results.

53 - Mistress Cromwell by Carol McGrath

I am a great fan of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy and thought this would be an interesting back story from the point of view of Thomas Cromwell's wife.

I didn't expect it to be as well written as Mantel's books - and it definitely wasn't - but I found it quite interesting. My main quibble was that it was so disjointed, swapping around from past to present for no apparent reason.

Reading this book has made me want to re-read the Wolf Hall trilogy (for the 3rd time) or maybe re-watch Wolf Hall on iPlayer, which I think is still available.

Sparklefizz, I have a bit of a crush on Thomas Cromwell. Whenever I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to watch on television, I often go back a watch Wolf Hall again.
So I will add this to my list.

Sara1954

Sparklefizz, I have a bit of a crush on Thomas Cromwell. Whenever I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to watch on television, I often go back a watch Wolf Hall again.
So I will add this to my list.

I'm glad you said that Sara1954 because I have a bit of a crush on him too but didn't like to say it .... I think Hilary Mantel definitely did!

Sparklefizz, I think you’re right. There’s something about him isn’t there?

Book 136, The Shadow Man, by Helen Fields. A bit creepy and gruesome, but I enjoyed it.

The German Daughter by Marius Gabriel. I think that this is one of the best books that I have read.

Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose. I am plodding through this but not enamoured.

I read books 27-32 in July - quite a varied selection!

No. 27 - Far Horizons by Frank Gardner, the BBC Security Correspondent. In this book, he reflects on some of the adventures he had prior to the shooting which paralysed him and how his determination has enabled him to return to activities such as ski racing and scuba diving and to his career as a reporter from trouble spots of the world. A remarkable man.

No. 28 - The Cello and the Nightingales by Beatrice Harrison. The delightful true story of the cellist Beatrice Harrison who was accompanied by nightingales when she played outside at dusk. Her music was broadcast live on BBC radio between 1920s and 1940s and listened to by millions. Beautiful book.

No 29 - The One hundred Years of Lennie and Margot by Marianne Cronin. I think this was recommended on this thread earlier this year. It’s the story of an unlikely friendship which develops between two terminally ill patients in hospital, one a teenager, the other elderly (combined age 100). I loved it! Thank you for the recommendation.

No 30 - All the Broken Places by John Boyne, another recommendation on this thread (thanks Terribull). Great book, great author. I’m now reading another John Boyne.

No 31 - The Sea by John Banville. This is the second time I have read this book. It has joined my ( lengthy) list of favourite books.

No. 32 - The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom. I find Mitch Albom’s books quite thought-provoking. Unbelievable, but thought-provoking. Has anyone else read his books?

I must update more regularly!!

#63. Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey.

LadyGaGa Thank you so much for recommending The Touch by Colleen McCullough. I'd forgotten all about her books over the decades since reading The Thornbirds, but I'm only on p. 32 and found I was drawn straight into it.

Passing Clouds by a new writer Briony Merle Buck.
A simple love story. My sister’s neighbour knows her annd she was given the book.

Sorry I should have written (1
(2 is The Woodlander by Thomas Hardy. I have read most of Hardy but not this one. Beautiful prose, very atmospheric but not as engaging as ‘Tess’ or ‘Far from the Madding crowd’

67-You'll never see me again-Lesley Pearse-1916, In desperation Betty runs away from the Devon fishing village she's lived in all her life. With no money and nowhere to go, the future looks bleak. This story is full of ups and downs, laughter and tears. A real page turner, a great read.

AliBeeee

#56 was The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig.
Quentin and Lottie can’t afford to divorce. Having lost their jobs in the recession, together they downsize with their 3 children from their big London house to a remote part of Devon. Mud, mice and quarrels and one thing, but why is their rent so low? What is the mystery surrounding their new home?
The area is beautiful, but there’s a dark side that threatens them and by the end of their first year, their lives have all changed completely.
I enjoyed this very much. Great characters and writing, though Quentin was unpleasant and irritating. I hadn’t heard of the author before, I think perhaps someone mentioned her here. If so, thank you. 8/10

Thanks for the review, I will get this book sounds good, and a great title too😃

Sparklefizz you can’t beat Hilary Mantel on the subject of Thomas Cromwell. I have the trilogy and intend to read them all again too.