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

TerriBull

I really loved it Sparklefizz I have read some very good previous books by this writer, notably We Had It So Good and The Dark Circle, like other favourite authors she hasn't written that many. If you get hold of it, as always, do come back and let us know your thoughts.

Will do, TerriBull. I've reserved it at my library.

Book 39 non fiction Charles III The Inside Story by Robert Hardman

I found this an interesting book describing behind the scenes info re the death of the Queen, the funeral, Charles' transition to King and the coronation .... and also pointing out that Harry was invited to stay at Balmoral when he announced he was coming to the UK to promote the Invictus Games, which he declined, then he was offered Royal accommodation at Windsor and finally he booked into a hotel.

Recollections do vary, it seems.

Book 40 Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller. I didn't particularly enjoy this or warm to any of the characters.

17. I am Pilgrim, Terry Hayes
My reading group choice and not one I’d have picked, being over 900 pages long and set in the grimy world of espionage. To my surprise, I loved it and could hardly bear to put it down!

18. The Night She Lied, Lucy Dawson
A quick read, particularly straight after Pilgrim. The past comes back to haunt a mother and daughter, both of whom have secrets to keep under wraps. All leading up to a sudden death and a murder trial - will the truth come to light? To be honest I didn’t care too much, as I found all the characters unconvincing and unlikeable.

19. Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? Nikki French
The title character doesn’t turn up for her husband’s birthday party, and her disappearance is linked to the death of her friend. Again, I found the characters one dimensional, and the plot thin. But sometimes you need an easy read!

20. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
I just loved this. My best read of the year so far, and one of my favourites ever. It’ll stay with me. If I didn’t have a toppling pile of books waiting to be read, I’d be re-reading David Copperfield next.

I've decided lately, long after it was first published, that maybe I should try "I am Pilgrim" a friend of mine told me when she read it a few years ago it was unputdownable, but I didn't fancy it then, but after your review Maggiemaybe, I think it will be one to add to my pile.

Demon Copperhead my best book from last year.

I do hope you enjoy Pilgrim, TerriBull. Not all of my reading group were as enthusiastic, but I think the sheer length of it put a couple of them against it from the start. And one found the depictions of a terrifying terrorist plot just too disturbing.

No 15 The Exiles by Jane Harper. I really enjoyed this, though as usual with crime books I didn’t have a clue what was happening. Although maybe I’m improving as I did suss out one character as being involved in some way or other, even if it wasn’t the crime I’d felt their collar for

I have just started “Stone Blind - Medusa’s Story” by Natalie Haynes. Another of her unputdownable books about Greek mythology. It will stand alongside “Circe” as one of those books you drag out reading because you never want it to end. You don’t read her books; you savour them.

Have just finished ‘The Family Remains’ by Lisa Jewell.

Hmm, not sure what I think about it. Wasn’t until I started reading it that I realised it was the sequel to ‘The Family Upstairs’ which I read some time ago.

I found TFR rather muddled, it jumped from one character and time frame to another, didn’t help that I couldn’t recall the characters or events very well from the first book.

But interesting enough to keep me reading to the end.

Book 26: The Quartet Murders by J.R.Ellis
Book 27: Dissolution by C.J.Sansom. As a tribute to C.J.Sansom who died recently I have decided to re-read the Shardlake series which I read with enjoyment as each book was published some time ago. I hadn't remembered all of the details of the story but I have really loved my second read and have got so much from it. Just starting Darkfire now!

35-The Crow Trap-Ann Cleeves. This is the first of her Vera novels, and I was disappointed with it. It seemed over complicated and padded out. If it had been the first of her books I had read, I don't think I'd have bothered with any others. I have read 15 of her other stories and I've loved them all so maybe this was an exception.
The story starts with an in-depth history of the 3 main characters who are doing a nature survey of a site proposed for a quarry. The locals are split in their opinions as it would bring jobs to the area, but also spoil the beautiful countryside.
Don't be put off reading this one, just be prepared for the 535 pages.

Book 28
The Women - Kristen Hannah
This was my first book by this writer, but it definitely won’t be the last.
It’s an emotional roller coaster, I quite often found myself with tears dripping onto the pages.
The story is mostly Frankie’s story, it is the time of the Vietnam war, and Frankie joins the army as a nurse.
There she meets Barb and Ethel, and the three become life long friends.
The first half of the book is in the field hospital, she doesn’t pull any punches , there are some incredibly gory descriptions, and much sadness, I learned a lot about the Vietnam war which I hadn’t really known.
The second half is more political. Frankie arrives back in the US to taunts of ‘baby killer’ and no taxi will take her home, her parents are ashamed of her, and no one wants to talk about it.
Frankie hits rock bottom before she can try and rebuild her life, the vets are eventually recognised, but the damage done to a generation of young people is shameful.
A dark period in American history.

Book 89, Cold Blooded Liar, by Karen Rose. Her first book to feature Detective Kit McKittrick, and I really enjoyed it, but then I like Karen Rose`s books anyway.

#34 was The Echo Chamber by John Boyne. I’ve just read All the Broken Places by this author and loved it, this book could not be more different.
The Cleverley family live a gilded life, little realising how precarious their privilege is, just one tweet away from disaster. George, the patriarch, is a stalwart of television interviewing, a 'national treasure' (his words), his wife Beverley, a celebrated novelist (although not as celebrated as she would like), and their children, Nelson, Elizabeth, Achilles, various degrees of catastrophe waiting to happen. I thought all the characters were odious and I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it, however, the writing was very dry and witty and I was on a 24 hour journey with a lot of time to kill. I did enjoy it once it really got going. 7/10

#35 was A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson. Set in remote northern Ontario. 7 year old Clara’s adored elder sister is missing, Liam, newly separated and unemployed moves in next door and Elizabeth is thinking about a crime committed 30 years ago. The lives are intertwined and it’s a very poignant story, in my view Clara is the real star of this book. I really enjoyed it. 8/10

#41. Keep The Home Fires Burning by Simon Block.

Have just been re-watching ‘Home Fires’, which was scrapped at the end of the second series, a big mistake IMHO.

This book takes up where the tv series finished, with a disastrous plane crash on the village….

I've just read Macbeth by Jo Nesbo. It was very depressing but I managed to struggle through it. So many people were murdered, it just wasn't believable. This is an author I shall avoid in future.

Curtaintwitcher, it might be worth giving Jo Nesbo another chance, I haven’t read that one, but I’ve read quite a few, and his early ones are really good.

Sarah, I've also only read one Kristen Hannah book, The Four Winds, which I would highly recommend. I intend uo read more of her works at some stage.

Book 21 Sparring Partners by John Grisham.
I like this author when I need to do some comfort reading. His style of writing is strangely soothing for me.

Sara1954 and TerriBull I enjoyed The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah but haven't particularly enjoyed some of her other books but I might give "The Women" a try after your description Sara.

SueDonim I loved Exiles by Jane Harper and have enjoyed all of her books.

AliBeeee Glad you liked A Town called Solace by Mary Lawson. I have liked all of her books and recently re-read Road Ends.

A Town called Solace and exiles, both really excellent books

I love Kristin Hannah books. I've read a few including 'The Women' an excellent book.
I'm currently reading 'The Ferryman' by Justin Cronin. Not my usual kind of book but it draws you in and you want to know what is going to happen next. A dystopian type novel. Has anyone read it ?
I also enjoyed 'I am Pilgrim' and have the sequel 'The Year of the Locust' on my to be read pile.

21. Invisible Girl, Lisa Jewell
This was quite a slow starter but the pace picked up quickly. A teenager with a troubled background goes missing in an area where several sexual assaults have been reported. Suspicion falls on a lonely local man who’s been accused of inappropriate behaviour at the college where he works, but is there more to it? The book touches on themes of motherhood, prejudice, past trauma and isolation, and the scary world of incels. The characters are well rounded, and the ending believable.

36-Death of a Scriptwriter-M.C.Beaton-Another one in the Hamish Macbeth series. A TV company want to make a detective film in the area, but the author of the book is not happy how her story has been adapted. A little light hearted murder mystery.

Book 90, The Bad Apple, by Rosie Goodwin

Book 91, not a very long one, The Guest Book, a good psychological thriller by C.L.Pattison.