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

Following recommendations from posters on here, I am reading a Sue Gee book called Coming Home. I have just started it and so far so good.

47 The Wild Swimmers - William Shaw

I was attracted to this book, by the title, the cover of a wild sea under a dark blue sky, and the fact that it set in and around Dungeness, which I always associate with Magwitch and marshes . Having said that, I didn't really do it justice, I put it down midway to read another book and kind of lost the thread a bit. The writer has a series which features his detective, D S Alexandra Cupidi who whilst walking on the beach with her daughter discovers the washed up body of one of the wild swimmers of the title. After the post mortem foul play is suspected. There are other strands around a convicted murderer who turns out to be the father of one of D S Cupidi's colleagues, drug gangs etc. It didn't really draw me in as much as I thought it would reading the preamble, but I suspect that was my fault for not reading it all in one go..

#59 was The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths. For those of you who know the Dr Ruth Galloway series, this is the one where a body is found inside the cockpit of a WWII plane on a construction site. It was excellent, I think it’s the best one I’ve read so far. 9/10

Book 141, The Maid, the first book by Nita Prose. OK, but not great. Not mentioned in the book, but the woman seemed to have a massive case of OCD!

I felt the same about "The Maid Hello Girl, alright, but nothing to rave about.

#65. The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas.

70-Death of a poison pen-M C Beaton-Hamish Macbeth investigating a murder again. So many of the village have received a poison pen letter, but they turn out not to be a joke after all. This one is not as silly as some of her books, and was almost believable.

No.33. - The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright. I enjoyed this book, must read some more of her books as she captures family dynamics in an engaging way.

No. 34. - Outback by Patricia Wolfe. I read this book earlier this year and reread it as it’s a Book Group choice for September. I found it a bit predictable. Just not my kind of book.

No. 35. - Water by John Boyne. He’s rapidly becoming my favourite author!

GrannyBear I didn't like The Wren, The Wren at all and abandoned it halfway. I've enjoyed other books by Anne Enright though.

Sparklefizz it took me a while to get into it! Of her other books, do you recommend any in particular ? Thanks.

GrannyBear Trying to remember - I know I liked The Green Road.

No 21 The Book Of Beginnings by Sally Page. This was a sweet little book about a broken love affair, set in a stationery shop - I could smell the paper and ink even though I was reading on Kindle! It was just the story I needed, nothing too demanding.

I’m going to get nowhere near 50 books this year, my reading is painfully slow nowadays.

I am afraid that I had to give up on the Sue Gee book. I stuck with it till half way before I realised that I didn't care if the protagonist ever managed to get out of the kitchen to write her book and that life was too short to find out.
I am now reading Music in the Dark by Sally Magnusson. Another story about a woman's life but much more interesting.

Book 142, The Woolworth Girl`s Promise, by Elaine Everest.
Book 143, Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls. sequel to the previous book.
I was looking to find out the title of the next in the series, only to find that, sadly. Elaine Everest has died.

#60 Lillian’s Story by Kate Grenville. Despite really enjoying Kate Grenville’s other books, I couldn’t get into this. I made it to about page 70, but life’s too short, so I gave up.

Book 25: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. This has been mentioned by other readers previously. I really didn't expect to enjoy it, as it's about 2 people who make video games in the US, and I know absolutely nothing abouts gaming or gamers. However, it's easy to get drawn in to the story and feel deeply about the main characters. It was passed to me by my son and I probably wouldn't have picked it for myself, but it's a good read.

I also thought it was a good read granfromafar, I surprised myself, I got it for Christmas, I didn't think it would be my type of book at all.

48 Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Audible)

This is the story of star crossed lovers, Ifemelu and Obinze who first met at high school in Lagos in their native Nigeria. Ifemelu from a just about getting by family background, not helped by the fact that Nigeria is in a state of turmoil. Further constrained at times by her deeply Christian mother, Obinze in contrast raised by an altogether more affluent and liberal mother, his father having died when he was a child. This is a time when Nigeria is ruled by a military dictatorship and the country is beset by numerous strikes including the ones in universities hindering higher education. Looking therefore to study abroad, Ifemelu and Obinze are separated by opportunities when she gets the chance to study in the US, Obinze hoping to follow her there, but is thwarted in that when he is unable to get a visa after 9/11. Instead he goes to London but finds himself an illegal immigrant there when his visa expires and he is eventually to be deported back to Nigeria. After Ifemelu's initial arrival in the US, she cuts off her communications with Obinze, due to a myriad of reasons, depression, struggles with money and homesickness. Eventually she is to succeed in her academic objectives and go on to secure a professional position. She catalogues her relationships with the men that enter her and life both black and white and the racism she meets equally overt and subtle. Her observations whilst in the US are often around the overwhelming distinction of what racial identity means there, as opposed to Nigeria where that isn't really an issue. Battle lines back home are more likely to be drawn by tribal and religious identities. Meanwhile Obinze freshly deported from England goes on to prosper and become a wealthy property developer in Nigeria. Much to the amazement of her American friends, this is the time of Obama teetering on the brink of becoming the first black president, and the dawn of a new age, Ifemelu, having become a successful blogger and acquired the requisite green cards and visas to stay in the US, makes it her intention to return home, Nigeria having entered the age of democracy. Back home she is to reconnect with her first love Obinze who has since married and had a child which inhibits the eventual rekindling of their relationship.

Very enjoyable observations on the themes of cultural identity, from the perspective of a black immigrant adapting to the complexities of a multi racial country that encompasses a myriad of different cultures, and to her the sometimes baffling nuances around those that exist within the US.

Superb narration by Adjoa Andoh who switches effortlessly between a perfect standard English accent into the multitude of modulated Nigerian and American ones often slipping into the vernacular and inflections associated with the varying characters' both in the US and Nigeria which really made the story come alive.

71-The Woman on the Bridge-Sheila O'Flanagan- I've loved all her books, but this one didn't grab me. This was inspired by the memories of her Grandmother and things she experienced in 1920 when the Irish troubles were at their height. There is a romance running through it, but I found all the political stuff very confusing, as even the Irish were at loggerheads with each other as well at the battles with the English army. I persevered because I thought I should learn more of the history. Quite an eye opener!

#66. A Shilling For Candles by Josephine Tey.

Book 45
Zero Days - Ruth Ware
I usually enjoy this writer, but wasn’t so sure I was going to like this one.
It’s an action thriller, with computer hacking, and stuff I couldn’t begin to understand, as the background.
The plot involves married couple, Gabe and Jack, who own a company testing the security of major corporations, Gabe does the computer stuff and Jack does the legwork.
One night Jack returns from a job to find Gabe with his throat cut, Jack quickly becomes number one suspect, and goes on the run, determined to prove her innocence, and track down Gabes killer.
It’s a bit unrealistic, I’m pretty sure she would have been dead from her injuries before she got to the end of her journey. We get into the realms of organised crime, and rogue nations, and you know that no one will ever be held accountable, but there is a closer to home connection, which makes it more interesting.
I did quite enjoy it, I think Jack may turn up in future books, she’s a feisty heroine.
All in all, better than I was expecting, but not a favourite

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly. A Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch combo.

38. Lone Wolf, Jodie Picoult

Luke has spent most of his life away from his family, living as a woke within a wolf colony. When he lies unresponsive in hospital after a car crash, his family have to decide whether life support is continued - his daughter and estranged son have widely different views on this and a court case ensues.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as other Jodie Picoult’s I’ve read. The daughter character was very spoilt and whiny, the father treated as a living god, despite being a thoroughly self-centred individual. Unlikely scenarios abounded - a wolf smuggled in to Luke’s hospital bedside, a lawyer called Zirconia, who as a sideline is a medium for pets who’ve “passed”, etc, etc, and I just thought it all a bit overblown. I kept wondering how on earth this dysfunctional family were going to pay for all the hospital costs and legal fees, which were mentioned only in passing. On the plus side it was entertaining enough and I feel I learnt a lot about wolf behaviour, though I am sceptical about “facts” such as a pregnant wolf knowing how big her litter will be and how many male and female pups she will give birth to (how on earth would anyone even know that if it were true? ). Worth a read still.

Book 44: A Court of Betrayal by Anne O'Brien -An interesting read about Roger Mortimer, his wife and family and his famous relationship with Queen Isabella.

49 The Missing Family - Tim Weaver

The usual fast paced missing persons thriller from Tim Weaver featuring David Raker. This time a family consisting of father, grown up step son and his girlfriend, go missing whilst rowing out in a boat on a Devon reservoir. In the blink of an eye, whilst Sarah, wife and mother falls asleep on the edge of the shore watching them, they're gone! Did she close her eyes for a mere minute she has her toddler daughter close by, or was that an illusion, playing tricks on her?

Sarah hires Private Investigator, David Raker who is on the case endeavouring to dig up any connections and background that give a clue as to why the missing appear to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

Lots of twists and turns, victims become assassins and there is a highly convoluted back story across England and the US of seemingly unconnected murders which drive the plot along. At nearly 500 pages, a tad too, long but the chapters are short and sharp and Tim Weaver never drops the momentum so I've no doubt David Raker fans will like it, Although in the series, there were two stand out ones for me which I loved, and I'm always slightly disappointed when I get to the middle of subsequent books to feel that this one won't be one of those.