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

That sounds interesting TerriBull, I shall look it up

Book 148, Confessions of the Dead, by James Patterson and another writer. Rather a strange, weird book, but oddly, I liked it.

54 This Charming Man - Marian Keyes (Audible)

The charming man of the piece, is Patrick de Courcy and charming he aint! Paddy as he is more commonly known is a rising politician in Ireland. His public persona is one of considerable charisma , but that saccharine veneer harbours a misogynistic, woman beating, abusive bully. The tale is related through the prism of four women who have entered his orbit and suffered varying abusive relationships with him. We first meet Lola, his heartbroken girlfriend who has just been shafted in favour of Alicia, who Paddy has earmarked as the "right sort of wife" to enhance his burgeoning career, she is soon to learn to her detriment just what she has taken on. Lola, who narrates the first part of the story is a stylist by profession, I found her quite irritating in parts of the narrative, overly obsessed with the vacuous, often unfunny a bit Bridget Jones in her obsession with calories, drink and men, but Bridget did that to better effect imo. Much of the superficial chat masks the damage both physical and mental at the hands of the vile Paddy. By far the most interesting character is Grace Gildee a journalist who later on in the book sets out to expose Paddy for what he is. Paddy's first high school love is Marnie Hunter, Grace's twin sister, now living in an affluent area of London with her husband and children. On the surface Marnie appears to have it all, but as the book progresses she is in fact a hopeless alcoholic whose gradual descent into the worst of that addiction will see her lose firstly her job and then her husband and children. Grace frequently has to fly to London at the drop of a hat to prop her often comatose sister up. The main plot is built around Grace's attempt to get both Lola and Marnie and other ex girlfriends of Paddy to give an interview as to the abuse they have suffered during their relationships with this man in retaliation for Paddy's attempt to smear and bring down a feminist MP who he is in opposition with.

I have only read one of Marian Keyes books before, which was okish, but I see a lot of her books on Audible are free so I have added them to my library, this was pretty good and easy and absorbing to listen to.

Sparklefizz

Have just finished ‘The Silence Between Breaths’.

Yes, a very interesting read, but so sad.

Why oh why do these things happen?

But it opened my eyes to just how it does, actually.

78-Without Trace-Leigh Russell-A real page turner, this one. Right at the beginning we meet the murderer, or do we? When young women keep disappearing, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel has no clues to go on and she doubts her abilities, until a woman is found covered in dirt, as if she has been buried. There are surprises along the way to keep you enthralled. A great read.

#70. The Country Girls Trilogy by Edna O’ Brien.

Just finished Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson. Not a bad story but I found I was skipping pages about musicians and music that had nothing to do with the plot.
Just started Dead Man's Grave by Neil Lancaster. A bit of Tartan Noir set in the Highlands. So far it is very good.

All Her Fault by Andrea Mara
This was a good read with an unexpected twist at the end, but somewhat implausible.

I didn't find it as good as the previous book of hers that I read No One Saw a Thing.

I also enjoyed No One Saw a Thing Sparklefizz, I have her new one on my library wish list "Someone in the Attic".

I'll put that one on my list TerriBull

Book 48
The House of Fortune - Jessie Burton

This is a lovely book, like her novel The Miniaturist, it is set in Amsterdam, the year is 1705

Captivating characters, full of atmosphere, really loved it

I really loved it too Sara1954

Sparklefizz, that’s nice to know, when I was raving about The Miniaturist, no one’s seemed to have enjoyed it very much.

Hope I may butt in. I haven’t read all the thread but would just like to mention William Boyd’s The Romantic. It begins around the time of Waterloo and centres on a young man and his travels, echoing partly a Grand Tour and going on to settle near Boston. Quite descriptive of the times. I don’t know the ending as I’m just 3/4 of the way through and really enjoying it. I like Boyd’s writing and find that he doesn’t seem to have a style as such. If he’s been mentioned, then apologies. If not, then I’m sure someone would enjoy this latest book.

Thankyou Bellanonna, always good to get recommendations, I’ve discovered quite a few new authors here.

I haven’t kept up with my reading, due to a few family traumas. The first book I posted about ‘PassingClouds ‘ was a lovely romance. Quite sexy and very sad in places but I enjoyed it.
I must now read all the posts and choose another, now I have time again.

Thank you Bellanona, I have read and enjoyed few William Boyds, as you say, no two books of his are the same. The Romantic is on my to read list.

I enjoyed The Miniaturist so will look out for The House of Fortune.

79-The Walkers of Dembley-M C Beaton-Agatha Raisin decides to lose weight by joining the village Ramblers Club. Another murder to investigate when a fellow walker is found murdered in a field. A light hearted mystery.

#41 The Good The Bad and the History Jodi Taylor.
Number 14 in The St Mary's Chronicles series. I love this author and have to read/listen to everything she writes. St Mary's is an academic institution that investigates historical events in contemporary time (they travel back in time).
#42 The Last Letter Rebecca Yarros.
A soldier receives a letter from his best friend after their death asking him to look after his sister and her children. I have to admit some parts of the story had me in tears.

Book 49
The First Wives Shadow - Adele Parks
This started well, a wealthy attractive woman in her late forties, meets and gradually falls in love with a younger widower.
Her close friends are wary, he seems too good to be true, when strange and unsettling things start happening, she doesn’t know who she can trust.
The second part of the book, everything is instantly explained, you know what’s going on and why, so then it’s just seeing it through to its conclusion.
Once I knew all of this, the book lost its element of suspense, and I didn’t enjoy it as much, also became a bit unrealistic, on the whole I enjoyed it.

Bk 4 Hawaii by James Michener.
His book The Source is one of my must haves, so I thought to try this one again.

Sara1954

Sparklefizz, that’s nice to know, when I was raving about The Miniaturist, no one’s seemed to have enjoyed it very much.

Ooh, I must have missed your "rave" because I loved The Miniaturist so much that I've read it twice!

55 Talking to Strangers - Fiona Barton

I can't say I enjoyed this book, I'd read Fiona Barton before and found her okish as a crime writer. This one set in the south coast around Worthing, is about a 40 something woman who is found dead in a woodland and the book delves into her backstory of hooking up with men through dating apps and her rather unrealistic ideas relating to a romance and the meeting her ideal mate, when in fact most of those she briefly dates are sleazy scammers. The story unfolds through three women. One whose child was murdered in the same woods whilst playing with his brother. An investigative journalist and a female detective. It moves along at a fairly fast pace, the men are all one dimensional and appalling. The three main women don't seem to sense danger when it's right under their nose. There were however two twists at the end, one I saw coming about half way through and the 2nd I didn't. S'alright without really grabbing me, most of the reviews on Amazon were 5 star, not for me though. I was glad to finish it I found it quite depressing.

Onwards and upwards, I have high hopes for my next book, Kate Atkinson's Death at the Sign of the Rook.

I love William Boyd, too, Bellanonna and recently read The Romantic and enjoyed it a lot. All WB’s books are so different from each other unlike some writers who seem to just produce variations on a theme.

I didn’t like The Miniaturist that much, for once I preferred the TV production, but I loved JB’s second book, The Muse, about art and paintings.

Book 24. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin. A classic of course, but it still has plenty to say to modern lives, I think. I discovered that there’s a film of it so I may search it out.

SueDonim, I didn’t know The Miniaturist had been televised, I’ll have to see if I can find it.