50 Books a Year - The 2025 Challenge

Book 70, Strange Pictures, by Uketsu.
This was a book lent to me by a friend of my daughter. It`s a Japanese book, translated into English, she said she couldn`t put it down, but it wasn`t really my cup of tea. I found it very strange, and confusing, but maybe because I`m not very bright! It`s a sort of thriller, but like I said, not really my cup of tea.

Hellogirl1/I had bought 1&3 of the trilogy from a charity shop, and am now waiting for the middle one to arrive from eBay! Can't wait! So in the mean time I've read a short story:-

54-Black Sheep-Susan Hill
Short but powerful! Life in a mining town, siblings Ted and Rose both yearn to escape from the coal-blackened village. But can they break free?

32. A Lesson in Dying, Ann Cleeves

Having enjoyed a couple of the Vera books, I thought I’d try this, the first of her Inspector Ramsay series. Oh dear. I won’t be buying any more. An unpopular headteacher is found dead on Hallowe’en, implausibly having been first poisoned, then strangled and then strung up in a noose hanging from the basketball hoop in the school playground. It doesn’t get any more realistic than that. It was published in 1990 - the author’s definitely got better since then!

diggingdoris I've had that one as an audiobook on a long journey. It was gripping.
Thanks for letting me know it's the start of a series.

15. The Third Man - Graham Greene

I'm maybe cheating a little as this is an abridged version in five 15-minute parts on Radio 4 Extra (available for about 4 weeks on BBC Sounds)

Rollo Martins arrives in post war Vienna at the invitation of his old friend since schooldays, Harry Lime.
He is taken aback to learn that he is just in time to attend Harry's funeral and sets out to discover what exactly happened.

I enjoyed the story and I'm glad to have found this classic in a condensed version.

39 Shadow Baby - Margaret Forster

Margaret Forster has always been one of my favourite novelists. Shadow Baby, published back in the '90s, is the story of the stigma relating to babies born out of wedlock, which fortunately no longer exists. The two such babies of the tale, born with a tenuous link that melds two timelines together towards the end of the book.

First, Evie born in the late 1880s to her young mother Leah, deserted by her lover when he goes off to seek his fortune in Canada with the promise of ongoing financial support until his return and marriage. When the reality of that doesn't transpire Evie is perceived as a burden and permanent reminder of her father's abandonment, subsequently she is foisted on reluctant relatives and a children's home. 70 years later, 18 year old Hazel finds herself pregnant by her boyfriend, not much more than a schoolboy himself. This is the mid 50s before abortion had become legalised. Under pressure from her mother, who feels that her daughter's life would be ruined by becoming a mother in her teens, given she is academic with the promise of university ahead, the same for the schoolboy lover, she is sent away to spend her confinement in Norway. When her daughter is born she is whisked away at birth, Hazel's only glimpse of her is a mere shadow. Baby Shona is adopted by a kindly Scottish couple. The mothers, Leah and Hazel's lives follow an upward trajectory, particularly Leah who upon marriage is rescued from a life of servitude. Hazel is to qualify as a solicitor and have a promising career. Both women marry very understanding men who prosper in their chosen careers, Henry, Leah's husband a tailor sets up a successful business employing many people and Malcolm, Hazel's husband, like her also a solicitor. When their respective wives confide they have had a child in their teens, both men say they would be prepared to make the child part of the family if they were to get in touch, and be a half sibling to their own respective children. Both women are appalled at the idea of that happening and inevitably it does. Each daughter sets out on a path to find their mothers, it becomes an enduring obsession with somewhat different outcomes.

#47. In Plain Sight by DS Butler.

55- A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers-Compiled by Colleen Sell
A delightful non-fiction collection of 40+ short personal stories from owners about their favourite dogs. Each one only takes about five minutes to read, so a good book to pick up now and again when having a cuppa.

56-In Search of Hope-Anna Jacobs
The second in this trilogy. So well written and it moved me to tears in places. Coercive control is the theme here, with Libby trying to start a new life away from her husband. Now moving onto:-
57-A Time for Hope-Anna Jacobs

Book 71, Deception, by Jonathan Kellerman.
My Hope trilogy has arrived, so will be starting A Place of Hope a little later.

#48. Death Message by Mark Billingham.

Book 72, A Place of Hope, by Anna Jacobs. I thought this was a lovely read, thanks to D/Doris for telling me about it. Now for book 2 in the trilogy.

57-A Time for Hope-Anna Jacobs
The third in this trilogy: Gabrielle throws out her cheating cruel husband and tries to start a new life. Stu her husband has plans of his own, and is not going to leave her in peace.

Book 25 - A Voyage around the Queen - Craig Brown

Quite a long book, but quite a long period to cover.

I was a big fan of our late Queen, and on the whole, I like the Royal Family, with some exceptions!

Did this book change my opinions? Well a little maybe.

It covers a very long period of time, so things have changed, but some of the protocols seem honestly pretty ridiculous, there is definitely a case for some modernisation, but they must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

I had read some reviews which accused this book of being boring, not true, I couldn’t put it down, obviously there are no scandals, no new revelations coming to light, because the Queen led a life open to public scrutiny, and her whole life was about duty.

There were some very funny memories and observations, and on a couple of occasions I was really crying, not just a tear in my eye, but reaching for the tissues, not over the big moments of National grief, but over smaller more personal things, one being Margaret Thatchers 80th birthday party.

If you read any Royal Biography, you will have read much of it before, but this one covered everything from the State occasions to the mundane, much of it done with humour

Overall, a good read.

Book 73, In Search of Hope, the 2nd in the Hope trilogy by Anna Jacobs. Another good read.

Could somebody please enlighten me as to where the book numbers can be found? Many thanks!

Hi Bellanonna, I hope I'm interpretating your query regarding book numbers. At the start of the year participants number their books as they go. So bviously getting on for halfway through now a disparity between fast and slower readers as to what may appear random numbers, that number will be personal to the individual count of the poster. If I haven't answered your question or got the wrong end of the stick, please come back.

Book 25 (I'm slacking ) Christmas in Austin by Benjamin Markovits

This book follows on from A Weekend in New York and is another family saga about the Essingers.

The four adult Essinger children with their partners and children gather at the family home in Austin, Texas for Christmas. They bring with them all their trials and tribulations. Nathan, the oldest, is hoping to become a federal judge. Susie's husband has taken a job in England. Jean lives in England and has invited her divorced boyfriend/boss to meet her family. Paul has broken up with Dana, the mother of his small son, but his parents have invited Dana to stay in the hope that she will reconcile with Paul.

I thoroughly enjoy family sagas like this. I said before when I read his earlier book that his writing reminds me of Anne Tyler.

I give this book 9/10 and not the full 10 because it ended before I wanted it to, and left me hanging. I'm hoping he has written the next instalment in the saga.

Oh ok, Terri, I think I get it now. I thought a numbered list must have existed but I see it’s the number of books the (amazingly quick) individual reader is up to. Mine is probably still in single figures. Thanks for getting back 🙂

Oh don't worry about that Bellanona, it doesn't matter if your book count is still in single figures, or if you don't hit the '50' target as long you enjoy taking part.

I don’t have much time for reading , roll on retirement !
Love all the recommendations tho.At the moment am reading The Hail Mary Project , can’t remember the author but he wrote The Martian ( it’s on my Kindle in another room.)
It’s very good, am about half way through it.There’s a lot of explanations of maths, physics and astrophysics in it, just about constantly actually, but most of it is understandable even if like me you know nothing about it.I’m finding the story a real page turner.

Book 74, A Time for Hope, the 3rd and last in the trilogy by Anna Jacobs. Thank you to Digging Doris for putting me onto them.
Actually, I used to live in the area where they are set, Rochdale, my first 2 children were born at Birch Hill hospital at Littleborough. There`s also a mention of a local beauty spot, Hollingworth Lake. Sorry if that`s boring info.

58-Cottage Garden Flowers-Margery Fish
This non-fiction book was written in 1961 by an expert in her field.(please excuse the pun), and although it has no pictures in it the information is ideal for anyone planning this type of garden. It's a book I've been picking up on and off for ages, but have enjoyed reading it along with my tablet to search for pictures of her recommended plants.

59-Pusing up Daisies-M C Beaton
A light hearted murder mystery that got me rather confused. I usually enjoy her little books of nonsense as an interlude to the more meaty thrillers, but this one muddled my brain. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood.

Hellogirl1, glad you enjoyed the trilogy.
I'm now starting a Harlan Coben murder, so something very different.

Harlen Coban, another of my favourite authors.

Book 26 The House on Rye Lane by Susan Allott.

Maxine has inherited some money and bought a dilapidated Georgian townhouse on Rye Lane on the edge of Peckham Rye. Her partner, Seb, agrees to pay for all the renovations needed.

But is Seb all he appears to be? And what is the creepy history of the house?

I enjoyed this book but not as much as her first book The Silence which I rated 10/10.

I give this book 7/10.