50 Books a Year - The 2025 Challenge

No. 35 How it all Began by Penelope Lively.

I'm on a Penelope Lively "kick" at the moment after enjoying her book Heat Wave so much, so I reserved several at the library.

How it all Began started slowly and I wondered if this was going to be one of her books that didn't live up to expectations..... but I could not have been more wrong! The book gradually built into a wonderful story and PL writes so beautifully.

Charlotte, in her 70s, is mugged and breaks her hip. This book takes this one incident and follows its effects on lives tentatively linked to one another.

Charlotte's daughter, Rose, and husband Gerry take Charlotte to live with them while she's recovering from her broken hip. Rose can't accompany her employer to his lecture engagement which means that his niece, Marion, fills her place - causing her to cancel a tryst with her lover by text, which is discovered by his wife ...... and this is just the start of a series of life-changing events.

I totally loved this book. It's heart-rending and witty and a wonderful observation of people's lives. I give it 10/10.

Sparklefizz, I have put it on my list. I like the sound of that one

45 The Past - Tessa Hadley

The story of four grown up siblings, a trio of sisters, Harriet, Alice and Fran and their brother Roland, who have gathered together one summer in a house they have inherited from their grandparents and therein lies a lot of childhood memories. Their dilemma is should they keep the property on, it needs costly upkeep, or should they sell it. Whilst they undoubtedly love each other there are also simmering sibling tensions that are easily triggered. Fran the only mother amongst the sisters has brought her two young children Arthur and Ivy who are often left in the care of the two teenagers who make up the family group, Molly and Kasim pretty much take their eye off that job most of the time whilst Arthur and Ivy run wild. The sisters, brother Roland newly married to his latest wife Argentinian Pilar has brought his teenage daughter Molly from a previous marriage along, she keeps company with Kasim, son of one of Alice's previous boyfriends who for some reason she has decided to bring as well. It soon becomes apparent as both teenagers without too much enthusiasm endeavour to entertain the younger children, they also have a burgeoning attraction to each other. Their discovery of an abandoned cottage takes up some of their time, particularly discovering a dead dog there, deemed missing from a while ago and Kasim's efforts to try and restore the cottage to somewhere slightly habitable for his trysts with Molly. It's ultimately more of a book about family dynamics and their individual frailties rather than plot heavy, nevertheless, like many of Tessa Hadley's books I did enjoy it.

Book 34
The Wrong Sister - Claire Douglas

I’m really enjoying her books.
Set in an area of the West Country of which I’m very familiar, this did not disappoint.

Two sisters, Alice and Tasha, Alice high flier, rich husband, and Tash, mum of small twins, but there is third sister, Holly, abducted when a baby.

It’s full of twists. Some solid characters, and keeps you guessing till the last page.

I read it really quickly, and would recommend.

Sara1954

Sparklefizz, I have put it on my list. I like the sound of that one

I think you'll enjoy it Sara

Meanwhile I've put your recommendation The Wrong Sister on my list.

Afraid I'm pretty lax with my counting, but this is a good book group.

Just finished the fourth in the Louise Penny Three Pines series, reading them in order. Anyone else read these? Is it worth continuing? The setting is so over-idealised, the good characters too perfect for words. When I read in the Acknowls that the author modelled her too-perfect police inspector on her own husband I thought that was the last straw. Yet there are several more books and they clearly sell well. What do others think?

Kicking off 2025 with The Monk by Tim Sullivan — straight into a gripping mystery to set the tone! Also dipping into The Plantagenets by Dan Jones when I'm in the mood for some real royal drama. Feels like a good balance between crime and crown to start the year

Welcome jawhar if you're a new poster. Coincidentally I kicked off my reading for the new year back in January with The Monk and dipping into Dan Jones, The Plantagenets, haven't dipped in enough though I've only got up to Henry III so far, somehow novels get in the way. I do love history though, so must get back to it.

71-The Wedding Dress Repair Shop-Trisha Ashley
After losing her fiance and her dream job in the same week, Garland Fairford's life is turned upside down. Then a long lost relative comes to her rescue, with a new job and somewhere to live.

72-Small Mercies-Alex Walters
Sorry but had to give up on this one as after 80 pages I was so confused, I'd lost the thread completely. Apologies to the author!

46 I Am Pilgrim Terry Hayes

This is a mammoth spy thriller from over a dozen years ago, a worldwide best seller, it didn't appeal to me at the time when a couple of friends were reading it. Of course the world has moved on from then, the technology described in it has advanced, probably to a keen eye, non mine, that would date the book possibly, but the threat described in its pages would be just as alarming in its feasibility. A door stopper of nearly 900 pages, I found unputdownable, I've hardly watched any telly this week, I was so driven to get to the end. The book is now dog eared and covered in sand (not a library book) It's been up and down to the beach with me most of the week whilst on holiday.

Two inter -weaving narratives. "Pilgrim" An FBI agent with a history of being involved in some shady scenarios. "Saracen" a young man with a warped vengeful desire to reek an Armageddon scenario in the US. Two back histories as to the motivations that have driven the characters along their respective paths. . Eventually the trajectories of the hunter and the hunted cantilevered together in a breakneck time is of the essence scenario to prevent a biological attack of epic proportions. Maybe a bit too long, it could have done with losing a 100 pages, the getting there was better than the conclusion, nevertheless kept me riveted for a book that wasn't really one I would usually gravitate to.

#58. Murder At St Anne’s by JR Ellis.

#36 The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths
This is the first book in her new series. The main character, Ali, is a single parent and police officer working on cold cases. She is very likeable and reminds me in some ways of Ruth Galloway in the Dr Ruth Galloway-Harry Nelson series of books.

Ali's latest assignment is her biggest challenge yet - she must time-travel back to the heart of the Victorian Age to investigate a sinister group and a murder/several murders.

This storyline reminded me in some ways of the book The Time Traveller's Wife for obvious reasons.

I enjoyed the book and the concept, and the comparison of Victorian life with present day, but I'm not sure what I made of it and will maybe feel much more enthusiastic when she adds to the series and I can really get into the characters (who I assume will appear in each book.)

I wasn’t impressed with The Frozen People myself when I read it.

Not a patch on the Ruth Galloway series, IMHO.

Hope it improves with any more that come out.

I loved I Am Pilgrim too, Terribull. I remember I took it on holiday and just couldn't stop turning the pages! My latest two reads haven’t quite lived up to it, but were enjoyable in their very different ways.

36. To Hell With It, Claire Frances

Someone described this as Bridget Jones meets Eleanor Oliphant, which is fairly accurate. Pearl battles her stifling OCD to follow her new love to his native New Zealand, facing challenges and disappointment on the way. A bit unlikely that she’d be able to do that, but it’s a pleasant, easy read, unlike…

37. The Chemist, A A Dhand

which is gritty, brutal and graphic, but very, very good. Dhand is the author of the Virdee series, which paints Bradford in the darkest possible light. I think this stand alone is even better. This time he’s in Leeds, where everyone is either 100% evil and twisted, or 100% exploited and vulnerable. I’ll be looking over my shoulder next time I’m pootling round the Victoria Quarter. 😊

I love reading this thread but it's dangerous for my bank balance! Ive bought some books based off your lovely recommendations. Im terrible for starting too many books at not finishing them. Im resolved to finish off the many I have started this year. The first one I want to finish is the Year of the Hare, what a beautifully written book. I also have a pile of Nigel Slater books to finish, which are also beautifully written.

Book 35
Death at the White Hart Lane- Chris Chibnall

Loved this, this is the writer who brought us Broadchurch, which I also loved.

Rural Dorset, The White Hart pub. Landlord, Jim Tiernan, found murdered in a very macabre way

New detective in town, Nicola Bridge, and the slightly green, but very eager to learn Harry, are faced with a list of suspects, all with motives.

I really hope this is the beginning of a series, one of the best crime novels I’ve read in a long time.

Sara1954

Death At The White Hart is going to be televised.

That’s why I read the book.

73-Alex Cross must Die-James Patterson
An American Airlines plane explodes in the sky and Alex and John Sampson are straight on the scene, to find out why. But this is not the only case the pair must solve, in a deadly race against time.

Another fast moving thriller from JP.

Calendargirl, oh that’s really exciting, as I was reading it I thought it would work well for television, can’t wait to see it.

Sara1954

Calendargirl, oh that’s really exciting, as I was reading it I thought it would work well for television, can’t wait to see it.

Apparently filming done in Dorset.

And ITV have bought the rights.

Only problem, by the time these books are on tv, I have forgotten ‘who dunnit’!

Claregreybear I love reading this thread but it's dangerous for my bank balance!
Join the library!! Or buy pre-loved from World of Books or other sites. I would have to sell the car if I bought all the books I want to read

Death at the White Hart sounds great, I loved Broadchurch, the first one was one of the best crime series for me in memory. Thanks for the head's up Sarah, it's going on my ever increasing 'to read' list.

Yeah I do use the library app but they frequently don't have books I want and I buy a lot second hand too. I have far more books than I'll ever read to be honest, but I do love buying them. It's not an extreme extravagance at least!

Claregreybear

Yeah I do use the library app but they frequently don't have books I want and I buy a lot second hand too. I have far more books than I'll ever read to be honest, but I do love buying them. It's not an extreme extravagance at least!

Does your library let you order books?

Ours does, completely free of charge.

I have ordered countless books recommended here on GN which I would never have read otherwise.

Certainly wouldn’t be buying them though, trying to cut down on ‘stuff’, books included.