50 Books a Year - The 2025 Challenge

39. A Patchwork Planet, Anne Tyler

Barnaby is the black sheep of his eminent family, working a minimum wage job for the Rent a Back agency, whose employees can be hired by the hour or on a regular basis by (mostly elderly) people who need help with any task. I don’t know why I haven’t read this before - as ever, it was a real treat from one of my favourite authors.

40. The Dream Home, T M Logan

When a hidden room is uncovered by a family moving into a new home, it leads them into all sorts of danger.

#64. Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming.

76-Trust Nobody-June Hampson.
Daisy Lane is running a cafe in Portsmouth, while her husband is in jail for burglary. Her brother-in-law keeps an eye on her and helps whenever he can, but he has his own shady businesses to run. This 1960's story tells of the hard life Daisy has, but is written with deep emotion.
A delight to hear the news events of that time woven into this realistic narrative. I hadn't read anything by this author before but will watch for more by JH.

#63. The Canal Murders by JR Ellis.

Book 37 Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley.

Coralie is Australian and new to London and feeling adrift when she meets Adam. His delightful 4 year old daughter only adds to his appeal.

This is set against an eventful decade of changing prime ministers, Brexit and Covid.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book although occasionally felt there was too much political stuff, and for this reason I am only giving it 8/10.

Book 37
We all Live Here - Jojo Moyes
Lila’s husband has left her for a younger model, and she lives with her two daughters and her stepfather in a big London house, in need of a lot of TLC

Enter a few more characters, Lila’s long lost American dad, a kind and friendly gardener and a new love interest for her stepfather, it can only really end in chaos.

Not a whole lot happens, dysfunctional, blended families, attempts to enter the world of dating again, teenage angst, and the rivalry of the dads.

But Jojo Moyes does what she always does, she creates well rounded loveable characters, vulnerable and doing their best to get on with it.

I enjoyed it

I am way behind now but I am presently reading The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths. I am very fond of her style of writing. It has a light and humorous touch.

49 Fundamentally Nussaibah Younis

Described somewhere I read about this book, as a Muslim girl's equivalent of Bridget Jones, I'm not sure about that, it's certainly tongue in cheek, although I'd say the sexual references and language are more explicit than what I remember from BJ which I read years ago and have vague memories of now. There's certainly no longing for a Mr D'arcy type figure. Nevertheless a clever story, part humour part pathos and an insight into the expectations placed on young Muslim women by the traditional family. Nadia, determined not to bow to any of those pressures, is a lecturer in criminology whose article in an academic publication on Islamic State brides has come to the notice of the UN and apropos of that she has been appointed by them to go to Iraq as part of a de-radicalisation programme. The main interaction in the book once she is there, is between the wordly wise Nadia whose lifestyle could be described as louche and young, gobby Islamic state bride Sara prone to express herself in London slang and who is deeply sceptical of the programme. In spite of her combative spirit, Sara has, at her young age, been married off several times, successive husbands dying in combat. She also has a toddler daughter who has been removed from her to the paternal grandparents and who she is desperate to get back. I couldn't help making comparisons between her character and Shamima Begum possibly that's who the writer drew on in her characterisation. Beneath her brittle exterior and expressing dismissively that some of the horrors of what went on around her didn't really affect her, she is desperate to be reunited with her child and misses her home and parents despite of the restrictions they placed upon her. Sara reminds Nadia very much of her younger self. Nadia hatches a plan to recover Sara's baby daughter and to escape the confines of Iraq to neighbouring Turkey, an almost insurmountable task of having to swerve bureaucratic red tape and to employ a man to negotiate a dangerous and covert over the border crossing. The connection the women have at times is strained, Nadia having rejected her faith and Sara still wishing to be bound to it in a fundamental way, in spite of what she's been through. She is particularly disapproving of Nadia's casual approach to sexual liaisons and one night stands. In a way the younger Sara feels the older Nadia has lost her way along with her faith. Nadia in the meantime wants to give Sara the opportunity to live a more normal life and cannot understand her desire to capitulate to the restraints of what she sees as an archaic and out of touch with the modern world way of life. The book, at times gives an irreverent and humorous take on cultural and religious themes through the prism of Nadia's character. Simultaneously there is an inner sadness within her as to her broken relationship with her mother and by extension their differing attitudes between the schism often at the heart of those rooted in their faith, Sara is another example, who even at a young age craves spiritual guidance as opposed to those who, like Nadia, are fully immersed in a western life style that is very much at odds with the constraints of what they were brought up to believe but nevertheless at times she retains a longing and nostalgia for what she's abandoned.

Funny and thought provoking it was shortlisted for the 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction.

#62. The Railway Murders by JR Ellis.

#61. Conclave by Robert Harris.

38. The Daughter, T M Logan

Lauren goes to pick up her daughter from university at the end of her first term. But she’s not there and nobody seems to know what’s happened to her… A good scary start, and not a bad read, if a bit far-fetched towards the end. It must have been decent, as I read the preview of The Dream House, by the same author, at the end of the book and am now listening to the audiobook and enjoying it. I do like short chapters, and so does this author.

Oh, that’s on my pile TerriBull, looking forward to getting to it now

48 Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? Nicci French

I'd almost go as far to say this is probably the best book I've read by this husband and wife crime writer team. Engaging from the outse when the book begins winding back to 1990. Charlotte Salter, vivacious, beautiful and popular mother of four, young people, three teens and a young twenty something, who at the outset are gathered together in a barn just before Christmas with many in their East Anglian village neighbours to celebrate their father', Alec Salter's 50th birthday. It's just a matter of waiting for their mum Charlotte to turn up. Various people attest, to meeting and chatting with her throughout the day on the run up to the evening celebrations. She never arrives! In the immediate aftermath of her disappearance, her devastated children try to piece together her last movements, although throughout this fraught time their father is casually relaxed, with an attitude that his wife will turn up eventually. As time moves on and the years roll by what it leaves, particularly with the youngest, daughter, Ettie 15, a lifetime of longing and hoping for her mother to return one day. Coincidentally, just a day or so later, the father of their childhood friends two brothers, is also found dead floating in the river, did he commit suicide by jumping or was he pushed?. Speculation suggests that Charlotte Salter and Duncan Ackerley may have been having an affair, it is established that Charlotte is unhappy in her marriage and she was possibly contemplating leaving. In the meantime, the Salter siblings have to deal with their irascible father Alec who they all have a difficult relationship with. The investigations of the police force of the day, not noted for their efficiency, are unable to provide either of the families with any closure both matters unsolved or hurriedly reaching the wrong conclusions to be filed away. Moving on thirty or so years, Etty is to return to her home village, to oversee the sale of the family home, as Alec now has dementia and is about to go into residential care. Morgan Ackerley, the younger of the Ackerleys now a successful maker of documentaries, and with the help of his older brother Greg have embarked on a podcast about the unsolved mysteries that have been hanging over the village, stirring up previous tensions. Into the midst of that, another murder, this time of a newcomer who has been helping with the Salter's house clearance, possibly stumbling across some fresh evidence, which leads a new police investigation to connect the three overseen by London DI Maud O'Connor who I gather will feature in subsequent books. Very good, just over 500 pages, maybe longer than the average crime book, but it does explore the themes of dis functional families, unresolved feelings of loss and grief as well as police procedure.

75-The Burning Girl-Mark Billingham
Tom Thorne is in search of a contract killer who carves an X on the backs of his victims.

Joining in 6 months late. Heatwave by Penelope Lively ...interesting story of a book editor living in her summer cottage in the country with her DD, son in law and GS as guests. Descriptions of summer country life especially vivid. Unexpected twist in the story.

Bandits by Elmore Leonard. American crime writer. Quick authentic American dialogue set in New Orleans

I like the sound of that one TerriBull, it will go on my list

47 Erotic Vagrancy Roger Lewis (Audible)

Sounding like a sex manual, in actual fact a biography, sub titled "Everything about Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor" the title of the piece taken out of context from a pronouncement the Pope of the day made about the couple when their affair during the filming of "Cleopatra" made world headlines and the church was scandalised Amazing really! It's only how some previous popes behaved and worse, but of course they don't really like talking about any of that!

Very much a tongue in cheek account of the barely dozen or so years of marriage between he of the mellifluous and most memorable of voices and she of the stunning beauty and violet eyes who passionately loved, drank and fought their way through the sixties into the early 70s. Separating to come together and have another stab at the marital stakes, very briefly before going their separate ways. Both funny and exhausting everything was larger than life, Liz's, marriages, all destined to hit the buffers her umpteen illnesses and hospitalisations, her want for everything she saw, whether it was another husband, more children, more animals, she liked to be surrounded by fluffy creatures but barely had any input into their welfare, homes, diamonds, everything larger than life and a shrine to bad taste. I couldn't help pondering, where did they get the money to support such a lavish lifestyle? I suppose they earned the equivalent of mega bucks, but still.......the assets they acquired, a yacht stuffed full of some priceless art work, the jewellery, equivalent to the national debt of a small country.
The book explored their backgrounds, vastly different, her the doted upon child star the centre of her own universe with a pushy mother in the background. He, Richard Jenkins born into poverty, the umpteenth child of a drunken Welsh father, his mother dying when he was an infant later to be adopted by schoolmaster Philip Burton who gave him his name and a desire to take to the stage where fortune and fame were to be his destiny, until his untimely death, his body raddled by the demon drink. Intrinsically Welsh, definitely an actor's actor who sold his talents short at times.

As a power couple in a celebrity marriage they certainly burned bright and were centre stage during their zenith, massively larger than life more so than today's equivalents. I couldn't help wondering if they were around today in the age of social media whether they would have fared better or worse. I enjoyed listening to this book and found it highly entertaining.

Sara1954

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.

Thank you, I've just bought the Kindle edition but wasn't sure so will try it next Sara1954.

At the moment in reading a series of murder mysteries set in the Malvern area by Kate Wells. Easy reading and so far I solved them way before the police managed to do so!

Book 36
The Traitors - C A Lynch
Not to be in any way confused with the television series.

Beechwood House is a dilapidated Manor House, and the site of some horrific axe murders, three teenagers hacked to death by a madman, one girl lives to tell the tale of.

Years later, six apparently random strangers are lured back to the house, if they manage to stay overnight, they will receive a share of one million dollars.

So let the fun begin. It’s not to be taken too seriously, there are many violent murders, and a cast of unlikely characters, I raced through it, I really enjoyed it, but I don’t think it’s attempting to be a serious novel, good fun if you’re not too squeamish, and want a book that you can read in a couple of days.

74-The Mistletoe Seller-Dilly Court
A beautifully descriptive rags to riches story. From a baby abandoned in an alleyway, Angel struggles through most of her life. Really enjoyed this one.

#60. The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham.

I no longer have a local library due to spending cuts. I can order e-books and audio books from the library service, which suits me but I know it’s not for everyone.

Fortunately we have some excellent charity shops round here, and I bought 6 newly published books for £2 at a local event yesterday. If you need a particular book WOB is very handy too, as a previous poster said. I think I’ll be looking there for Death at the White Hart before it’s televised.

#38 Blood and Treachery by JD Kirk
While searching for a missing hill walker, Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team uncovers a body - just not the one they were looking for. Still dealing with the fallout from their last case, DCI Jack Logan and his team venture south from Inverness to investigate a brutal, gangland-style execution in the wilds of the Highland countryside.
There’s a whole series of these books, but this was the first one I’ve read. I really enjoyed it, liked the characters and will look out for more of the series. 8/10

#39 The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves This is one of the Vera series.
Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope’s only thought is to get there quickly. But with the snow driving down heavily, she becomes disorientated and loses her way, eventually stumbling on another car abandoned on the road. With the driver’s door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat. Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in. I enjoyed it and rattled through it quickly. 8/10

#40 Living is a Problem by Doug Johnstone. The most recent of the series about the Skelfs, a family of female undertakers and private detectives, set in Edinburgh. Not as much dark humour as some of the others, but still good. 8/10

#41 Netherland by Joseph O’Neill
In early 2006, Chuck Ramkissoon is found dead at the bottom of a New York canal. In London, a Dutch banker named Hans van den Broek hears the news, and remembers his unlikely friendship with Chuck and the off-kilter New York in which it flourished: the New York of 9/11, the powercut and the Iraq war. Those years were difficult for Hans – his English wife Rachel left with their son after the attack, as if that event revealed the cracks and silences in their marriage, and he spent two strange years in New York’s Chelsea Hotel, passing stranger evenings with the eccentric residents.
I gave up on this about half way through, it didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Wilding by Isabella Tree,
A fascinating real life story of how they changed their estate, Knepp,from intensive farming back to sort of managed nature. I'm only halfway through so not sure how this will go but its in my list for a visit

#59. Three Days In June by Anne Tyler.