50 Books Challenge - 2nd Thread.

#58 Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
I'm continuing with reading (or re-reading) books by PL. The writing is always beautiful with excellent characterisation.

Moon Tiger tells the story of Claudia Hampton from her childhood in the First World War through the Second World War and beyond.

Claudia's life is entwined with her brother, Gordon, her on-off lover, Jasper (father of her daughter, Lisa), and Tom - the big love of her life.

PL's descriptions of places are so evocative that I really do feel I am there. I have never been to Egypt but this book took me there.

This is a haunting story of loss and desire, one of those books you think about long after you've finished it. 10/10

58. Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith

Robin is handed a heavy parcel by a motorcycle courier as she opens up the office. The contents spark off a hunt for a crazed killer with possible links to Strike’s checkered past. A very enjoyable romp, ending with Strike just making it to the church in time to hear Robin give her wedding vows to Matthew…

I think I’ve filled the gaps in my Strike reading now, and I’m looking forward very much to starting the latest release, The Hallmarked Man, already mentioned on the thread. It’s available from my library’s audiobook service right now, but I’m going to resist downloading it. I think it sounds a bit complicated plot-wise and I might follow it better when reading instead of listening!

109-Threepenny Dreams-Anna Jacobs
The last of the trilogy, though more of a stand-alone story. This one set in Lancashire 1863, and an eye opener at what can only be described as a feudal village saga. I'm amazed that only 160 years ago the rich landowners had such a strong rule over their tenants, causing dreadful poverty. I would hate to think that my ancestors had to suffer in this way, but no doubt AJ had done her research and this story has more than a dash of truth. A great read.

69 What a Shame Abigail Bergstrom

I picked this up at the library when I saw it, on the back of a very recent one I'd enjoyed by the writer, Selfish Girls, her second book, this one is her debut novel. It was mooted as being even better by some of the reviews I read for the previous one. I couldn't agree, whilst it's only just over 250 pages long, I found it somewhat boring, what is it with books that are reasonably brief but conversely seem ever so long when they don't grab us? I had reader's envy as my husband was cracking on with The Hallmarked Man at 900 pages intermittently telling me how good that is. In this, the main character, Malthilda, a 30 something, is reeling from a recent break up and grieving for the death of her father, who she was somewhat at odds with. She is flat sharing in London with some good friends who push her to try some unorthodox remedies to assuage her grief and lack of direction. There are a number of big topics that arise, but apart from an interlude in which she befriends and enjoys a rewarding friendship with Constance, an elderly lady through Age UK, which I did enjoy, the book on the whole wasn't really for me, just too much introspection which can become tedious after a while. Glad I read her second book, Selfish Girls, first because if that had been the other way round, this one wouldn't have given me the impetus to read that.

Three books finished since my update:
#58 was Deadly Remains by Kate Ellis. This is the latest outing for DI Wesley Peterson and just as enjoyable as all the others in the series, which is set in Devon. There is a always an archaeological plot with a long ago murder mystery alongside the present day mystery. This time it is set around a Special Operations aeroplane crash from WW2. I can thoroughly recommend it l.
#59 was The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher, which l bought from a charity shop. It is a short book, written over forty years ago and on the glorious Cornish coast. It was a long time since I had read any of Rosamunde Pilcher's books and I had forgotten how well-written her books are and how captivating her stories are. I enjoyed this one.
#60 was The Family at No. 23 by Kathryn Sharman, which came up as a Kindle Unlimited suggestion. I found it fairly enjoyable but the plot was somewhat improbable and none of the characters were terribly likeable. 2½ stars.

110-Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop-Rebecca Raisin
Rosie has a swanky job as a Michelin-Starred Sous Chef, but when her husband leaves her for another woman she decides to make some startling changes to her life. She buys a camper van and sets off around the country making gorgeous comfort food and crafted teas at festivals and events. The people she meets along her travels help her recover and adapt to a new outlook.

70 Not Quite Dead Yet Holly Jackson

The setting is Halloween Night in Vermont for this quite unusual murder mystery, where the main protagonist, 27 year old Jet Mason, is attacked with a hammer from behind, right at the beginning of the book. Although she is to survive that, just. So severe are her head injuries, doctors give her a prognosis of only 7 days to live before she will suffer a fatal aneurysm. She decides that she will spend that final week of her life endeavouring to solve her own murder with the aid of her childhood friend Billy. Thereafter, with a deadline to meet, often referring to herself in the past tense "as when I was murdered". the suspects are numerous including members of her own family. Every minute of every day counts as she digs deeper, with the clock ticking against her. She is to uncover long hidden family secrets, betrayals and cover ups relating to the family business as the book draws to its conclusion when the inevitable resolution is to occur. Original, reasonably good, but not a 10 out of 10 for me, maybe a 7.

#59 Ripeness by Sarah Moss

It's the 1960s and Edith has just finished her A Levels before going to university when her eccentric mother sends her to rural Italy with strict instructions to support her ballet dancer sister, Lydia, through the last weeks of her pregnancy, and the birth.

Decades later, happily divorced, Edith now lives contentedly in Ireland when her friend receives a call from an American man claiming to be her brother following DNA matches. Edith finds herself plunged back into her own past in the weeks in Italy with her sister, and the story of the baby she once knew and loved.

Ripeness is an extraordinary novel about familial love and the communities we create, about new beginnings and belonging. I found it enjoyable but slow to begin with, but later I couldn't put it down and it was very moving. I cried.
I would give it 10/10.

#82. Blood On The Tongue by Stephen Booth.

Sparklefizz, I really like the sound of that, I will add it to my list

Sara1954 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's a book that will stay with me.

59. Frankie, Graham Norton

Damon is a carer sent by his agency to work with Frankie, an elderly Irish lady with a very interesting life history, revealed to him as they get to know each other. I enjoy Graham’s books and find them easy to read, if a little formulaic at times. This one’s like a big comfort blanket, AIDS and adultery notwithstanding. 😊 I must say though that Frankie is unbelievably naive on occasions and could do with a good shake - she’s very likeable though.

Confidence by Denise Mina.
A missing film maker, a stolen antique,someone will kill to stop them being found.

Book 54
The Go-Between - L P Hartley
I was expecting to enjoy this, but for some reason I couldn’t really get into it.

The very long, hot summer of 1900, young Leo is invited to spend some of the school holidays with his school chum, Marcus, at Brandham Hall, on a par with Downtown Abbey I would think.

Leo, obviously from a fairly middle class home, is clearly out of his depth, but he strikes up friendships with several of the adults, and is especially singled out, and made a fuss of by the daughter of the house, Marion.

But Marion has an ulterior motive, she recruits Leo as a go-between, carrying messages to her lover, local farmer Ted Burgess.

The story is quite interesting, but I found the style of writing quite dull, and the characters very wooden, the two boys Leo and Marcus were unlike any twelve year old boys I have ever known, so silly and juvenile.

It’s described as a masterpiece, maybe it is, but not for me.

111-The Little Vineyard in Provence-Ruth Kelly
When Ava's husband leaves her for another woman, she can see no way forward with her life, as he has run up a mountain of debts. Then she is told that her grandfather has died and left her his vineyard in Provence. She goes to France to sell it, but is there another solution to her problems?

112-Murder Before Evensong-The Reverend Richard Coles
I've been watching this on TV so when a friend lent me the book I thought I'd read it alongside. I was disappointed to find I didn't like the style of writing, so after 60 pages I gave up. But I shall continue watching the series, as I am curious about the story's ending.

Book 55
Sunburn - Laura Lippman
I bought this when some of you were reading it, a new author for me, and I’ll definitely be reading more.

Polly and Adam meet in a small town bar, a town they are both passing through. But unbeknown to Polly, this isn’t a coincidence.

It’s full of twists, hard to know who or what to believe, in a way I found the ending disappointing, I expected one last twist.

But I really enjoyed the small town feeling of this book, the diner where much of the action takes place. Polly and Adam were both enigmatic characters, even at the end I’m not sure I believe Pollys version of things

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben. I like this author, he tells a good tale.

71 Murder in Paradise Anne Cleeves

A very early book by the writer, first published in 1988 and republished in 2023, which I imagine is a forerunner to her Shetland series. Not really as good as any of those, possibly she was still honing her writing skills at this stage. The inspiration for the windswept, craggy, landscapes of those islands, are evoked in this preliminary series, the plot not as accomplished as the Jimmy Perez ones she produced at a later stage and the programmes set around his character. When newlyweds Jim and Sarah return to his home on the Scottish island of Kinness. The close knit islanders, of which there are not many, celebrate with an evening of festivities, interrupted when Jim's young sister, who is still a child, leaves the party and is later discovered fallen from prominent cliffs on the island to her death below. Did she fall or was she pushed? and what possible secrets was she harbouring? George Palmer-Jones retired bird watcher and amateur detective has his suspicions and it is to Sarah he turns, still new to island life, together they probe into the background of the two main families on their island discovering along the way, hidden secrets and simmering hostilities.

#60 The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.
This was ok but I couldn't warm to any of the characters, and didn't really care, although I did finish it. 5/10

113-Meet Me Under The Clock-Annie Murray
A delightful wartime saga about two neighbouring families.
Sisters Sylvia and Audrey were always like chalk and cheese and their lives in 1940 took two very different paths.
Most enjoyable and opened my eyes to the hardships of life in those times.

House of Correction by Nicci French

72 High Wages - Dorothy Whipple Audible

I've loved discovering the writings of this author, predominantly about women published nearly 100 years ago. In this, the plot centres around Jane Carter, who we first meet, aged 17 in 1912, on the point of leaving her difficult step-mother's home, her father having already died some years before. The author was a native of Blackburn and sets most of her books in Lancashire, in this the fictitious town of Tidsley where Jane first goes to work in a drapers, is loosely based on Blackburn. Chadwicks, is of its time, swathes of materials and lots of drawers containing much of the accessories required for home dress making, or if the client was affluent, as some of them were, they would select their wares to give to their own dressmaker. Ready made off the peg garments were yet to arrive, but Jane being a forward thinking visionary, with an eye to the future, has this in mind for an enterprise a few years hence. In the meantime she has to suffer shabby living conditions above the shop, long hours, low wages and meagre rations, as well as some lofty condescending clients. The Great War which has featured in other books of hers, takes away the young men of the town, including Wilfred, who works at the local library, more of a friend than a love interest for Jane, although he is clearly smitten with her, in spite of "walking out" with her friend and colleague which as a consequence brings that friendship to an abrupt end. In time Jane's plans to realise her ambition of opening her own establishment come via a benefactor Mrs Briggs also a customer who sees in Jane a budding entrepreneur. The latter half of the book sees her business flourish but a doomed love affair along the way causes her to change direction as the story draws to its conclusion.

Strong women living in a male dominated world are a feature of DW's books and her writing portrays her very much as a feminist railing against the social constraints placed on women's lives at the time. I'd recommend these books to anyone who would enjoy reading about the early 20th century from someone who experienced it first hand.

Book 56
The Silence Between Breaths - Cath Stainclffe

This was unexpectedly brutal, the subject, a terrorist attack on a crowded train.

The first half of the book introduces the reader to a bunch of the travellers, an elderly gay couple and their dog, a young family, a student on his way to a job interview, a young woman heading to London on a training course, and a few others, all ordinary, all unsuspecting, that is until one passenger does become suspicious of a heavily sweating man clutching his backpack, she passes her suspicions to the train cleaner, a young man named Naz, who rises to the occasion with calmness and determination to isolate the passengers from the suspected bomber.

But it’s too late, the terrorist detonated his bomb.

The second half of the book is brutal, I didn’t expect the massive death toll, or the graphic descriptions of the dead and dying, I felt impressed that didn’t feel the need to water it down.

It also dealt with devastating fallout for the bombers family

Would recommend.

#82. Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell.