2026 - 50 Books a Year Challenge

Book 12 The Names by Florence Knapp

Thank you to the person who mentioned this outstanding book. It's original and heart-wrenching.

The year is 1987, and in the aftermath of a great storm Cora sets out with her 9 year old daughter to register the birth of her baby son.

Her horribly abusive husband intends for her to follow a long-standing family tradition on his side and name the baby after him, but Cora hesitates. Going against his wishes will have consequences but is it right for her little son to inherit his name from generations of cruel and domineering men?

The choice she makes in this moment will shape the course of their lives.

Book 5: River Kings by Cat Jarman . This is a fascinating book. It is amazing to learn about the extent of the travels and culture of the Vikings and how they brought different influences to Western Europe so long ago.

#16. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena.

Book 4: A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin. I love the Rebus books . Here Rebus old and ailing fights for his freedom when he finds himself on trial for a crime that could send him to prison for the rest of his life.

This is a great thread. So many interesting books mentioned!
I'd like to join in if that's okay. I've already read six books this year. I'm hopeless at writing reviews but will try to write a few words.

1. Long Time Dead by T. M. Payne - A good mystery novel with a female lead.

2. Exit Management by Naomi Booth - Young working class couple desperate to improve their lives meet terminally ill wealthy man. Things get dark.

3. Rules of the Road by Ciara Geraghty - I love Geraghty's characters. In this book a middle-aged woman embarks on a road trip to stop her best friend's trip to Dignitas.

4. Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg - Very useful to improve communication and relationships. If I'll remember the tips...

5. With the End in Mind by Kathryn Mannix - Beautiful, compassionate memoir by a palliative care doctor

6. The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah - Did not like this one, it was so boring I could barely finish it.

14-Ridge Hill-Anna Jacobs
#3 in the Gibson Family saga.
Full of highs and lows, births, marriages and deaths. It is almost like a history lesson as well, with the birth of railways, the Great Exhibition, and details of the fashions or that time. Fascinating reading.

I have sold books to World of Books in the past to clear the decks a little, but mostly I rely on the library and the only books I accumulate are for birthdays and Christmas. Both my adult children are bookworms like me, so mostly that's what we buy each other.

I won't spoil it Sparklefizz but the real baddie wasn't who I thought it was. Having said that I was always rubbish at working the baddie out. OH gets 20 minutes into a film and tells me he knows what's going to happen. I'm going to read Rebecca next. I bought a compilation of four of her books in the charity shop and Frenchman's creek and My Cousin Rachel is there too. So much for clearing books out!

Thank you stewaris Like you, I read it many years ago, and then on driving through Cornwall we stopped at Jamaica Inn for a drink. I don't remember the twist you mention so perhaps I'd better read it again

My favourite Du Maurier book is Rebecca, followed by The Scapegoat.

#Sparklefizz I really liked it and, although I'd read it about 50 years ago, I'd forgotten the ending which had a bit of a twist that I remembered when I got to it. I have read some of Daphne Du Maurier's other books and I really enjoyed them. If you're thinking about it I'd definitely give it a read.

stewaris

Book 11 Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

#Terribull, my aim when I saw this thread was to kill two birds with one stone. My New Year's resolution was to read all the books I have piled everywhere and clear them out eg charity shop, give away to friends if they wanted them. Went to a charity shop with my OH and bought a collection of 4 books by Daphne du Maurier. On the upside I have read 11 books and bought 4 so I've managed to charity shop/pass on 7. Woo hoo! Now barred from charity shops book sections.

What did you think of Jamaica Inn?

Book 11 Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

#Terribull, my aim when I saw this thread was to kill two birds with one stone. My New Year's resolution was to read all the books I have piled everywhere and clear them out eg charity shop, give away to friends if they wanted them. Went to a charity shop with my OH and bought a collection of 4 books by Daphne du Maurier. On the upside I have read 11 books and bought 4 so I've managed to charity shop/pass on 7. Woo hoo! Now barred from charity shops book sections.

13-High Street-Anna Jacobs
#2 in the Gibson family saga series. Unputdownable.

#15. Where The Truth Lies by MJ Lee.

Book No. 11 The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

An unusual story because the author includes himself in the plot as an author who has been asked by an ex-detective to write his biography. The author gets caught up in the latest investigation. 8/10

J52

I have just read Don't Let HimIn by Lisa Jewell, apologies if it’s been discussed before. A fantastic book, about a duplicitous and psychopathic con man.
It does flit through several time lines, but a very modern tale.

I loved this book and bought it for my daughter for Christmas.

Not posted for a while but reading has helped me through family bereavement and a chest infection.
Book 5 The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffith, an unusual murder mystery, always enjoy her books
Book 6 The Bay by L J Ross summer suspense with some romance thrown in
Book 7 The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore a debut novel the family dynamics of 3 sisters and their mother, didn’t really warm to any of them
Book 8 All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr set pre and during WW2, a German boy who is sent to Hitler Youth school because of his talent for mending radios, conscripted age 16 and a French girl who loses her sight, lives in Paris with her father who is a locksmith and works in a museum, when Paris is occupied they flee to family in St Malo her father having been entrusted with a diamond from the museum. The story is beautifully written allowing us a glimpse into how the young girl “sees” through her other senses. Their 2 lives inevitably overlap. Highly recommend
Book 9 White Nights by Ann Cleeves, book 2 in Shetland series, am enjoying all her books
Next one on the go is The Curious Incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon for book club (I always seem to be late to the party on the books I read and tv series I watch!)

11 Nesting Roisin O'Donnell

A remarkably accomplished debut novel from this Irish writer, which was Long Listed for The Women's Prize for Fiction 2025.

The setting is Dublin, the book opens with Ciara, originally hailing from Sheffield, a 30 something married mother of 2 very young daughters with a handsome husband Ryan. Outsiders might perceive theirs as a perfect union, what gradually unfolds is a woman so cowed by a manipulative partner she never trusts her own judgement. This former once confident woman having travelled the world, qualified as a teacher is now a shell of her former self having been cowed by her outwardly charming husband, who behind closed doors is controlling, unpredictable and undermines her every move, slowly isolating her not only from her supportive family back in Sheffield, in particular her Irish mother and closely bonded sister. Friends fall away, her existence shrinks to her only role, wife and mother contained within the confines of the four walls of the family home A brilliant account of coercive control and a woman worn down by emotional abuse she has ceased to trust her own feelings. Living with the mercurial nature of Ryan, his outbursts stay just this side of tipping into violence...but for how long? Eventually she bites the bullet and leaves him. Taking the children with her she ends up in emergency accommodation, within the confines of a hotel room. Endeavouring to find independence, she takes a job teaching English as a foreign language. Although qualified as a junior school teacher in England, to become one in Ireland there is a requirement of Irish as a second language which prohibits her finding full time employment. Ryan is to lurk in the background full of menace, manipulating her through lies and deceit every which way. To add to her mounting problems she is pregnant again.

Tense throughout, I couldn't put it down. Ciara eventually with the support of family and friends is to find the resilience to rebuild her life facing umpteen almost insurmountable hurdles. The most challenging of those is the coercive manipulation from the man who has created the toxic environment she is determined to escape from, whilst navigating the many obstacles he puts in her way.

11 The Scheme for full Employment by Magnus Mills. A bit of an odd book but reminded me of a couple of councils I worked for in the past although I actually really liked it.

AliBeeee Lucinda Riley's books are good easy reads imo.

Yes there are 8 books in the Seven Sister series, the 8th one, published posthumously ties up the numerous loose ends.

J52

I have just read Don't Let HimIn by Lisa Jewell, apologies if it’s been discussed before. A fantastic book, about a duplicitous and psychopathic con man.
It does flit through several time lines, but a very modern tale.

I loved it too! She is my top author of the psychological genre. She has a new book coming out this year "It could have been her" Something for Lisa Jewell fans to look out for.

AliBeeee

Sparklefizz I will look for The Couple Next Door after your recommendation. I read a book by that name a couple of years ago and this didn’t sound like the same book so I checked. The previous one I read was by Claire Douglas, I enjoyed it, but your one sounds better.

Terribull I’ve never read Lucinda Riley, but I will look out for The Last Love Song.

I have read the Claire Douglas The Couple Next Door and it is certainly worth a read.
I enjoyed many of the Lucinda Riley books, but have never read the Moons Sister saga, 8 books I believe!

I have just read Don't Let HimIn by Lisa Jewell, apologies if it’s been discussed before. A fantastic book, about a duplicitous and psychopathic con man.
It does flit through several time lines, but a very modern tale.

10 The Heritage of Linlithgow - In 100 buildings & places by Ronald P A Smith

#14. What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena.