2026 - 50 Books a Year Challenge

I love Sue Gee's books TerriBull. I first discovered her with Reading in Bed and moved on to other books by her.

36 Reading in Bed Sue Gee

Another writer I've discovered on GN and have come to enjoy, hard to track down her books at times. This is a story of an enduring friendship sustained by a mutal love of books. In the opening chapter, the two main characters, Georgia and Dido are having one of their regular meet ups at a book fair before they go off to their separate lives, Dido to her family in York and newly widowed Georgia to London. Thereafter the book is to unfold through the womens' lives, grief stricken Georgia who is having to come to terms with her much loved husband's sudden and unexpected death. Her concerns about her only child who is going through an unhappy love affair. Meanwhile, by comparison, in Dido's life all appears well, surrounded by children and grandchildren until two massive issues are to rock the calmer waters of her, on the surface, perfect life. Enjoyed it very much, reminded me a little of Joanna Trollope's earlier books in which she wrote about family dynamics so insightfully.

#35 The Girls who Disappeared by Claire Douglas 6/10

48-The Empty Chair-Jeffery Deaver
A great thriller with criminalist Lincoln Rhymes working his magic to find the truth.

I’ve read about 15 crime fiction books so far this year and wanted a change. So I’ve got a book I read from the children’s library in London. Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. Also the first book I read when I was old enough to join the adults section. The Collector by John Fowles. Both books are quite yellowed paperbacks. Really looking forward to starting them. Have any of you done this?

Book 20: Death of a Stranger by John Pilkington
Book 21:The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier author of the Girl with a Pearl Earring. I really enjoyed this book. It is set in Murrano and Venice and follows the fortunes of a family of glassmakers through several centuries. There is a time shift allowing the same characters to be involved in hundreds of years of history and changes in the glass industry. It was a fascinating read. Highly recommended.
Book 22: The Rufflers Child by John Pilkington.

#36 Silent Bones by Val McDermid
When torrential rain causes a land slip on a motorway in Scotland, a body is discovered hidden in the tarmac from when the motorway was built 11 years previously. It’s the body of a journalist who was a murder suspect at the time of his disappearance. At the same time, new evidence reopens the case of a death in Edinburgh which was initially closed as an accident.
DCI Karen Pirie and her cold cases team investigate. As ever, the language and sense of place is great, but I found one of the threads they were investigating became a bit far fetched. Mostly I really enjoyed it though. 8/10

I really enjoyed Rob Rinder’s books, Sparklefizz (we can’t all like the same things of course). What I wanted to say was that I read the second one first and it actually gave away a huge spoiler to the ending of book one!

#34 The Suspect by Rob Rinder
This was ok. Nothing special. I like Rob Rinder and expected better from him when I read his first book "The Trial". I saw this latest book in the library and thought I'd give him another chance but didn't find it the "page turner" some reviewers called it.

Maybe it's just me.

34. Grow Your Own Veg by Carol Klein.

Really good book and very informative. This is one I will be keeping.

#45. When The Past Kills by MJ Lee.

20. You Broke Me First, Lorraine Brown

A romantic comedy from Amazon First Reads. Not my usual sort of book, but it was well written with believable main characters. Journalist Ava is trying to get over a bad break up when she is given the chance to shadow and write an in-depth article about tennis’s bad boy Marcus Taylor. Yes, it’s predictable, but a good holiday read. I think it would appeal particularly to tennis fans (which I’m not, so I skipped a bit of the tennis tactics talk).

47-The Murder Game-Tom Hindle
One house, nine guests, endless motives for murder. If you are a fan of the twists and turns of an Agatha Christie mystery, then this is a modern version you'll enjoy. When guests meet at Hamlet Hall for a murder mystery game with a 1920's twist everyone has a part to play, but someone is playing by their own rules.

#44. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden.

35 Someone at a Distance - Dorothy Whipple Audible

Discovered this early 20th century author from GN a while ago, her fellow writer, JB Priestly dubbing her "the Jane Austen of the 20th century" This, her last novel published in the early 50s, by the '60s she'd faded into oblivion her books deemed rather old fashioned. However, of late she's been discovered by another generation and republished with Persephone Book. I've enjoyed what I've read and listened to so far, particularly her books written in the 1920s, when England had emerged from WW1 they're good first hand accounts of the social fabric of the times. She was quite a feminist of her day often to illustrate the imbalance of power between the sexes.

This one isn't so typical, set post 2ndWW, the scenario, a young French woman engaged as a companion to an elderly lady. Social climber, Louise is to inveigle her way into the heart of the family with the specific intention of seducing, the elderly lady's son. Avery, being a successful boss of a publishing firm, happily married to a devoted wife Ellen who with their two children live in some style. Once she achieves her ambition of luring him away and Avery is swayed into a second marriage only to realise he's made a monumental mistake with no way back. I don't think I enjoyed it as much as some of her earlier books, but I shall carry on with her works that are available.

#35 Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
This book brings together a full host of characters from Elizabeth Strout’s previous books; Olive Kitteridge, Bob and Jim Burgess, Lucy Barton, Amy and Isabelle and everyone associated with them. Set in the small town of Crosby, Maine and its larger neighbour Shirley Falls. While it updates you on what’s happened to them over the years, I found it to be a bit of a disjointed ramble and was quite disappointed by it. I enjoyed her earlier books, but I haven’t like any of the Lucy Barton ones. 6/10

#43. The Tenant by Freida McFadden.

46-Christmas with the Bomb Girls
A heartwarming peek into life in a wartime bomb factory, with loves and losses, smiles and tears, this book has it all.

33 Change of Season by Anna Jacobs
A very easy read but I wasn't impressed. 6/10

34 The Truth about Ruby Cooper Liz Nugent

Latest book from Strange Sally Diamond, Irish writer Liz Nugent who specialises in the rather dark psychological genre. Ruby Cooper and her older sister Erin live a seemingly comfortable and outwardly happy existence in one of the wealthier districts of Boston. Aged 16, having always been jealous of her prettier and more academic sister, Ruby is to construct a false story relating to Erin's boyfriend that causes their family life to implode around them. After a monumental fall out, Ruby's Irish mother takes her younger daughter back to Dublin, ostensibly for a visit which turns into a permanent stay and a fresh start, leaving both her husband and Erin in Boston. Thereafter the book follows the mixed fortunes of both sisters as they grow into adulthood one in the US the other in Ireland. Both harbour their individual demons from the teenage lie that is to haunt them and is pivotal in determining their respective paths as they navigate the ups and downs of adult life.

Thorough enjoyable is Celeste Ng Little Fires. I know she is famous for a different book but I love this one and so recommend it.

44-The Genius of Dogs-Brian Hare & Vanessa Woods
This non-fiction book is an insight into understanding how dogs think and communicate. It's been one of my coffee table books that I picked up now and again and read a chapter.

45-The Dark Remains-Ian Rankin & William McIlvanney
For fans of WM this is the prequel of the Laidlaw series. A gritty Glasgow gangland murder mystery. I gave up on this after 50pages, as I was getting confused by all the characters and which gang each one belonged to. Apologies to lovers of these authors.

#42. Devil’s Edge by Stephen Booth.

Sparklefizz

I was going to tackle The Land In Winter, but chickened out, and started this one instead.

It might end up going back unread, (TLIW), will see how I feel.

43-The Christmas Holiday-Phillipa Ashley
When Krystle and Brett get stuck in a surging stream on their way to their winter holiday destination in the Lake District, a local recluse called Max comes to their rescue. Is this going to be the dream holiday Krystle has planned?

Calendargirl I’ve got this from the library. Not sure if it will be my next read. I ordered it because of good reviews on GN, but not sure it looks my ‘type’ of read.

I'll be interested to know what you think of it, CG