26-ish books in 2020

Yes, you’re right @FranKatzenjammer - I wanted far more about the singing. There were a few references to Mrs Tilling being an alto, so I assumed that they were singing in parts, but they certainly put a lot of rep together very quickly!

My issue with the letters and diary entries, with this and lots of other novels, is that it’s just so unrealistic. People don’t record whole conversations of direct speech in letters or write descriptions of themselves like ‘as I’m of medium height’ in a diary for which they themselves are presumably the only audience! I gave up on the Jersey Potato novel for this reason too.

That is true Margot Moon, it is a good thing that more people are reading black authors and hopefully they will no longer be seen as a niche interest or have their colour hidden to widen their appeal to us middle-aged middle-class white women as seems to have happened to some in the past.

18 Arbella: England's Lost Queen by Sarah Gristwood

Biography of Arbella Stuart, English cousin to Jame VI and I, and granddaughter of Bess of Hardwick. Elizabeth I refused to name her heir and Arbella was considered one of the top contenders (since she, unlike James, was born in England) for much of her childhood. She was kept away from court in Derbyshire and was used by Elizabeth as a pawn when making strategic alliances, Arbella's hand was offered to several different foreign princes but nothing came of any of it. James invited her to court and similarly discussed several possible husbands but never allowed her to marry. Eventually she secretly married William Seymour, grandson of Katherine Grey (sister of Jane the nine day queen). James was furious about this marriage because both were so close to the crown (Arbella was 4th and William 6th in line) and imprisoned first William the Arbella in the Tower, Arbella eventually dying there aged just 40. A lot of the records related to Arbella were destroyed and although her remaining letters are full of life and intelligence she still feels slightly out of reach to us. She was so important and yet as a Stuart woman who married late also so weak and removed from power. So, ultimately a sad and frustrating tale (although a well written biography).

I read three in June:

17. I'm fine and neither are you - Camille Pagan. Read like an extended Mumsnet post** (Relationships board) at times!

18. Playing the bass with three left hands - Will Carruthers. Absolutely fantastic book, if you have even a passing interest in Spacemen 3 or Spiritualized you should read this.

19. No further questions - Gillian McAllister. I guessed the ending a chapter or two before the twist at the end but it was very gripping, whizzed through it in a few days (quick for me).

I don't think that white people reading more literature by black authors or about black experience can be anything other than a good thing, tbh. Isn't that why we read? To broaden our horizons. If I only ever read books by/about white, middle aged, divorced mothers i think I'd have a breakdown. Unfortunately it's the Joes in charge who need to be doing this more if anything is going to change.

@Chickoletta I'm a choral director too. Did you find it frustrating in The Chilbury Ladies' Choir that there was so little about the actual singing? For example, I would have liked to know whether the women were singing in two parts or four parts, especially when they suddenly had to perform unaccompanied without warning. Conversely, I did enjoy the diaries/letters style though.

12. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan
I picked this up after reading good reviews and because I work in professional choral music. This is a wartime story about a women’s choir which forms when the men go away to war. A really good, multi-faceted story with likeable characters, but the epistolary style - it’s told through letters and journal entries - just didn’t work for me. If this had been a straight forward novel with a 1st/3rd person narrator, it would have been excellent.

*16. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
*
This is one of those books I feel like I have read, having seen so many films and TV adaptations of the story, but actually hadn't until now. Thoroughly enjoyable, but long, hence it taking me three weeks to read!

19. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, following the experiences of 2 estranged sisters living in France during the Second World War, one of whom is a resistance figure smuggling downed airmen across the Pyrenees to Spain. Easy to read but a beautiful story, been a while since a book has made me cry! Highly Recommended

@CountFosco I have the same worries about performative virtue signalling but also feel like if you read the book then hopefully SOMETHING will change. I see myself as a life long anti racists but learnt a huge amount about my subs IOU’s inherent biases and how to challenge them and help challenge the system from reading So You Want to Talk About Race

@Sportycustard I really loved Educated it was so vulnerable and brilliantly written, so different to any other memoir I’ve read especially her exploration on how true her memories were. Just fascinating

Book 11 Educated by Tara Westover. Hard to read at times but very good.

Book 12 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro . Found it very odd in parts but an interesting concept.

Book 13 Logging Off by Nick Spalding. This wasn't what I was expecting. OK but nothing more.

17 Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

Non-fiction on the data gap on women and how that means we are living in a world designed for men. Very interesting, some of I was aware of (crash test dummies, and my own field of pharmaceuticals) and some I was not.

To pick up on the BLM reading comments above. The publishing industry are really pushing it, all the papers seem to have essential reading lists, my local Waterstones had a full display (in the whitest area of the country) and Amazon seem to have sold out of pretty much every book by a black author at the moment. But I do wonder how much of it is virtue signalling, the white middle class buying these books (how many will actually get read?) but nothing much will change. I'm as much part of it as anyone else, I've just read Queenie after all for precisely this reason and am currently watching all the David Olusoga documentaries on BBC. And I do suspect a book like Queenie (which is an entertaining and accessible read) might have more of an effect where it matters than all the worthy non-fiction.

19: The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion I read the first one of these last year and really enjoyed it. I have a bit of a vested interest with having a DS with Aspergers. This one though...I was a bit frustrated by it. The first one gave me hope. This one brought home how difficult DS might find certain aspects of adult life. And I was frustrated with Rosie's sudden lack of understanding when she'd previously accepted Don for who he is.

20: The Shut Eye by Belinda Bauer This was an interesting mystery and I love her books. I enjoyed this although it wasn't my favourite of hers. Took a bit of suspension of disbelief though!

Finished another book for work which was a collection of short stories by Susan Minot which I really enjoyed but won’t put it on book count

17. Untamed by Glennon Doyle. I don’t normally read these kind of Elizabeth Gilbert self help books but a friend bought it for me for my birthday and the first two chapters hooked me in. After that though I got increasingly annoyed by her self proclaimed wisdom and just found it really annoying. I’ve taken away one or two things but mainly cringed my way through it

18. So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo - highly recommend for anyone wanting to build in their BLM reading. Quite uncomfortable in places and very US orientated but very accessible and frank and with practical steps and guidance and resources that pull one (White readers anyway, I can’t speak for POC readers) away from centring oneself in the movement. I listened to it (narrated by the always brilliant Bahni Turpin) but think I’ll buy the paperback once it’s available from indie bookshops again because I’d like to read and make notes

20 Little fires everywhere by Celeste Ng
I read this as I watched the series on prime. Really enjoyed the book and not that different to the show.
21: The holdout by Graham Moore. I was really looking forward to this book but must say I was disappointed with it. Alot of American courtroom jargon which I didn't really understand. Found the plot a bit farfetched too.

'My Life in France' by Julia Child.
A book for your inner Francophile.

@IJumpedAboardAPirateShip - absolutely there’s lots of BLM non-fiction on my to-read list and also lots of fiction written by black authors. My eyes are being opened and I’m learning a lot, shameful really that it’s taken this long.

I tend to get quite a lot of recommendations from the High Low podcast and then I add them to my goodreads “want to read” list so I don’t forget about them! I much prefer reading paperbacks so I’m always a year or so behind on new releases

@SpreadHummusNotHate (great name btw) I imagine there will be a flurry of BLM non fiction books now being read! How did you find Eddo-Lodge? I’m listening to “So You Want To Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo and it’s very thought provoking and accessible but also full of useful ways of actually addressing systemic racism AND one’s own inherent biases (full disclosure I’m white)

Just finished Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kayling and have to say I was disappointed, it was too fluffy for me. It officially puts me at #30 but in the interests of being fair to the group I’m going to redo my list taking out books I read for work and see if I can hit 26 books this year I’ve read/listened to purely for pleasure

1. Emerald Boy Gold Girl
2. Girl, Woman, Other
3. Hunger
4. Interpreter of Maladies
5. Bad Feminist
6. A Fist or a Heart (R)
7. The Underground Railroad
8. Rooftops of Tehran
9. The Hate U Give

12. Tidelands - Philippa Gregory - enjoyed this, maybe not quite as much as other Philippa Gregory books I’ve read. Without wanting to give too much away it had a very abrupt ending - set up for a sequel I guess
13. Blood & Sugar - Laura Shepherd-Robinson - Loved this, historical fiction/murder mystery, read it in a weekend
14. Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams - loved this, raced through it in a couple of days
15. Why I’m no longer speaking to white people about race - Reni Eddo-Lodge - currently reading, trying to mix some more non-fiction into my reading this year!

Hello! Joining so late. I joined the group for this a couple of years ago and I had a great time keeping up with my reading and loved all the suggestions. I've spent the first half of the year stressed about various things, and have taken to way too much time on my phone. So back to my favorite hobby of reading. I hope to make it to 12-13 to reflect half a year of involvement but a few more would he nice. So far

1. 9 Perfect Strangers
2. Where the Crawdads Sing

On the to read pile I have American Dirt which I'm looking forward to starting.

22. The Silent Patient I really enjoyed this book.
23. The Other Wife by Claire McGowan. It was a just ok psychological thriller. A bit predictable and unbelievable in parts. I'm flame I got it free on prime.

Next up, yet another Lisa Jewell, I found you.

27. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, reading fresh to DS as I never read the books or saw the films when I was younger
28. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver, I listened to this one and while I enjoyed it it wasn’t as gripping as The Poisonwood Bible which I read for the first time last year and loved
29. Know My Name by Chanel Miller - a memoir by Brock Turner’s rape victim, incredibly moving and powerful and beautifully written, highly recommeneded

*Lucinda

11. The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley*
Really enjoyed this. Typical Luck da Riley - not particularly literary or challenging but really well plotted and gripping with a big cast of engaging characters. One of her best, I’d say.

11. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Funny, witty and often moving story about a young woman whose life seems to be falling apart. It felt particularly relevant reading it now with the current attention on the BLM campaign. I really enjoyed it.

Amsterdam, Ian McEwan.
Nicely written, though somewhat contrived.