50 Book Challenge 2020 Part Eleven

92. A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil by Christopher Brookmyre
    I don't know how I lived so long without discovering this writer just a few years back. Really funny and gripping murder mystery. He remembers what it's like to be a kid at secondary school like no one else. I'm not sure whether it helps to be Scottish or not; I think all you really need is a very black sense of humour.

93. A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore.
    Cathy and Rob are thrown together and depend on one another, but cross the line from being close siblings into incestuous love. Neither crude nor voyeuristic, their relationship is sensitively depicted. My first book by this author and I will be looking for more.

94. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
    Having loved The Tenant of Wildfell Hall this didn't live up to expectations. It seemed to consist of little else but one woman struggling with unmanageable children If I want that, I can get it at home More light and shade was needed, and more plot.

95. The Moth Catcher by Ann Cleeves
    Still bashing through the Vera books. A good plot; I enjoyed it.

@HeadNorth great review of Shuggy Bain. I’m a little nervous of it my MIL ran away from 80s Glasgow and every now and then comes out with stories but it sounds like an important read.

I'm not going to make a round number as I have finished my 59th book, Shuggie Bain. I will need something light to recover after such a brilliant but heart rending read. I know Shuggie's Glasgow as my wee granny & grandpa lived up in the Glasgow schemes, but managed to build a strong family while poor Agnes was destroyed by the unforgiving 80s. The book made me angry, sad and despairing while I admired the skill of the writer. Shuggie was a real person and reminded me of lads from school - it must have been grim as fuck growing up gay in the 80s in Scotland. A really powerful read and a fitting Booker winner. It was a tough read for me but I suspect for many of the judges it would be a revelation. And it hasn't got any better - Dundee up the road from me is the drug death capital of Europe. Glasgow continues to have the lowest life expectancy of Western Europe. It's a moral disgrace.

enjoying highlandcoo's glut of late reviews

Cheers, Museum - I have no intention of doing this ever again! NY resolution is to post as I go from now on. Shades of doing your maths homework at the bus stop which by my age really shouldn't be happening any more

89. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
    Faced with impossible choices due to the war in Syria, a tragic event finally makes life unbearable and a couple set out to try to make their way to safety in Britain. This compassionate account describes the dangers and difficulties they face as well as how they have in a sense lost sight of one another in their fear and their pain.
    The author has worked as a volunteer in a refugee camp in Greece and listened to many people's real-life experiences. Through the story of Nuri and Afra she gives them a voice.

90. Harbour Street by Ann Cleeves.
    Another Vera book and a really good atmospheric one.

91. Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession.
    I so recommend this book. Issued by a small firm of publishers in Hebden Bridge without the money to promote it widely, it is gaining popularity by word of mouth through independent bookshops and deserves to do so.
    If you're looking for a heart-warming book, maybe to give as a present, this would be an excellent choice. The Ove and Harold Fry books didn't really do it for me; this is aiming for the same effect but this time it really works.
    It's the story of two friends, quiet unremarkable men who some would judge as unsuccessful in life; as nerdy/geeky or other unkind descriptions. They are gentle and kind; they meet and play board games and chat; not a huge amount happens but as the book goes on you like them more and more.
    Essential decency needs to be celebrated more, especially at the moment, and this book did the trick for me. It's funny too.

We are finishing the year in a flurry! Thank you southeast, much appreciated.

I'm still loitering on book 48 but almost done, and am grimly determined to make my 50 even if that means I don't do much work tomorrow!

Thanks for the extra thread South!

Here is my full list (highlights in bold):

1. The Secrets of Blood and Bone - Rebecca Alexander
2. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
3. Identity Crisis - Ben Elton
4. Sunny Side Up - Susan Calman
5. How to Stop Losing Your Shit with Your Kids - Carla Naumburg
6. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - Caitlin Doughty
7. This Book Will Change Your Mind about Mental Health - Nathan Filer
8. Damascus - Christos Tsiolkas
9. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

There weren't any out and out stinkers this year, but The Reddening and The Multi-Hyphen Method are well worth avoiding.

That's a great haul southeast. I loved Americanah. I've never read A Kestrel for a Knave but kind of liked the film Kes. I'm also eyeing up how short it looks, so adding to my potential TBR for when a quick count boosting read is required.

Museum I am currently reading The Five - it's really good, not exactly a pleasant read but certainly compelling. It will probably my first finished book of 2021

I definitely miss the library too as I got most of my books from there, there's quite a few ones recommended on here which I've not been able to get hold of as the only libraries near me that did end up opening never had a lot of what I wanted.

My birthday is coming up soon and I don't normally ask for books, but I might do this year so I can finally read certain ones on my wishlist.

Loving everyone's lists, and enjoying highlandcoo's glut of late reviews. So impressed with the sheer numbers of books read by so many this year. Have we ever had a year when multiple people have got into 3 figures (including several people at 200+)? And has anyone other than Fortuna hit 300 before? I am very happy with 83, my highest total ever, despite losing a month's reading time to a DNF that started well but rapidly soured.

1. Gods of the Morning by John Lister-Kaye
2. The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Grey
3. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
4. Ten to Zen by Owen O'Kane
5. Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
6. The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner
7. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
8. Black and British by David Olusoga
9. The World I Fell Out Of by Melanie Reid

44 by female authors (53%)
38 by male authors (46%)
1 by female / male co-authors (1%)

57 kindle (69%)
4 library (5%) Massive drop due to lockdown, I miss the library.
11 hard copy other (13%)
11 Dad's kindle (13%)

52 Fiction (63%)
31 Non fiction (37%)

I'm in awe of you guys who read well over a hundred books, wish it was me! One of my reading resolutions for the coming year is to spend less time scrolling on my phone and more time reading actual books, if I did this before now then no doubt I would have had a higher number this year!

Thanks for the new thread, Southeast

Here are my 2020 books (Highlights in bold, stinkers it italics)

1. Tall Tales and Wee Stories by Billy Connelly
2. It's Your Time You're Wasting by Frank Chalk
3. The Familiars by Stacy Halls
4. Hidden Figures by Margaret Lee Shetterly
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
6. Cyffession Saesnes Yng Nghymru by Sarah Reynolds
7. The Secret River by Kate Grenville
8. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
9. My Sister the Serial Killer by by Oyinkan Braithwaite
10. Born Lippy by Jo Brand
11. Down Under by Bill Bryson
12. Prisoners by Geography by Tim Marshall
13. The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burke
14. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
15. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
16. The Tent, The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy
17. Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
18. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
19. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
20. The Celts by Alice Roberts
21. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
22. Teithio drwy Hanes by Jon Gower
23. Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine
24. The Life and Time of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
25. Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters
26. Before Wallis by Rachel Trethewey
27. Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell
28. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
29. A Place called Freedom by Ken Follett
30. Normal People by Sally Rooney
31. Brick Lane by Monica Ali
32. Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim
33. Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
34. The Penelopiad by Margaret Attwood
35. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
36. Arwyr Cymru by Jon Gower
37. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
38. Anna of Kleve (Six Tudor Queens series) by Alison Weir
39. Note from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
40. Dark Age by James Wilde
41. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Settlefield
42. Rise Up Women: The Extraordinary Lives of the Suffragettes by Diana Atkinson
43. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
44. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
45. 1927 One Summer in America by Bill Bryson
46. The Irish Princess by Elizabeth Chadwick
47. A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
48. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
49. Heroes by Stephen Fry
50. The Foundling by Stacey Halls
51. The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
52. Tombland by C.J. Samson
53. The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier
54. The King's War by Mark Logue
55. The Lovesong of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce.
56. Sweetpea by CJ Skuse
57. All Quiet Front on the Western Front
58. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith
59. Troy by Stephen Fry
60. Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon
61. Bandi- The accusation
62. Rebellion's Forge by K M Ashman
63. Gotta Get Theroux This by Louis Therous
64. The Welsh Language- A History by Janet Davis
65. At Home by Bill Bryson
66. The Evening and The Morning by Ken Follet
67. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
68. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
69. A Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
70. Paper Wife by Laila Ibrahim
71. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
72. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
73. The Leper of St Giles by Ellis Peters
74. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
75. The Tudor Crown by Joanna Hickson

I've not had a bad reading year really, even though it has been the absolute shittest year ever, not just because of Covid - I lost my mum and my dog in the same week, and I didn't read at all for about 6 weeks in August/Sept.

I'm going to do a couple of re-reads next year, and I'll likely do an almost equal divide between Kindle, Paperback and Audible.

I love reading everyone's lists - sorry Remus (if I see a title in bold twice I check it out on Amazon, currently building a 2021 reading list

Thanks as always southeast for rounding us up onto this final thread for 2020. One last review. Back soon with my list.

83. Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan (Crazy Rich Asians #3) I wanted to end the year on a fun read, and this delivered even more than I thought it would. By this third book, the author is so confident in this gossipy style and the readers are so invested in these characters (well I certainly was anyway) that he is able to deal with some more weighty issues, without losing the OTT escapism feel. These books are so visual and play out like a movie in your mind's eye as you read, and there are some nice, if at times ridiculous, set pieces. I loved the film of the first book, which was pretty faithful to it, and hope books 2 and 3 get the same treatment. In this book various characters' pasts are explored, relationships are examined and the arc of the trilogy moves in a neat and not always expected way to most people getting what they deserve - be that in a bad or good way. Very happy to have ended the year on this one.

84. The Glass Room by Ann Cleeves.
    More crime, more Vera.

85. The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy. This was a bit bizarre coming three books after another describing a character in a coma, and similar in that the reader is trying to figure out what really happened amidst a stream of possibly unreliable memories.
    I think DL is not entirely my cup of tea. Hot Milk was supposed to be amazing and it left me cold. No pun intended
    There were parts of this book that intrigued me, and some of the writing was beautifully done, but I'm not sure I like feeling confused for most of a novel tbh.

86. The Lord God Made Them All by James Herriot.
    More Yorkshire vet tales.

87. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.
    A poweful exposé of the abuse suffered at a "reform" school in Florida. All the more horrific for being based on a true story. Like The Underground Railroad by the same author, a disturbing story but one that needs to be heard.

88. Late in the Day by Tess Hadley.
    Like Ordinary People, this deals with the tangled relationships of two London couples. Love, friendship, envy etc. I thought this was much the better book of the two. There is a scene which reminded me of Emma Thompson's famous moment of realisation in Love Actually ; an instant understanding that your life has totally changed and you can't unknow what you have just learned.

Final book of 2020
84 A Single Thread Tracy Chevalier
This tells the story of Violet, a woman trying to move on in her life after losses and setbacks as a result of the great war. She moves to Winchester to escape her demanding mother, and finds friendship and encouragement with a group of embroiderers, who are renewing the kneelers and cushions in the cathedral.

Years ago I read Barbara Pym’s novels, which are based on a similar premise, and I enjoyed them because they felt to me as though they were authentic stories of characters who came alive. Unfortunately this novel felt as though the author was writing up detailed research , and had no true understanding of lives lived in this period, The actions of the characters were either predictable or went against the social mores of the time . There is a great deal of detailed description of needlework and bell ringing, which felt dumped in the narrative. Disappointing.

Looking forward to another year of intriguing recommendations and friendly and enlightening conversation from regulars and newbies alike.

My best books of 2020
Fiction
The Words in my Hand -Guinevere Glasfurd
Love After Love- Ingrid Persaud
Valentine -Elizabeth Wetmore
The Ninth Child- Sally Magnusson
The Most Fun We Ever Had- Clare Lombardo
Three Hours - Rosamund Lupton
Non Fiction
Kick -Paula Byrne
The Library Book- Susan Orlean
The Century Girls -Tessa Dunlop
Ladies Can't Climb Ladders- Jane Robinson
The Life Project- Helen Pearson
The See Through House Shelley Klein

63. Piranesi by Susan and Clarke

Best to go into this one blind I think. I wasn't all that impressed with the ending really but I loved the writing, main character and the overall journey.

64. Reindeer, An Arctic Life by Tilly Smith

Not really that much arctic life in this as it mostly talks about the reindeer heard in Scotland. This was fine to read over Christmas but not a stand out or anything.

65. Hamnet by Maggie O'Fattell

I enjoyed the writing and parts were quite moving. But I keep trying to think, if this wasn't about Shakespeare's son, would this have held my interest as much in parts? I'm not sure (I'm really nitpicking though) it wasn't perfect but I'd recommend.

66. Miss Garnets Angel by Sally Vickers

This was about a retired woman who travels and lives for a while in Venice after the death of her friend. While there she makes various friends and learns about the story of Tobias and his companion, the archangel Raphael.

There was alot of different elements so the tone was sometimes abit all over the place. But I liked it, it certainly made me want to revisit Venice again and I liked the theology aspects. Mixed bag though.

That's me now done for 2021

Hello. I've been lurking and finally got the year's books in a list so will just add them all here. Really looking forward to January where there will be extra reading in bed to avoid the lure of wine and nibbles! Really enjoyed some books this year but nothing really blown me away.

1. Half a world away - Mike Gayle

2. The Binding – Bridget Collins

3. I can’t make this up – Kevin Hart

4. The hate you give – Angie Thomas

5. Fair play – Eve Rodsky

6. The Testaments – Margaret Atwood

7. A guide to the good life: The ancient art of stoic joy William B Irvine

8. Wilding Isabella Tree

9. Beastie Boys book – Micheal Drummond

10. Animal: The autobiography of a female body – Sara Pascoe

11. The butterfly garden – Dot Hutchinson

12. Twas the night before Christmas – Adam Kay

13. History of the rain – Niall Williams

14. An American Marriage - Tayari Jones

15. Capital – John Lancaster

16. The six loves of Billy Binns – Richard Lumsden

17. A far cry from Kensington - Muriel Spark

18. The familiars – Stacey Halls

19. The Cleaner – Mark Dawson

20. Do not say we have nothing – Madeleine Thien

21. The truth about the Harry Quebert affair – Joel Dicker

22. Things in jars – Jess Kidd

23. The end of the affair – Graeme Green

24. The Night Watch - Sarah Waters

25. Sweet home - Wendy Erskine

26. When we were orphans – Kazuo Ishiguro

27. Dirty little secrets – Jo Spain

28. A girl is a half formed thing - Eimear McBride

29. Men without Women – Haruki Murukami

30. Grief is the thing with feathers - Max Porter

31. All the light we cannot see – Anthony Doerr

32. Heat of Darkness – Joseph Conrad

33. Tangerine – Christine Mangan

34. Home Fire - Kamila Shamsie

35. Yellow Crocus - Laila Ibrahim

36. An absolutely remarkable thing - Hank Green

37. Frenchman’s Creek - Daphne Du Maurier

38. Stay with me – Ayobami Adebayo

39. The Memory – Lucy Dawson

40. Unsheltered - Barbara Kingsolver

41. The Wolf Wilder – Katherine Rundell

42. The Memory Police- Yoko Ogawa

43. Such a fun age - Kiley Reid

44. Six wicked reasons – Jo Spain

45. I am, I am, I am - Maggie O’Farrell

46. The foundling – Stacey Halls

47. The hypnotist’s love story – Lianne Moriarty

48. After the end – Clare Macintosh

49. Idiot – Laura Mclery

50. Heart of darkness – Joseph Conrad

51. This book will change your mind about mental health – Nathan Filer

52. Untamed – Glennon Doyle

53. Sal – Mick Kitson

54. Can you see me? – Libby Scott, Rebecca Westcott

55. The Passion – Jeanette Winterson

56. Constellations – Sinead Gleeson

57. The Wonder – Emma Donohoe

58. The Lost Man – Jane Harper

59. Big Sky by Kate Atkinson. The latest Jackson Brodie. I didn’t love this like the others but it was great to return to the characters.

60. Born a Crime Trevor Noah. Not quite finished this but will do before the bell tolls. Very interesting.

I feel my list was so reread heavy this year there’s not enough to round up. But enjoying everyone’s lists and looking forward to 2021.

81. After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell.
    Like Kate Mosse, I like MoF more as a person than as a writer, Hamnet being an honourable exception. I'm not a fan of timeslip novels as I find it an over-used technique, and in Esme Lennox I was only interested in the older part .. just tell me one good story in a linear narrative and I'll be happy.
    So this should have been a nightmare as the narrative jumps around in time, however it was so cleverly done that it worked for me. Alice is lying in a coma; there is a question over whether she has attempted suicide or not. We are inside her head as her memory moves between recent and past events and she slips between different levels of consciousness. Her family talk and reminisce and try to make sense of what has happened and why. The threads are woven together until we are brought to an understanding of what has been going on.
    And I would really like to know what the end means ...

82. Watermelon by Marian Keyes.
    Another author I really like as a person, more than as a writer. Always excellent value on Desert Island Discs or similar. I was looking for a light read, and I do enjoy her dialogue, but probably won't be returning for more of the same.

83. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
    Having been impressed by a reread of THT earlier, I wanted to read the sequel; it was also our local book group's choice last month.
    Less unsettling than The Handmaid's Tale and for that reason less good IMO. It had a YA vibe. Probably it should leave the reader feeling more positive but in my case, although I enjoyed the ride, I wasn't wholly convinced.

Where's SatsukiKusakabe gone anyone?

I was wondering that too Eine. We used to chat quite a lot earlier in the year.

mackerelfa you are doing so much better than me with your updating! I've read 99 and am only on number:

74. My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.
    A quick and fairly amusing read, although if you want dark humour and lots of bodies, I'd recommend The Restraint of Beasts by Magnus Mills as a funnier book. Or Christopher Brookmyre; he's great.

75. The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid.
    Crime. I've finished her Karen Pirie books and this is the first Tony Jordan one. I will read more of them.

76. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett.
    I'm a big AP fan and this did not disappoint. Sibling relationships, a wicked stepmother, a fascinating house, the pull of the past and how it can taint joy in adult life, forgiveness, and what it's like to follow a career that isn't what you really want to do. Recommended.

77. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
    I don't know if this was supposed to remind the reader of Fleetwood Mac, but that's the band I had in mind when reading this short entertaining book. I've lent it to a young friend who's in the music business and will be interested to hear her opinion. Not my usual sort of book - although I do love Espedair Street (which makes me think of Deacon Blue) but I enjoyed it.

78. The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin.
    The Mary of the title is the mother of Jesus Christ and she gives her view of his life and death. This was recommended by a friend; I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. Quiet and deep and I think I would have to reread it to really grasp it fully.

79. Silent Voices by Ann Cleeves.
    Another Vera book. Enjoyable.

80. Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope.
    The fourth Barchester Chronicles novel. This one deals with a young vicar who unthinkingly becomes embroiled in scams and debt, as well as a prospective marriage between two young people of different rank. I'm beginning to think that's a favourite theme of AT's.
    I've enjoyed escaping into this world this year. Two more in the series to go in 2021.

Remus and Mackerelfa I think (hope) you'd both enjoy Scoff - it's written in quite a gossipy, informal style but there's an impressive depth of research in there (I like to think I'm fairly well up on food history but I didn't realise that pasta, including a form of lasagne, was a familiar - if posh - dish in England as far back as the 14th century, or that curry was well established on English menus long before fish and chips...or for that matter that fish & chip shops were classed as an 'offensive trade' in the early 20thc). It's full of fascinating little nuggets of food information. And some nice recipes as well.

High Five betts 🙌

I will never achieve this again so I need to boast as much as I can

Dead Famous looks brilliant Mackerelfa - do you think it would work well as an audio book? I'm wondering what to get with my next credit Scoff also sounds excellent & on my wishlist, but sadly not available on audible!