26-ish books in 2022

WeeFae bear in mind that any dislike for A Gentleman in Moscow results in immediate dismissal from this thread 😂😂

Thank you for all the great recommendations, plenty to keep me busy!

@WeeFae looking forward to reading The Mercies - have had it on my kindle for a while. I second The Sealwoman's Gift and I also enjoyed The Familiars by Stacey Halls which might be worth a try if you've not read it.

1. House of Glass: The story and secrets of a twentieth century Jewish family by Hadley Freeman. Fascinating family memoir by an excellent writer. I was really engrossed in this historical account which was meticulously researched and very thought provoking. Highly recommend.
2. Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes. This was hilarious in places and I loved the writing style so I'll definitely read another book by Marian Keyes. For me this book was too long to really hold my interest. I get that Rachel was supposed to be very self-absorbed and shallow but I felt this made her a bit difficult to connect with.

I'm now going to try Winter by Ali Smith and at long last, A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles.

[quote KobaniDaughters]@BaconAndAvocado I’m eagerly awaiting it - a friend has sent me a signed copy![/quote]
Wow, lucky you!
I think my only signed book is one by Kate Atkinson.
I met her after a Waterstone's talk.
Tbh she was a bit underwhelming .....but I still love her books.

@BaconAndAvocado I’m eagerly awaiting it - a friend has sent me a signed copy!

1. Freckles by Cecelia Ahern (book)
2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (audio)
3. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri (audio)
4. Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian (audio)

livingonpurpose I couldn't put A Little Life down, even though it was incredibly harrowing.
The author has a new book out which looks really interesting.

1. The Inheritance Of Loss by Kiran Desai
2. The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan
3. Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
4. Milkman by Anna Burns

1. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo - I read this to give myself a kick up the bum in preparation for having a declutter at the weekend, but I don't think it adds much if you've already seen the Netflix show. Kondo came across as a bit anxious and obsessive in parts, particularly when she talked about her childhood. She's quite open about her flaws though, and clearly a shrewd business woman.

@KobaniDaughters - yes! Each one of the four friends achieve outstanding levels of success in their own fields, and had immense, almost obscene privilege. It was quite bizarre.

10. The Pursuit of Love - Nancy Mitford
I needed something lighter after reading A Little Life and this book did the trick. A fast and easy read, the narrator tells the story of her cousin Linda (who she grew up very close to) as she follows her childhood dream of finding true love and marriage - although with not much success, at least to start with.

From the blurb/reviews I was expecting the book to be funny, and whilst it didn't make me laugh at all, it was sort of amusing. Released in 1945 it is obviously quite dated and not very politically correct - although I got the feeling that some of this was intentional even then.
I'd say that I found it enjoyable but nothing special.

The Wizards of Once, Twice Magic - Cressida Cowell
This is a book that I read to my son, so I don't count it in my overall number but have decided to share here anyway in case anyone can benefit from the review. Second instalment in the Wizards of Once series by the How To Train Your Dragon author. I have to say that I don't really like this series of books - I find both the lead characters annoying and bratty. But my son loves them and so we keep on reading them. This book follows Warrior Wish and Wizard Xar as they attempt to collect ingredients for a spell to banish witches once and for all, but unfortunately the Kingwitch has other ideas and wants to steal Wish's magic for himself.

@livingonpurpose

All received. Thanks for the warning. I’m currently reading Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers which is free of small boys so far.

@livingonpurpose I think my problem with it was the fact that everyone else had relatively easy lives, even the main character seemed to achieve easy financial success - it was as though the author felt the trauma had to be offset with immense privilege to earn the trauma or the other way around? It didn’t sit as very real

I’m probably horrible sadist but I do gravitate towards books that explore darker experiences and immense grief and sadness

9. A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
The book starts off as an exploration of friendship between four men as they embark on their life in New York, post college, and attempt to achieve their dreams. The narrative flips between the view points of these four characters before focusing mainly on Jude, who it becomes clear has had a very troubled and traumatic past, resulting in various physical and mental issues.

My main thoughts about this book are that it was very long and drawn out - without giving away the ending, it was pretty clear from fairly early on how this story was likely to end - but it took an exhausting and draining amount of time to get there. Also, the author is clearly a sadist. I've never known a writer heap devastation upon abuse upon trauma on their main character (as well as many supporting characters) in such abundance.

My final thought was that the level of detail the author went in to regarding locations in New York, and the opulence of the characters lives was a bit over the top.

Overall I'm not sure what I thought of this book. I can't say I found it an enjoyable read, given that it was quite harrowing throughout, but it was definitely an experience and I am glad that I read it.

@Divebar2021 I would advise avoiding this book if you don't want o read more trauma involving small boys.

@Weefae

I’ve read a witchy book about the Salem Witch trials. It was The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. It was a while ago so I don’t remember tons of it but it was ok. Not as good as Burial Rites but probably an easier read.

@WeeFae have you read The Manningtree Witches yet? I haven't read The Mercies but from it seems to be a similar topic. I read The Manningtree Witches last year and enjoyed it.

Thank you for the suggestions @highlandcoo and @KobaniDaughters, I'll check those out.

Finished 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' over the weekend. There were a few jarring notes, it was a little contrived at times, but it was a pleasant read.

On to 'Shattered', an account of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

@highlandcoo I was going to suggest those two by Hannah Kent as well for @WeeFae

Also you might like The Bass Rock which I just finished

Although I haven't read The Mercies ; just going by what you say about it.

WeeFae I wonder if you would enjoy Burial Rites or The Good People by Hannah Kent?

Or The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson.

1. The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts
2. The House at Sunset by Norah Lofts
3. Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction by Gabrielle Moss
4. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Adi Dare
5. The Red Tent by Anita Daimant
6. The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett
7. Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney
8. Small Pleasures by Claire Chambers
9. The Pull of Stars by Emma Donoghue

I’ve just finished number 4 American Dirt. I’m obviously late to the party with this one. Sadly I read some absolutely scathing reviews on Goodreads which threw me a bit - I wish I hadn’t seen those until I finished. I really enjoyed it which obviously makes me a racist xenophobe. Anyway I’m hoping my next read is a little lighter because I’ve also read Shuggie Bain this year and I can’t handle any more trauma involving small boys.