26-ish books in 2022

I found it a bit of a cringe, not funny at all. Mind you there have been other books I've felt the same about that other have thought hilarious (This is Going to Hurt springs to mind).

I can't remember laughing so long and hard at a book for years. Proper tickled me

We did do 70s camping, and I thought I was going to love that book, but somehow it didn't hit the spot for me.

36 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. On the whole I really enjoyed it, although there were one or two plotlines that seemed a bit contrived.

34 The Tent, The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy. Oh those 70s childhood holidays... (we didn't camp, we usually stayed in someone else's house squashed in on the child's bedroom floor). Don't read before eating.

24. Her Last Holiday by C L Taylor
I enjoyed this, and it kept me guessing. I don't think I'm going to make 26. My next book is 500 pages, and I'm busy with my cross stitching too. My actual GR target is 30, so I'm way short.

I finally finished “ Evicted “ on my kindle which was quite depressing and heavy going but interesting . Now I’ve achieved my goal of 26 for the year and I’m happy with that . I have several books I’ve started on kindle and also the new Dean Koontz “ Big Dark Sky “. A hurry before Christmas with other stuff but I’ll continue to read before bed .

35 My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay (audio) - another excellent memoir. Lemn spent the first 18 years of his life in care, then spent 30 years trying to obtain copies of his records from social services. Having finally obtained them, he has used them as the basis of this book, telling the story of his life in care alongside the reports. It is a shocking story but an incredible book.

34: Behind the Seams by Esme Young (audio).

I only knew Esme as a judge on Sewing Bee and know nothing about the fashion design world so this was a fascinating memoir, Esme has led an extremely interesting life.

Morning all!

After some interest on another thread I've started a read along for Charles Dickens Yeultide classic A Christmas Carol.

Please come and read with us; we start with Stave 1 today.

I finished the Matthew Perry biography and it’s going to charity shop . I’m reading the “ Evicted “on Kindle atm . I need to finish one more book this year to get my 26 as I aimed so I’ll try to make time . Generally read every night now even when tired …

OK that was 32 and I also finished 33 Kill All Normies by Angela Nagle. Depressing. Going to read something fun next.

I'll check what number this is but Swan Song by Edmund Crispin, an old Penguin I found, er, sneaked out of my dad's house. I love his bio on the back and he included BOTH CS Lewis AND Albert Campion in walk on roles.

30 - Vox by Christina Dalcher

Didn't really do it for me. The premise was good and it was easy enough to read but the characters are underdeveloped and the story went off on an odd tangent. Preferred Q which I read first.

I just finished this today - book 30 of the year for me. I liked it although found it unsettling as i saw similarities in her two daughters and was imagining DD2 being taken away.

29 - Q by Christina Dalcher

This broke a reading slump, easy read and thought provoking in places although a little far fetched by the end.

28. When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins - A thriller involving parricide, a child murderer, sensationalist media outlets, and the aftermath thirteen years later.

This was just ok. The twists were predictable, and the killer's present day motives unconvincing. There was also an unnecessary subplot with a sleazy Cabinet Minister which felt shoehorned in to pad the book out add some sex, and shock the reader with no relevance to the main story.

Finally finished
24 .Man who died twice ( second Thursday Murder club book ) - Richard Osman
now I’ll continue the new Matthew Perry one I started earlier

27. The Giver by Lois Lowry - I loved Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik series growing up, so have been meaning to read this dystopian tale for ages. It was okay, but I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if I'd read it for the first time at a similar age to the protagonist (11-12ish).

26. The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey - Set on a Caribbean island, this is the love story of a local fisherman and a cursed mermaid, who becomes human again after being caught by a pair of American tourists.

I wasn't sure about this book at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it as it really picks up pace in the later half of the book. There was a lot of action packed into 176 pages!

I'm going painfully slowly and will get nowhere near 26 books this year. My list of must-watch TV shows competes hard with reading time!

16. A Murder is Announced - Agatha Christie. The first Miss Marple I've ever read. Chock full of jingoism towards foreigners and a conclusion that didn't really make sense to me, so not sure I'll bother with another.

I have a real problem starting new books before finishing the old ! I’m still reading
The man who died twice ( second Thursday Murder club book ), and
Evicted
But I have finished
25 . Parenting Hell - Rob Beckett & Josh Widdicomb
Ended up just skim reading it since there was nothing new in it and I was bored . I’m officially past it since my kids are nearly 18 and 10 . Don’t know why I got it really but it’s just on kindle. On holiday I also started on
26.The Big Dark Sky - Dean Koonz but only the first few pages do we shall see .
And when we returned I couldn’t resist the new
27.Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing- Matthew Perry which seems quite raw and interesting

26 books min was my goal for the year so now I will try to finish these before the end of the year …

I'm very slow to update, but do keep an eye in on this thread.
Book 29 Feminists Don't Wear Pink and other Lies. Perspectives from various authors and 'celebs'. It is a series of short stories, some good some not great. Just ok in my opinion.

Book 30 My Not so Perfect Life - Sophie Kinsella (audio) I wasn't mad about this book, but ok for out walking.

Book 31 The No Show - Beth O'Leary (audio) this was ok, a very light listen, again fine for walks as I can't be bothered with anything too taxing when out and about. Audiobooks are ramping up myread numbers. I had set my target at 30 books this year.

Book 32 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (audio) recommended here and this was an enjoyable listen.

Book 33 Unorthodox - Deborah Feldman there was a Netflix movie based on his book. Not often the case but the movie (series?) was better. It took me an age to read this and I found some parts bit of a slog. Frustratingly the book left me with more questions than answers! The movie had also been changed a fair bit from her actual story.

Book 34 will be Lessons in Chemistry. I'm listening on audio and almost finished it. I don't think it is as good as it's being raved about but will reserve judgment until the very end. I'm also finally reading Little Fires Everywhere.

I read this last year and really liked it too. Quite a simple story, but it's really stayed with me.

25. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - A short story about a woman who has never fitted in or done what society expected of her.

Keiko has spent the last 18 years of her life working in a convenience store, where she finds purpose and comfort in the predictable routines of the store and the rigid employee manual that details exactly how to behave on the shop floor. In an effort to appease those around her and minimise their interference, she mimics her co-workers' dress and speech patterns in an attempt to appear 'normal'.

This was a bittersweet tale of identity and the pressure to conform to societal expectations. I liked that the reader is shown character interactions purely from Keiko's point of view to read between the lines in a way she simply doesn't have the capacity to do. Well worth a read.

23. It shouldn't happen to a vet - James Herriot. I prefer the (new) TV series. I don't think I'll read the rest of these. DH likes them though, and I did buy them for him!