26-ish books in 2022

@CaptainChannel On holiday in Florida from the UK we bumped into some neighbours from a few doors down so it can happen!!

@WeeFae sorry to hear about your treatment, sound like escapism into comforting worlds in books is exactly what the doctor ordered

I’m still reading my book 3 but popped into a bookshop today to buy the next one and want to start it now! Must be patient and finish this one first

Just finished book number 3: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

I liked a lot of things about this, the story was very engaging and readable and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters who were well crafted. I found the coincidental bumping into each other in a country as huge as the USA a bit unbelievable but overall I enjoyed it.

2. The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman I liked this more than The Thursday Murder Club, as I was more interested in 'whodunnit', but the character Joyce does witter on a lot!

I've finished my first book of the year!

The sleeping Beauties: and other mystery illnesses by Suzanne O'Sullivan

A non fiction book which see's the author, a doctor travelling to different parts of the world where different groups of people have developed 'mystery' illnesses such as asylum seeker children in Sweden who have fallen asleep for years and teenage girls in a school in USA who experience seizures, one after the other. A very interesting read, and not my usual genre, I really enjoyed it and found it very insightful. I would recommend.

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

Yes, I read Bookworm too. I like books about books - i also really liked How to be a Heroine, by Samantha Ellis.

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

WeeFae, thanks for the mention of Paperback Crush. Affectionate mockery of YA lit from the 80s and 90s turned out to be exactly what I wanted last night. I hadn't actually read most of the series as it focuses on the US, but that didn't stop me enjoying it.

Will do. Thanks @yoshiblue.

@Tinkhasflown re: children's reads, look at Danger Gang and The Christmas Pig (not that Christmassy)

1. Rachel's Holiday- Marian Keyes

I have read a number of Marian's books but somehow missed this one first time round. Finally got round it reading it because of all the hype about the sequel. I did enjoy it with lots of laughs and some tears. I especially enjoyed the Irish expressions such as poor crathur and quare stuff which reminded me so much of my lovely Irish mom who passed away many years ago. Will definitely be reading the sequel.

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

Book 1 The Radium Girls - Kate Moore
This is the story of the girls employed as dial painters using luminous radium paint during the first world war. It is a difficult read in parts and infuriating in others as the employers denied that the radium was the cause of the girls horrific illnesses. Well worth a read though.

Book 2 The Ice Monster - David Walliams I'm counting the chapter books I am reading to my children and this is the first one of the year. We've read a lot of his books now and I'm getting a bit fed up with them now if I'm bring honest so we will have a change of tack I think - if I can convince the children!!

I've just started into American Dirt as my next read, after all the good reviews here, and am already hooked @Divebar2021, but haven't read any of the others on your list.

I love all the different views on the books we have here. I wasn't a big fan of Crawdad's either, however, I loved Girl on a Train and The Bee Keeper of Aleppo :)

@livingonpurpose thanks for the tip, I have just purchased The Underground Railroad and look forward to reading it.

Sorry, meant to add thanks for the suggestion of Golden Hill Divebar2021 - I love Hamilton so this could be right up my street. Have added it to my watch list for a 99p deal!

@Divebar2021 I've only read American Dirt from your list and it was one of my standout books of last year.

Oh I read Cop Hater on holiday! It was in the house we rented. It’s a really of it’s time book. Very sexist etc but quite interesting. It’s set in a heat wave and made me feel uncomfortable !

I struggled with Golden Hill for some reason, but so many people have said it's great, I think I should give it another try.

American Dirt is a real page-turner, Chesil Beach is quite understated and melancholy, and Suite Française is very atmospheric, even more so given that Irene Nemirovsky wrote it almost in real time as the Nazis were pushing into France and the danger to Jewish people was looming larger and larger. Of course, her own experience was tragic in the end, which gives a whole other layer of authenticity and sadness to the book.

Divebar2021
Out of the books in your list I've only read American Dirt which I thought was great.

I've heard good things about Golden Hill. It's been in my shelf for years but I've never got round to it.

I’ve just finished my third title *Frequency of Us” which I thought was OK but not great ( even though I like that genre ). I found it a bit overwrought - Laura ( the main character ) was always “sobbing”and fainting. It was like a typical night on the Relationship board. I did like the comment that the way to engage a man is to make a factual error about a subject he’s interested in.

I would quite like to read something from a pile I have here if anyone would like to recommend or not. My options are:
Dance, Dance Dance - Huriki Murakami
A Pale View of the Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Girl Who Reads on the Metro - Christine Feret-Fleury
American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins
On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky.
Cop Hater - Ed McBain. ( I’m trying some “cult “ fiction )
I tend to pick up books in charity shops rather than buying new titles. Any advice?

My recommendation from last year I’ve not seen mentioned is Golden Hill by Francis Spufford - following a young British man who travels for a mysterious reason to New York in 1746. It’s very pacy and entertaining. ( think Hamilton )

@KobaniDaughters. I haven’t read anything else by Hannah Kent but I’m open to it. I thought Burial Rites was bleak but beautiful.

its not it's - I do know the difference

I might suggest The Beekeeper of Alleppo for our book club (cancelled this week thanks to my DS contracting covid)

Another Underground Railroad fan, I listened to it a few years ago. Have to say though the longer I live in the US the more I feel the guilt of the impact racism had on its society and how that really was the fault of the white Europeans who invaded this country, it’s so easy for the Brits to feel like it doesn’t affect them in the same way because the British slave owners conducted their affairs overseas, we haven’t had to deal with the fall out in quite the same way as America and our white ancestors were entirely culpable in the fuck up that has been created today

@Divebar2021 Burial Rites is also one of my top fav books - have you read The Good People also by Hannah Kent?