26-ish books for 2023

36 The Appeal by Janice Hallett.

After a nearly 2 month dry spell where I couldn't get into anything, I managed 13 - Commonwealth - Ann Patchett
Loved it like the previous 2 I read for 11 and 12!

21. Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman I think this is actually aimed at younger readers- maybe year 7 or 8? Not sure - someone leant it me thinking I'd enjoy it and I did.
Main character is a New Yorker who moves South in 1964 at the time of starting the integrating of schools. She's conflicted because she hates how the new Black pupil is being treated but she is already unpopular as a Yankee and is desperate to make friends, and sticking up for the new girl would ruin that.

34 The Secret Dead by S J Parris
35 My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

20. Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor. A quiet story which I enjoyed. Elderly Mrs Palfrey moves into a hotel so she doesn't have to cook / clean etc any more and is one of a few other older long term residents. The story follows her relationships with the others, her family and a young lad she makes friends with. Some funny parts, some sad. Rather unflinching about old age and a lot of well observed social interactions.

26 The Country of Others by Leila Slimani (audio). In 1944 Mathilde, a French woman, falls in love with a Moroccan soldier fighting for France, they marry and move to Morocco to a very different culture from her own. The story unfolds as the country moves towards liberation. I'm not sure what I made of this, the style made me feel detached from the characters and I didn't feel much engagement with them. Not sure if this was the writing style or the narration style TBH. Interesting from a cultural and historical POV though.

17. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

A tough read in many ways but so well written and addictive! A solid 4 stars out of 5.

13 or 14 (have to check back): The Maid - Nita Prose. Enjoyed this. Easy read but Molly was an original protagonist which gave it something extra.

Now reading 'Fairytale' Stephen King. It's ages since I read a Stephen King and he never fails to draw me in. About a quarter way through at the moment....

Oh no. I didn't know about that. Thanks. I'll check in.

14 Daughter of Auschwitz by Tova Friedman. Really important book - she's one of the last survivors, born in 1938. Her mother suffered from severe survivor's guilt but she sees her mission as explaining why and what happened.

I just finished Cold Comfort Farm, can't believe I overlooked it for so long, and am about to start no. 34, a thriller called Hide and Seek.

The Lie - C L Taylor - enjoyed.
I've just started The Au Pair - Emma Rous, which I'm really enjoying.

Not sure how many that is - I'm using this thread to keep count.

Also any other recommendations of deals on good books on kindle. I need to stop buying so many but i prefer to read on my kindle for my eyesight

Do you check the Kindle daily deals every day? That's how I get most of my books, Lisa Jewell is today's featured author.

33 Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

17. The Last Rose of Shanghai - Weina Dai Randel.
    I enjoyed this by the end more than I did through it at times. I enjoyed the storyline perhaps a little more than the writing. It, bizarrely at times, felt both too long winded and went too fast. As in, you missed half a sentence and everything had changed immeasurably and you had to go back and check if something major had happened and you missed it. But...I did enjoy the story and the characters, and I love reading fiction where it gives me a better understanding of a part of history I didn't know much about. This was the story of a German Jewish man and a rich Shangai heiress in world war 2 in Shanghai.

Does anyone have any recommendations on Prime reading? (As this one was). Ive cancelled me prime membership but it goes on til next week so would like a freebie book til then.

Also any other recommendations of deals on good books on kindle. I need to stop buying so many but i prefer to read on my kindle for my eyesight.

30 Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell
31 The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
32 19 Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica

25: An Honest Man by Ben Fergusson. The story of 18 year old Ralf, growing up in West Berlin in 1989 as the fall of the Berlin Wall was approaching. A mixture of coming-of-age and Cold War espionage, this book is very atmospheric, the characters all seem real, I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

A few more:
11: In the Dark by Claire Allan.
12: Cassandra Darke by Posy Simmonds. I love her graphic novels, obviously missed this one as it's 20+ years old!
13: Written In Bone by Sue Black. Her RI Christmas lectures were great and even engaged "don't tell me what to watch" ADHD DS.

2023 Books:

1 Twelve Secrets
2 People of Abandoned Character
3 The Herd
4 Last One at The Party
5 The Last Thing to Burn
6 Moon Over Soho
7 The Girls Who Disappeared
8 The Chalk Man
9 The Unheard
10 Away with the Penguins
11 Whispers Underground
12 Pineapple Street

Just finished these 2:

13 Trespasses Louise Kennedy
About Belfast in the 1970s and an ill fated love story, really enjoyed

14 The Safe House Nicci French
Good twisty plot

I listened to Songbirds last year, so beautiful.

16. Songbirds- Christy Lefteri

Oh my! Beautifully written and it kept me captured all the eay through. But oh, so very sad and then when I read the authors letter at the end I feel quite angry for woman around the world who are going through this.

Anyway, I think I may need something lighter next.

1. A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon
2. Zone of Interest by Martin Amis
3. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters
4. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
5. Lolly Willoes or the loving huntsman by Sylvia Sylvia Townsend Warner
6. Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith
7. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
8. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
9. The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
10. We are all completely beside ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
11. The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham
12. Being There by Jerzy Kosiński
13. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
14. The Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham
15. Life Sized by Jenifer Shute
16. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
17. Just One Damned Thing after Another by Jodi Taylor

Updates:

18. The Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie
This is such a brilliant and strange book - Mr Quin is a sort of strange little man who turns up unexpectedly at moments of tragedy or injustice. It's got some magical realism about it and was really ahead of its time. Would very much recommend.

19. Christine by Stephen King
It's fine, pretty tense and very easy to read. I used to love Stephen King when I was a teen and this was one I'd never read but now I find them quite difficult. It's pretty misogynistic. The women are all objects in this book although that's not true of every King novel.

20. Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
Gripping little novella with an amazing study of madness. Well worth a read, it's only about 90 pages.

IIve read a few since the last update, hopefully not forgotten any:-

1 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
2 The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier
3 lessons in Chemistry
4 touch of love by Jonathan Coe
5 The bird in the bamboo cage by Heather Webb
6 The man who died twice by Richard Osman
7 The Glass Blowers by Daphne du Maurier
8 The travelling cat chronicles by Hiro Arkawa. Lovely but sad.
9 Red Birds by Mohammed Hanif. Enjoyed I think. Darkly funny.
10 Everyone in this room will someday be dead by Emily Austin.
11 The Helingor Sewing Club by Ella Gyland. Really enjoyed this one, about the evacuation of Danish Jews to Sweden in the second world war by local fishermen with the help of the whole community.
12 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
13 Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier.
14 The scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier

15 The bullet that missed by Richard Osman
16 Murder before evensong by Richard Coles
17 Back when we were grownups By Anne Tyler
18 Now reading Circe by Madeleine Miller

16. Ordinary People by Diana Evans

I enjoyed the bulk of this book though felt it could have been stronger. I give it 3 out of 5.

1. The Mitford Vanishing by Jessica Fellowes
2. Love in Idleness by Amanda Craig
3. The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
4. Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym
5. The Optickal Illusion by Rachel Halliburton
6. Murder under a Green Sea by Phillip Hunter
7. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Not sure what to read next. Either Three Men in a Boat, or Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm is the second in a trilogy, and Ruin and Rising is the final one). Maybe Three Men since it’s a lot shorter.

(Accidentally posted this on another thread haha!)