26-ish books for 2023

1)Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
2)Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski
3) My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay
4) Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhy
5) The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie.
6) The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh. Much darker / blacker humour than I was expecting. I don't mind that but can see why it's not getter known, won't have been to many people's taste. Also some bits too overwritten and far too wordy for my liking - was short and should have been shorter. Or just revamped as a script. I know Waugh was first but I kept thinking it was all very Joe Orton.

Just finished book number 5. The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse. I enjoyed it but I don’t know if I didn’t concentrate well enough because some of it was a bit lost on me.

Finished no 5, The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer. Fun but oh so badly written and edited. The dialogue read like a parody.
I also have The Bullet That Missed out of the library but I accidentally got Large Print and I can't read it so I've put myself on the waiting list for the e-book.

Just finished number 2 - People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitman. Absolutely loved it, surprised it was her first novel.

Tells the story of a woman who suspects her doctor husband of being Jack the Ripper. The description of what it must have been like to live in London at that time if you were of "the unfortunate classes" or indeed a woman with no means, made me shudder.

Great book, recommend.

1. "The devil you know" by Eileen Horne & Gwen Adshead
2. "The Wedding Guest" Jonathan Kellerman
3. "Traces" by Patricia Wiltshire... finally finished - not my favourite, and I might not have stuck with it, except for wanting to get another number on here.

I’m crap at coming back to this thread. I’m currently on #9, Fritz and Kurt. Bought it before I realised it was a kids book. It’s about the beginnings of the holocaust and the title characters are Jewish boys from Vienna. I’ve found the beginning a bit slow
and, being a children’s book the style of writing isn’t quite what I like, but it is an interesting time in history so I will stick with it.

Book five and 6;

What Lies Beneath ; Adam Croft - was a freebie on Kindle but set near where i grew up, nice little murder mystery

The Chalk Pit; Elly Griffiths - one of her Ruth Galloway ones - randomly picked it up in the library - maybe need to start at the beginning of the series but again a nice little murder/crime mystery

I tend to favour an easy read and am happy to read rubbish.

Moving on to;
The Awakenings ; Sarah Maine - again a library pick - things on the cover likening it to Daphne du Maurier and I love Rebecca so figured it was worth a punt.

1. Todas esas cosas que te diré mañana. - Elizabet benavent - 3*
2. Lessons In Chemistry. Took me a long time to read it despite I was enjoying it. 5*

13.The Hollow Boy

Finished book 3 Lessons in Chemistry. Loved it, really funny.
Now reading 4 : Touch of Love by Jonathan Coe

4 - The Rose Code - Kate Quinn

Really enjoyed this, very engaging read and characters. I read The Huntress by the same author last year and enjoyed that too, so will look up other books of hers.

Love Slow Horses. I'll take a look

4 Faking Friends - Jane Fallon (audio) Easy option when driving or cleaning

5 The Marlow Murder Club - Robert Thorogood (creator of Death on Paradise)

I need a good mooch in some charity shops to line up my next reads. I do love a new book but it feels such a waste.

1. Reconstruction (Mick Herron)
2. Terciel & Elinor (Garth Nix)
3. Ithaca (Claire North)
4. I Saw Him Die (Andrew Wilson)
5. Whatever Gets You Through the Night (Charlie Higson) 6) The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels (Janice Hallett)

Whatever Gets You Through the Night was a very entertaining and easy read, I imagine it's the kind of book you'd read by the pool on holiday...? Not saying it's the crap sort in airport bookshop!

I try not to buy books for myself anymore, unless secondhand, but I just cannot face the reserves queue at my library again so soon (not after recently being 45th in line for the latest Osman book). I bought Hallett's new one for £8 at Tesco, and will pass it onto the carehome down my street when I'm done.

I just finished The Dutch House, just starting no. 7, The Bullet that Missed.

3 Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly - the book the film is based on. An account of African American women who were integral to the success of the Moon missions.

5: Me Life Story by Scarlett Moffatt (audio). I can't honestly say I would have bought this book but I was browsing the memoir section of Borrowbox and have a soft spot for Scarlett. It was interesting to hear about her early life and some of the behind the scenes stuff from Gogglebox and I'm A Celeb, she does seem like a lovely humble person.

Just finished Book 2 - Three Women by Lisa Taddeo.

I have just started Book 3 - Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I am expecting a nice, light read, while also being very enjoyable. I've read other books by the same author and have really enjoyed them. Been influenced to read them by my DD!

You can count whatever you like! 👍

I include a mixture of audiobooks, digital and hard copy books

1 The Twyford Code
2 The Devils Advocate
3 The Life of Lee. Audiobook

Currently reading The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson. Enjoying the story so far but my kindle edition seems to have a few typos, which are annoying.
Also listening to (are we counting audiobooks?) Born a Crime by Trevor Noah.* *

This month I finished 3 books

1: Paper Cuts - How I destroyed the British Music Press and other misadventures by Ted Kessler. I don't think I could have loved this more. Ted wrote for the NME at a time when it was my bible. His life and stories made compelling reading, and he is such a good writer I felt like he was talking to me personally, telling me anecdotes over a few pints in the pub.

2: Gone Fishing by Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer. Very heartwarming and full of affection between these two. Having been dragged off fishing by my angling-mad father throughout my childhood I could relate to plenty of this.

3: Record Play Pause by Stephen Morris. One quarter of Joy Division and New Order, this is a memoir of his early life and being in JD up to and shortly after Ian Curtis's death. I've read autobiographies by two of the other band members but listened to this one as an audiobook read by the author, which was great as he included audio clips of recordings of conversations between the band and their manager, Rob Gretton, and Factory Records' Tony Wilson, as well as backing tracks of clips of songs he mentions, which brings it to life. There's also a great Spotify playlist he made to go with it. I've bought the second volume to listen to, which picks up the story as New Order emerge and continue experimenting with electronica.

Looking at this and my next 2-3 reads I think I will need to get some fiction going soon!

No 10 is ongoing now and then.

No. 11. The Screaming staircase. Thankyou Netflix. Watched the series and enjoyed it and now enjoying the books I was unaware of previously. Mow reading that series so...

No. 12. Just started, The Whispering Skull.

@Anonymouseposter
I’ve read Pachinko - I really enjoyed it.
I would recommend it.

So far this year. 1. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee - learned a lot about Korea and Japan, 2. Mrs England, okay quite enjoyed it. 3. And by Isabel Adonis. Interesting book. A memoir of her mother. Food for thought about identity race and gender. 4. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. I had this in the house a while and meant to read it. Interesting, enjoyed it.