26-ish books 2024

@Citygirlrurallife I LOVED Demon Copperhead. Heartbreaking, uplifting and so beautifully written. Just brilliant in every way. Oxy really is the drug that keeps on giving....

I keep meaning to read David Copperfield to understand the parallels. Maybe I'll do that next.

I hated Lancuna or whatever it was called but have always loved The Poisinwood Bible. Demon and Bible are deffo my two favourite Kingsolver books.

20. Weyward by Emilia Hart
LOVED this.
It tells 3 stories set in 1619, 1942 and 2019 about 3 very different (but at the same time, very similar) women.
I won't give away any spoilers but it's about the innate power of women.
Thoroughly recommend.

19. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

A holiday read...definitely light and fluffy but I still enjoyed the storylines and how it all came together in the end.
A feel good book.

I felt exactly the same about her book Normal People (I think that's what it's called...it was televised during Covid).

I really couldn't warm to any of the characters, but on screen I definitely liked both leads.

27: Beautiful World, Where are You by Sally Rooney
I feel a bit on the fence about this one - I didn't love it or hate it. The characters were all just a bit unlikeable.

I really enjoyed that one too @TrustPenguins , read it for book club last year and took me a while to get into it.

25: Started Early Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson. Another helping of Jackson Brodie, one more to go then I can read the new one, I love these books.

19 The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farell

'The story of a young woman who must battle for survival amidst the splendour and treachery of the Italian Renaissance'

Quite a weighty book (approx 430 pages) but brilliantly written. I really enjoyed it. 4 stars out of 5.

32 Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver

oh my heart. This book. I don’t even know how to describe how I feel finishing this book. To have spent so many hours deeply embedded in the mind and soul of the 1st person narrative it is utterly heartbreaking to no longer be there. It earnt every second of my life it took to read.

some of you MUST have read it? I am desperate to discuss!

24: What are you doing here by Floella Benjamin.

I'm old enough to remember Floella from Playschool and was aware that she is now a member of the House of Lords but did not know anything about her early life or much about her post-Playschool career, what an inspiration she is! So much work for children, for diversity, supporting other women, numerous good causes and still going strong.

@Citygirlrurallife he's not much of a reader but does want to read this. It will be interesting to see what he thinks of it.

Oh wow - has he read the book? I’m so glad you agree with how accurate it is, it is VERY closely based on a real life and the narrator has continued being an incredible activist since she was forced to Leave Sri Lanka due to her activism. She’s not a professional narrator at all but it was really important to the author to have her read it.

we left when I was 3 so I don’t remember much but I’m hoping to take my parents back in the next few years and see the places we lived and also take them to Jaffna as of course they weren’t able to visit the north at all

@Citygirlrurallife it's a wonderful book!

There has been a dearth of literature from Sri Lanka, but now more is emerging which is great. My DH is Tamil Sri Lankan and was born the year before the riots in Colombo. Makes me appreciate how lucky his family were, speaking Sinhala helped them!

How long were you in Sri Lanka?

I directed the audiobook! Such an incredible book and fun fact the narrator was the inspiration for the lead character. My parents moved to Sri Lanka with newborn me at the start of the Tamil uprisings in 1983 so it was an emotional read for me too, especially getting to work with the author and narrator

16 - Tell me how this ends by Jo Leevers readable with some nice moments but generally just ok

25) Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan.

This is a historical fiction book which is highly accurate. Set in Sri Lanka and follows a girl and her family from the late 1970s and through the Sri Lankan civil war. Would very much recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about Sri Lanka recent history. Very gripping and shocking.

26: The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue
Good, but not the best book I have read by Emma Donoghue. I was very surprised to read the author's note at the end that it was in fact based on true events.

I've just added some Kristin Hannah books to my wish list now!

15. Big Swiss by Jen Beagin - Greta, who works as a transcriber for a sex coach, becomes infatuated with one of the clients whose therapy sessions she's transcribing - the titular Big Swiss. One day Greta recognises Big Swiss after overhearing her voice at the dog park, and pursues a relationship with her.

I was looking forward to this one, as the premise seemed really interesting, but I found it a bit tedious. All of the characters felt a bit dull, and forcibly quirky. A miss for me.

Fair enough - The Four Winds I’d say is up there with The Nigitingale!

@Citygirlrurallife Ha - very little help from me because I have read exactly: The Great Alone, The NIghtingale and The Women and am a few pages into Another Life (which I realised I already had so am doing that before the Kate Atkinson).

I loved The Women, but it really should have been called The Woman because apart from Frankie, we didn't really get any backstory to any of the other women. I preferred the first half of the book that was set in Vietnam. Also agree that there was some inevitability about the end.

Also loved The Nightingale although some of the 'border crossings' started to blur into one. But absolutely brilliant story and so evocative.

I'll let you know how i get on with this one. It's going to be hard to get into because my heart is still in Alaska....

@SlightlyJaded that was the first of Kristin Hannah’s books I read and it’s still my favourite (The Nightingale a close second). I was a bit disappointed with the ending of The Women to be honest - which others do you recommend?

31 - Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke

a re-read because my friend and I are going to a 20th anniversary talk by Susanna Clarke and we were obsessed with it when it first came out, along with a mutual friend who died this year so we’re going as a kind of weird private memorial to him really so I wanted to re read it before then.

I loved the ending this time round - I remember being disappointed by it when I was 20years younger. Goes to show what life experience does.

if you want Dickensian style writhing, characters and drama set against the napoleonic wars and surrounded by magic and fairies with all incredibly poetic imagery this is the book for you. It’s a tome but easy to read

22: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Following on from The Women - I've done a run of Kristin Hannah books. This one is (mostly) set in Alaska during 70s and 80s and follows the story of a family who arrive unprepared for the harsh winters and brutal lifestyle but start to fall in love with the place. The father is violent - damaged by PTSD following his stint in Vietnam and the oppressive environment and a local 'prepper' feed into his mental instability causing his unreasonable behaviour to escalate. Against this backdrop, the main protagonist - a teenage girl has a 'coming of age' story that ultimately leads to terrible tragedy.

I loved all the descriptions of the Alaskan lifestyle and the mum endlessly forgiving and excusing the violence was believable and heartbreaking. At times it almost descended into misery-porn but just about avoids doing that and I shed a tear towards the end. I will read more of her books but need a bit of a break so am about to start the new Kate Atkinson/Jackson Brodie.

20. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. I loved this. It's short but packs a lot in. It's set at Christmas if anyone is looking for a seasonal read but it's quite emotional.

I really enjoyed it. I also listened to the audio on Borrow Box at the same time which was good for getting the pronunciation of the names etc.

@Goodbyeimgoinghome
Did you enjoy The Mercies?
It's on my TBR pile.

Lost my way a bit - too much telly- but trying to get back into it now. 2 new ones to add to my finished pile: The Mercies as recommended by many on here and a fantastic read. Also one I have had on my TBR for many years, Cloudstreet, also magnificent. Updated list:

1. Stone Yard Devotional - Charlotte Wood
2. Strange Sally Diamond - Liz Nugent
3. Normal Rules Don’t Apply - Kate Atkinson
4. The Drowning Girls - Veronica Lando
5. Lessons In Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
6. Limberlost - Robbie Arnott
7. Back to Bangka - Georgina Banks
8. Zeus is a Dick - Susie Donkin
9. Water - John Boyne
10. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning - Margareta Magnusson
11. The Mercies - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
12. Cloudstreet - Tim Winton