26-ish books 2024

1977!!!!

14. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin - David meets Giovanni in a Parisian bar whilst his fiancée, Hella, is away travelling in Spain. They start a passionate affair, but it all falls apart when Hella returns and David decides to pretend the whole thing never happened.

This book deals with themes of repressed sexuality, homophobia, and the concept of what it means to be man. For a short book (150 pages), it's a heavy hitter. Published in 1956, the attitudes to homosexuality displayed in the book are of their time. The characters are complex and flawed. I found both protagonists dislikable in different ways. David is a navel-gazing, self-centred user, who treats his lovers cruelly and takes very little responsibility for his actions. Giovanni is misogynistic (possibly out of resentment for David's fiancée, and to assert his own masculinity), volatile, and emotionally manipulative. Which didn't in any way lessen the tragedy of the story, nor overall futility of their fates. Would definitely recommend, but not a light read.

(As a side note, I didn't realise that the guillotine was used as a method of execution in France right up to 1977!)

*Raynor, not Radnor!

1. Kala, Colin Walsh
2. The Salt Path, Radnor Winn

23: When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson. Love these books. Shame about the new one @BaconAndAvocado I might wait for the paperback or get it from the library (I'm listening to the series on Borrowbox ATM).

18. Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

I bought this in hardback as I was excited about it coming out.
Love KA and all the previous Jackson Brodie books.

This one was.....okay. There wasn't enough in it about Jackson for me and, unfortunately, it was all a bit underwhelming. I still enjoyed it but definitely not as much as her other books.

18. Heartburn by Nora Ephron

I really enjoyed this. It's a short book so I whizzed through it. Based on the author's real life through divorce, it's quite sad in parts but also has good, dark humour. 4 out of 5.

15 - Strange Sally Diamond Liz Nugent - was a page turner for sure, enjoyed it more than I thought I would as not normally the sort of book I pick up

13. Eye for an Eye by M.J. Arlidge - five high profile criminals, each convicted as minors and granted lifelong anonymity on release, start having their new identities exposed to their victims' families. Fearing an internal leak, the probation service and police rush to find the mole and protect their charges as retaliatory attacks ramp up.

The book explores themes of justice, retribution, redemption, and vigilantism. It's told from multiple different perspectives, including the victims' families, the offenders' families, the probation service, the police, the head of a vigilante organisation dedicated to outing offenders via social media, and the offenders themselves. This worked fairly well, although some characters were stronger than others and had a more distinctive voice in the narrative. The police officer in charge of the investigation for example felt very bland and interchangable, despite her POV taking up a decent amount of the story.

Overall I enjoyed it, and recommend it if you're looking for a fast-paced thriller with interesting ethical scenarios.

24) Frenchman's Creek. Daphne Du Maurier. Having read several of her books and loved them all, this one was a bit of a disappointment.

🙌

I have started Half a Yellow Sun and it's great so far @Citygirlrurallife @Breathmiller

12. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn - a historical fiction set in Bletchley Park during WW2. Three women from very different backgrounds, Osla, Mab, & Beth, are assigned to BP and become sisters-in-arms, until a catastrophic event which destroys their friendship. Years later the estranged trio must band together once more to uncover a traitor in their midsts. With cameos from Prince Philip, Alan Turing, Winston Churchill, and Kate Middleton's granny.

It was certainly an entertaining read. I enjoyed Osla & Mab's friendship, and although Beth was a bit of a third wheel at times, this felt in keeping with her slightly eccentric character. Unfortunately I found the way the mole was revealed quite disappointing. It did make me want to visit Bletchley Park though.

@drspouse Half of a Yellow Sun would also be my recomendation.

@drspouse def read half of a yellow sun, it's amazing

27 The Adoption Papers by Jackie Kay, a lovely short book of poems and my 1990s read for the Big Jubilee Read.
I also finished re-reading Atomic Habits.

I now have to choose a 2000s book for October: I have already read Life of Pi, The Secret River, White Teeth and Small Island. I have copies of Wolf Hall, Half of a Yellow Sun and The Book Thief, I am definitely not going to manage to read Wolf Hall in October unless it's a massive pageturner.
I really liked Purple Hibiscus and found it quite easy to read as well - but Half of a Yellow Sun looks like it has more challenging themes. Of the others the shortest is The Boat but I might try one of the ones I actually own and see if I get into it quickly.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Jubilee_Read

28. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. - Gabrielle Zevin

This took me ages to get through, not because I didn't like it but life has been busy and I also have no real interest in gaming. But, the storyline kept pulling me in. It is set in a world of gaming but its really about people as most books are. If, like me, you feel this wouldn't appeal because of the framework around gaming designers, don't let it put you off.

I have some time off in the next little while and got kindle vouchers for my birthday so I will read back for inspiration

24: The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
I'm sure this was recommended on here - I really enjoyed it. It is a fictionalised account of something that actually happened (but in a different time period). Three lighthouse keepers disappear from an offshore lighthouse and the door is locked on the inside. Told from various viewpoints.

I really enjoyed Homecoming by Kate Morton recently. There is a gentle twist towards the end as well. I will say no more than that.

I enjoyed it too. The more I think about the ending, the more I come round to it. Just wasn't what I was expecting!
I'll have to see what other books she's written as I like her style.

14 - The Silence In Between, Josie Ferguson
This was really good. I found the first 20% a bit slow but it became brilliant after that. A very interesting story based around the Berlin Wall with a focus on mother-daughter relationships

14. Career of Evil Robert Gailbraith. Loved it. Was totally gripped. Homecoming by Kate Morton next. Hop it's a good one.

Held - Anne Michaels. Shortlisted for the Booker this year.

I loved the lysiricism and poetry of this book, I needed something a bit, I dunno, “more” and this fitted the bill perfectly

@TrustPenguins I loved this. I think it was her first book.

17. How to kill your family by Bella Mackie

Not an instruction manual!!
Instead a witty, dark humoured story which I raced through. I wasn't sure about the ending but I enjoyed it overall. 4 out of 5.