26-ish books 2024

I have The Wall in my TBR pile - I might make it my next one.

Breathmiller
I would be interested to hear what you make of the ending.

Thanks for this. I have a couple on my list to read but they aren't inspiring me but this sounds right up my street so I hace just downloaded it. And I have a quiet weekend.

10 - Mongrel by Hanako Footman

Just finished this on holiday. It was unbelievably brilliant

14 . The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

I've read a couple of her books now but this wasn't my favourite. An easy read though which was what I wanted after reading some nonfiction recently. 3 stars out of 5.

16. The Wall by John Lanchester
A fantastic read.
Set in a dystopian future, this was gripping and original.

15. Second From Last In The Sack Race by David Nobbs. Started off well, quite self consciously funny but still funny. Packed a lot in and was rather too dense and busy in places. For me it flagged a bit towards the end, maybe 4/5th in, with too much detail and I was less interested in the story. Then picked up speed again to wrap everything up neatly. I enjoyed the more ridiculous aspects particularly, and some of the characterisation.

47 - Fury Godmother
48 - No Guts, No Fury.

49 - Switching to read one of my very favourite authors now. New novella by Ilona Andrews 'Sanctuary'/
50-60 is going to be her Magic series. On book 3 already.

51 - Magic Bites
52 - Magic Bleeds
53 - Magic Strikes - excellent book!

54 - Magic Bleeds
55 - Magic Slays
56 - Magic Rises
57 - Magic Breaks
58 - Magic Shifts
59 - Magic Binds
60 - Magic Triumph.

Then there's a range of short stories and a couple of spinoff books that I'll work my way through too. :)
61 - Magic Stars novella
62 - Gunmetal Magic
63 - Iron and Magic
64 - Blood Heir
And the follow up books
65 - Magic Tides
66 - Magic Claims.

That should keep me busy for the rest of the summer hols. :)

9 - Restless Dolly Maunder - Kate Grenville

Liked it enough to keep reading it, but didn't love it. Not convinced it's Women's Prize quality but readable all the same.

24. The Familiars - Stacey Halls

Another one based around witch trials of the 1600's. Fiction and not quite as dark as The Mercies and Burial Rites but I enjoyed it nonethelesss.

21 My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes. Love a good Marian Keyes. This one is about Anna - the sisters are all of my generation which I think makes me enjoy them even more.

10. Topographia Hibernica - Blindboy Boatclub

11. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World - Elif Shafak (audiobook)

@DrMadelineMaxwell I directed the audiobook for You Shouldnt Be Here, it’s excellent!

22 The Women - Kristin Hannah. Been waiting ages to read this and finally my bookclub agreed to do it. It’s everything I want from Kristin Hannah, unputdownable, fallable but relatable characters, strong women. She can do no wronf

20) One day by David Nicolls. An oldie but one I had never come across until recently. A good easy holiday read. Was a bit surprised by the ending!!

@MonkeyTennis34 I have loved MOF for years. She draws people beautifully

17: Homecoming by Kate Morton
Took me a couple of chapters to fully engage but then I loved it. Set in Australia and split across two time zones (late 50s and present day) the book centres around a horrific tragedy and the slow unravelling of the truth.

I haven't ready anything by Kate Morton before but would again now.

It has taken me forever to find time to read book 8! But finally had a quiet weekend and had time to finish

8 - River East River West - Aube Rey Lescure

A women's prize nominee. Absolutely loved it

23. Home Stretch - Graham Norton

My second Graham Norton and once again I enjoyed it

8) Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt could have been at least 50 pages shorter. It really dragged after the reveal to the audience, and the POV chapters given to the octopus (the main selling point of the book) were almost nonexistent in the final third.

Also I assumed that Tova was in her late seventies or early eighties based on how she and her friends talked about moving in with children, and going to nursing homes. Imagine my surprise when she turned out to be only 70 (I think she might have been 69 at the beginning of the book, but I lost track). I'll barely have started drawing my state pension by the time I'm Tova's age, so I hope I have at least a few years more than that before having to shuffle off to a retirement village so as not to be a nuisance!😄

15. The Distance Between Us by Maggie O'Farrell
Loved this.
My third MO'F book and what a writer she is.
Her characterisation is sublime, I really didn't want this book to end.

18: When the Dust Settles - stories of love, loss and hope from an expert in disaster by Lucy Easthope

19: Death in the Dark by Kitty Murphy

Enjoyed both of these. The first has some really interesting accounts of recent disasters from an emergency planner/disaster expert point of view and even touches on the Covid pandemic. The second is the 2nd book in the Dublin Drag Murder series and I think it is even better than the first.

Am on school holidays now so my reading is having a big surge...
37 All out of Leeds
38 What happened in London.
39 Accidental Scientist
40 - 45 Dead to the World series books 1-6
Started but then gave up 1/3rd of the way in with In Any Lifetime.
Started but suspended reading You Shouldn't Be Here cos it was late at night and gave me scary vibes (🤣)
46 Federal Bureau of magic book 1

@drspouse
I think the last 2 books were released in September??
🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

7. Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde - The long awaited sequel to Shades of Grey wasn't quite as good as the first book, but still enjoyable. The best thing about the world building in Shades of Grey were the slow reveals and being allowed as a reader to fill in the gaps. In comparison, some elements in Red Side Story were overexplained and resolved too quickly. Jane's character also seemed somewhat muted compared to the first book. Having said that, the last third was gripping, and I enjoyed the character development of Violet and Penny.

Now reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.

No word on date!

www.therowlinglibrary.com/2024/03/15/j-k-rowling-reveals-title-of-strike-8-the-hallmarked-man/

@coolmum123
I felt exactly the same about Silkworm and the Running Grave.
I can't believe I abandoned a Strike book now, but I did!!

So excited for the next one....think the title is out there but can't remember what is???

Anyone know when its release is?