50 Books Challenge 2025 Part Three

I think most on here have read Soldier Sailor so I won't write a long review. t really is like a giant MN rant/ midnight plea for help, isn't it?

I did relate to much of it (I imagine all mother do except for those not real perfect women with not real perfect husbands and children!) and read it very rapidly. I found her stream of consciousness a bit disorientating at times. The opening prepared me for an entirely different book.

I’ve enjoyed Meyrick’s two Christmas books the last couple of years. Sad that there won’t be any more. I’ll have to look out for his other books.

@highlandcoo – yes, I’m surprised that Denziel Meyrick isnt better known. Sadly he will be soon as the DCI Daley books are currently being filmed. I’ve been racking my brains trying to work out where I first heard about him. It might have been via the Bloody Scotland Festival, but I’m really not sure. I very much enjoyed Squeaky Clean. I always thought that Tartan Noir were crime procedurals set in Scotland? My other Tartan Noir favs are Marion Todd, Lynne McEwan, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Douglas Skelton, Denise Mina, Caro Ramsay, Lin Anderson and James Oswald (even though he did suggest that the residents of my town are cannibals lol).

Not a fan of: Neil Broadfoot, Stuart MacBride, Ed James, Quentin Jardine (enjoyed to begin with, but got ridiculous with everyone getting promoted every book. Tell that to all the DSs who have been at the same rank for 15 years!)

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit – good to know. That was on my radar, but I have so many other books to read first

@Cherrypi – I’m sure you will enjoy. She seems such a lovely person. I also wolfed down The Last Remains for the same reason, but my audience were very good.

Oh, just read about Denzil Meyrick. I picked up one of his Christmas specials this year and enjoyed it. Sad news.

@MrsALambert Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff was excellent too

Thank you, I’ve not heard of that one. I’ll look it up

@MrsALambert

I can also recommend The Looming Tower as a more academic piece about Bin Laden's origins

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit yes I have, I thought that was excellent. This one definitely pales in comparison

@MrsALambert

Have you read The Only Plane In The Sky? Amazing book huge on the thread a few years ago. Highly recommend- very upsetting though

9 Last Man Down the fireman’s story - Richard Picciotto
Richard was a fireman who miraculously survived the collapse of the World Trade Centre by being in exactly the right place at the right time. He and a group of fellow rescue workers were trapped in a stairwell in the north tower waiting to be rescued or a chance to escape.
This was a charity shop find and I picked it up as I have a sort of morbid curiosity when it comes to the human stories of the twin towers. This was a little disappointing though as he was a bit egotistical and some parts were repetitive. It was okay but I’ve read better.

Us by David Nicholas

Something lighter after the previous book on the Congo. It's about Douglas and Connie relationship, written by Douglas and nips back in time to the high and low lights as well as looking at where they are now travelling round Europe. It was quite insightful into the ebbs and flows of long term relationships. I'd have loved to have read from Connie's point of view as well, Douglas does admit some of his faults, but there's a clash of values and who they are as people that would definitely be hard to negotiate. Despite this, it's also quite funny and patches of light heartedness.

From Genghis Khan to Tamerlane: The Reawakening of Mongol Asia, Peter Jackson

It’s taken two months but I got there. The central thesis of the book is examine whether Timur’s rule in Central Asia/Iran was a continuation of Chingghis Khan’s Mongol empire (names never spelt like the cover). The first half of the book was a quite a slog and I am not sure I remember much: so many different khans and amirs, constantly battling and changing as well a really detailed literature review with even more names of those who were there, those who weren’t. This section basically sets the scene for part II which is actually about Timur (made famous by Shakespeare in his play Tamerlane). DS is at uni studying these same things at the moment and he isn’t chatty person except about uni, so whilst read this because I’m interested in that region, it also means we have plenty to chat about. Whilst section 2 was still info overload, I do feel
Ive come away with some overarching view of the geographical and temporal space. It’s clear in Jackson’s analysis, that whilst Timur keeps and continues various Mongol customs and sees the merit of intermarrying etc, he was also a Muslim leader which impacted a lot of his decisions.

I do recommend it, but I think you need to really be interested in this space as it’s probably a bit too dense for a popular history.

Murder at the Vicarage Agatha Christie

This year attempting some Marple. I am a strictly Poirot reader usually. I enjoyed this, but we got so little of Miss Marple, even though she eventually solves it. There was a small twist I saw but not the finale. I’m off to Torquay for some Christie event in April so thought I’d get cracking.

Ooh @Tarragon123 I'm going to see her tomorrow. I'm very excited and have fifty pages to go of The Last Remains. Didn't want the end of the Ruth Galloway books accidentally spoiled by the audience.

Sending hugs to both @PepeLePew and @TattiePants

8. The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous by Jilly Cooper

Finished the next installment in my Rutshire re-read. This is my least favourite of the series, I find Lysander frustratingly incompetent and don't understand how all the women of Paradise find his inability to achieve anything so endearing. I also find Georgie frustrating as I think she should just leave. I know Jilly has said in interviews that she wrote this book around the time her husband, Leo's, affair came to light and whilst they were trying to work through it so I imagine there is a lot of Jilly in Georgie. I imagine it's a very realistic portrayal of how many women would react in this situation and I'm judging Georgie's actions having never been in her shoes so I think that's probably a me problem

And at what feels a very fitting time with the recent discussions over books for people who don't read
9) The Sinner by Shantel Tessier
I have a good friend who exclusively reads smut on Kindle unlimited that she finds recommended on booktok. I don't mind the odd romance/smutty book, I find them a useful palate cleanser between heavier books. But I don't normally read things of quite this level. But during a recent discussion we agreed to each read a book recommended by the other person and this was her recommendation. All I can say is... Fuck me!

I was not expecting this book at all. The trigger warnings were so extensive I knew going in it would be unlike anything I'd ever read. The sheer depravity and degradation in this book blew my mind. I honestly just don't even want to provide a synopsis due to potential triggers but suffice to say this book is not for the faint hearted or for anyone who struggles with violence against women. The consent between the "couple" is extremely murky and sometimes definitely non-existent and the authors complete lack of understanding of human psychology is frankly a bit scary. This is part of a series. Safe to say I will not be reading any others in this series. If this is your sort of thing then crack on but it was definitely not my cup of tea.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie lucky you!!! I love Mr B's.

I had some very long train journeys this week so I've finished 28. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner - it's very sad but an honest depiction of many mother/daughter* *relationships. Worth a read.

I also absolutely wolfed down 29. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch. What a wild ride that one was! I did enjoy it, but it was unhinged!

I'm now working my way through a connected short story collection 30. Lot by Bryan Washington. I bought this last year when I was researching good books by black authors - it was recommended. It's about a very poor Latin/Blackbfamily in the US. The stories almost feel like chapters/vignettes.

I'm really bad at giving myself permission to DNF but I think I have to SAS : Rogue Heroes by Ben McIntyre. Dry.

Haha. I’ll practice my braying.

I do enjoy a mixture of fact and schlock as you put it. I really enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes museum in part for the tiny details you notice from the stories (tbf these were mostly pointed out to me by DS) but also that his bedroom has lots of mugshots of actual 19th century criminals on the wall. I’d recognised the famous baby farmer Amelia Dyer and we went up and down a few times and had a good old chat with the staff whilst the tourists bounded through. So clever to curate something entirely around fiction.

I liked rather than loved Mr B’s tbh. The children’s section is glorious but the rest was very claustrophobic and full of braying posh women!

If you’re travelling by train there’s a website where you can get a voucher for 2 for 1 tickets.

I thought it had a good balance of considered historical stuff and schlock.

Oh gosh, I’m going to need more than an overnight aren’t I?

Definitely try to get to Barter Books @MegBusset! It's great.

And for anyone going to Bath, Skoobs Books in Guildhall Market is the best secondhand book stall I've ever seen. Good quality and extremely well organised by genre; the guy really knows his stuff. On the more expensive side, Persephone Books is also a lovely shop. And somehow much friendlier than the old branch in Lambs Conduit Street used to be.

@BestIsWest When Will There Be Good News is my absolute favourite of the Jackson Brodie series. I love both the main female characters.

@Tarragon123 It's always sad when a favourite author dies. I'm surprised that I've never heard of Denzil Meyrick, so thank you for the link. Re Tartan Noir, I've recently really enjoyed Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley and am now reading A Killing in November, the first in the DI Ryan Wilkins series which I'm finding very entertaining. He's a very original creation and I'm looking forward to the others in the series.

I love Barter Books. I’m in Alnwick for the Easter and that is my first stop every time we are there

Oh this is lovely, I’m going to Bath in August for a solo trip for my birthday so Mr B’s was on my list, but will look up the Frankenstein house too.

Ooh! What’s it like? At the other side of the country, I’m visiting family in Northumberland so wondering if I can fit in a visit to that other 50 Bookers fave, Barter Books…