26ish books 2026

33 Margo's got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. Written in quite a fun way but a bit too "happy hooker sex positive". It's a series on Apple TV, might give it a go anyway.
34 Kuleana by Sara Kehaulani Goo. Really informative and well written, it's the story of her Hawaiian family. Made me want to go to Hawaii but also not to, because it's over touristed.

@MonkeyTennis34 yes, I think it is as good as the rest. I have just seen that Louisa Young has written a follow on called The Golden Hours, but not sure I want to read it.

@DiggoryVenn
I love the Cazalets too and have been putting off reading the final instalment. Is it as good as the others?

11: All Change by Elizabeth Jane Howard
I had been bracing myself for finishing the final book in the Cazalet Chronicles because I have loved them so much and I didn't want any distractions reading the last one. I will really miss these books.

12: Mariana by Monica Dickens
This is one of those lovely Persephone books and actually had a very similar vibe to the Cazalets.

16: Children of Radium by Joe Dunthorne. A family memoir, Joe delves into the inherited diaries of his great-grandfather Siegfried, a German Jewish chemist who worked on radiochemicals, gas masks and chemical weapons, fled the Nazis and later found that his life’s work had led to the use of chemical weapons in concentration camps, where family and friends had died. It is also the wider story of the family and how the war affected marriage, family and relationships, but largely it is about how Siegfried lived with the truth of what his life’s work had led to, a really interesting read.

No 15 - The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman

I'm as hard as nails, but this book made me cry like a baby. This is a beautifully written book about a couple in early 20th century Australia who live in a lighthouse. A small boat containing a dead man and a crying baby crashed into the rocks, and they made the ill-judged decision to pretend the baby belonged to them.

A book about a mother's love and complex relationships. Beautiful.

4 One of Us by Elizabeth Day
Read this inspired by the thread. Enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to reading more by her and also checking OIt her podcast.

15: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman (audio). I'm not sure I'd have finished this if had been an actual book but the narration made it such an easy pleasant listen that I did get to the end but had lost track of some of the minor plot threads/characters by the end (not helped by having a break for a week in the middle). Friends say the books that follow in the series are better.

Ooo, thank you. I might just put that/those on my list

My love affair with Ann Patchett started with Bel Canto! She’s an amazing writer - State of Wonder is a great read too. I’m looking forward to her new release soon

14: Peter Kay’s Diary. A lighthearted trip down memory lane with Peter, not a memoir as such but a set of reminiscences and anecdotes from his childhood onwards based on calendar months. Slightly puerile (toilet humour) in places. Amusing, simply written, I probably won’t remember much of it in a year’s time, but it was a pleasant enough read.

15: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Loved this, the kind of book that you don't want to end (just like the hostages in the story didn't really want their captivity to end). After Tom Lake and now this, am thinking Patchett might become a favourite author.

Desc from Amazon: a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening—until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers.

That sounds really good @h0rsewithn0name - I'm reading a 600 page book at the moment so maybe I'll look into it next year!
@PinkOrangeRed I think I remember reading about Vaseem Khan - must try the Bombay ones.

Book 13: The Tenant by Freida McFadden
I didn’t find any of the characters overly likeable but enjoyed the twists and the chapters from different characters perspectives. I feel Freida McFadden sometimes has a very one dimensional and simplistic writing style, (and she could do with some new descriptive words) but as always it makes it easy and quick to read!

2026 books so far:
then she was gone
beautiful ugly
the intruder
the shadowman
the family upstairs
Rock Paper Scissors
The Family Remains
The House we Grew up in
It Should Have Been You
Dont Let Him In
Daisy Darker
Someone In The Attic

21 Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan. This is a new James Bond mystery spin-off series, featuring Q (Major Boothroyd). Q has been made redundant from MI6 and investigates the mysterious death of his scientist friend, Peter Napier, who worked on advanced quantum computing.

Well plotted and enjoyable, with very short chapters. Though I'm not sure if I would read any more in the series. I prefer his Malabar House books, set in 1950s Bombay, featuring Persis Wadia, India's first female police detective.

8 The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

My second JG book (first was Bleachers which I loved). This was good but I didn't enjoy it as much. I love his writing style but maybe this was too 'lawyer - ry' for me! Still a page turner though and a solid 3 stars out of 5.

@Scout2016
I love the Strike books but I’m also not as concerned with the crime-solving element. It’s all about the Strike/Robin dynamic for me!

11. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith.
Really enjoyed it until about the last 6th when the convoluted reveal was being spun out and it all got very clichéd itv crime drama. Also I realised I didn't really care who did the murder or why and how, probably because the victim and suspects were all fairly horrible people. But crime novel wise it all hung together OK rather than being a ridiculous big twist for the sake of it.

There were some satisfying elements but I don't want to give any spoliers. I liked the peripheral characters, such as the new hires to the agency, and I rated the plot in general.

Finished book no 14 - Dominion by C J Sansom

This was a beast of a book - 700 pages! A really fascinating read, the author assumes that Britain lost the war at Dunkirk in 1940 and there followed German 'input' into British life. It follows a group of people from the resistence movement, as they try to protect someone who has massive war weapon knowledge. The book is so informative and brings into it some famous politicians who we've all heard of. Would recommend if you like a bit of 1950's politics.

Book 12: Someone In The Attic by Andrea Mara
this was a good read, it started quite dark and not a book I should’ve started just before bed 😆 I do enjoy Andrea Mara’s writing style and the amount of detail she puts into
her books, this one had a few twists and it kept me guessing

2026 books so far:
then she was gone
beautiful ugly
the intruder
the shadowman
the family upstairs
Rock Paper Scissors
The Family Remains
The House we Grew up in
It Should Have Been You
Dont Let Him In
Daisy Darker

32 The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths.
I like the Ruth Galloway mysteries, though they are quite flimsy, there were some interesting thoughts on motherhood in this one.

14: The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino

Eighteenth century Italy: a young nobleman rebels against parental authority by climbing into the trees and remaining there for the rest of his life. Critics described it as a 'truly delicious fantasy'. I loved it for the first half, then got quite bored.

Currently reading Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and loving it.

@Orangebadger The Great Gatsby is one of my all time favourites! The Robert Redford film is just gorheous but I also love the modern version too. Unusual for me to like any film of a book

Book 12 I who have never known men.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book, it took me a while to get into, but once I did I was completely hooked. Its such an unusual premise. I did have to suspend disbelief a bit (to believe that someone could learn to write so well) but, I dont know, I just really loved it

9) The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald.
Unbelievable to some but I did not know this story at all. I had heard of it, knew of the movies and play and that is was set in the 1920’s but that was it.

I really enjoyed this book despite its pretty dark ending. Now to watch Robert Redford play Gatsby.