50 Books Challenge 2026 Part Five

Also discussing The Names at bookclub tomorrow! I'm another that thought it was brilliant and may well end up one of the year's bolds.

@NotWavingButReading , yes, this one does require some fairly major suspension of disbelief! I haven't been reading in order and I agree that it would be better to do so, but too late now.

@bibliomania I've read a few Times Weaver books including You Were Gone which might be the most far fetched. I made the mistake of not reading in order and there are some threads that run through. I've had a few from Borrowbox.

Can't answer about The Names as I've taken it on and off my tbr list based on successive enthusiastic and unenthusiastic reviews on here - although maybe that's an answer in its own right!

70. Nature's Memory, Jack Ashby
Non-fiction. A very readable defence of natural history museums and the contribution they can make towards current challenges such as the climate crisis. Although he is very much in favour of them, he's still critical of their biases, including their colonial roots and unthinking sexism. Recommended to anyone who likes poking around museums.

71. En Route: A Journey Round France in the Company of Great Writers, Peter Fiennes
A combination of travelogue and writing about writers is always going to be catnip to me. The author takes us lesser-known (to me anyway) corners of France in the off season and tells us about writers associated with the area, both French (Maupassant, Beauvoir and Sartre, Collette) and anglophone (Baldwin, Wharton, Mansfield). I enjoy the author's style, but he does tend to dwell on the gloomier side of life, so we get syphilitic deaths, antisemitism, environmental degradation and the Battle of Verdun. I appreciate that it's not all sipping rose in fields of lavender, but it does dissipate the holiday mood a little.

72. You Were Gone, Tim Weaver
I dip in and out of this long-running series about a missing persons investigator. He watched his own wife die painfully of cancer eight years ago, so who is this woman who walks into a police station claiming to be her? Can he trust his own memories? This delivered the page-turning drama you want from the genre.

@SpunkyKhakiScroller I loved The Names (I do agree with your point that the impact was primarily about how the mother’s life went after the pivotal choice rather than the son’s life)

We are also doing it for book club this month too (but I read it a little while ago)

I bolded The Names @SpunkyKhakiScroller but it has definitely not been universally loved here

I think it was very popular here too @SpunkyKhakiScrollerI was like you in that I didn’t love it- I liked the premise but didn’t think it was very well-executed although it raised important issues.

I had my in person book club last night to discuss The Names and I was the only person who didn't love it. My review is earlier in this thread but I was curious what the general consensus of the 50 bookers was. The demographics here is very different from my book club and I am curious if that makes a difference.

I binge watched the first 5 episodes in one go. It is US focused of course. 2 of the first 5 episodes were on the Pacific - Pearl Harbour, Battle of Mid Way, presumably to keep the US audience interested. But there are 20 episodes so lots more to come. Worth a watch.

We finished Band of Brothers again the other day! I hadn’t heard about the Tom Hanks series so might try that. I’ve also finished my annual rewatch of The West Wing tonight (oh for a saner time in US politics) so I’m in need of a long series to watch.

41. Death’s End by Cixin Liu

Final book in the Three Body Problem trilogy. It’s hard to go into much detail without giving spoilers for the previous two books.

This one leans into the dark forest philosophy of the previous book so has more alien threats and the potential extinction of humanity. There’s lots of time skips as main characters go in and out of hibernation, with the action spanning hundreds, then thousands, of years, so pretty epic in scope.

It’s interesting and imaginative and filled with big scientific ideas, and also one that requires a fair amount of concentration to take in all the detail. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this trilogy.

I've just started WW2 with TH, agree that the American pronunciation of Adolf is weird. So far I've heard nothing new, but I do like TH so might stick with it.

Not book related either but is WW2 worth a watch @Arran2024 ? We're doing our millionth rewatch of Band of Brothers just now and debating WW2 next

Not book related, but i am watching WW2 With Tom Hanks on Sky and the Americans all say "Aydolf Hitler". I don't understand why they do this.

36. The Wedding People - Alison Espach
Much reviewed on here already and the good reviews made me break out of RWYO and buy it. Phoebe ends up the only non-wedding guest in a luxury hotel taken over for a week of wedding celebrations. She becomes embroiled in the wedding party and the voice of sanity. It actually took me a while to get into but once I did get into it, i thoroughly enjoyed it. So many potential MN bridezilla threads! I had also failed to spot from the reviews that this was set in the US.....

Looking forward to Land!

I've just realised that I've spelled 'ordnance' wrong in my post. Apologies!

It isn't necessary to know the technical aspect of mapping to follow the story, by the way. It serves as a frame. There were mention of tools that I hadn't heard of before. I clearly know nothing of ordnance surveying ;)

Re American pronunciation - I've just started listening to Project Hail Mary and the way he says "Pipe-ets" is driving me nuts!

Welcome @EstoyRobandoSuCasa interesting selection. I loved Moon Tiger and really like Claire Keegan. I keep meaning to read some Katherine Mansfield.

@BadSpellaSpellaSpella I read Unsettled Ground earlier this year and thought it was great so glad to hear Hunger & Thirst is good too. She did a COVID type one about an octopus that I wasn't as keen on.

Great to hear that Land is good too. It's my online book club read this month and debating whether to get it on audio or hold out for a Kindle deal. @MaterMoribund I saw a thing on good reads where she mentioned a book called Map of a Nation by Rachel Hewitt which was all about the ordnance survey.

So pleased to hear Land is so good! I have it ready and waiting, might read it next, but was going to read DH’s book about maps and mapping first hoping for some context.

I'm already in doing my best to be patient mode. I should be relieved if I knew I would have to wait until autumn

My review doesn't do it justice, @BestIsWest. Let me know what you think of it.

I’ve just bought Land on the strength of your review @FuzzyCaoraDhubh.

I hope you enjoy both book and holiday, @ÚlldemoShúl !

I managed to pace myself during the first half, but then I got so drawn in, that I read the second half straight through. I'll also admit to having a lump in my throat and leaky eyes. You might want to keep your sunglasses on :)

@FuzzyCaoraDhubhI’m delighted to see your good review- I pre-ordered Land and have it lined up as my first read of the summer holidays which start on Monday 29th June. Can’t wait (for both the holidays and the book!)

Land: Maggie O'Farrell.

The latest book by this author is a wonderfully immersive story about the lives of a family in the decade or so following 'The Great Hunger'. Tomás is a cartographer for the British Ordinance Survey Office and is meticulously recording the changes that the famine has had on the land. He and his young son stumble upon a hidden copse and Tomás has a transformative experience when he drinks from an ancient well. This experience alters the course of his and his family's lives.

This is a beautifully-written story of the fate of a family woven through the history and geography of the land that is their home. I found that reading about their circumstances, relationships and the exploration of the land very moving.

It recalls Irish folklore and the tradition of story-telling perfectly. It has a splash of magical realism embedded in the story at its most mystical point. I loved it from beginning to end and I'm sure it will be my book of the year.

You make me almost want to read it to see how bad or good each story is.