I'm hoping to get somewhere between 25 and 50 books this year.
- The Men and The Girls by Joanna Trollope - I bought this on kindle and it's the wrong book. I could remember a book I read years ago and I thought it was this one, but it wasn't.
I bought another book of hers at the same time thinking that was the follow up to the book I meant to buy, and obviously it's not. This one is about two women in their thirties who are married or living with partners in their sixties, and who all have some kind of crisis where the balance of their relationships shifts.
I didn't really like this one, all the characters seem to be the same person. They all speak in exactly the same way, or they are a stereotype of a poor person.
- I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell. This is seventeen brushes with death that the author has experienced in her life, either her own near death or the near death of someone close to her. Some of the 'brushes' seem quite far from the mark, others are so close I was holding my breath for her hoping all would be okay.
- I Am Behind You by John Ajvide Lindqvist. The first of a trilogy, already all released in Sweden so I'm hoping the next two are quickly released here. His fiction is always a little strange and this one is no exception.
A group of people on a campsite wake one morning to find themselves in a different place, an enormous field which extends at all sides, with no sign of the campsite or camp buildings that should be there. Setting out to explore reveals some odd sights personal to each person, and some strange or frightening figures who appear different to each person.
It's weird, and I have no real idea where they are (except that the Swedish title is Himmelstrand and apparently that translates as something like Heaven's Shore, so perhaps they are in limbo or purgatory) and the next two books don't sound like they follow on from this book but hopefully they add to what we know from this one.
- Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan. A high profile politician is accused of a crime. His wife, Sophie, vows to stand by him. The prosecutor, Kate, vows to have him found guilty.
I guessed the twists but liked the book anyway.
- The Girl Before by Rena Olsen. There's a better known book recently published with the same title which is nowhere near as good as this one.
I don't want to give too much away on this one but if you've read books by Emma Donoghue or Emma Chapman then this one could fit in with them and is very good. I couldn't put this one down, I had to know what happened at the end.
Clara is brushing her daughters hair when armed men break into their home. Although Clara hides she is quickly found and taken away by the men. The last thing she hears is her husband shouting at her to say nothing, something she vows to do no matter what they say to her. But as they call her by the wrong name and talk of crimes that can't possibly be true, Clara starts to wonder if she should break her silence after all.
- It Happens All The Time by Amy Hatvany. Tackles the subject of acquaintance rape, the ideas people have about 'ambiguity' in cases like this, survivors guilt, rape culture, and the way we just don't educate boys to understand consent. It's difficult reading in places but thought-provoking and upsetting at times, especially as I believe the author has experienced some of the issues she's written about.