25 (ish) books in 2019

[Chickoletta]

Inspired by, but also slightly overawed by, the 50 book thread, this is a thread for those who love to log their reading but don't have the time or inclination for such a high target. The aim is to read 25 books but it really doesn't matter if you don't get close to that or far exceed it - the idea is to exchange recommendations and thoughts.

I loved this thread last year and was really inspired by some of the suggestions so have taken the liberty of starting this year's version.

I only managed 19 books last year due partly to being a slow reader (even though I'm an English graduate and teacher) and also it being a rather busy and stressful year. I'm definitely hoping to beat that score in 2019.

Please number your books and give titles in bold to make it easy to follow as well as sharing thoughts about them.

My favourite book of last year was The Heart's Invisible Furies', as recommended here.

Just finished my first book of the year:

1. 'Why Mummy Drinks' by Gill Sims (bought for me by my own mother for Christmas - no offence taken!!)
Light hearted and well-observed, this was very enjoyable. Some laugh out loud moments as well as many wry observations about family life. I think I would have enjoyed it more if her children didn't sound so totally insufferable!

Looking forward to sharing our reading this year.

Hi all

I’d like to join the thread! I’ve been lurking but haven’t managed to finish a book yet until last night!
Back to work with a toddler I am trying to find the time to get back to reading. I was tempted to start my to read pile again but purchasing some new books but thinking I should give the books a go!

Started with an easy read

1. The last Mrs Parrish.

Currently on - Do not say we have nothing by Madeleine Thien

I’ve just finished What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn. Excellent book, so so good but it made me cry lots. Definitely going to read more by her (this was her first but she’s written a few since then). That was my 10th book so far this year, so I’m well ahead but bound to slow down as soon as we hit holidays.

Just started The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. I’ve liked all his others so I’m expecting to enjoy this one.

Finished The Roanoke Girls, no 14. Very disturbing but quite well written.

The KitchenWitch I have The Bone Clocks sitting unread on my shelf - will be interested to hear what you think of it. I read Cloud Atlas a while ago but found parts of it hard going in terms of content so have put off reading this one.

Anyways, I've just finished...

1. Women and Power by Mary Beard - a short ebook based on a lectures, which I read over a couple of evenings. I have been thinking a lot recently about what it means to have a voice and be heard, and to have the 'power' to change things. This caught my eye. It was a thought provoking and engaging book that made me think harder about how power is defined in Western culture and what this has meant, and still does mean, for women and girls.

@RKay2 welcome to the thread.

Hope it inspires you to re-find space to read a bit more and that back to work is going OK.

I haven't read this much since before my 8YO DC was born , so the thread is working for me!

I've just finished 4. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn and highly recommend it.

Ray and her husband lose their farm in a court case and are left with nothing, then he is diagnosed with a degenerative illness. They are homeless so spend their last pounds on a couple of rucksacks and set off to walk the SW coast path, wild camping all the way and surviving on £40 per week.

This is such a powerful book; it's sad in parts but also humorous, beautifully described and ultimately very uplifting.

Not sure what to read next. Off on a bit of a staycation this week so will pick up a couple of light reads en route.

15. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman - I loved the characters and their stories. Laughed and cried reading this!
16. The Power by Naomi Alderman - just starting..

Thanks @bobinks

It has reignited my reading

I actually just finished my second book

Little fires everywhere by Celeste Ng

Really enjoyed it!

Will be reading some actually from this thread!

R

I loved The Bone Clocks with a passion The KitchenWitch and bobinks, in fact I must re-read it. But then I've never met a David Mitchell book that I didn't like and I'm very cross that I will never be able to read the book he contributed to the Future Library project as I will be long dead by the time it is published in (just under) 100 years.

Finally got round to reading another book, I'm going slow this year.

4: My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante

It was amazing, absolutely brilliant I loved it and have immediately ordered the next volume in the Neapolitan Quartet. I found the characters compelling and complex and couldn't put it down. It is my reading priority to finish this Neapolitan quartet even if I don't manage anything else this year!

Finished All That Remains by Sue Black, no 15. Excellent and I can't recommend it highly enough. I was lucky enough to hear her speak (including about her work in Kosovo) recently which was incredibly moving.
Also quite interesting in light of the thread running at the moment about cases you'd like to see solved.

1. The Woman in the Window
2. Tangerine
3. Just finished The Keeper by Graham Norton, which was surprisingly good!

@tomhazard Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I've got it sat at the library on the reserve shelf. Ordered on a bit of a whim.

Book 7 on my list has been Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Found out about it via Reece Witherspoon's book club thing and then saw it in the supermarket and stuff. It's ok, the characters are classic 70s rock stars and called to mind lots of bands from around them (I think it draws heavily on Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks) but it took ages to get to the actual point. It's all interviews but all mashed in together. Feels like she's set it up for a sequel.

1. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Aiden Bishop relives the same day over and over again in a different body, stuck in an eternal loop until he can solve the mystery of who murdered Evelyn Hardcastle.

This had a fiendishly complicated plot and I frequently lost track of who was who and who did what at what time but it's a very clever idea. I'm not generally much of a mystery reader so I found myself more interested in why Aiden was trapped in these strangers' bodies than in trying to solve the murder.

The book is set at a country house that Aiden finds he is unable to leave and the claustrophobia he feels is very well described and have to say that I was glad to finish the book and leave the house behind.

Nevertheless, it was a clever, entertaining read.

5. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. Not my usual type of book but I wanted something pacy and non-taxing for the Easter holidays (I'm a teacher) and this was Waterstone's Book of the Month.

This was quite gripping in places with some well drawn characters but I was really frustrated by the fact that nothing really happens. Nine strangers with complex 'ishoos' attend a retreat which turns out to be run by an unhinged sociopath. Lots of potential for Agatha Christie style intrigue but all opportunities missed in favour of navel gazing. I didn't like the ending, which tied everything up in a neat bow, once you'd worked out what the hell was going on.

I read this in less than a week and found it quite enjoyable as I read but wouldn't hurry to read anything else by Liane Moriarty.

Welcome Rkay2.
I really enjoyed Beartown despite thinking I wouldn't because of all the hockey references. I might even check out the sequel at some point.

Started Book 12 Becoming by Michelle Obama. I'm about a third of the way through and enjoying it so far.

Finished The Radium Girls number 16, a bit over dramatic but a really interesting story.

CharliesMouse I'm about 2/3 of the way through The Bone Clocks now and am finding it very up and down - some bits I've really liked, some have been a bit boring and pointless, and some has been really, really weird (not in a good way). I'm liking it less as I go along tbh but still enough to keep going. I'm interested to see how it ends!

It's been a long time since I read it TheKitchenWitch but I seem to remember enjoying the weird bits He does wander just over the line into dangerously weird territory in some of his books sometimes though I do agree. I highly recommend Slade House (if you haven't read it already) when you finish The Bone Clocks. It's a very slim book and it inhabits the same universe which I found very satisfying.

9. Nemesis, by Lindsey Davis - I like the main character and the ancient Rome setting, but thought the book ended in a somewhat grim way. I'll wait a while before I pick another book in the series.

10. The Golden Egg, by Donna Leon - I discovered this in a book exchange corner of a train station. It's part of a series about a Venetian police inspector, and I absolutely loved the descriptions of food, drink, architecture and both Italian and Venetian people. Reminded me of a romantic break we had there last year. The plot was light and not too gruesome, and I've already spied some other books from the series in the library.

11. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - turned up at the library and I'd heard so much about it. Easy to read, but not unpredictable as advertised on the cover!

Finally done with book 10 The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Bloody hell that thing was epic. I really enjoyed it but it felt like I was reading it forever!
Now onto book 11. Aurora Rising

I enjoyed The Power by Naomi Alderman more than I thought I would. It did read like YA fiction mostly, especially early on. It could have gone in so many other directions. Some powerful scenes. Wish I had the power!
I've just started No.17 - French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain.

9 Happy Adults - the secret to lasting happiness, contentment and success by Cathy Glass - I'm going through a bit of a rough patch and was looking for inspiration in the local library. This book is a series of chapters dealing with topics such as optimism, decisiveness, self development, setting goals, coping with stress, etc. Picked up a few useful tips and always good to be reminded of what one should be aiming for!

I suspect there are better self help / therapy books out there! like Why Mummy Drinks/Swears

Finished The Legacy, no 17, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir, when I was half way through I wished I hadn't started (grim thriller) but the twist at the end was a good one so I'm glad I read it.