48. When in French: Love in a Second Language, by Lauren Collins
Non-fiction account by an American woman married to a Frenchman and living in Switzerland. I enjoyed her jaundiced take on Geneva and her discussion of trying to learn French. She generally writes well, although occasionally over-eggs her prose.
49. The Pale Criminal, Philip Kerr
Another Bernie Gunther crime novel, Berlin 1938. An ugly crime in an ugly moment of history. The series is atmospheric, but I'm not sure how much time I want to spend in that atmosphere.
50. Old Baggage, Lissa Evans
Nicely evokes the post-war disillusionment of a suffragette. I loved the portrayal of the solidarity and affection amongst those who'd been part of the struggle. She looks for a new ways to make her life meaningful, but it doesn't work out quite as intended. I liked this, although it didn't entirely engage me emotionally.
51. The Bellweather Revivals, Benjamin Wood
Takes the basic ingredients from Mark Lawson's The Deaths (we start the book knowing something bad has happened, but what and why), marinates it in the mood of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, and finally flambés in Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk about Kevin. So yes, it felt derivative, but the bigger problem for me was that it felt population by Book Characters, not people familiar from real life.
52. The Gentle Art of Tramping, Stephen Graham
Short essays about the joys of hiking and camping, first published in the 1920s. The tone is twee in the manner of the time, but I have quite a high degree of tolerance for twee 1920s prose, so mildly liked it.
53. Civilisation, Kenneth Clark.
Published in 1969 to accompany the TV series, which I'm also slowly watching on BBC iPlayer (you have to be in the right mood). Picked up in a charity shop to address a vague yearning to be cultured. The author points out that it can only be the sketchiest of overviews - a millennium in 13 episodes/chapters - but I like the grand sweep of it.
54. Close to Home, Cara Hunter.
Fairly standard crime thriller - young girl disappears from her family home: what has happened and who is responsible? Takes misdirection to faintly absurd lengths, with everyone having mysterious pasts, but overall, not the worst of its type.
55. Hope for the Best, Jodi Taylor
Not much to add to Chessie's review. The usual time travel, wisecracks, fights and narrow escapes. If you're a fan, you'll like it; if you're not, it won't convert you. I would have liked more Big Moments in History - it felt like there were fewer than usual of these, while Max was mooching around the Time Police HQ.