26-ish books in 2021

[MercedesDeMonteChristo]

Thought I’d kick start the new thread for this year.

I’m starting with Outlander by Diana Gabalon and reading Anna Karenina Tolstoy one chapter a day, so expect to finish September sometime - I’m on chapter 4.

1. The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

This was recommended on last year's thread and I loved it. It's a dream-like dystopian story set on an island where things disappear and are forgotten forever. I found it very moving.

1. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

I listened to this on audiobook and it was mildly diverting but that's about all I can say about it.

1. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Another audiobook. I vowed never to read another Henry James after being forced to read Washington Square at school and hating every page. It was undoubtedly easier to digest his prose by ear but I still found him just too fussy to enjoy so that's it now, no more Henry James ever again.

1. Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney

I wanted to read this before the tv adaption comes out. I read Normal People after I'd seen the adaption and I think my enjoyment of that book suffered slightly as a consequence.

I did really enjoy Conversations... I found it a really interesting portrait of youth and love (although I'm not sure I was entirely convinced by the relationship between Frances and Nick). I look forward to watching the tv adaption. Casting will be crucial, I think.

Book 7 Mr Stink, David Walliams I'm really enjoying reading these books to my children before bed. We might start Boy in a Dress next.
Book 8 was Marian Keyes - The Break. I really enjoyed this book, about a family with teen daughters. The husband decides to take 6 months off from their marriage and go travelling. Witty in places, very sad in others, however, this was a perfect read for me at the moment - nothing too heavy. I have Grown ups and look forward to reading it. I'm thinking of starting Where the Crawdads sing first and also want to read Conversations with Friends before the tv adaptation comes out too.

I’m reading Crawdads at the moment @Tinkhasflown with book club. We only read a certain amount a week but I have l, erm, thoughts.

1. The Hills Is Lonely, by Lillian Beckwith
2. Early Riser, by Jasper Fforde
3. Dear Mrs Bird, by AJ Pearce
4. My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russell
5. The Importance of Being Ernest, by Oscar Wilde

(My fifth entry was a play rather than a novel, but the library classed it as an audio book so I'm counting it!)

I've been meaning to read/listen to this for years, and I'm glad I finally did. Pithy and ridiculous. Just what I needed

I need some help, really struggling to get into reading a new book after a strong start (I thank back to back dull books for work has killed the joy a little at the moment), has anyone read these that are on my tbr bookshelf and recommend them for easy to be grabbed by the story and immediately immersed?

Everything is Illuminated
The Secret Commonwealth
A Suitable Boy
Changing Planes
Breakfast of Champions
The Stand
The Bone Clocks
The Black Prince

@DonEmmanuelsDingleberries I didn’t think I’d like The Importance of Being Earnest, just because it’s a play and I was reading it, but I loved it, I was laughing like a loon.

@KobaniDaughters. I advice I’m afraid. Isn’t A Suitable Boy very long and therefore possibly not what you need right now? I might be totally wrong.

Length isn’t necessarily an issue if I can get hooked in

@Kobanidaughters I’ve read the stand and everything is illuminated and recommend them both.

1. This is going to hurt

Enjoyed girl, woman, other- loved the portrayal of different and interweaving stories from a range of women. Am now reading this memoir from a doctors life, out loud with my DH. We laugh a lot but it is shocking and some of his gags feel a bit close to the line.

Just catching up with the thread, I seem to have lost my reading mojo and have been distracted by binge-watching good (and trashy) telly.

Also, I keep getting reservations at the library coming through and they are queue-jumping what I had wanted/planned to read!

1. Out of Time (Midlife, if you still think you're young) - Miranda Sawyer

Worth reading for the Grace Jones anecdote alone!

1. Class - Jenny Colgan

Basically a modern homage to boarding school stories like Malory Towers. What's not to like? I've placed a reservation for the second one in the series, not sure how many she has written though. I've never read anything else by this author, I think the saccharine titles put me off a bit.

I can highly, highly recommend The Stand if you haven't chosen yet, @KobaniDaughters

I've got a couple of non-fiction books finished this week, both of which were excellent.

11. Invisible Women - Caroline Criado-Perez
Already well read across MN and thoroughly worth reading for all women, and men who give a shit about women. Quite startling to understand quite how often 50% of the population are essentially overlooked.

12. Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall
Ten maps of different parts of the world and how geography influenced war, politics, trade and development. Absolutely fascinating and very accessible if this is something you're interested to in.

I think DP is pleased I have reverted to fiction for my next read as I won't keep pulling his sleeve and sharing unsolicited facts with him for a while now!

13. Vox by Christina Dalcher
I really enjoyed this. A misogynistic, religious fundamentalist dystopia with a bit of almost science fiction, plus good old human emotions. A central point was made early on - what’s the point in having a voice if you don’t use it? Her second book - Q - is in the Kindle monthly deals for 99p so I have downloaded that, but have others in mind to read first.

@MargotMoon I’ve always dismissed Jenny Colgan too. I got one of those free mass market versions of one of her early books with a magazine years ago (as in, more than 15 years) and dismissed it as twee romantic waffle. The titles of her later books have sounded like twee romantic waffle too. However Malory Towers for grown ups sounds great for a fun, undemanding read - so may stick these on the wish list on your recommendation!

I’ve had Prisoners of Geography on my shelf for ages. Perhaps I’ll make it my next non-fiction read. Have you read The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan @HoundOfTheBasketballs? Really brilliant at realigning how we look at history. I won a Twitter ticket to attend a study day that he was hosting at the British Museum and fangirled and got my book signed. (I don’t have a crush. I don’t).

1. Hearts and Minds by Amanda Craig.

A damning commentary on contemporary London about immigration, exploitation and belonging. Craig writes with intelligence, compassion and seamlessly connects the initially disparate characters' stories to demonstrate how we are all ultimately joined together. I loved it and would definitely like to read more of her books.

1. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

I listened to this on audible. Light, frothy and very amusing in places but I won't be reading the sequel.

TheAnswerIsCake (it definitely is)

I enjoyed Vox too and I'm surprised we haven't seen a film or tv version yet.

@TheAnswerIsCake I've just picked up the second one ('Rules') from the library so will post on here when I've finished it

I’ve not joined this thread yet, as I’ve started in previous years and then dropped off the thread as I just don’t read much, as in, I can read several pages of a book and then not read again for several days. However, so far this year I’ve read three books, which isn’t as many as some but is more than I have usually read by this time. I read my latest book in just over a week which is the quickest I’ve finished a book in a while.
The books I’ve read are:

1. The Mitford Scandal, Jessica Fellowes
2. The Various, Steve Augarde
3. Ghost Moth, Michèle Forbes

Book 4 is Becoming Belle by Nuala O’Connor. I’ve only just started it.

I don’t know if I have a goal for the year. For the past two years I’ve read 9.5 books in each year, so perhaps ten this year? If I continue reading books faster than I have done in previous years on this thread, I can easily adjust that.

Welcome @toffee1000. It’s really just to track your own reading and share thoughts so please don’t worry about speed or others.

After years of setting my target too high and trying desperately to speed or read short books I now set my target at an achievable number. I also don’t let it dictate what I read anymore because my TBR pile has lots of big books and I want to read them eventually. I only really set an official target because I enjoy watching goodreads with its stats and end of year email analysing it all.

Can I ask about the Mitford book? I’ve read the Lovell bio of the sisters and one of Nancy’s books so am interested.

StColumboOfNavron
What is goodreads?

Goodreads is a bit like FB for book people. I don’t use it like social media though just to keep track of my reading. Just a book logging site really - you can get involved in groups but I don’t at all. You can review if you want but I just give star ratings for my own info.

This is my homepage. When I finish the books I’m reading they get added to the bit at the bottom which is my challenge for year. I just enjoy the geekiness of updating how far I am in the year and if I’m ahead of schedule or whatever. At the end of the year they send an email telling me how many pages I read, my shortest book, longest book, most popular book etc. Every so often I like to look at a visual representation of what I’ve read so far.

It’s a nonsense and I keep a paper list with reviews too because I’m a bit obsessed.

Oh the screenshot didn’t work.

I use an app called iReadItNow to track my reading. It's very low-tech compared to Goodreads, which I found too fiddly.

I use one called Reading List. I like to see a visual record too.

Just started Grown Ups by Marian Keyes. I’m enjoying it.

@StColumbofNavron it’s the third book in a fictional series. Although the main plot is entirely fictional, a lot of the events are based in reality. It features Diana’s wedding to her first husband, and it’s mentioned that her youngest sisters Jessica and Deborah didn’t attend because they were ill, which is actually true, for example.

I'm really struggling to get into Where the Crawdads Sing. I'm actually finding other stuff to do instead of reading. Was anyone else the same? Should I just keep going?

I know it's March, but can I respectively join in? I'm mainly hoping for lots of inspiration as I catch up with what others are reading.

So far this year I've read:

Max Brooks: WWZ
Philip Pullman: The Commonwealth (Book of Dust 2)
Dilys Rose: Unspeakable (loved it - about the last man hanged for blasphemy in Scotland)
Richard Osman: Thursday Murder Club (meh)
Hilary Mantel: Wolf Hall (took forever)

Currently reading Simon Barnes 'The History of the World in 100 Animals'. I'm racing through it and need to get my next one lined up!