26-ish books in 2022

[StColumbofNavron]

Roll up, roll up ...

Shiny new thread for 2022.

I am setting my target at 25 this year.

I want to read at least a min of 5 in hardcopy and at least 4 non-fiction.

I studied lots of Russian history, it was my favourite thing about university so definitely enhanced it. DS1 was reading it for school at the same time and refused to talk to me about it or read ahead, until one day he came and borrowed my copy, stayed up reading it then had a great chat about Communism and Russia and the characters. It’s such a fond memory (he is now 16 and does talk but chats like that are few and far between).

Haven't posted for a long time!

1. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. Quite enjoyed this although kind of guessed the ending.

1. The Long Call by Ann Cleeves. I loved the Shetland series so gave this a go. The story followed a similar formula and main characters were interesting. Pretty good but not sure I'll read the rest of them.

10. A Month in the Country " by J.L. Carr. A real gem of a book! Tim Birkin, a veteran of World War I reminisces about his time in Yorkshire during the summer of 1920. It's a beautifully written account of his time spent uncovering a church mural in the Yorkshire countryside. There's not much of a story to it but it is very poetic and nostalgic, and demonstrates the healing power of art, nature and love.

11. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Brilliant book! I've never read anything by Neil Gaiman before but will definitely try some others if anyone can recommend. I loved the descriptions, humour and characters in this book. Highly recommend!

12. How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman. A short story that continues on from Neverwhere. Really enjoyed this too.

13. Learning to Swim" by Clare Chambers. Got this in a kindle deal and bought on the back of having read and enjoyed Small Pleasures*. A coming-of-age family drama which was a good read although ending was maybe a bit too perfect and possibly more suited to young adults.

14. The Foundling by Stacey Halls. Another kindle deal bought based on having enjoyed "The Familiars". Historical fiction about the Foundling Hospital in London and set in the 1750s. I wasn't so keen on this, especially the ending.

Currently reading and enjoying 12 Birds to Save Your Life: Nature's Lessons in Happiness by Charlie Corbett.

Sorry for the bad formatting in my post!

@Puddock1 Neverwhere is great, isn't it! I liked Stardust as well, and the film of it is really good

Thanks @MargotMoon, I've added Stardust to my list!

I've not read the book but love the film, it's such good family watching.

1. How We Disappeared - Jing Jing Lee

2. The Confession - Jessie Burton

3. A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles

4. The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

5. The Siege - Helen Dunmore

6. Rivers of London - Ben Aaranovitch

7. Moon over Soho - Ben Aaranovich

8. Circus of Wonders - Elizabeth MacNeal

9. The Mad Women's Ball - Victoria Mas.

10. The Light Between Oceans - ML Stedman

11. The Sin Eater - Megan Campisi - I picked this up in a charity shop and wasn't sure at first but actually I enjoyed it a lot. It's a mixture of Historical Fiction and crime, quite an original and imaginative book. I read it in two days so it captured my attention!

I've just finished book number 5 - Pretending to dance by Diane Chamberlain.

Need to up my game. I'm behind

17: Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix - audio. Needs no explanation really. Taken several weeks!

18: Summerwater by Sarah Moss (audio) - a day in the lives of several families staying on a remote Scottish holiday lodge park, in the rain. Then something shocking happens. One of those books where on the face of it nothing much happens and yet you get drawn into the lives of each family and individual (all in separate chapters) and their deepest thoughts. The locations are vividly described and I found it completely gripping, listened to the whole thing in one day.

17. Marriage Of A Thousand Lies by S.J. Sindu - I enjoyed this one. The novel focuses on Lucky (Lakshmi), but I would have liked to have some more development of some of the side characters, particularly her husband, Kris, whose sudden desire for a family was never fully fleshed out. As an immigrant in need of a green card, he arguably had more motivations to marry than Lucky did, but also seemed at times to have developed genuine feelings for Lucky. Showing his perspective would have made for a more complex and interesting story. Despite that, I'd recommend this book overall.

Book 6 Coraline

1. How We Disappeared - Jing Jing Lee

2. The Confession - Jessie Burton

3. A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles 4) The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

4. The Siege - Helen Dunmore

5. Rivers of London - Ben Aaranovitch

6. Moon over Soho - Ben Aaranovich

7. Circus of Wonders - Elizabeth MacNeal 9) The Mad Women's Ball - Victoria Mas. 10) The Light Between Oceans - ML Stedman

8. The Sin Eater - Megan Campisi

9. The Paper Palace - Miranda Cowley Heller
   I liked this enough to see it through, but there were times I found it long winded. I found it quite hard to empathise with the main character, but some of the others were well developed. Worth a read but not top of my list.

12 Find Them Dead by Peter James
This is the 16th Roy Grace book, I enjoy them well enough, but I don't think they are as good as they used to be. Perhaps time to retire him off. I have the next one to read, which my mum says has a good ending.

My next read is The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson which I am REALLY enjoying so far!* *

19. Hungry by Grace Dent - Grace is The Guardian's restaurant critic, this is the story of her life from the early days in a working class home in Carlisle to her move to London after university and rise to fame as a restaurant critic. It is also the story of her relationship with her parents which changes dramatically over the years. Very enjoyable read.

1. How We Disappeared - Jing Jing Lee

2. The Confession - Jessie Burton

3. A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles 4) The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

4. The Siege - Helen Dunmore

5. Rivers of London - Ben Aaranovitch

6. Moon over Soho - Ben Aaranovich

7. Circus of Wonders - Elizabeth MacNeal 9) The Mad Women's Ball - Victoria Mas. 10) The Light Between Oceans - ML Stedman

8. The Sin Eater - Megan Campisi

9. The Paper Palace - Miranda Cowley Heller

10. The Huntress - Kate Quinn - this was an exceptionally compelling read. A carefully researched novel set in the aftermath of WW2, combing the stories of an American young woman, a British war journalist and a female Fighter Pilot for the Russian Army's 'night witches'. structurally this book is clever and it's a real page turner , I've devoured it over 3 days and will keep an eye out for other books by Kate Quinn.

14. Bollywood: A History, Mihir Bose

Exactly what the title says. It’s a bit of a potted history of the Indian film industry centred around Mumbai. I love Bollywood films so there was a lot here for me, but not especially new stuff and because he has tried to cover so much he hasn’t really been able to go into a great deal of detail. That said, it was an interesting read and I particularly liked how it crossed over into Indian politics and society.

Just finished The Brighton Mermaid, absolutely brilliant! Kept me guessing till the end, loved it!

17 While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart.
Pot boiler writing style but a bit of a twist in the tail.
18 Night Music by JoJo Moyes. Again quite a light read!
19 Yell less, love more by Sheila McCrath - bit cheesy but has been really helpful.

I’ve fallen off the thread but haven’t been reading books as much lately life’s been busy otherwise and I’ve been too tired in the evenings . Now getting back to it though .
9 Camino Island - John Grisham
10 Dragon Teeth - Michael Crichton
Atm on kindle reading
11 The Class Ceiling , Why it pays to be privileged - Sam Friedman &Daniel Laurison
and I think I’ll next read the last book in the Millenium series I have as a paper back . I’ve got to catch up a bit if I want to do the 26 this y at this rate . I have another 11 in my drawer I want to get through at least before buying more except on kindle ! I have several others I’ve started on kindle still as well .

Book 7 finished last night - Magpie by Elizabeth Day. I bought it on a whim in Waterstones and actually really enjoyed it.

Now starting book 8, another bought on a whim purchase as it was buy one get one half price. The lamplighters by Emma Stonex.

Just finished book 14 - The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Although it was a little slow in the middle, in general I really enjoyed this - particularly the ending. The whole premise of the book is very original and meticulously researched by the author. Recommended to anyone who enjoys any combination of historical fiction, the English language and the place of women in society over the last 100 years or so

It seems to be taking a real age to read anything these days, even when I like what I am reading.

15. The Unexpected Tale of Bastien Bonlivre, Clare Povey
I just loved this children's novel. It centres around Bastien and his friends in an orphanage run by a tyrant and their quest to find out what happened to Bastien's parent's. It is set in 1920s Paris and is just lovely, though some pretty terrible things have happened.

16. Memed, my Hawk, Yaşar Kemal
I loved this. It took a while to read, but I devoured it. It is about Memed who is almost a serf under the ruthless landowner Abdi. Circumstances force him to become a brigand in the mountains and the bulk of the story is about his brigandage. The descriptive writing of the landscape is wonderful, even in translation. I even had a playlist including songs about a bandit that I listened to alongside. #committment

15 Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro
Has mixed reviews but I really loved it. Loved the character of Klara

Gnashing my teeth as I plough through The Bletchley Girls. It's so poorly written, grammar is poor, words used wrongly, bah!

I've started The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers.