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.

32 The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (kindle). The first half of the book I didn't really enjoy, somewhat depressing, but I persevered and the second half was much better and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've read 31 I am Not your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez, a YA book but plenty to get your teeth into.

32 The Stranding, by Kate Sawyer, post-apocalyptic novel which is not really my usual fare but was for a book group. I'm not completely sure about the book group which is very jolly hockey sticks and pronoun badges 20-something but will see how it goes as the books are interesting.

@drspouse by coincidence we are on a holiday in the Mexican jungle / seaside atm 😁!

I wouldn't recommend reading the part where she goes to Mexico then, too scary!

We’ll we’re safely tucked into a One& Only resort so I think we’re ok 😁!

Can I join? I've read 2 Elizabeth Strout books My Name is Lucy Barton and Amy and Isabelle. I liked both of these.

Also read The Melting by Lize Spit. Liked it but a bit strange.

There are a couple of others I've read but forget the names.

Haven’t reported back for a while but here’s what I’ve been reading over the past couple of months.
8.Still Life by Sarah Winman A beautiful tale filled with very wonderful characters, mainly set in Italy. Loved it.

9.The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward This was just ok. Part thriller, part horror. Centred on the theme of Disassociative Identity Disorder.

10.The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo A fantastic, witty and insightful family saga. Enjoyed this immensely, particularly the character of acerbic Wendy. Lots of brilliant one-liners.

11.Malibu Rising by Taylor’s Jenkins Reid Holiday fluff, reminiscent of Jackie Collins. One dimensional. Won’t be reading any more of her books.

12.Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty Quite enjoyable, another holiday read. Again, I won’t be reading any more of her books!

13.The Inkblack Heart by Robert Galbraith Another utterly fabulous book centred on Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. A superb detective story paired with the ongoing will they/won’t they saga of the two main protagonists. Can’t wait for the next instalment.

14.The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell A great page turner with twists and turns. Does what it says on the tin.

15.Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson Loved this new offering from one of my favourite authors.

The last two books I've read have been from Scott Mariano's Benedict Hope series. I first started this series in 2010, found book 14(ish) a bit horrific so slowed down on reading them, and after a long break I love them again.

Book 10: The Moscow Cipher by Scott Mariani

Book 11: The Rebel's Revenge by Scott Mariani

@BaconAndAvocado DH got me “ The Night She Disappeared “ and I finished it but although easy to read I though it was nothing special so I’m not interested in reading her other ones . Generally I give a book about 50 pages and if I’m bored or annoyed at the style of writing or find it hard work I move on , life’s short !

And so far haven’t read at all on this trip but I will at home before bed again . I‘ve started the second one in the Thursday Murder club series and just bought a new Dean Koonz for this trip I might crack open too . Just been too tired and jet lagged here for my usual evening reading .

13. The Appeal - Janice Hallett
Was intrigued by the format but thought the conclusion was unfathomable. Would never have been able to work out whodunnit in a month of Sundays based on the evidence. Miss Marple can rest easy.

14. Sankofa - Chibundo Onuzu
Story of a woman who discovers a diary after her (white, Welsh) mother dies revealing who her (black, African) father is. His life is now very different from the one where he unknowingly fathered her. Daughter traces him and makes contact, against a backdrop of her life in London going through a divorce. I loved this book, it was light and funny but the themes of grief and loss and identity were strong. Some elements reminded me of my best friend's family background so I enjoyed it all the more because of that.

15. What's She Like - Helen O'Hara
Helen was a key member of Dexy's Midnight Runners, and if you are a fan of this band you will love this book. It's also the story of the choices a woman who loves music and is driven by creativity has to make. Sometimes her life is so spartan and yet she barely notices as she is so wrapped up in being in the band. Later in life she makes sacrifices for her family and finds her way back into music, which is joyful to read about.

Just about to start Still Life which I know has a lot of love on here so I'm looking forward to that.

Nordicom
I also use the 50 page rule, there are far too many books out there!
Yes, I agree , Lisa Jewell’s offerings do not fall into the Very Special Book Category, but, for me, they’re an enjoyable distraction.

Recent members of the Very Special Book Category include:
All the Light They Cannot See
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Essex Serpent
A Little Life
Shuggie Bain
Hamnett
The Inkblack Heart.

Members are guaranteed a lifetime’s tenure on my bookshelf. Non-members are destined for the charity shop.

Other members include:(just dashed to my bookshelf)

The Crimson Petal and the White
The Cider House Rules
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
Still Life
Wise Children (would love to reread)
A Fraction of the Whole
Howard’s End

I tend to use the 50 page rule or thereabouts too, but sometimes I'm glad if I push through, The Esses Serpent and ~The Marriage Portrait both turned out to be far better than the first chapters indicated, I am glad they were book club reads as I would have given up on both otherwise.

I like the sound of the Helen O'Hara one, I wasn't a huge fan of Dexy's but they are my era and I was in HMV in Oxford Street once as they arrived for an album signing session so I stayed, bought the album and got it signed. Probably still got it in the loft.

33 The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (audio) - another slow starter for me, I read the kindle sample a couple of years ago and decided against the full book but was browsing borrowbox last week for audio books that were actually available and my preferred genre for audio is memoirs so I gave it a go and it was absolutely delightful.

Just finished Gaudy Night, by Dorothy L. Sayers.
This was the best of the Sayers books I've read recently. Like the others, it cast a light on a world that has completely disappeared.

23. It shouldn't happen to a vet - James Herriot. I prefer the (new) TV series. I don't think I'll read the rest of these. DH likes them though, and I did buy them for him!

25. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - A short story about a woman who has never fitted in or done what society expected of her.

Keiko has spent the last 18 years of her life working in a convenience store, where she finds purpose and comfort in the predictable routines of the store and the rigid employee manual that details exactly how to behave on the shop floor. In an effort to appease those around her and minimise their interference, she mimics her co-workers' dress and speech patterns in an attempt to appear 'normal'.

This was a bittersweet tale of identity and the pressure to conform to societal expectations. I liked that the reader is shown character interactions purely from Keiko's point of view to read between the lines in a way she simply doesn't have the capacity to do. Well worth a read.

I read this last year and really liked it too. Quite a simple story, but it's really stayed with me.

I'm very slow to update, but do keep an eye in on this thread.
Book 29 Feminists Don't Wear Pink and other Lies. Perspectives from various authors and 'celebs'. It is a series of short stories, some good some not great. Just ok in my opinion.

Book 30 My Not so Perfect Life - Sophie Kinsella (audio) I wasn't mad about this book, but ok for out walking.

Book 31 The No Show - Beth O'Leary (audio) this was ok, a very light listen, again fine for walks as I can't be bothered with anything too taxing when out and about. Audiobooks are ramping up myread numbers. I had set my target at 30 books this year.

Book 32 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (audio) recommended here and this was an enjoyable listen.

Book 33 Unorthodox - Deborah Feldman there was a Netflix movie based on his book. Not often the case but the movie (series?) was better. It took me an age to read this and I found some parts bit of a slog. Frustratingly the book left me with more questions than answers! The movie had also been changed a fair bit from her actual story.

Book 34 will be Lessons in Chemistry. I'm listening on audio and almost finished it. I don't think it is as good as it's being raved about but will reserve judgment until the very end. I'm also finally reading Little Fires Everywhere.

I have a real problem starting new books before finishing the old ! I’m still reading
The man who died twice ( second Thursday Murder club book ), and
Evicted
But I have finished
25 . Parenting Hell - Rob Beckett & Josh Widdicomb
Ended up just skim reading it since there was nothing new in it and I was bored . I’m officially past it since my kids are nearly 18 and 10 . Don’t know why I got it really but it’s just on kindle. On holiday I also started on
26.The Big Dark Sky - Dean Koonz but only the first few pages do we shall see .
And when we returned I couldn’t resist the new
27.Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing- Matthew Perry which seems quite raw and interesting

26 books min was my goal for the year so now I will try to finish these before the end of the year …

I'm going painfully slowly and will get nowhere near 26 books this year. My list of must-watch TV shows competes hard with reading time!

16. A Murder is Announced - Agatha Christie. The first Miss Marple I've ever read. Chock full of jingoism towards foreigners and a conclusion that didn't really make sense to me, so not sure I'll bother with another.

26. The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey - Set on a Caribbean island, this is the love story of a local fisherman and a cursed mermaid, who becomes human again after being caught by a pair of American tourists.

I wasn't sure about this book at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it as it really picks up pace in the later half of the book. There was a lot of action packed into 176 pages!

27. The Giver by Lois Lowry - I loved Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik series growing up, so have been meaning to read this dystopian tale for ages. It was okay, but I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if I'd read it for the first time at a similar age to the protagonist (11-12ish).

Finally finished
24 .Man who died twice ( second Thursday Murder club book ) - Richard Osman
now I’ll continue the new Matthew Perry one I started earlier