Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

50 Book Challenge 2022 Part One

1000 replies

southeastdweller · 01/01/2022 09:28

Welcome to the first thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2022, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

If possible, please can you embolden your titles and maybe authors as well of books you've read or going to read? It makes it much easier to keep track, especially when the threads move quickly at this time of the year.

Who's in for this year?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 15/01/2022 14:11

Howard's End is on the Landing made me want to stick pins in her.

Stokey · 15/01/2022 14:19

My 12 year old asked for that for Christmas @BookBanter. Will see if she fares better with it as assume she's the target audience.

BookBanter · 15/01/2022 14:34

@Stokey

My 12 year old asked for that for Christmas *@BookBanter*. Will see if she fares better with it as assume she's the target audience.
I normally love YA books; Hunger Games is one of my favourites. But this was terrible. So much sexism. The women - even the world's most famous assassin/killer main character - were reduced to being objects for men and their entire personalities revolved around what dress they were going to wear and how attractive they were to the awful male suitors.

The blurb promised murder and mystery. What it actually delivered was scene after scene of a teenager eating, going to parties, flirting with her captors, daydreaming about her past, and going for walks.

I'd love to now what your dd thinks of it when she's done. My 14yo niece couldn't even finish it as she thought it was so poor. Maybe it's designed for much younger readers (yet there's quite a few sexual references in it).

FiveGoMadInDorset · 15/01/2022 14:58

5 Hons and Rebels - Jessica Mitford

This is the first instalment of Jessica Mitford autobiography which starts from her childhood and ends with her husband Esmond joining the Canadian Air Force.

Along with a lot of people I have always had a fascination with the Mitfords, how 5 out of the 6 girls could have had such eventful lives detailed in the press. Jessica is the 6th child and 5th daughter, is homeschooled apart from a short time at day school and is allowed no interaction with the outside world until she embarks on her debutante year. The family upbringing is for the female members of the family to be a debutante and then marry wealth but clearly this wasn’t enough for most of them with Jessica eventually running away with her second cousin and future husband at the age of 19 (he was 18) to Spain during the Spanish Civil War, eventually moving back to London and then to America.

Jessica’s upbringing reminded me of the Cassandra and Rose in I Capture the Castle with education being important for male children but not for female, and it is sad to think of how many women were curtailed from using their intelligence by this, unless they had the courage and determination to change it or help.

I did enjoy this, found it fascinating, did wonder about how embellished it was and putting Letters Between Six Sisters on my re-read list.

Next up is The Man in the Brown Suit for the Agatha Christie 2022 reading challenge

SapatSea · 15/01/2022 16:38

1. Violeta by Isabel Allende - Allende mines her family history once more for a tale of an aristocratic Chilean family fallen on hard times seen through the eyes of the feisty daughter, Violeta. I didn't enjoy this. It felt very flat and didatic. Rushing ahead and then doubling back sometimes with lots of detail about somethings and then big gaps or no exploration of significant events. Frustrating and a slog.

2. French Braid - Anne Tyler I don't always enjoy Tyler . I disliked A Spool of Blue Thread (and a few of her other books) but I found I enjoyed this one and it zipped along nicely. The tale starts in 1959 when Mercy Garrett and her husband Robin take their 3 children on a one week holiday to a lakeside cabin. It is the only family holiday they ever take, but it reveals the personalities of the family members and their faults. The action then jumps forward to when their youngest 19 year old son leaves for University and Mercy (the mother) bit by bit removes her belongings and life to her tiny, rented artists studio away from her rigid husband. Nothing really earth shattering happens but Anne Tyler weaves her magic making the mundanities of life and inter personal relationships feel rich, bright and alive.

Sadik · 15/01/2022 16:50

@BookBanter I think that Maas wrote Throne of Glass when she was about 16, and it was originally published on FictionPress, so I guess the fanfic type feel isn't so surprising. I haven't read them, but I know (adult!) people who like her more recent novels.

Welshwabbit · 15/01/2022 16:55

3. Fake Law by The Secret Barrister

Bit of a busman's holiday, this one. I bought it for a friend who doesn't work in law, and really enjoyed it, so I thought it was about time I read it myself. It covers a number of areas of law in which I practise, and I thought the author (who is a criminal barrister and, with the exception of employment law, which they have practised, does not work in these other areas) did a very good job of explaining the basics of each in straightforward language. Having done so, they are able to pick apart some of the biggest media stories misrepresenting how the law has been applied in recent years. Not much was new to me, but some of the criminal legal aid figures were. It is shocking how low the income threshold is to bar access to legal aid in the magistrates' court these days - a court which can still impose a sentence of up to 6 months' imprisonment for a single offence.

We really are short on legal education in the UK (at least in my own and thus far my children's educational experience) and this is a decent attempt to provide more information. It is of course from a lawyer's perspective so far from unbiased, but the author does recognise that and points readers to other sources of information as well. Definitely worth a read if you are not a lawyer, but would like to know more about the UK's legal system and the detail behind the headlines.

rivierliedje · 15/01/2022 17:57
  1. Library Cat by Alex Howard. Read this all in one go today, silly fluff from the point of view of the cat who lives in the chaplaincy and the library of Edinburgh university (a real cat). Sweet, funny and very quick. Actually quite lovely for reading on a gloomy day and it is quite evocative of wandering around Edinburgh.
Midnightstar76 · 15/01/2022 18:00

DNF The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd

I have listened to this for two hours and really can’t take another seven hours of this so a DNF for me. I am bored by the story. I can not warm to the main character at all and find her very needy and she just whinges all the time. I thought it would have been a delightful romance but it is anything but. It is about Maya who upends her life to start another one in the Arctic with her boyfriend Ryan. It is not how Maya envisioned and the reality is freezing subzero temperatures, 24 hour darkness and Maya’s anxiety. Nothing has happened so far , just descriptions of food and the place which is quite interesting but not enough. No not a recommend and I don’t bother with any star rating with books I don’t finish.

Midnightstar76 · 15/01/2022 18:22

@FortunaMajor one of my favourites Tess of the d’Urbivilles but have never read Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure so a very definite one to add it my TBR list.

LadybirdDaphne · 15/01/2022 19:24

After slogging through Return of the Native and Tess at A-level 20+ years ago, it’s still too soon to contemplate reading another Hardy of my own free will.

EmGee · 15/01/2022 19:57

Hello everyone,

  1. The only plane in the sky Garret M Graff.
Much reviewed on here already. I can't believe it's 20 years since this happened.

Off the back of that recommendation, book 3 was Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar. A really interesting read which was a good follow on from the 9/11 book.

  1. In pursuit of disobedient women by Dionne Searcey. An investigative reporter for The NY Times, Searcey's fascinating book documents her posting to West Africa, where one of her missions is to report on the women captives of Boko Haram. It's also a book which throws light on the difficulties faced by her and her husband as they try to juggle family life with the demands of work/travel. She really brings alive the experience of living in Dakar and travelling around this region of Africa. Of course there are some harrowing stories. She comes across as a really sincere journalist with integrity.

I feel as if I need sthg light to read now so going to commence Rachel Joyce's Miss Benson's Beetle.

In addition, I try and read my poetry book every night. A few years ago I bought A Poem for every day of the year. I got as far as Feb 14th. Must do better this year!

EmGee · 15/01/2022 20:09

Sorry, me again. Forgot to mention my other 'daily' read.

A Velocity of Being - letters to a young reader. This is a really beautiful book, made up of contributions by all kinds of interesting people who write a letter to 'young readers' saying what reading, and books, mean and have meant to them. It's just a lovely book to dip into. Each contributor's letter is accompanied by a different artist's picture. I bought this for my daughters but they are too young to really appreciate it, so I am enjoying it and will pass it on to them when they are older.

Terpsichore · 15/01/2022 20:21

Pepe, yes, it may have been me who mentioned The Corner That Held Them, during our Nun Fiction discussions Grin I really enjoyed it, even if the names start to cycle round after a while and you think 'hang on, which Abbess is that, are we in the 16th century now or still in the 14th?'. But it's that almost hypnotic continuity of worship and prayer that Sylvia TW was trying to get across, I think.

SOL, I felt the same about Enigma - it was fine, but Conclave was much better. (Not that I have a thing about nuns and popes, honest!)

LittleDiaries · 15/01/2022 20:46

5. The Unheard by Nicci French

Not bad, but nowhere near as good as their Frieda Klein series. This one involves a single mother, who thinks something is not right when her 3 year old daughter comes home from a weekend with her dad and his new wife, and has drawn some unusual and disturbing pictures. She begins behaving oddly. One thing leads to another, and a murder is discovered.

The plot was a bit thin in places, but it was still an enjoyable read despite having worked out who the killer was about half way. The ending was a bit odd though.

Taswama · 15/01/2022 21:12

*4. Quand sort la recluse (This poison will remain) by Fred Vargas.

Only reading books by women this year, luckily Fred is female if you've not come across her.

Inspector Adamsberg returns from Iceland and quickly solves a case. But he notices his colleague is showing a strange interest in a certain type of spider (recluse of the title = hermit). Three old men have died after being bitten by this spider in the last few months, despite no-one ever dying from this before. The internet is going wild with theories about mutations due to global warming etc. Adamsberg goes to see a spider expert and bumps into a woman who mentions that two of the victims were old friends with each other. He decides to investigate but has to persuade the rest of his team to support him. They are sceptical but he digs deeper, finds a story going back 60 years and they support him.

Really enjoyed this. There is a lot of wordplay on double meanings of words, which I wonder how it has been translated into English. The relationships between Adamsberg and his team is really well portrayed and there are lots of twists and turns as they go down dead ends.

Taswama · 15/01/2022 21:14

Aargh, forgot second asterisk

Quand sort la recluse (This poison will remain) by Fred Vargas

Terpsichore · 15/01/2022 21:35

I didn't understand the end of The Unheard. Thought it was just me, so I'm glad you also thought it was odd, LittleDiaries.

IsFuzzyBeagMise · 15/01/2022 21:42

@Taswama

*4. Quand sort la recluse (This poison will remain) by Fred Vargas.

Only reading books by women this year, luckily Fred is female if you've not come across her.

Inspector Adamsberg returns from Iceland and quickly solves a case. But he notices his colleague is showing a strange interest in a certain type of spider (recluse of the title = hermit). Three old men have died after being bitten by this spider in the last few months, despite no-one ever dying from this before. The internet is going wild with theories about mutations due to global warming etc. Adamsberg goes to see a spider expert and bumps into a woman who mentions that two of the victims were old friends with each other. He decides to investigate but has to persuade the rest of his team to support him. They are sceptical but he digs deeper, finds a story going back 60 years and they support him.

Really enjoyed this. There is a lot of wordplay on double meanings of words, which I wonder how it has been translated into English. The relationships between Adamsberg and his team is really well portrayed and there are lots of twists and turns as they go down dead ends.

Hi Taswama!

I will look this up, thanks.
I read 'Pars Vite et Reviens Tard' last year by Fred Vargas. It was good; I recommend it. Its English title is translated as 'May The Lord Have Mercy On Your Soul'.

ABookWyrm · 15/01/2022 21:43

@noodlezoodle
@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
Rincewind doesn't make a good protagonist does he? I assume he was invented as least likely hero, but he's just not someone you want to spend a whole novel with.
My favourites are Death and the witches.

@BookBanter I read Throne of Glass a few years ago and found the over-use of the word "obsidian" really irritating. Everyone had obsidian eyes and I think at one point it said "her vision went obsidian." I still find that word vaguely annoying. I think that book might have ruined it forever for me.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 15/01/2022 21:59

[quote ABookWyrm]@noodlezoodle
@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
Rincewind doesn't make a good protagonist does he? I assume he was invented as least likely hero, but he's just not someone you want to spend a whole novel with.
My favourites are Death and the witches.

@BookBanter I read Throne of Glass a few years ago and found the over-use of the word "obsidian" really irritating. Everyone had obsidian eyes and I think at one point it said "her vision went obsidian." I still find that word vaguely annoying. I think that book might have ruined it forever for me.[/quote]
Death is the best. I love him.

Taswama · 15/01/2022 22:20

Hi Fuzzy !

Yes I've read Pars Vite.. . It's very good. This one has been sat on my bookshelf for a while until my aunt (who lent it to my mum who lent it to me) queried where it had got to.
I hadn't realised she'd been translated into English untilI came across one of her books in a charity shop. I try to read in the original language if I can though.

IsFuzzyBeagMise · 15/01/2022 22:35
  1. The Echo Chamber by John Boyne

A satire on social media addiction, political correctness and the 'woke' culture.

A sharp, scathing read. Sometimes funny, very often cringe worthy. Crazy story lines, obnoxious characters. The poor tortoise (!) It does what it sets out to do, but it's heavy-handed in its approach and it wasn't an enjoyable read for me. I have preferred other books by this author (three stars).

IsFuzzyBeagMise · 15/01/2022 22:40

@Taswama

Hi Fuzzy ! Yes I've read Pars Vite.. . It's very good. This one has been sat on my bookshelf for a while until my aunt (who lent it to my mum who lent it to me) queried where it had got to. I hadn't realised she'd been translated into English untilI came across one of her books in a charity shop. I try to read in the original language if I can though.
I only stumbled across my copy of 'Pars Vite...' when I was rooting through my shelves. I think I picked it up second hand in a French bookshop years ago. I'll definitely read another one of hers again. She's a good writer. I liked Inspector Adamsberg.
ChessieFL · 16/01/2022 07:30
  1. The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver by Shawn Inmon

Time travel book from kindle unlimited. When he was 14 something happened to Tommy that affected the rest of his life. In his 50s he can’t cope any more and kills himself - only to wake up in his teenage body a few months before the life changing event. Can he change things? As this was kindle unlimited I didn’t have particularly high expectations but I do like time travel books so decided to give this a go. It was OK. I like the idea of people living their lives again, but there were some parts of this that didn’t quite work for me. There were also some pointless chapters from some sort of alien control centre or something - these could have been removed completely and not changed anything as they didn’t add anything to the story. Apparently there are 15 books in the series - not sure I will want to read all of them but I may well read at least the next one.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is not accepting new messages.
Swipe left for the next trending thread