50 Books Challenge 2023 Part One

[Southeastdweller]

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

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2023, 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?

@OldCrone22 I’d also recommend Mick Herron (as a fellow crime reader). Also S J Parris has the Giordano Bruno series which is similar to Shardlake.

Did not know there was a new Harriet Tyce out. Will order that.

Can I please join? I’m an awful scroller of doom too, and it stops me from reading. I’ve been given Daphne de Mauriers Rebecca and Ruth Jones Love Untold for Christmas, not sure if either are my genre - but hope to find out what is!

I'd like to join this please.
I love reading and I'm trying to build up the courage/ find the time to join my local Book Club.

I like psychological thrillers, but also anything light hearted with good vibes where I can relate to the characters. (I have times when I struggle with anything too heavy).

Has anyone read "The Bench by Cromer Beach" by R J Gould?
I've just ordered that one off Amazon.

Oh my goodness @OldCrone22 What a year you've had. Here's to 2023 being much better!

I can see already that this thread is bad news for my no-spend resolution!!

@OldCrone22 I’m so sorry to hear how tough things have been.

A light but interesting historical crime series by Alex Reeve might appeal. The protagonist is a trans man and the first is called The House on Half Moon Street.

Thanks for the recommendations, I like the look of the Slough House series, so will add that to my TBR pile.
I've read the first 3 (I think, could be 4) of the Giordiano Bruno series and enjoyed those, so might pick up the next one of those.

@OldCrone22, that sounds incredibly tough.
I’m assuming you’ve read Ann Cleeves. Can’t go wrong with old Ruth Rendell Inspector Wexford. Louise Penney and Vivica Stern are ok too.

@PepeLePew Au Revoirt, Tristesse just made me so happy. I sound nuts but it really brought me joy and got me out of my rut. I loved it.

@OldCrone22 agree reading can be a tonic. I like light books about books when I need something to help me through.

I’m highly unlikely to reach 50 as I’ve just been promoted at work and writing a proposal for some part time study but I really enjoy the pace of this thread, the chat and recommendations.

I’m 50% through My Year of Rest and Relaxation.

@OldCrone22 It sounds like you've had a really tough year. I hope 2023 is a better one for you.

When I want a comfort read I look to anything written or set between the wars, 1920s preferably, or children's books. One that fits both categories is A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood, which was just lovely.

I'm due yet another eye operation in a couple of weeks, and hope this will be the last one and I'll be able to read paper books again. Most of my books have been either audiobooks or kindle set to a ridiculously large print.

Hi everyone! I'm joining for the 2023 challenge - Read 33 last year, but a few very short ones. I'm aiming for at least 36 this year and a bit more fiction.

Started Let Us Dream by Pope Francis last night (Christmas present) and I'm starting Anna Karenina readalong today too!

Have picked up some fab reading recommendations over the past two years on these threads, so looking forward to hearing about what you're all reading.

Though, note to self, I need to write a short list of books I really want to read from my TBR pile this year. Have a lot of 'great books' sat on my bookshelves and need to get them read rather than being distracted by Kindle 99p deals!

Can I join please as I determined to improve upon the 3 books I read in 2022!
I am determined to put my phone down and pick up a book, hoping it might help with my stress levels too.
I'll try any genre but love books set in the USA.
Happy new year

Thanks for the new thread @Southeastdweller good to see old friends and welcome to any new joiners.

My reading aims are to increase the number of non-fiction books I read and to stay away from the 99p crime / psychological thrillers that I never seem to enjoy. I also want to try to get to some of my TBR physical books so I'm going to try to alternate my formats a bit more.

Happy new year everyone, and thank you for the new thread, Southeast

Looking forward to sharing book reviews with old friends here snd new ones, too.

I'm in.

Have started the year with Taste by Stanley Tucci (which seemed like a good way to have my cake if not eat it in January as I am low carbing) and his descriptions of food are amazing.

It's a memoir with recipes - with an emphasis on drinks esp cocktails and savoury foods - with descriptions of people he's worked with and locations.

I'm in. I finished beyond the wand by Tom Felton & please give me my baby back (short story) by Maggie Hartley this morning so two books in already.

Trying to beat my 2021 goal of 80 books as I didn't read much last year.

@OldCrone22 Steve Cavanagh's books are very good and easy legal thrillers. Don't have to read in order, I'd dive into Fifty Fifty, that's been my favourite. It's about twin sisters and which one murdered the victim. Lots of fun with plot twists that keep you guessing until the end.

Also look at Old Baggage by Lissa Evans, about an old suffragette finding her place in society later in life. Read it just before Christmas and loved it, plan to read the other two books in the trilogy later this year.

Oh yes I’m in, thank you! I dropped out fairly early last year due to life circ’s, but managed 28 in the end.
Very much looking forward to hearing what everyone else is reading.

Though, note to self, I need to write a short list of books I really want to read from my TBR pile this year

I did exactly this last night, @yoshiblue !

I'm a fellow doom scroller and I'd love to join in too. I've just started 'The Pelican Brief' which I got from a charity shop - it was the only John Grisham novel they had which I haven't read.

I'm also dipping into 'London's Houses' by Vicky Wilson, which I treated myself to for Christmas. It's quite interesting and I hope it will give me ideas for places to visit or at least peer at from outside.

@BestIsWest I've not read Ann Cleeves actually, but I like Vera on ITV.

I did this last night too @Terpsichore and @yoshiblue, mostly based on the bolds from 50 bookers that I already own. I have such massive TBR piles that hopefully this will help me to focus on good reads this year.

Also look at Old Baggage by Lissa Evans, about an old suffragette finding her place in society later in life. Read it just before Christmas and loved it, plan to read the other two books in the trilogy later this year

Thr follow ups are great and very well written - funny and poignant at the same time. Lissa Evans also wrote Their Finest Hour And A Half, which is on my list this year.

@JennieTheZebra I absolutely loved Too Like the Lightning - definitely up there with the sort of fabulous dense complex SFF that Neal Stephenson or (in a different sort of way) Le Guin writes. I like that it's a book that really makes you read slowly & take your time to appreciate it.

Similarly enjoyed the sequels, though I wasn't 100% convinced by some aspects of the The Will to Battle. I'm not sure why I waited so long after it came out to buy the final book, but very happy to be immersed in it now. I am now wondering if I should have re-read the first three before starting it though.

I raved about Too Like the Lightning on here when I read it in 2018, and I think a few people tried it but I don't think anyone else was that keen, so very happy to 'meet' a fellow fan. (And to get any other SFF recommendations you might have too.)