26-ish books for 2023

[Tinkhasflown]

A shiny new thread for 2023. There didn't appear to be one do hope it's ok that I have created it this year.

All welcome and note 26 is just a number. Everyone can set their own target and you are welcome here even if you only read 3 books a year.

I personally count the larger novel style books I read to my children and audio books I listen to. Others don't and there are no rules.

I look forward to all your suggestions again this year.

Book 11 Ladys Well by L J Ross

I have finished book
8.Bad Mormon-Heather Gay
and started
9.Death and Croissants -Ian Moore
I already read his short Death and Papa Noel so we’ll see what this one is like . I also have his next book and have preordered the following one so let’s hope I like it !

11 - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
I absolutely loved this, beautiful book

15: Toast by Nigel Slater. I first read this memoir about 15 years ago, and found it again in a charity shop recently. His upbringing was dysfunctional to say the least.

11. Women who run with Wolves. Clarissa pingola estes (audio)
12. The Lost Notebook - louise Douglas

Been off the reading ball this last little while. Couldn't find what to read after West with Giraffes. The lost notebook was a nice easy read. But bits at the end were a bit vague i thought.

I was tempted to get Toast by Nigel Slater out of the library. I might give that a try.

I've read a few more since I last posted. Fierce Bad Rabbits by Clare Pollard about the history of children's picture books with some anecdotes from her childhood thrown in. I loved this book, and found it so easy and pleasurable to read. Sad to come to the end.

Also, Backstory by the Comedian David Mitchell. This was good. I think I'd get on with David Mitchell in real life.

Still reading
9.Death and Croissants -Ian Moore
but finished in the meantime on my Kindle a book that’s been half read for years I’d say
10.Mind The Gap , The new class divide in Britain - Ferdinand Mount which I have to say was a bit dry and boring hence I hadn’t finished it for years and now skim read the rest .

This month I've finished:

1. 1999: Manchester United, The Treble and All That by Matt Dickinson.

If you were there, you'll know.

1. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Lots has already been said on this thread about this book; short but impactful.

13. Just ignore Him - Alan Davies. Not an easy read but very powerful.

16: Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. I have read the first three JAckson Brodie books before and enjoyed them but not read the last one and though a reread of the other 3 first would be a good idea, found it on Borrowbox (audio). It felt slightly dated now but a good detective novel none the less.

19 Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
20 Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

12 State of Wonder - Ann Patchett

Read this on the back of The Dutch House, absolutely loved it. So excited that I have recently discovered Ann Patchett and have all of her back catalogue left to read!

I’ve finished
9.Death and Croissants- Ian Moore , which I can’t help I just didn’t like after already reading his “Death and Papa Noel “so I will not even start “Death and Fromage “they’ll all go to charity shop as will the unfortunately pre-ordered next one in the series . I didn’t like the style of the book and also just got bored .
I have now started on
11.Project Hail Mary -Andy Weir ,I have read the “ Artemis “ , and watched “ The Martian “ his two other books . This is very thick so will take me a while i’m sure .
In between I finished a book on my kindle .

16) The Bees by Laline Paull. Follows the dramas and adventures of a bee - Flora 717 - who doesn't fit in with the other bees in the hive. The elements of class / societal structure worked well and the relationships were plausible. I knew bee life was complex but didn't realise it was quite so brutal. Not my usual sort of thing at all because my imagination isn't great and I wasn't convinced I would be able to get into it, I thought it might be an interesting idea that quickly ran its course, but it was really easy to picture and immersive. Lots of suspense and I ended up properly rooting for Flora.

48 Magic Rises
49 Magic Breaks
50 Magic Shifts
51 Magic Binds
Now reading 52 Magic Triumphs. The final one in the series.

11. This time next year. Easy to read romcom
12. American dirt. Tough read because of the story. Really recommend this book
13. What July knew. Really good book and sad one.

1 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
2 The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier
3 lessons in Chemistry
4 touch of love by Jonathan Coe
5 The bird in the bamboo cage by Heather Webb
6 The man who died twice by Richard Osman
7 The Glass Blowers by Daphne du Maurier
8 The travelling cat chronicles by Hiro Arkawa. Lovely but sad.
9 Red Birds by Mohammed Hanif. Enjoyed I think. Darkly funny.
10 Everyone in this room will someday be dead by Emily Austin.
11 The Helingor Sewing Club by Ella Gyland. Really enjoyed this one, about the evacuation of Danish Jews to Sweden in the second world war by local fishermen with the help of the whole community.
12 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
13 Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier.

Loved both of the last 2. Not decided what to read next but have a few options.

@Yuja State of Wonder was the first Ann Patchett I read and was also really pleased to have discovered her.

@Scout2016 The Bees has such an unusual viewpoint. I was sceptical at first but ended up loving it.

9. Finding Hildasay by Christian Lewis
About a guy and his dog walking the entire coastline of Britain. Really fascinating story (I love non-fiction walking books), but not the best written.

10. Forgive Me by Susan Lewis
Quite an interesting story centring around restorative justice, but I felt that none of the characters were very relatable to me.

Another book finished on my Kindle that was half read for years;
12.All Joy and no fun ,The paradox of modern parenthood -Jennifer Senior
which rings very true at the moment

I’ll be working through books on my kindle at the same time as reading physical ones from now on I think …

17: The Gift of A Radio by Justin Webb - too long, the first third or so (his early life) was really interesting, but the section about his school days was far too long and the end seemed rushed.

1. The Unheard, Nikki French

I thought this was good, easy to read, but the ending was a bit confusing, I keep thinking about it and wondering if I need to be a bit cleverer to work it out!

10. Away with the Penguins, Hazel Prior Loved this, beautifully written, lovely story.

18: One Good Turn (Jackson Brodie 2) - Kate Atkinson. Better than the first book, the various strands of the story are woven together better, great listen.

Glad to see two recent good reviews of One Good Turn on here, having just started it!

I had to read the synopsis of the first one before I started because I could hardly remember a thing about it, but guessing it's a standalone story so not that important?

It refers back a bit to the first one, but no need to have read it really.