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.

24: Big Sky (Jackson Brodie 5) by Kate Atkinson. Another cracking good listen, Jackson was a bit more peripheral this time and there were a few loose ends from the previous book not tied up but those are small criticisms.

Book 12 - Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson. A very entertaining insight into "old wealth" families in New York. The first rule of having money is you never talk about having money....

List so far:

2023 Books:

1 Twelve Secrets
2 People of Abandoned Character
3 The Herd
4 Last One at The Party
5 The Last Thing to Burn
6 Moon Over Soho
7 The Girls Who Disappeared
8 The Chalk Man
9 The Unheard
10 Away with the Penguins
11 Whispers Underground
12 Pineapple Street

@EspeciallyDetermined I really enjoy the Jackson Brodie books too. My absolute favourite is When Will There Be Good News as the two main female characters are just excellent.

Starting book 14 Blood Runs Cold by Neil Lancaster

I did indeed finish my Mary Roach books.

57 Grunt - the curious science of humans at war

58 Stiff - the curious life of human cadavers (the first and more memorable book I read of hers. Very respectfully written and extremely interesting.

59 Packing for Mars - Curious science of life in space.

60 was When I die by Philip Gould. A cancer biography.

61 is what I'm reading now and is a work colleague recommendation. I've never quite read anything like it before. It's odd. But in a good way. Cat Out of Hell.

Yes, I'd say it was my favourite too, Reggie is great.

15. The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page

Not as good as some of the reviews might have suggested but a decent 3 out of 5.

28 VOX by Christina Dalcher

5- Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
6 - The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson. He nailed 1980s middle America.

29 Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I finished my
13. If it Bleeds -Stephen King which was good so I’ll continue reading his books .
then started on
15.Exiting Times -Naoise Dolan after about 50 pages the jury is still out . It seems a quite an easy read, it does flow but I’m not sure I like it . Will give it another 50 pages to decide . I have her other book too ;” The Happy Couple “.
I have 3 more books in my book drawer now again . Another Stephen King , a John Grisham and the second Naoise Dolan .

19. Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? By Seamus O'Reilly. Memoir of growing up one of eleven children brought up by their dad after their mum dies. Set in Northern Ireland. Enjoyed some parts a lot but there were large chunks that were really dull, and at least one chapter I would have cut out completely.

15. A Man called Ove - Fredrik Backman

I loved this. It took me a while to read but thats more because i have been busy and distracted so attention span hasn't been great. I loved Ove and his story. Think I'll go see the film too (A man called Otto)

Going to look back at the thread for inspiration for my next book.

I ended up not finishing my book
15.Exiting Times -Naoise Dolan ,I just got bored of the relationship drama then leafed through her other one The Happy Couple and found that wasn’t my type of book either so both are going to charity . I’m starting instead
16.Billy Summers -Stephen King

Haven't posted for a while. Don't seem to have found as much reading time this year as last.

1. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr 4/5
2. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 5/5
3. The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page 2/5
4. The Night Ship by Jess Kidd 4.5/5
5. Hostage by Clare Mackintosh 3/5
6. The Island of Missing Trees - didn't finish, too trite.
7. To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

5/5 (this is what I haven't read many books, it's humongous!)

1. The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer 3/5
2. (Currently reading, and loving) Love Marriage by Monica Ali.

Breathmiller I loved A Man Called Ove too. There is a Swedish version of the film too.

1. The Mitford Vanishing by Jessica Fellowes
2. Love in Idleness by Amanda Craig
3. The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
4. Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym
5. The Optickal Illusion by Rachel Halliburton
6. Murder under a Green Sea by Phillip Hunter
7. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Not sure what to read next. Either Three Men in a Boat, or Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm is the second in a trilogy, and Ruin and Rising is the final one). Maybe Three Men since it’s a lot shorter.

(Accidentally posted this on another thread haha!)

16. Ordinary People by Diana Evans

I enjoyed the bulk of this book though felt it could have been stronger. I give it 3 out of 5.

IIve read a few since the last update, hopefully not forgotten any:-

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.
14 The scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier

15 The bullet that missed by Richard Osman
16 Murder before evensong by Richard Coles
17 Back when we were grownups By Anne Tyler
18 Now reading Circe by Madeleine Miller

1. A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon
2. Zone of Interest by Martin Amis
3. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters
4. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
5. Lolly Willoes or the loving huntsman by Sylvia Sylvia Townsend Warner
6. Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith
7. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
8. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
9. The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
10. We are all completely beside ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
11. The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham
12. Being There by Jerzy Kosiński
13. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
14. The Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham
15. Life Sized by Jenifer Shute
16. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
17. Just One Damned Thing after Another by Jodi Taylor

Updates:

18. The Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie
This is such a brilliant and strange book - Mr Quin is a sort of strange little man who turns up unexpectedly at moments of tragedy or injustice. It's got some magical realism about it and was really ahead of its time. Would very much recommend.

19. Christine by Stephen King
It's fine, pretty tense and very easy to read. I used to love Stephen King when I was a teen and this was one I'd never read but now I find them quite difficult. It's pretty misogynistic. The women are all objects in this book although that's not true of every King novel.

20. Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
Gripping little novella with an amazing study of madness. Well worth a read, it's only about 90 pages.

16. Songbirds- Christy Lefteri

Oh my! Beautifully written and it kept me captured all the eay through. But oh, so very sad and then when I read the authors letter at the end I feel quite angry for woman around the world who are going through this.

Anyway, I think I may need something lighter next.

I listened to Songbirds last year, so beautiful.

2023 Books:

1 Twelve Secrets
2 People of Abandoned Character
3 The Herd
4 Last One at The Party
5 The Last Thing to Burn
6 Moon Over Soho
7 The Girls Who Disappeared
8 The Chalk Man
9 The Unheard
10 Away with the Penguins
11 Whispers Underground
12 Pineapple Street

Just finished these 2:

13 Trespasses Louise Kennedy
About Belfast in the 1970s and an ill fated love story, really enjoyed

14 The Safe House Nicci French
Good twisty plot

A few more:
11: In the Dark by Claire Allan.
12: Cassandra Darke by Posy Simmonds. I love her graphic novels, obviously missed this one as it's 20+ years old!
13: Written In Bone by Sue Black. Her RI Christmas lectures were great and even engaged "don't tell me what to watch" ADHD DS.