50 Books Challenge 2023 Part Four

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth thread of the 50 Books 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, it’s not too late to join, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

The first thread of the year is here, the second one here and the third one here.

What are you reading?

I am also going to see A Little Life end of next month (and have read the book). Will report back.

I have not yet read House of Glass but it is on my Kindle/TBR pile - must move it up.

I was given a copy of the Kate Mosse but not yet read it as it’s hardback so a bit of an effort to lug on my commute. I tend to save hardbacks for UK holidays.

20. About Time - Jodi Taylor

Fourth in the Time Police series. Team Weird are still dysfunctional and for large parts of this book are not together. Things are going particularly badly for the Time Police with an unexplained death to a person of interest in custody, loss of funding, breaking rules and a likely traitor/mole. Light entertainment.

16 I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel
I liked this a lot, although I didn’t love it. It was a quick read, probably due to the blog-like structure and it being the Kindle version. I’m a fan (lol) of the deliberately unlikeable character in novels (CJ Kruse, Jenn Ashworth etc) so that helped. I dislike female characters pursuing men who aren’t worthy of their time and attention, so that was a bit irritating, but the skewering of Influencers and wanky media launches etc was spot on.

Yes.this is my first of hers and I like her style.she just goes for it with the thriller. Straight in.i think the first line was something like my husband didn't mean to kill Annie but she deserved it! and it has continued in this cheeky vain since.

Good girl Bad girl by Michael Robotham.
This was a recommendation from Mr B's emporium in Bath when I went to the shop. They recommended it to me because I like crime novels and have an interest in reading about psychology.
The lead character is Cyrus Haven, a forensic psychologist, who is working with a very complex, damaged young teenager, Evie Cormac. Evie has a gift (or curse) - she can tell when people are lying.
The plot is OK - bits seemed far fetched ( Cyrus is allowed to be her guardian) but the book is gripping and the characters are intriguing.
Bit like a British Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

@Itsgottobeme I really, really like Liz Nugent- I think she's a brilliant writer and very under-rated. Any U2 fans, there's also a very funny scene in Little Cruelties involving Bono.

Yes she very unlike any other thrill writers butni don't no how to explain it. But I'm really liking this one. I can't believe I've not found her before.so yes very underrated

Far fetched yes but I bloody loved it ha!

@Gingerwarthog I was in Mr B’s a few weeks ago - the woman at the counter was non stop chatting about books to every customer it was so lovely to listen to.

@Itsgottobeme
Yes, I couldn't put it down. Have you read the rest of the series?
@Palegreenstars
Favourite shop of all time - they also recommended Andrew Miller's Pure to me and I loved that one too.

Ooh I have Pure lingering on my shelf!

on the tbr discussion - I buy and borrow too many books but as my mum said recently ‘at least it’s not drugs’. I enjoy supporting book shops and libraries and I think book shelves are the best decoration.

16 Insomnia - Sarah Pinborough I think this (or at least the author) was reviewed on one of the 50 books threads recently, and I got it out of the library based on that recommendation. It’s about a woman about to turn 40 who starts suffering from insomnia (so far, so relatable - for me at least!), and her memories of a shitty childhood seem to be driving her crazy. This was quite gripping and I raced through it wanting to know whether she was really the crazy one. Unfortunately the twist was dreadful and ruined the book 😞

Ah when lockdown closed libraries. They only closed for a couple of months or so here but when I realised it was likely to happen I took out about 20 books from the library to keep me going! And tackled some of my TBR pile but that's part of the reason I don't read the books I already have, I subconsciously save them for when I can't get to a library but I can nearly always get to a library so I never read them.

Finished books 18 and 19 - Under The North Star by Väinö Linna and Percy Jackson and the Last of the Olympians by Rick Riordan.
Under The North Star was mostly as I remembered it, an insight into the lives of tenant farmers in the early 20th century with the political background of The Land Question and The Women Question (tenancy/worker rights and suffrage).
The Last of the Olympians was another fun fast paced adventure, so glad children these days have such quality fiction amidst the lesser quality books.

Need to read The Guest House next as that was an inter-library loan before I can move on to part two of Under The North Star (the most devastating book of the trilogy if I remember right - I shall be sobbing into my cup of tea as I read!)

"At least it's not drugs" is what I will tell myself when I inevitably go back to buying books. Will also use the same phrase to justify buying crochet supplies and concert tickets.

just got the second from the library and cant wait for it to be at the front of the queue haha

not least because i want to no what really happened to her.

having read more last night and coming to the end i can deff say im a fan. shes a good en if this is to go by and cant wait to look into more. im not allowing my hopes to be up yet though as i have no idea if there are any more of hers at my library(shocking choices.)

Can you order them in to the library? I worked in a library while I did my masters and we could order books in from any of the libraries in the county

Have you read Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough? I read it a couple of years ago and tbh thought it probably one of the worst books I've ever read. Utterly ridiculous twist. I vowed never to waste time on any more of her books if they were all that bad.

15. How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm by Cressida Cowell

In which, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third’s participation in an Inter-Tribal Friendly Swimming Race goes awry, and leads to unexpected adventures.

I read this one to DC1. He enjoyed it a lot. Not a series I’d choose to read by myself, but as children’s books go, they’re quite entertaining, and I’d recommend them to people with children around the target age for the books (they’re aimed at 9 - 11 year olds I think).

16. The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall

Non-fiction. Marshall looks at 10 regions (including space), and briefly discusses their history and how these regions could affect global politics. Interesting on the whole, if heavy going at times.

Oh wow that would be a dream. But sadly not.thw state of the libraries are just getting worse. This time.last year it looked to be finally closing.but has been held on just.run by volunteers now which is extremely problematic. And the choices just getting less and less. Some extremely popular authors are ni-on existent on the shelves which is ridiculous.

Ahh that's a shame. Really frustrating to see Libraries closing!

25. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
A mysterious sea-faring lodger at Jim Hawkins’ parents’ rural inn sets off a piratical adventure. All the pirate tropes you could want - peg legs, parrots, Black Spots, pieces of eight, dead men’s chests etc. - and Long John Silver is a fantastic character. The story itself is a bit uneven, but works brilliantly as an audiobook with the different voices. I think it would drag rather at times on the page.

@RainyReadingDay i haven’t, but having read some reviews on goodreads it sounds like it’s along the same lines - it suddenly jumps into a completely different genre at the end! Just didn’t work at all.

I like the "at least it's not drugs" argument.

I'm not joining the 'taming the TBR' program, though it's a great idea. My TBR exists as a list on my phone, of which I have about 10% as physical books, amongst a drawer and small box of other books to read. The list helps concentrate my mind when I'm browsing book/charity shops. I'm going to try to work my way through these instead of getting library loans from the list (though I have 3 on hold at the mo).

17. Bibliomaniac - Robin Ince

The author took a tour of over 100 independent bookshops across the UK after his stadium tour was postponed due to Covid. It's a fun book of travel by public transport and the different quirky bookshops (and owners) he encounters on the way. Robin Ince's book obsession means he would be welcome on this thread but his reading list could be eccentric to say the least. I empathise with his "needing to buy (insert bizarre book title here)". At least it's not drugs.

18. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

I have loved The Tattooed Potato And Other Clues by the same author since reading it as a child, but to my mind this wasn't as good, despite winning the Newbery Medal. It's a whodunnit beginning when 16 unlikely people turn up for the reading of eccentric millionaire Samuel Westing's will. He may be dead, but that doesn't stop him from playing one last game... a YA book, it kept me reading, but I just wasn't that bothered by it. Passing it on.