50 books challenge - 2023 round up

[Tarahumara]

Hello 50 bookers! Here's a separate thread to gather together our top recommendations from the year. Please post your final lists, or just your bolds if you prefer. I'll come back later with mine...

Thanks @RomanMum heroic work there!

Yes to Remus and Alias - a chorus of enthusiasm for a book can make it feel like I should read it, but then it feels like a chore and I just don't want to.

@RomanMum thanks very much, really interesting to see the list! I’ve only read 2 from the fiction list and 2 from the non-fiction list, so plenty more for me to get round to!

Really interesting, thanks for doing all that work @RomanMum

Thank you @RomanMum - very interesting. Must have taken you ages!

Re recommended books, I was told for years I should read The Shipping News and did that resisting-the-advice thing. When I finally did, I absolutely loved it. Sometimes there's a good reason why everyone is saying a book is great.

However, I'd rather take suggestions from here or from RL friends as I don't trust the literary establishment's glowing reviews of all their mates' work, Death Comes to Pendlebury being an extreme example.

Top job @RomanMum - thank you!

Great to see the most recommended books as although I have read some and have some on my TBR pile there are others which bypassed me.

Wow, thank you @RomanMum - really interesting to see the stats of the year. I'm going to investigate the well-rated books and no doubt my wish list will be getting bigger...

Thanks guys, it was a really interesting exercise.

I know what you mean about Trespasses @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie, sometimes the hype, even if well deserved, can be off-putting. I wouldn't necessarily have read it but it was our drinking book group choice, and I quite enjoyed it.

Wow, thank you @RomanMum , that summary is virtuosic! I'm going to be adding some of the bold titles to this year's TBR list.

That's sterling work there @RomanMum - thank you.

I DNF'd Trespasses - just couldn't get on with it.

It's nice to see A Heart That Works on the list.

Also, Paper Palace was one of my big duds from last year, so it's gratifying to see it top this year's dud list 😂

Thanks so much @RomanMum for working all this out! I really must get round to Demon Copperhead - I’ve had it on my shelf for a year and made a false start on it, then shied away from the child cruelty I could feel coming.

Pod is a work of genius and I won’t hear anything said against it

Why are there no Drinking Book Clubs near me?

Sterling work there @RomanMum, Thank you.
I haven’t read any of the top 3 fiction though I do own them.
A Heart That Works - glad to see that in the top non fiction.

It will be good to come back to this thread next time I’m stuck for something to read.

Wonderful work @RomanMum !

Thanks RomanMum, great list.

Thank you so much @RomanMum Will definitely be coming back to this list for inspiration.

Thank you @RomanMum - that is so valuable! This year’s To Read list sorted!

Really appreciate you pulling this info together.

Many thanks RomanMum for your hard work on the stats.
A have 2 of the 3 top fiction books already downloaded on my kindle so that's a good start to the reading year

Wow @RomanMum that's fantastic work, thank you!

Cackling to myself because I absolutely loved Paper Palace

Thanks for doing this RomanMum, very interesting.

Reminds me how often I’m out of step with others on this thread! I’m another who really liked The Paper Palace and I DNF both Trespasses and Kala. But life would be dull if we all liked and read the same things.

Great work on the list; thank you!

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie it's not just you. I still haven't read This Thing of Darkness for exactly that reason. And I swerved Wolf Hall forever until finally giving in. Although I did end up absolutely loving that so perhaps there is wisdom in this crowd.

Ha, I have also had This Thing of Darkness on my kindle for ages and am nervous about reading it in case I hate it! I only bought it because of this thread as it’s not the sort of thing I would go for otherwise.

Me too!

Well, I was the originator of This Thing of Darkness discussion on here, so I think all three of you owe it to me to read it. No pressure! . But yes, it's that weight of expectation thing, isn't it?

I’ve got a copy of This Thing of Darkness staring at me from the shelf. I even name-changed in connection a couple of years ago.

(Sorry, I’ve not yet said thank you, @RomanMum, for your hard work.)

I recommended This Thing of Darkness to my neighbour, he absolutely loved it. He's quite well travelled and has been to a lot of the places in the book so it was a bit of a nostalgia trip for him too. A book I would never even had heard of if I hadn't happened upon this thread!