26-ish books 2024

[Tinkhasflown]

A shiny new thread for 2024.

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.

14. The Couple at No. 9, Claire Douglas

Pretty good, great twist at the end.

15. The survivors, Jane Harper.

The third of hers I have read.

Very similar formula... A great hook at the beginning, then slow layering, keeping you just about on the hook, then a superb twist at the end which make you then rethink over all the slow bit in the middle knowing what you now know...

32-36 will be the first 4 Time Police books by Jodi Taylor. A comforting, amusing re-read of a favourite series.

15: Paper Towns by John Green
16: Good Harbor by Anita Diamant

Ultra Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken

I don't usually (& wont) include this as one of my 26 books of the year as it's a fact book and I just want my list to be fiction - but I had to add it on here to raise awareness and highly recommend it.
It is such an eye opener to the food industry and how/why we eat what we do. It's massively made me think and will undoubtedly change my eating habits (for the better).
100% worth a read. 5 stars out of 5.

18: At Home - A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. A non-travel one this time, Bill has a great way of making the mundane fascinating, I learned all sorts of random bits of information from listening to this.

10. A Welsh Dawn by Gareth Thomas.
North Wales in late 1950s. Themes of politics and Whitehall not taking Wales seriously, unemployment and split views on use of the Welsh language. It follows characters from families of differing backgrounds and generations over a couple of years of romances, coming of age, ill health and other day to day. Well plotted and researched - very interesting. There is some Welsh in it which you can find translated on a website for the book.

11. Easy Meat by Rachel Trezise
South Wales for this one. It all takes place over one day, which is the day of the Brexit vote. The novel follows its central character from waking up to bedtime. He works in an abattoir and as a veggie I skimmed any too graphic bits but there weren't that many. Within his work place are lots of employees from other countries which added a relevant dimension. It weaves in some of his backstory too.
I loved this. It's only slight and I ended up racing through. The first couple of pages I thought it would be too stylised and trying to be cool, but it wasn't at all.

Those both sound really interesting @Scout2016

im having to make myself a book reward chart, read 5 of the books I already own before I can buy new ones!

17 People Like Us - Louise Fein

a Young girl who is the daughter of an SS officer in nazi Germany falls in love with a Jewish boy and everything she has been told about Germans and Germany and totally turned on its head. Great book that took its time with her having her revelation and torn between family and morals though the other characters were a little one dimensional

18 I Am An Island - Tamsin Calidas

true story of a woman and her husband who move to a Croft in the Hebrides. He eventually leaves and I honest to god don’t understand why she stays when she has such a difficult time - she becomes utterly isolated as the community refuses to accept her. Deep horribly misogyny abounds but she persists. The writing is stunning though, like The Outrun on steroids!

19 The Sin of Omission - Marguerite Poland

a young “native” black son African boy is taken in by white missionaries and sent to the U.K. to be trained as a deacon in the 1800’s. Ultimately betrayed by the white masters and torn between his authentic faith and his history and culture. Incredibly sad and shows not much has changed

@Citygirlrurallife I ban myself from buying more until i have read some, and I do really well then go mad and get loads. I do give away a lot once read which helps but only just. I like the sound of your three too.

Those books were recommended to me in an independent book shop in Caernarvon. I had a great time browsing but couldn't make my mind up and just asked for help. My kind of holiday souvenirs! I like supporting local business too. I got Women Who Blow On Knots as well, not set in Wales but he thought it would appeal as strong feminist characters. Not read it yet. None of the books were ones I was considering when browsing so I appreciated the gamble on books I wouldn't have read otherwise.

17: The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes
Interesting read from this forensic psychologist.

19. The Lightness - Emily Temple

I enjoyed this. I wondered often if I was a bit too old for it as it was full of teenage girls but I did like the subjct and storyline.

16: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Read it after reading the praise on here and the likening to 'Burial Rites' (which I adored), and it's fantastic. Couldn't put it down and now can't stop thinking about the thousands of woman who were 'tried' as Witches but never stood a chance.

A bit lost as what to read next.

@SlightlyJaded I haven't read that but it's on my list, and I also really enjoyed Burial Rites. Have you read Tidelands by Philippa Gregory - that might take your fancy?

This is one of my top 3 books of all time ever and it took a LONG time for me to settle down to another book because I just couldn’t find anything as good. I think I ended up following it with American Dirt

@Breathmiller Home Stretch by Graham Norton is a good book. The way he writes reminds me of Maeve Binchy. I gave this book an 8 out of 10, but only because I read it straight after Hearts Invisible Furies which I gave 11 out of 10 🙂

10. island of missing trees by elif shafak

I loved this so much, and it has restored my reading bug.

I started the second of the St Mary's books after thinking that the first was a great concept badly written. Unfortunately I thought the second one was even worse and I ended up watching tv or scrolling on my phone rather than read it. I've not read anything that poor in years.

Thankfully missing trees was beautifully crafted and absorbing. About to re-read Fingersmith now.

MargotMoon
I agree re the St. Mary’s books. I love novels about time travel but found the first one in the series very badly written…but great subject matter.

@BaconAndAvocado Yep, love a good time travel novel but they are a great idea squandered!

This looks interesting!

22. The Wonder - Emma Donoghue 9/10
23. Night Wherever We Go - Tracey Rose Peyton 9/10 I highly recommend both of these.

12 The Closed Circle by Jonathan Coe. Sequels The Rotters Club and set 20 years on. Very easy read, lots of twists and character arch overlaps. I was really invested in this although one of the plot developments did knock me a bit sick. Links back many times to things from The Rotters Club storyline and neatly done. Starts 1999 so millennium, Tony Blair, 9/11, Iraq in place of the Unions, punk /prog rock, IRA of first novel of 1970s.

I've just downloaded a sample! I'm not sure about the reviews; "whimsy" put me off a bit 😂

MargotMoon
Oh no!
But I’m not averse to a bit of “whimsy” as long as it’s not too much!

@Scout2016 I loved the Closed Circle and the Rotters Club - I am sure I have read a third one too. There was a good TV series on the Rotters Club.

@Totorosfluffytummy I thought The Wonder was good also, she is a great author. (Also, love your username - I went to see that on stage earlier this year)!

@DiggoryVenn I didn't even know there was a 3rd one! Well that's my ban on buying any more books screwed. But thank you!
Edit- oh no, I just looked it up and saw a massive spolier!