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.

I enjoyed it too. The more I think about the ending, the more I come round to it. Just wasn't what I was expecting!
I'll have to see what other books she's written as I like her style.

I really enjoyed Homecoming by Kate Morton recently. There is a gentle twist towards the end as well. I will say no more than that.

24: The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
I'm sure this was recommended on here - I really enjoyed it. It is a fictionalised account of something that actually happened (but in a different time period). Three lighthouse keepers disappear from an offshore lighthouse and the door is locked on the inside. Told from various viewpoints.

28. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. - Gabrielle Zevin

This took me ages to get through, not because I didn't like it but life has been busy and I also have no real interest in gaming. But, the storyline kept pulling me in. It is set in a world of gaming but its really about people as most books are. If, like me, you feel this wouldn't appeal because of the framework around gaming designers, don't let it put you off.

I have some time off in the next little while and got kindle vouchers for my birthday so I will read back for inspiration

27 The Adoption Papers by Jackie Kay, a lovely short book of poems and my 1990s read for the Big Jubilee Read.
I also finished re-reading Atomic Habits.

I now have to choose a 2000s book for October: I have already read Life of Pi, The Secret River, White Teeth and Small Island. I have copies of Wolf Hall, Half of a Yellow Sun and The Book Thief, I am definitely not going to manage to read Wolf Hall in October unless it's a massive pageturner.
I really liked Purple Hibiscus and found it quite easy to read as well - but Half of a Yellow Sun looks like it has more challenging themes. Of the others the shortest is The Boat but I might try one of the ones I actually own and see if I get into it quickly.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Jubilee_Read

@drspouse def read half of a yellow sun, it's amazing

@drspouse Half of a Yellow Sun would also be my recomendation.

12. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn - a historical fiction set in Bletchley Park during WW2. Three women from very different backgrounds, Osla, Mab, & Beth, are assigned to BP and become sisters-in-arms, until a catastrophic event which destroys their friendship. Years later the estranged trio must band together once more to uncover a traitor in their midsts. With cameos from Prince Philip, Alan Turing, Winston Churchill, and Kate Middleton's granny.

It was certainly an entertaining read. I enjoyed Osla & Mab's friendship, and although Beth was a bit of a third wheel at times, this felt in keeping with her slightly eccentric character. Unfortunately I found the way the mole was revealed quite disappointing. It did make me want to visit Bletchley Park though.

I have started Half a Yellow Sun and it's great so far @Citygirlrurallife @Breathmiller

🙌

24) Frenchman's Creek. Daphne Du Maurier. Having read several of her books and loved them all, this one was a bit of a disappointment.

13. Eye for an Eye by M.J. Arlidge - five high profile criminals, each convicted as minors and granted lifelong anonymity on release, start having their new identities exposed to their victims' families. Fearing an internal leak, the probation service and police rush to find the mole and protect their charges as retaliatory attacks ramp up.

The book explores themes of justice, retribution, redemption, and vigilantism. It's told from multiple different perspectives, including the victims' families, the offenders' families, the probation service, the police, the head of a vigilante organisation dedicated to outing offenders via social media, and the offenders themselves. This worked fairly well, although some characters were stronger than others and had a more distinctive voice in the narrative. The police officer in charge of the investigation for example felt very bland and interchangable, despite her POV taking up a decent amount of the story.

Overall I enjoyed it, and recommend it if you're looking for a fast-paced thriller with interesting ethical scenarios.

15 - Strange Sally Diamond Liz Nugent - was a page turner for sure, enjoyed it more than I thought I would as not normally the sort of book I pick up

18. Heartburn by Nora Ephron

I really enjoyed this. It's a short book so I whizzed through it. Based on the author's real life through divorce, it's quite sad in parts but also has good, dark humour. 4 out of 5.

18. Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

I bought this in hardback as I was excited about it coming out.
Love KA and all the previous Jackson Brodie books.

This one was.....okay. There wasn't enough in it about Jackson for me and, unfortunately, it was all a bit underwhelming. I still enjoyed it but definitely not as much as her other books.

23: When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson. Love these books. Shame about the new one @BaconAndAvocado I might wait for the paperback or get it from the library (I'm listening to the series on Borrowbox ATM).

1. Kala, Colin Walsh
2. The Salt Path, Radnor Winn

*Raynor, not Radnor!

14. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin - David meets Giovanni in a Parisian bar whilst his fiancée, Hella, is away travelling in Spain. They start a passionate affair, but it all falls apart when Hella returns and David decides to pretend the whole thing never happened.

This book deals with themes of repressed sexuality, homophobia, and the concept of what it means to be man. For a short book (150 pages), it's a heavy hitter. Published in 1956, the attitudes to homosexuality displayed in the book are of their time. The characters are complex and flawed. I found both protagonists dislikable in different ways. David is a navel-gazing, self-centred user, who treats his lovers cruelly and takes very little responsibility for his actions. Giovanni is misogynistic (possibly out of resentment for David's fiancée, and to assert his own masculinity), volatile, and emotionally manipulative. Which didn't in any way lessen the tragedy of the story, nor overall futility of their fates. Would definitely recommend, but not a light read.

(As a side note, I didn't realise that the guillotine was used as a method of execution in France right up to 1977!)

1977!!!!

Lost my way a bit - too much telly- but trying to get back into it now. 2 new ones to add to my finished pile: The Mercies as recommended by many on here and a fantastic read. Also one I have had on my TBR for many years, Cloudstreet, also magnificent. Updated list:

1. Stone Yard Devotional - Charlotte Wood
2. Strange Sally Diamond - Liz Nugent
3. Normal Rules Don’t Apply - Kate Atkinson
4. The Drowning Girls - Veronica Lando
5. Lessons In Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
6. Limberlost - Robbie Arnott
7. Back to Bangka - Georgina Banks
8. Zeus is a Dick - Susie Donkin
9. Water - John Boyne
10. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning - Margareta Magnusson
11. The Mercies - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
12. Cloudstreet - Tim Winton

@Goodbyeimgoinghome
Did you enjoy The Mercies?
It's on my TBR pile.

I really enjoyed it. I also listened to the audio on Borrow Box at the same time which was good for getting the pronunciation of the names etc.

20. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. I loved this. It's short but packs a lot in. It's set at Christmas if anyone is looking for a seasonal read but it's quite emotional.

22: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Following on from The Women - I've done a run of Kristin Hannah books. This one is (mostly) set in Alaska during 70s and 80s and follows the story of a family who arrive unprepared for the harsh winters and brutal lifestyle but start to fall in love with the place. The father is violent - damaged by PTSD following his stint in Vietnam and the oppressive environment and a local 'prepper' feed into his mental instability causing his unreasonable behaviour to escalate. Against this backdrop, the main protagonist - a teenage girl has a 'coming of age' story that ultimately leads to terrible tragedy.

I loved all the descriptions of the Alaskan lifestyle and the mum endlessly forgiving and excusing the violence was believable and heartbreaking. At times it almost descended into misery-porn but just about avoids doing that and I shed a tear towards the end. I will read more of her books but need a bit of a break so am about to start the new Kate Atkinson/Jackson Brodie.