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.

Book 3 Never Waste a Good Hysterectomy- Melanie Verwoerd It was recommended after my own surgery, but I wasn't a fan of this.

Book 4 Prophet Song - Paul Lynch this year's Booker Prize winner and a very worthy winner indeed. I loved this book and it was so beautifully written. It is set in Ireland around a change to a totalitarian government. Union leaders and other enemies of the regime start disappearing and civil war breaks out. This book is telling the story from the perspective of a mother of four, whose husband (head of the teachers union) has gone missing. She is trying to survive the regime with her children and an elderly father now her family are seen as traitors. Just brilliant.

Done. Bloody brilliant. Completely in love with Cormoran Strike 😍

1. Careless - Kirsty Capes

I was actually all set to give up on this pretty early on but I'm glad I stuck with it. A story about a 15 year old girl in foster care.

Oooh TinkHasFlown. I was tempted by Prophet Song but baulked at the Kindle price a bit. Maybe I will get it.

Me too!!!
Can't wait for the next 2 and final books....

@Breathmiller I got it in the library (e book version) for free! I think I just got lucky with availability

Borrowed 2 books from the library BorrowBox app:

Before the year Dot - June Brown

Jacob's Room is Full of Books - Susan Hill

Trying for a mix of books, non fiction and fiction. So my first biography of the year.

I've started again with Strike listening on audio. Will be sad when it finishes!

I finished my no
2.Mixed Plate -Jo Koy which was an autobiography and quite entertaining
Then moved on to the first book from two teachers who’s second book I read last year but I found it boring , I guess one book on the subject was enough in hindsight , so I just skim read it and it’s going to straight to charity box
3.Put a wet paper towel on it - Lee Parkinson and Adam Parkinson
Thinking about what’s no 4 …
Maybe Yellow Face by Rebecca F Kuang DS gave me for Christmas. Anyone here read it ?

Nordicmom I listened to Yellowface on audible. Really enjoyed it. Deals with lots of issues whilst still being entertaining.

1. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Short but powerful book. Very poetic. Had never heard of it or the author but picked it up in the library. It won the Costa Book Award 2021 and I can see why. 4 out of 5.

1. The End We Start From - Megan Hunter

Wow!! Short but powerful. I'm going to go see the film next week

Yellowface is on my list, highly recommended by my daughter

Does anyone else have a physical book and ebook at same time? I'm still reading Still Life by Val Mcdermid and enjoying it, but don't always have it with me.
On my phone I have read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, which was good but a lot of characters to try and remember.
Just started Rules of Civility by Amor Towles.

Also have yellowface on my list to read.

Often I have an audiobook as well, as physical and ebook.
If its a particularly heavy book I might have the same book in both physical and ebook, so I can read it wherever.

Nice to hear you liked the book @BaconAndAvocado , I’m looking forward to starting it now. It’s by my bed ready to go at bedtime …

I don't read physical books for fiction as I can't see the print well at bedtime even with my reading glasses and a small light.

I do read paper books for work though. I find it easier for reference books to be physical to jump back and forward to references. But I only read them in the day time.

I sometimes start one of the free audio books on Spotify and if I like it I buy the e-book to read at bedtime.

I usually have an audiobook and a physical or kindle one on the go at the same time. I've really gone off my kindle for some reason.

2: Ellie and the Harp by Hazel Prior
Not a fan of this one really, but a friend lent it to me. I don't mind reading lighter fiction, but there was something about this that just didn't gel for me. However, I did like where it was set - right near me!

Just joining this, I only started last week but I’m 3 down so far. I only managed around 10 books last year so hoping to do better this year!

1) Poor Things - Alasdair Gray
I wanted to read this before seeing the film, it wasn’t really what I was expecting. It was a lot less detailed than I thought it would be and really dragged on at the end. I did enjoy it, and it was better than the film, but I think I’ll need to reread it at some point to determine my full verdict.

2) Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Really liked this. Felt like a very light, easy read but some lovely stories. Language a bit repetitive at times, not sure if this is because it’s translated. I also had a lump in my throat at the end. Definitely buying the sequels.

3) A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle
My first Sherlock read and I absolutely loved it! I didn’t want to put it down and just really loved Doyle’s writing. I can’t wait to read more!

Welcome Aurora

1. Yellowface - Rebecca F. Kuang.

I enjoyed this but made me resolved never to write and try to publish a book! 😅 (Not that it was on my radar but if it had been...)

Book 5 The Guncle by Steven Rowley. Nice little novel about grief, if that's possible. Also amusing because of the account of the totally child-naive uncle who has had nothing to do with raising his niece and nephew being thrown in at the deep end.

Oh dear I forgot about this thread! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I LOVED Daughter of Time 5/5

The Alice Network 4/5

have also read Yellowface 3.5/5

The Drift. 4.5/5

His and Hers 3/5

currently listening to The Dead Zone

Currently reading A Piece Of The World recommended (probably on here) for lovers of Burial Rites of which I am 100% one 😃

will have a quick run through the other posts now!

Finished book 2 The Seventh Son - Sebastian Faulks
I enjoyed the near future setting and the topic in general. I always enjoy Sebastian Faulks though so a thumbs up

Someone asked me up thread what I liked about Act of Oblivion but I can’t find the comment now. But to whoever you were… I liked the characters, I thought their motives made sense (based on my patchy a-level history memory) and I even liked the made up character.

2. The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory. Bloody loved it like a few people on here. So much so that

3. The Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory. They are utter trash and I spend far too much time on Wikipedia reading about the characters but I thoroughly enjoy this series. I started with The Lady of the Rivers (or something similarly named ) as per the reading order recommended on Philippa Gregory’s website.

I need a break from Henry viii and his misery and I’m half way through Empress Orchid by Anchee Min. I picked it up in a charity shop ages ago, I couldn’t tell you why, and I couldn’t tell you why I chose it off the shelf on Sunday. But I’m glad I did as it’s great.

4) A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
Loved it! Will read the sequels at some point.

Currently reading Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. I’m really drawn in to the story even though hardly anything has happened plot wise yet. The language is so good! The little descriptions he gives make things easy to picture. I’m planning on watching the film with Kate and Leo after finishing the book, never seen it before, is it any good?

Book 5 The Dare - John Boyne. This is a quick read and just 106 pages. It was ok, I loved his other books previously, but give this one 3.5/5.

I'm currently really enjoying The Other Boleyn Girl. Must stop reading recommendations on here and actually tackle my kindle pile lol.