50 Books Challenge 2024 Part Two

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the second thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2024, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

If possible, please can you embolden your titles and maybe authors as well of books you've read or going to read? It makes it much easier to keep track, especially when the threads move quickly at this time of the year.

The previous thread is here

Sorry to hear that life is tough @MegBusset

Down Under is BB’s best imo so I hope you can find some smiles in it.

Hi all,

Completely forgot to update this thread! I need to set myself a reminder every time I finish a book

Most recent reads:

1. 'The Last Thing He Told Me.'- Laura Dave. This book has recently been made into a tv series for Apple TV. It's about a woman who finds out her husband is not who he thinks he is after he mysteriously disappears after the company that he works for gets investigated for fraud. A bit predictable, but an okay read.

Now reading 'Nightshade Revenge' by Anthony Horowitz ❤️

@GrannieMainland I just had a chuckle at your review of CSIB. I read it once for my old book club and felt it was lacking a bit.

Thanks for the new thread southeast! Here’s my list:

1. Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens
2. The Five-minute Garden - Laetitia Maklouf
3. A Symphony of Echoes - Jodi Taylor
4. Agent Sonya - Ben Macintyre

I've just been on StoryGraph and lined up 'Private Places and Public Places.' By Sian Philips to read next. I've wanted to read it since I first saw her in the original version of 'The Snow Spider.' On HTV. ❤️

Sorry, just commenting again as this thread doesn't seem to have appeared on the 'Threads I'm on' section yet....

7 Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide - Darmon Richter

Fascinating photo / essay which explores the ongoing life of Chernobyl and its surrounding areas - often thought of as abandoned but actually teeming with activity, from the ongoing cleanup operation to the illegal ‘stalkers’ and ravers who make regular visits, and residents who returned to the area.

My list so far .

1. I Have to Save Them. Ellie Midwood
2. P.S Jane. Jessica Julien
3. Mrs Quinns Rise to Fame. Olivia Ford
4. The Villa. Jess Ryder
5. Artificial Wisdom. Thomas Weaver
6. The Paris Spy's Girl. Amanda Lees
7. Twisting Time: Forbidden City of Gold. D.F Jones
8. The Liberation of Bella McCaa. Catherine Aitken
9. The Quelling. C.L Lauder

10. Munich Wolf. Rory Clements 11. Sam Time. Donna Balon 12. A Most Malicious Messenger. Katherine Black 13. Taken to The Hills. S.J Richards 14. Blood On the Tracks. Guy Hale 15. Black Money. S.J Richards

Black Money was so close to a bold for me.

New review (I don't think I did it on the last thread anyway)

16. The German Child (also seems to be listed as The Children We Lost) Catherine Hokin This tells the story of the Lebensborn children, a Nazi programme to bolster numbers of the 'Aryan' race. It centres around 2 people in the 1980s America. One who discovers that he was a lebensborn child. And one who is trying to find out what part her parents played in the whole thing.

I really enjoyed it. The depths some people will go to in order to hide their past is terrifying. The fact that the 2 people find each other and work out how closely linked they are is slightly far fetched. But it was a good book nonetheless.

8 Little Whispers - KL Slater
A couple and their son move to an affluent area after the husband gets a good job. The story follows Janey and her developing friendships with the well off women of her new street while trying to work out what her husband is up to as he has become very secretive since moving. She is also coming to terms with a bombshell revelation her mother told her on her deathbed.

I didn’t really enjoy this. The first three quarters was so slow and the writer used way too much detail for really obvious things. There was no subtlety and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot as she explained the most obvious things. It felt like a gcse level story. Then it went 100 mph in the last part and flew through all the storylines and tension really quickly. By the end I felt like I’d just read a point horror.

10 Mythos - Stephen Fry - audio

Overlong and patronising. I switched to 1.5 speed to get it over and done with. His stupid voices did my head in. See also Hermione Grainger in HP.

Will stick to Natalie Hayes for the Classics from now on.

Loot - Tania James
An apprentice woodworker is called to the palace to assist with the making of Tipu's Tiger, an automaton. He works alongside a famous French watchmaker and is invited to return with him to France. In the meantime the palace is looted by the British and the woodworker tracks it down to country estate to get it back.
Just when I was admiring how good the list was, this came up. It was a stinker for me. It could have been down to the narrator of the audiobook, but the whole thing came across as vacuous and silly. I didn't engage with the characters at all. I was done by 45% but ploughed on. If it appeals, I'd say avoid the audio.

9 Paper Cup by Karen Campbell

Wow, this was just incredible! A definite bold no matter how early in the year it is.
It’s concerned with Kelly, a homeless woman in her early 50s. She finds herself on a pilgrimage of sorts (you know how I love a bloody good Pilgrimage ) and as she wends her way back to where she grew up we learn how she came to be in the position she is. The other characters are well drawn and their secrets and motivations are released slowly too. We see that Kelly is an unreliable narrator in some instances as far as relationships go, wrapped up as she is in an armour of denial and alcoholism. There’s a dark humour to it, particularly from her point of view and I found myself nodding along (and occasionally saying “Yes!” out loud) to the stuff about how people find themselves in a situation like that.
There’s some grit and grim in it, but the overriding feeling it left me with was of the poem by Donna Ashworth, “Most people are good”. Of course, most people are motivated by self interest, self preservation and self justification too and this book does not shy away from that. Nor from descriptions of the depths Kelly’s lifestyle can sink to.
Ultimately, it’s about the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and how difficult they can be to shrug off.

I dimly remember reading a book by the author ages ago, possibly one of her Crime ones. She writes in a way here that chimed exactly with how I think and feel, so yeah, Full Immersion sort of thing. Plus, there’s a dog and a long, long walk through beautiful scenery whilst carrying ugly memories. Just fabulous. ❤️

I've made it to the second thread without dropping off!
Also knocked off Book #4 for 2024 (Rattling through the comfy Seven Sisters series)
4) The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley

The fourth book of the Seven Sisters series, this time following Cece (full name Celino) to her origin story in Australia.
In the previous books, Cece has come across as somewhat abrasive, selfish and domineering over her sister Star (the subject of the third book The Shadow Sister, so I was not really expecting to like Cece that much, but I did actually.
She heads off to Australia (via Thailand where she falls in love with the inevitable handsome stranger( to find her roots, as per Pa Salt's clues to her birth family, and finds herself in Broom, a small town in the Northern Territory, where her ancestor Kitty Mercer was a pioneer.
Interesting story, easy read (listen as I have all these on Audible)
Will get around to the next one after a break as they are getting a bit samey - I do enjoy them though.

1. I who have never known men by Jacqueline Harpman

Forty women are kept prisoner in an underground bunker. They and we don't know why. This is told from the perspective of the youngest woman.

I loved this. It will stay with me for a long time. It was written by a Belgian author in French in the 90s. This was highly recommended on BookTok particularly by nicolereads98.

Janina and Henry I came across my Cynthia Harnetts when I was looking for Carbonel last week.

Apologies for the wonky picture. Also, do you remember the Barbara Willard books (A Cold Wind Blowing and The Sprig of Broom amongst others)?

Just found another one, although I don't seem to have Stars of Fortune.

Thanks for the thread South 😊

5. Yellowface by Rebecca Kuang

I assume everyone knows the plot as half the thread has read this. Successful author dies, leaving her friend to steal her latest book.

I basically read this on the plane to Lanzarote today and I loved it. I don't think I've ever struggled to put down a book where I dislikes the narrator so much. It's not just that she has a few human flaws, she is not a good person.

I don't think it's quite a bold for me as the ending didn't seem to tie in with the rest of it. It went from a contemplative book to a wanting to be something else altogether. Great way to pass the time though and I'd look out for other stuff by this author.

@Boiledeggandtoast how wonderful! Should have known the 50 bookers would have Cynthia Harnett's books. Going to have to get myself a copy of The Wool Pack now (I've never read it).

My copy of The Wool Pack cost 3'6d (that dates me!). I loved Cynthia Harnett, and you're right, they do have such wonderful illustrations.

My Stars of Fortune and a bonus Barbara Willard. I have a Jane Nissen Books reissued SoF somewhere (with Amanda Craig intro) and more BWs too but need to keep an eye on dinner so can't go looking.
Definitely never read The Writing on the Hearth, so will go hunt that down, ty @Boiledeggandtoast

Ooh, The Lark and the Laurel looks familiar, I wonder if I had a copy back in the day. Thanks HenryTilneyBestBoy.

@RazorstormUnicorn
I don't think it's quite a bold for me as the ending didn't seem to tie in with the rest of it
I also found Yellowface bingeable fun but would urge caution / lowering of expectations /girding of loins before Babel because your criticism certainly applies to that, in spades.* Though for 'ending' *substitute 'entire second half'. Can't remember the last time a book plunged so precipitously from potential 5 star to 1 star read for me!

Yes @HenryTilneyBestBoy the second half of Babel blew it for me too

Ok not reading Babel then. Thanks for the heads up!