50 Books Challenge 2024 Part Seven

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the seventh 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.

Some of us bring over to the new thread lists of the books we've read so far, but again - this is your choice.

The first thread is here, the second one here , the third one here, the fourth one here , the fifth one here and the sixth one here.

What are you reading?

Pleased to see Stone Yard Devotional on the list, and I liked Rachel Kushner's previous novel The Mars Room very much* (also Booker listed) so am looking forward to reading Creation Lake *- I've also read her essay collection and have had her first two novels TBR for some years. One of my problems with borrowing so many library books is that I end up prioritising the loans with a queue and neglecting the many times renewed books and the ones I own.

Odd list - there's no way Creation Lake is better than My Friends unless I'm missing something. Though they're both better than Orbital!!

I'm pleased to see The Safe Keep on there and will definitely read SYD. Not sure about Held which I suspect I won't like.

James has very short chapters, I blew through it quickly even though the subject is heavy.

That’s good to know- thanks @EineReiseDurchDieZeit

I have only read descriptions of the short list, but they sound interesting (not sure about Orbital), particularly The Safe Keep, Held and Stone Yard Devotional sound very good. Must go look them up. And also My Friends which didn't make it.

96. The Cutting Place by Jane Casey

Maeve (or Mauve ) Kerrigan #9

Kerrigan and Derwent investigate an unidentified dismembered body.

Really enjoyed this one, possibly enough to bold

Why is Maeve always in mortal peril ? Again?!

I'm horrified Orbital made the list and it's criminal that My Friends didn't. Other than that I'm in agreement with the rest of the list.

I'm calling James to win.

Maeve is always in mortal peril @EineReiseDurchDieZeit but what is more amazing is how she manages to do it all on very little food. Something like a slice of burnt toast and a scrape of yesterday's scrambled egg. I would be hanging off Derwent and munching on his brawny arm!

@FuzzyCaoraDhubh

And her hair is always "wild"

Completely wild! 😅

Thank you to southeast for the new thread - I somehow missed the whole of the last one

My list so far is:

1. Rory Clements - The English Fuhrer
2. Rhys Bowen - The Proof of the Pudding
3. Janice Hallett - The Christmas Appeal
4. Kate Saunders - The Case of the Wandering Scholar
5. Karen M McManus - One of Us is Back
6. Alex Coombs - Murder on the Menu
7. Richard Osman - The Last Devil to Die
8. Faith Martin - Murder by Candlelight
9. Lindsey Kelk - The Christmas Wish

10. Nathan Anthony - Bored of Lunch 11. Simon Stephenson - Sometimes People Die 12. Hannah Richell - The Search Party 13. Sophia Holloway - Isabelle 14. Cynthia Murphy - Win Lose Kill Die 15. Richard Armitage - Geneva 16. Richard Coles - A Death in the Parish 17. Tom Hindle - Murder on Lake Garda 18. Bill Bryson - A Walk in the Woods 19. CJ Sansom - Heartstone 20. Laura Wood - The Agency for Scandal 21. Laura Wood - A Season for Scandal 22. Sophia Holloway - The Devil You Know 23. Agatha Christie - Sinister Spring 24. Bridget Walsh - The Tumbling Girl 25. RR Haywood - Extracted 26. RR Haywood - Executed 27. RR Haywood - Extinct 28. Liz Hedgecock & Paula Harmon - Death on the Towpath 29. Liz Hedgecock - All At Sea 30. Liz Hedgecock - Off the Map 31. Liz Hedgecock - Gone to Ground 32. Liz Hedgecock - In Plain Sight 33. Finley Turner - The Engagement Party 34. Liz Fielding - Murder under the Mistletoe 35. Peter Robinson - Gallows View 36. Jan Durham - Death at the Abbey 37. Jan Durham - Death at Neptune Yard 38. Jan Durham - Death at the Feast 39. Jan Durham - Death at the Anchorage 40. Jan Durham - Death on the Stella Mae 41. Jan Durham - Death on the West Cliff 42. Jenni Keer - No 23 Burlington Square 43. Izzie Harper - Murder at the Christmas Carols 44. Lesley Cookman - Death Plays a Part 45. Lesley Cookman - Entertaining Death 46. Lesley Cookman - Death Treads the Boards 47. Tom Mead - Death and the Conjuror 48. Tom Mead - The Murder Wheel 49. Helena Dixon - Murder at the Highland Castle 50. Helena Dixon - Murder at the Island Hotel 51. Enid Blyton - Five Go To Smuggler's Top 52. Jenni Keer - At The Stroke of Midnight 53. Benedict Brown - Murder at Everham Hall 54. Benedict Brown - The Hurtwood Village Murders 55. Benedict Brown - Murder at the Spring Ball 56. Benedict Brown - A Body at a Boarding School 57. Benedict Brown - Death on a Summer's Day 58. JM Hall - A Clock Stopped Dead 59. Taylor Zajonc - The Maw 60. CM McDonnell - Relight My Fire 61. JR Ellis - The Canal Murders 62. Lesley Cookman - Murder after Midnight 63. Enid Blyton - Five Go Off To Camp 64. Mark Richards & E S Richards - The Hanged Woman 65. Benedict Brown - The Mystery of Mistletoe Hall 66. Benedict Brown - The Tangled Treasure Trail 67. Emily Organ - The Baker Street Murders 68. Emily Organ - The Curse of the Poppy 69. Emily Organ - The Bermondsey Poisoner 70. Emily Organ - An Unwelcome Guest 71. Emily Organ - Death at the Workhouse 72. Emily Organ - The Gang of St Bride's 73. Emily Organ - Murder in Ratcliffe 74. Emily Organ - The Egyptian Mystery 75. Emily Organ - The Camden Spiritualist 76. Sarah Rossi - What's for dinner in one pot? 77. Emila Hart - Weyward 78. MRC Kasasian - The Montford Maniac 79. Various - Murder Under The Sun 80. Rachel Burton - The Mystery of Haverford House 81. Vanessa Len - Never a Hero 82. Clare Mackintosh - A Game of Lies 83. Orlando Murrin - Knife Skills for Beginners 84. Jane Steen - Lady Helena Investigates 85. Jane Steen - Lady Odelia's Secret 86. Anthony Horowitz - Close to Death 87. CL Miller - The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder 88. Ann Treneman - Finding the Plot 89. Benedict Brown - The Castleton Affair 90. Jodi Taylor - Killing Time 91. Georgette Heyer - The Unfinished Clue 92. Susanna Gregory - Mystery in the Minster 93. Katy Watson - The Three Dahlias 94. Nathan Anthony - Bored of Lunch: Healthy Slow Cooker Even Easier 95. Sarah J Naughton - Your Time Is Up 96. Holly Hepburn - The Missing Maid 97. John Marrs - The Family Experiment 98. Stuart Turton - The Last Murder at the End of the World 99. Gillian McAllister - Just Another Missing Person 100. E Lockhart - Family of Liars 101. Rachel Burton - The Last Party at Silverton Hall 102. Daniel Kalla - Fit to Die 103. Richard Osman - The Bullet That Missed 104. Cara Devlin - Murder at the Seven Dials 105. Cara Devlin - Death at Fournier Downs 106. Sophie Irwin - A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting 107. Jonathan Stroud - The Notorious Scarlett & Browne 108. Fiona Leitch - The Cornish Wedding Murder 109. KJ Charles - Death in the Spires 110. Hannah Dolby - How To Solve Murders Like a Lady 111. Marie Browne - Narrow Minds 112. Marie Browne - Narrow Margins 113. Terry Pratchett - Carpe Jugulum 114. Wes Streeting - One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up 115. Stuart Maconie - Never Mind the Quantocks 116. LC North - Clickbait 117. Claire Evans - The Graves of Whitechapel 118. Rob Rinder - The Suspect 119. Suzanne Mulholland - The Batch Lady: Grab and Cook 120. Maureen Johnson - Nine Liars 121. Sally Smith - A Case of Mice and Murder 122. Maureen Johnson - Death at Morning House 123. Ruth Ware - One by One 124. Stephanie Garber - A Curse for True Love 125. Daniel Kalla - High Society 126. Lesley Cookman - Murder Repeated 127. Lesley Cookman - Murder on the Edge 128. Ruth Ware - In a Dark Dark Wood 129. Kristen Perrin - How to Solve Your Own Murder 130. Robin Stevens - The Body in the Blitz

Most recent DNF is The Rev Richard Coles - Murder at the Monastery, which is the third Canon Clement mystery. I quite enjoyed the first two - not sure if that's damning them with faint praise though! - but I gave up after a third of this one when pretty much nothing seemed to have happened. Perhaps it improves after the murder actually happens?!

69. A Refiner’s Fire - Donna Leon

Yet another Venice-set Commissario Brunetti novel, Leon's 33rd (!). The world’s most unlikely policeman - apart from Simon Serailler - continues to ply his trade, doing a little light detecting in between heavy bouts of philosophising and reading the classics, although this time he slums it a bit with some 19thc French travel-writing rather than Plato and Tacitus.

I’m sure I can remember the days when Brunetti had some actual crime to solve, but Leon has long lost interest in much of a plot in favour of endlessly-drawn-out musings on right vs wrong and moral dilemmas (this time on the actions of a 'war hero' and the new scourge of some unlikely-sounding 'baby gangs'), interspersed with lengthy name-checks of Venetian calles. And yet I keep reading them, and will probably read No. 34 when it comes out, as it inevitably will next year…..

@TabbyM I’d never heard of Robin McKinley before I came across Deerskin in the library (I would only have been about ten when it was published in 1993), but I liked her style - as well as feminist retellings of myth and fairytale more generally - so will definitely seek out more of her work.

97. Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson (Audible)

Finished last night because I use Audible as a book at bedtime.

Susannah, a dressmaker, writes a diary about the comings and goings of the square where her shop resides.

This was free to me on Audible and really it needed to be. I found this quite tedious if I'm honest, I just wasn't interested. I didn't want the waste of hours of a DNF but I was definitely counting them down.
There was something soporific about it. But then, I'm in the minority who didn't like Trustee From The Toolroom so don't listen to me if you liked that it's probably for you, it wasn't for me.

As well as reading it, I was vetting it as a potential gift for a friend who wants :

Nice
Light
Page Turner
No Sex

It didn't pass muster for me, but if anyone has any suggestions for that criteria please let me know, I can't come up with much

Hello, I totally missed our last thread due to general business and I’ve not updated my list but a few reviews below to get back in the game

Mongrel by Hanako Footman. A novel following three women across Japan and England. I loved this - particularly the description of food as grounding you in culture / home. I’m on holiday near Dungeness at the moment and oddly there was a final scene set exactly where we are headed today. Which made me like it even more of course.

Other than that I’ve been reading some T. M. Logan which are fairly light thrillers. I’ve just picked up the new Kate Atkinson/ Jackson Brodie Death at the Sign of the Rook which so far so good.

looking forward to catching up with all your reviews.

Hi...a rare pop in. I see trustee from the tool room has had an outing, I loved that book. Some of his others were a miss though so I can why it wasn't liked by all.

Cheering on Rachel Kushner - Creation Lake as my only bold of the Booker longlist so far. It definitely commits to being a clever novel, so I can understand it leaving some cold. I really enjoyed the ride - drunk-driving mess at the wheel, bumpy detours down arch&anth rabbitholes and all - and am looking forward to rereading it at least once more, with the overall shape in mind and a better idea of what she was shooting for. I was initially a bit nonplussed by the last act and ending, but in the week since I've come to think most of the nitpicks I had while reading were justifiable and played their part in the pattern (sorry for all the oblique phrasing - I'm trying avoid meta-spoilers as part of the fun is hallucinating excavating fractals from the bricolage).
It probably got a slight bump from the fact that I'd read In Ascension from last year's longlist shortly before, which shares several of its preoccupations and approaches - but Kushner managed to do it with just as much depth and scale, more deftness with the 'pop' genre (spy vs scifi), and orders of magnitude more wit. Bonus points too for being an actually funny book on a prizelist, and if it hits some hardboiled unreliable narrator notes too hard....atm, given its French setting, I find it hard to get too mad about the relentless skewering of men (including an annihilation of a Houellebecq type, which is always appropriate).

OTOH, while appreciating its craft and seeing why it's been so well-liked, I'm finding My Friends a bit too straight and worthy at the halfway mark, so not outraged it's missed the shortlist (poss doomed by its Orwell Prize win). Still queueing for The Safekeep and Playground too* as I usually enjoy Powers' ideas even if it seems a bit late to bring anything fresh to the deep sea lit SF party. Don't plan to read Held or Orbital but I would still be irritated if James* won - though would they dare pick the only man from the shortlist?

I've been reading non-Booker books too, but avoiding this thread until I meet other reading/writing deadlines, so have fallen hopelessly behind on list-keeping let alone proper posts. But some recent bolds:
let me go on - Paul Griffiths (Shakespeare in Wonderland, quite niche but my niche, apparently)
The Saint of Bright Doors -* *Vajra Chandrasekera (most impressive literary fantasy in years, admittedly extravagant in prose style as well as ambition)
Small Bomb at Dimperley - Lissa Evans (of course 💛)
My Good Bright Wolf - Sarah Moss (of course 💔)
Mr Fox - Barbara Comyns (rackety WWII homefront oddity, highly recommended for fans of Lissa E)

near-bolds:
In Ascension - Martin MacInnes (as philosophical litfic; as SF it would be definite-italics)
Red Country - Joe Abercrombie (return of some old favourites and return to form after The Heroes)
Table for Two - Amor Towles (short stories were camp delights, novella sequel to The Rules of Civility fell a bit flat)
The Wych Elm - Tana French (my first TF, thanks to this thread)

and italics:
The Centre - Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
The Majesties - Tiffany Tsao
The Masquerades of Spring - Ben Aaronovitch (hit hardest as I actually had hopes for this one but was pure cringe)

Next up: Sam Leith's book about children's books, The Haunted Wood

Hi bett, how are you doing?

Eine, would something like I Capture the Castle or Some Enchanted April or A Month in the Country work for your friend? But I enthused about "Madensky Square" so am clearly the wrong person to advise.

Last couple of reads:

*117. Getting Back Brahms, Mavis Cheek
Comic middle-brow "women's fiction" published in 1997. Woman mourns the loss of a relationship, decides the best way to get over one man is to get under another, gets involved in attempts to create a creative writing centre. It hasn't aged very well - was drink-driving really considered funny in 1997? And the class snobbery is not endearing. I might be able to enjoy it more in 2044 as a nostalgic read. I do still like her writing style.

118. By the Pricking of my Thumbs, Agatha Christie
This time of year feels like a good time to read Agatha Christie. I've been avoiding the Tommy and Tuppence books for years, but I read their first outing in the summer and felt more sympathy to them when considered in the immediate post-WWI setting. Here we move forward decades and they are still chipper, although now grandparents. It's a bit of a muddle plotwise, but read as a follow-on from their early 20s selves, there was a certain poignancy.

I'm part-way through Agatha Christie's Crooked House and a re-read of Guy Stagg's Crossways which is an account of his walking the old pilgrimage route down to Rome and on to Jerusalem.

Good to see you @bettbburg

Great to "see" you @bettbburg 😊

Hi betty please stick around

@bibliomania

You aren't necessarily the wrong person to ask. I really thought MS would fit the bill and just because it hasn't for me doesn't mean it won't for her

Eine the first book I thought of was You Are Here - there's a bit of sex but it's quite minimal. Also Tom Lake? Not exactly page turners though. What about a Richard Osman? Or DM who has similar requirements likes Rachel Joyce and Richard Harris - Conclave is a gentle one.

@Palegreenstars I really liked Mongrel too. It's weird that Butter is getting more publicity.

@inaptonym really interesting thoughts on Creation Lake. You're making me think I need to reread it. I liked it but wasn't a bold as the mix of philosophy and plot didn't quite work. I did think Sadie was a brilliant narrator though.

Thanks for the new thread!

Well I thought My Friends was going to be a cert for the shortlist but now I haven't read any of them. I'll definitely read the Rachel Kushner but not sure about the others.

I've also just pre-ordered Intermezzo but may be in a minority here!

I finished September by Rosamunde Pilcher. Her usual fare, two grand families in Scotland coming together for a ball with past secrets emerging. I do love her depiction of 80s upper class: shuttle flights between London and Edinburgh, endless drink driving, grouse shooting and very detailed shopping trips. I can cope with reading about one of these a year. Warning that it is pretty problematic about mental health.

And I also read The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. Ex-partners Kit and Theo end up on a European food tour together and embark on a truly baroque adventure in eating and experimental sex. Enjoyably over the top. I probably wouldn't bother with this though unless you've read and liked their previous books.

@GrannieMainland I've joined the reservation queue for Intermezzo.