50 Books Challenge Part Eight

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the eighth 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 , the sixth one here and the seventh one here .

What are you reading?

I read a book a few years ago - the title and author escape me now but it was a professional violinist whose Strad was stolen (I think from a cafe). I can’t imagine the horror of realising it had gone. That feeling is bad enough when you mislay something of relatively low cost - but something costing millions? Mind you, don’t think I would have been in a cafe with it in the first place.

Yes, Min-Jin Kym went into Pret in Euston Station to buy a sandwich and took her £1.2m Strad with her - it was swiped. I can’t even imagine the horror. They found it a couple of years later.

Mind you, don’t think I would have been in a cafe with it in the first place.

Yes, I said as much when I reviewed the book last year. And travel with it on public transport, in London . Absolutely crazy.

If anyone's interested, this is the book:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/gone/min-kym/9780241977415

First chunk of reviews.

228. The Woman Of Blythe Manor. Miriam Wade
     Luanna, a young woman who can commune with the dead, returns home 10 years after her father dies during a paranormal investigation. Her old school friends rope her in to investigating the "woman of Blythe Manor" and find out where the family money went. I quite enjoyed this, but it wasn't anything special.

229. Their Little Lies. Quinn Avery
     I enjoyed this at the time, but re-reading the blurb isn't helping, me to remember what happned! Josephine went home to look after her elderly father. And then there were mysteries and her childhood wasn't what she thought. According to my review I had strong "My Sweet Audrina" vibes.

230. Before She Fell. Natalie Sammons
     Susan organises a posh and OTT party for her 50th at her large country house. She falls down the stairs, or is she pushed. And who by? A good whodunnit.

231. Michel's Destiny. Roberta Kagan
     A bold for me.
     This is the first in a Holocaust fiction series, which is my favourite genre but also never gets 5 stars from me. But this book was amazing. Michel is a 15 year old Jewish girl living in a Russian village. She has an arranged marriage, but is in love with someone else. The Cossaks destroy her whole village and she flees to Germany with the man she loves. The story runs up to Kristallnacht in 1938.

232. One Night Only. G.P. Ritchie
     Policeman Andy is trying to solve the mystery of a missing council employee and the murder of a councillor. It all points to political corruption, but there's also threads going back to his childhood.

233. Just One Weekend. Catherine Aitken
     Middle aged women jet off to New York to see their favourite boy band perform. Much hilarity and romance occur. Maybe. I can't remember.

234. A Family Shattered. Roberta Kagan
     Book 2 for Michels Destiny. This one picks up where the first finished. Kristallnacht. Michels husband has been arrested and she decides to go to the police station and get him back, but she disappears. Her daughters are left not knowing what to do. This book follows Michel, Tavvi (her husband) and their elder daughter. It doesn't shy away from the horror of the Holocaust. Unfortunately there were some timeline and factual issues for me.

I'd be afraid to breathe near it :)
That's amazing Terpsichore.

My Sweet Audrina, @BlueFairyBugsBooks - now there's a blast from the past.

@Tarragon123 Whatever the question is, surely Nigel can’t be the answer? My faith in the world is very low right now, but if finickity Nigel with his tomatoes and beautiful bowls is the only answer, then I fear we really are all doomed.

My Count arrives tomorrow so will start a thread and post the link etc.

I mentioned it to some of the others in my book review group at the time and most of them had no idea what i was talking about. I felt old!

Terrific

121. None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (Audible)

Call me a book snob if you will but I've always sort of avoided the thriller genre. I don't really like how they are marketed with dark covers and SHOUTY CAPITAL titles in the vein of HE'S BEHIND YOU! Not for this reader !

However this book was mentioned across several different book threads I've been on and recommended as well as an audiobook. I noticed again it was the actor Nicola Walker who I like and I thought I would give it a go.

Podcaster Alex has a chance encounter in a pub toilet with Josie, a sad and lonely woman who ingratiates herself with Alex and inveigles her way into her life.

I can't say too much more for spoilers, but it has female Ripley vibes.

I loved this I really did I looked forward to it every night. It's really perfect as an audiobook because of how it's presented. I don't know if I would have liked it as much as an ordinary read.

I don't know if this would tempt me to read more Lisa Jewell I so enjoyed it, I didn't want it to end but I feel like it might be a case of high expectations and diminishing returns

A definite bold. And potential for a sequel.

😂😂😂I only mean as a distraction. Imagine living on planet Nigel! My life could always be worse.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit I felt that snobbiness towards Lisa Jewell when she was classed as ‘Chick Lit’ many years ago but when I picked up Ralph’s Party I realised that an overused cover style can hide some absolute gems (no pun intended). Her move to Thriller was just as good imo. There are sometimes some swingeing coincidences but the overall strength of her plotting and characterisation tend to carry them through.

73 Where They Lie by Clare Coughlan
Gosh, this was dull. And predictable. And I doubt I’ll even remember reading it in a few days. Also, don’t describe someone as ‘tall’ then have their eyes on the same level as your average height female protagonist, or get a decent proofreader.
Synopsis: Ireland, late 60s, young female news reporter, old murder, same old story of predatory men…….yawn.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit I was on the hunt for a good audiobook. The Lisa Jewell sounds just what I need.

I'm in for the Count read along! Will retrieve it from my Kindle library.

And no, Nigel isn't the answer to any of life's questions unless the question is "is there a precious late middle aged food writer whose musings on crystallised ginger and the joy of tearing open a paper bag to reveal a tangle of bitter leaves that will be lightly dressed in ££££ oil and served on a grey ceramic platter on a sun drenched terrace where the wisteria threatens to nudge out the North London intelligentsia he has invited round to share in his joy may temporarily distract me from the absolute fucking horror outside my window and allow me to snigger quietly while I root around in the freezer for some beige food to sling in the airfryer knowing it would make said writer wince?".

Great description, Pepe.

I don't mind a bit of Nige. I made a delightful spiced plum crumble `based on his recipe last week, so I'm feeling benign towards him.

@PepeLePew 😂

Reading Nigel is joyous for the fantasy lifestyle, pity half his recipes don't seem to have been tested.

I'm up for the Count readalong. Although I had a look at our Penguin copy and OMG the writing is tiny. 117 chapters, all 10-15 pages long. Spot the book that was originally serialised which should make it a good readalong.

@PepeLePew

I hope I haven't oversold it because it was a pleasant surprise for me

@AlmanbyRoadtrip

Yes, shame on me I DID think "Lisa Jewell is chick lit though"

I do love reading Nigel’s books as the way he writes about food and nature is lovely. I agree that he seems to live in some sort of alternate reality though and doesn’t really seem to understand ‘normal’ life. I’m currently on the Christmas Chronicles readalong thread and recent gems include ‘lardo is not difficult to find’ (maybe not if you live in London with easy access and money for posh delis, less easy in small rural places where Tesco is the only option) and today’s gem which is that he thinks it’s worth spending money on a decent scented candle rather than a cheap one. Which is fine until you realise that the ones he recommends cost FOUR HUNDRED POUNDS! For a candle!

@JaninaDuszejko Lisa Jewell did used to be very pink covers - I think Ralph’s Party was one of the first chick lits? Now she is blue toned picture, yellow writing thriller. She’s a good writer in both genres.

@ChessieFL I have a food stained paperback copy of Real Fast Food that I used as a student. Both Nige and I were poorer then 😀 but it has nice writing and a reasonable attitude to cost. He’s just rather lost the knack as he got richer!

I am just about to start A Thousand Feasts - I love the unashamed escapism of Nigel, and it’s just what I need right now as I have a ton of stressful/annoying Life Stuff going on that I need distracting from.

On a similar note I’m listening on Audible to Roger Deakin’s Notes From Walnut Tree Farm which is just lovely.

And just finished:

75 Mantel Pieces - Hilary Mantel

The puntastic title had put me off this until now but I did enjoy reading it. It’s a connection of essays for the London Review of Books on various subjects - a lot of Tudors and French Revolution (natch) but also on diverse topics including Madonna, the James Bulger murder and Britain’s last witch. If you’re a Mantel fan (I very much am) then definitely worth a read.

The National Book Tokens game is out again, and I've now got all the titles in no small part due to the Hidden Book Game 2024 thread on Mumsnet:

https://hiddenbooks.nationalbooktokens.com/?utmmedium=email&utmmsource=nbt-system&utmcampaign=hbg

Yes I finished that earlier but not without substantial help from the thread!

I looked up Nigel’s candle recs last year and nearly gave myself a hernia, I recoiled so far and so fast. Meanwhile, he always seems to look and dress as if his clothes were from the charity shop and he’s been shuffling around by the bins at Sainsbury’s for a few weeks.

I have the Christmas Chronicles. Opened once and closed as too poncey. We love watching him though. FOUR HUNDRED POUNDS??

Oh, this reminds me of one of my significant beefs with Nigel.
He wanged on and on about Spiritus Sanctus candles from Cire Trudeau. I found myself in Fortnums early one evening drunk on a slightly daft third date. I saw said candles and sniffed them and told the date guy they were lovely (they are) and how it was the smell I've been looking for my whole life (it was).
I then told him on date five it wasn't really working (it wasn't) and he looked sad and said "I bought you a Christmas present so you may as well have it anyway".
It was Nige's fave candle - not £400 but (I think) around £90, and my beef with Nige is that a) I can't afford a candle that costs that much so thanks for nothing there for getting me hooked on the good stuff and b) I couldn't even really enjoy the one I had because I felt guilt over date guy.
So there. Nigel ruined candles for me.