50 Books Challenge 2025 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 2025, 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 first thread of the year is

15 Joe Country – Mick Herron (Slow Horses 6). I felt quite sad after finishing this book. Neither Jackson Lamb nor Catherine Standish are in a good place. Jackson is a physical mess and Catherine is on the verge of a breakdown. The repulsive Peter Judd (Boris Johnston) is back and Lady Di is even worse than the last book. I don’t want to be too spoilery, but there were too many deaths in this book for me. I’m going to take a break from Slough House at the moment.

19. The Train That Took You Away. Catherine Hokin Set between 1936 and 1947, The Train That Took You Away is largely the story of Esther who sends her son, Sascha to England on the Kindertransport following Kristallnacht in 1938. We have glimpses into his new life as Alex, and the guilt he has, thinking that he is somehow to blame for everything that happened.

There's also Amalie, half British half German art expert who is sent back to England. She later returns to Germany to help find the art that was stolen by the Nazis.

The two women meet, via art, and together concentrate on finding Sascha who has disappeared. I think the book really showed how hard it was for the Kindertransport children to assimilate into British life, and for the ones who had family left after to war, to accept their roots again. I also didn't know much about the art that was stolen and what happened to it so it was interesting from that aspect too. Catherine Hokin is one of my favourite authors of Holocaust fiction so I always know I'm going to enjoy her stories.

20. Sara, My Sara. Florence Wetzel This was my first bold of the year, but opinions within my book group were divided. And TBF memoirs are mostly bolds for me unless they are really badly written as i don't really think I can tell someone their memories are wrong/ not good enough.

Florence originally met Sara when she came to work as her Mum's maid. When Florence's Mum died, her and Sara became friends. Sara was diagnosed with multiple brain tumors, and eventually died. This is Florence's memories of that time. The book is laid out in stanzas like poems, rather than more traditional paragraphs. This is what some people didn't like, but I really liked how it made the reader pause and reflect on the words. Hard to explain really.

21. Butterflies. Phill Featherstone Honestly not sure what to say about this. The ending was not what I was expecting! Lucia was raised by very religious parents, sent away to a Catholic boarding school at 8 and has a very sheltered upbringing. She goes away to Uni, and is so naive that she marries her first boyfriend who turns out to be abusive. Following the death of their newborn son, Lucia goes on a retreat for bereaved mothers. So far so good. And then it got weird. The retreat was run by some weird cult type thing on a remote Scottish island where the "veil" between worlds is thin. Basically you can pass from this reality to another, where your life can be completely different.

I like the book overall, but I'm cautious that people who have lost children might be insulted by the whole thing. There were some really annoying spelling errors as well. Some of the weird "woo" stuff was based on real people and real beliefs though IIRC.

Edited to add: I've just picked up Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad and The Zone of Interest from the library. Now I have to find time to read them before they are due back

6 In A Place Of Darkness by Stuart Macbride
I used to really like his early stuff, with Logan Macrae, and DS Roberta Steel is a wonderful creation, but they started to become too self-consciously ‘quirky’ parodies of themselves. The Ash Henderson series is just twaddle.
However, my interest was piqued when I picked up the paperback of this in Waterstones earlier this week. It seemed a chunky, gritty return to form, but I was very wrong. It is bad. Hilariously bad. So awful I just had to keep reading it to see if he’d take it to its illogical conclusion and boy, did he not not let me down. Police officer Angus McVicar is quite sweet with a poignant family backstory, but the rest of his colleagues are interchangeable sweary hard-arses. There’s a murderer on the loose dubbed The Fortnight Killer, who slays one half of a couple horribly in their own home (hands screwed to a table, natch) and takes the other half away to some grisly fate. A chirpy local news reporter pops up to tease Angus periodically - they went to school together, he’s never plucked up courage to ask her out……zzzzzzzzz. And a forensic psychologist from the US who doesn’t want anyone to know he’s helping solve the case. From the very first description of him you can tell Macbride might as well have typed I WANT PETER DINKLAGE TO PLAY THIS CHARACTER PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE OPTION THIS BOOK FOR TV SOMEONE SO I CAN RETIRE AND STOP INFLICTING MY HORRENDOUS WRITING ON UNSUSPECTING CRIME LOVERS!!!!!! I fervently hope someone takes him up on this.
Some inventive tortures, a cute running joke about what use is LARP-ing as a hobby and that’s about all.
I’ll leave it on the Book Swap shelf at work but without anyone seeing it was me

12. Buried by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Fifth book in the Dept Q series. The team investigate the disappearance of a Danish man upon his return from a trip to Cameroon. There’s lots about corruption, African aid projects, and a cult who beg and steal on the streets of Copenhagen. Assad is on the mend, Carl is still bumbling through life, and Rose is keeping everyone in line.

@ClaraTheImpossibleGirl
I have had on-off KU trials for several years and have never paid for it at full price, nor will I. The 99p for three months has kickstarted my reading this year but at the expense of Mount TBR. Quantity and not quality perhaps.

@AlmanbyRoadtrip 😆👏

@Tarragon123 Oof Joe Country. In non-spoilery TripAdvisor terms: the exchange rate SUCKED worst girls' weekend away EVAR. London Rules was one of my faves though, peak slapstick. Thanks for linking the Herron interview earlier - I hadn't known that about the US/UK publishers, though guess that explains why the SH novellas are still only available in an American edition that annoys me by not matching the rest of my paperbacks

They've been filming for the latest series of the show on my patch lately, which has kind of re-piqued my interest, though not sure if I can get over how wrong different show Shirley seems to be.

No book reviews to add as I've been on a manga kick this week while avoiding the news. On the off chance anyone here would be interested, two highlights have been Hirayasumi and Skip and Loafer for warm but realistic contemporary slice-of-life with nuanced characterisations and some neatly subverted expectations. Both suitable for YA but not in a simplistic tropey way - I actually think YA-me might have found them too understated. Both also still ongoing so no closure either, but neither are so plotty that that detracts, IMO. H especially notable for its refreshing rounded art style and food scenes, S&L excellent on teenage girl friendships and a sensitively handled (adult) trans character.
Or in an uncosy vein, Strange Pictures by Uketsu which has just been released in English (his earlier Strange Houses also forthcoming): for anyone who's ever thought Janice Hallett-ish* *puzzle mysteries would be improved by mostly being pictorial, with added horror and Japanese bonkersness.

8. Transcription by Kate Atkinson

This follows Juliet through WWII, from joining MI5 as a transcriber to the late 1980s. Juliet is faced with typing up correspondence until she is promoted. Before each promotion, her boss asks her to undertake seemingly mundane tasks. From working in an unused cell in a prison commandeered to be used during the war effort her work takes her to a neighbouring house of Nazi sympathisers. You are taken through Juliet's working relationships and the aftermath of working under different guises. Once the war is over, she leaves MI5. Juliet finds herself feeling paranoid because she receives a note at her civilian job indicating that her life is in danger.

There are some twists and turns which make this a fascinating read. I was gripped. Juliet's character is dry and witty which caused me to giggle my way through the book. I was drawn to her and would've liked to have carried on reading.

This is a stand-alone book but it appears there is more to come at the end. If there isn't another book to follow it's a cliffhanger.

I will have a look at a few more of her books, especially a series.

@ClaraTheImpossibleGirl Oh dear! I have another John Steinbeck book that I will be reading next. Please tell me they're not ALL the same. His books are only short so I will see what I think. Hopefully, the plot of this 2nd book will be just as interesting as Of Mice and Men and then it will at least be a worthy read.

book 6 of 2025 was The House Of Fortune by Jessie Burton.

A sequel to the 2017 book the miniaturist set in 17th century Amsterdam. Picking back up the story of Otto, Nella, Cornelia and Thea living in their grand house on the Herengracht while selling their possessions to put food on the table and keep up appearances. Thea, now 18 and having been protected from the world due to the nature of her conception and the colour of her skin seeks connection and to understand who she is. The sudden appearance of tiny miniature models left on the doorstep triggers a chain of events which could either ruin them or bring them together.

I loved the Miniaturist and I absolutely loved this. I really like Amsterdam and love the descriptions of the place and something about the way it is described, even in a negative way, is very evocative. Jessie Burton really can spin a yarn. Bring on the 🍍

3 Winter- Ali Smith
It's Christmas Eve and Sophia, in the company of a disembodied head, awaits her son's visit. Arthur, making his way to Cornwall by public transport, engages a stranger to act the part of the girlfriend his mother is expecting to meet. On arrival they find her in a sorry state, freezing cold and no food in the house so appeal to Sophia's estranged sister for help. The four of them spend a strained Christmas together and go their separate ways on Boxing Day.

So much for the plot, but this is a stunning read. Flashbacks and memories fill us in on the relationships between Sophia, Iris, Arthur and his dead father. It's pretty strange and I have no idea what the head was all about but this one is a bold for me!

Not all Steinbeck’s books are sad! The Wayward Bus is funny and I don’t remember Cannery Row being particularly sad. I love his writing although there’s still quite a few of his I haven’t read yet.

I read The Miniaturist a year or two ago and also loved it. House of Fortune is on my list to read this year, glad to hear it's a good one too.

I think I might be facing my first DNF in quite some time. I've been listening to This much is true by Miriam Margolyes and I'm over an hour in and not enjoying it AT ALL.
Can anyone who's read it advise? Does she continue to be vaguely offensive to anyone without a certain position in life, or academic prowess? Does it get any more interesting? I'm bored and irritated.

And I think I might have just made my mind up for myself 😂

I couldn’t stand This Much Is True @nowanearlyNicemum . Had it in print form and while I expected it to be very, well, her, it made me change my opinion of her as a woman with admirable self esteem to thinking she was a self-aggrandising, snobby, superior pain in the backside. So I’d advise DNF, she’s horrible, if this book is anything to go by and not even amusingly horrible.

ETA she’s reading it herself, I assume? Her narrating The Worst Witch stories to DS when he was little are a fond memory. As are her comedy appearances and resilience in a male dominated arena. But she still comes across as deeply unpleasant in her autobiography.

Thanks for the solidarity @AlmanbyRoadtrip - I'm so disappointed!! It's been on my TBR list since it was published and I've been a fan for all of the reasons you mentioned above.
Honestly, she doesn't even sound very nice when she's talking about her partner of over 50 years. Decision made. A DNF for me.

I absolutely loved This Much Is True I did listen to it on audible and really enjoyed that as I felt like Miriam was just telling me stories. Very outrageous stories. She's not perfect but I found her very entertaining. It was a bold for me.

I enjoyed This Much Is True but she is a raging snob and far too invested in bodily functions and believing blow jobs are hilariously shocking. I believed her though when she said the Monty Python lot were bastards to her in uni.

The follow up Oh Miriam! was basically a publishing house cash grab though and very obviously so, exploiting the popularity of the original

I can totally believe Cleese and Chapman were mean to her at Cambridge. Cleese was a monster to Terry Jones at times, too. Michael Palin was probably a bit more emollient and easy going as a strategy to getting what he wanted from sketches.

This Much Is True is my favourite kind of celebrity memoir - funny, poignant, lots of sexy content, and the author tells it how it is in regard to people she’s worked with.

9 . A Shilling for Candles - Josephine Tey

Carrying on my read through of the complete works before the one I want to read (Daughter of Time). I found this one harder going than the first. Another starlet, this time seemingly drowned in an accident. Turns out to be murder. I'm really not sure whether to continue through the complete works or whether to skip forward to the Daughter of Time.

10 . 1984 - George Orwell

This is another literary classic that I've managed to go through life with out reading and, well, it just seems relevant right now. I won't sketch out the plot but suffice it to say it was a bold and well worth a read for those who haven't already done so.

Gah! Maybe I need to get past all the parts about Mummy explaining to her who all the 'best' people are. Rich, well-educated, no local accents please!!
I'm an hour in - if it's another 14 hours of that - I'm out.

It's definitely not and her relationship with her parents did evolve

It's great when she gets to her career, as others have described, there's no coy "oh someone was mean to me" without saying who it is. She names ALL the names.

14 The Long Call - Ann Cleeves

This was also languishing on my Kindle. I read my first Vera last year and didn’t love it. This is about Detective Matthew Venn, who lives in North Devon with his husband Jonathan and who grew up in the Brethren before he lost his faith at 18 and was thrown out.

I enjoyed this more than Vera, though will resist buying the second one as part of my reducing TBR plan.

A (former) alcoholic and chef, Simon, is found stabbed to death on the beach. He sometimes volunteered af the Woolyard, run by Jonathan, which is a community centre running activities for those with learning disabilities, U3A classes etc. Simon was the flatmate of Caroline, whose dad is on the board of trustees of the Woolyard.

The story developed well across the various parts of the community and the truth comes out in the end.

@BlueFairyBugsBooks – I’ve just started Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad. I’m at that nippy stage where I keep having to flick back to the family tree to remember who everyone is.

@AlmanbyRoadtrip – I’m not a Stuart McBride fan. I read a novella last year to see what I’m missing. I’m still stumped. Hilarious review tho!

@inaptonym – yes! Worse girls weekend in the history of girls weekends! I so wanted the Spa Break that they wanted, wah!!! I haven’t seen anything recently about the next TV series, so that’s very exciting that they are filming. According to IMDB, series 5 is due out this year, possibly September and filming is currently on for series 6. I agree, Shirley isnt quite right.

@SheilaFentiman – I googled The Long Call as it was ringing bells. I think I saw the tv adaptation a couple of years ago. I don’t think I’ve read it and I don’t think I realised that it was an Ann Cleeves book.

13. The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen

It’s the 1960s, Liz is a journalist who lives with Marisa, who is a policewoman. When Marisa becomes involved in the case of a missing girl, “Little Lucy”, that might be connected to three other girls who went missing during WWII evacuations, Liz somehow manages to get involved in the investigation.

This book was beyond silly. I think the author had several ideas and instead of focusing on just one or two, she tried to cram them all into one book. She tried to present scenarios as moral quandaries, “Who’s to know what’s good or bad here?” And that answer to that is everyone, everyone knows it’s bad unless they are a massive snob who thinks that money is the be all and end all. Which lots of people in this book clearly are. Liz was really irritating, and despite coming up with ideas that were super obvious the police, rather than telling her to get the fuck out of their investigation are all “Oh gosh Liz you are so smart, we didn’t think of that really obvious angle despite being the professionals”. Another Kindle Unlimited book, so at least I didn’t pay for this.