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

@GoldMoon – I use three things to log my reading, which is ridiculous! I use a basic spreadsheet and log if it’s a library book, physical book, M/F author, fiction/non fiction etc. I also use Trello, which is a basic database. I have different columns, books read 2025, currently reading, books to be read kindle, books to be read audible, books to be read physical, books to be read library, DNF etc. I’m new to Fable, which is an app and I like it. 3 is probably too much, but I do like all of them. You can do a review on Fable, but you don’t have to. You can just give it stars.

22 Strong Female Character – Fern Brady (Audible) Autobiography from FB about her experiences as an undiagnosed autistic woman. Only diagnosed in her 30s, it is both hilarious and heart breaking. Her honesty is utterly searing. I enjoyed listening to her voice via Audible. Recommended.

10 Squeaky Clean by Calum McSorley
HUGE thanks to the posters who recommended this (I need to start writing down who recommends what). It was absolutely fantastic. I read it in two days, including a bout of 2.30 existential dread which was neatly seen off with this book and a nice cup of tea

DI Alison McCoist messed up a big murder / trafficking case and is being punished by being given a succession of tedious crimes that, on the surface, appear petty. Meanwhile, at a car wash, Davey makes a decision to borrow a car that tips him into a world of gangland violence. A man with an alias plots revenge on the criminal that murdered his daughter. Various thugs do horrible, horrible things to people and Davey is required to clean it up.
On the surface, the plot isn’t that different to many other crime novels, but what makes this superior is the quality of the writing. It zips, it dances, speech is written in dialect. It has brutality leavened with a wry sense of humour. Very few writers can pull off this quality of thriller i.e Rankin and Connolly. Put this book in a deserted garage with the most recent one by Stuart Macbride and you can tell which one is going to come out grinning through bruises and torching the place.
Paperboy, the next one in the series is out in March and I’m advance ordering it, because I want some of those loose ends tied up and to dive into the gritty world again.

Nooooooo. I wasn't expecting to be in such a quandary about whether or not to read the damn thing so soon!

You've got over six months Remus ! And how could you not after that cliffhanger!

I’ve read a few more books.

19 ) The Taste of Sweet by Joanne Chen
I liked this. It’s about our relationship with sweet foods and the science behind sweetness. It was interesting though as it’s over 20 years old now, I’d like to read an updated version though I’m not sure if any major information has changed in the years since.

20 ) The Hidden World of The Fox by Adele Brand
Enjoyable and informative with some common sense advice for learning to live harmoniously with foxes. I’ve adored foxes since I was a child so this was perfect for me.

21 ) A Smell of Burning by Colin Grant
This is the story of the Author’s Brother who developed epilepsy as a child and also a cultural history of how epilepsy has been perceived and treated over the centuries and the stories of several famous figures who lived with epilepsy.

This was fascinating if sometimes depressing to hear how people with epilepsy have been discriminated against until relatively recently in the UK and to this day in many places.

I did start to become a little bored about the halfway mark but that may be because of the format, I’m a fast reader and relatively new to audiobooks so I can become a little impatient at times. It did pick up again for me and while I can’t decide if it’s a bold I really enjoyed it.

I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who has recently developed epilepsy or if you had a family member who has had a relatively recent diagnosis. I’ve been there with a close family member and it was such a traumatic time that a book like this, while absolutely worth reading, wouldn’t be advisable when you’re in the midst of it.

22. Revenge of The Sith by Matthew Stover I cannot stop listening to these when I start. It’s like popcorn. This was the third and final in Star War’s prequel trilogy and I’ve found myself devouring them all.

I’m currently reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and about to start Housekeeping by Marilyn Robinson.

I’m also listening to Exposure by Robert Bilott and The Bone Woman by Clea Koff.=

Six months of angst about JKR's transphobia and the fact that the writing is so bad and that the last two books were soooo....fucking.....boring....and that I felt dirty reading them, whilst still caring about what was going to happen between R and S. I appreciate it sounds as if I'm contradicting myself and that's why it's such a flipping dilemma.

Show me where JKR has been transphobic. Exact words please.

@myrtlelion I'm not the thread police but I'm just going to hope very much that this specific discussion could happen elsewhere on the site. 50 books is a special place for me and I'm not the only one.

Absolutely agree @PermanentTemporary.

I've only read the first 2 Strike novels, and can't really remember them. So I've got 6 months to catch up!

Yeah, I didn't want to ignite The Debate on here either to be honest. I have an opinion but I stay out of it.

The books though? The last one was very good I thought and they are amazing as audio. IBH was a pain in the arse to listen to though.

Also agree with @PermanentTemporary

I agree. I'm not the one who falsely accused JKR of transphobia. That unnecessary and inflammatory remark was made by the previous poster.

I was explaining the many reasons why I feel conflicted about her work. It’s not a debate I’m prepared to have on here.

It's provocative and you know it.

Mini book haul:

Also, has anyone seen the stage show, Pride and Prejudice (Sorf of)? I saw it at the weekend and thought that lots of my fellow Bookers would love it. Clever, cheeky and very, very funny. I think Jane would approve.

Image of books is being checked, but hopefully will show soon.

I’d like to see it @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I have seen Austentacious (sp) which is aiming for a similar sort of thing and thought it was great, so funny.

Yes, it's wonderful! Clever, funny, entertaining.

Strong recommend, I'm hoping it comes back to my local theatre as I would love to see it again.

It’s touring now, with a fair few stops. I’ve managed to get tickets in another relatively local town to see it again, this time with DP. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much!

28. The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott

This started out as a really interesting fable like story about a mythical bird and I thought it was going to be great. It devolves into a weird story about a woman hiding on a mountain and a young girl feeding her blood to squid before having a militia company hunt for the bird as a prize following some sort of coup.

Lots of random ideas poorly executed, found myself skimming, and it was short. 🤷‍♀️

Very disappointed

@AgualusasLover I haven’t come across Austentacious. Will keep a look out for it.

It's definitely worth seeing if you can. Funny, clever and surprisingly true to the book.

Sorry, that was P&P, Austentatious was on BBC Sounds but I'd love to see the stage version

to be fair to @MyrtleLion it wasn't her who started 'this specific discussion'.

Perhaps the 'not thread police' could suggest that the original unfounded allegation was not made instead.

That way this could remain a special place for all of us.