50 Books Challenge 2025 Part Four

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fourth 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 here, the second thread here and the third thread here.

I have been remiss with reviews. I blame The Count of Monte Cristo and the effort it takes to keep up with his adventures.

23. The Greengage Summer: Rumor Godden.

Read for The Rather Dated Bookclub, this is a coming-of-age story set in France before World War Two.

Mother has taken Cecil and her four siblings to France to see the battlefields in Champagne country but falls very ill and goes to hospital, leaving the children in the care of the only Englishman at the hotel, the enigmatic Eliot. Cecil, who is a sharp observer, knows that while he is fond of the children, something strange is going on and the children get caught up in events that spiral out of control.

I loved this book; the story, the lyrical writing and the characters, especially Cecil, whose experiences capture the painful transitional point between childhood and young adulthood. Some parts of the dialogue are in French and apparently the story is based on an incident that happened in Godden's own childhood which makes this book even more wonderful.

24. Annie Bot: Sienna Greer.

Annie is female, programmed by artificial* *intelligence and designed to be Doug's ideal girlfriend. She meets Doug's emotional and physical needs although it annoys Doug that she doesn't keep his apartment as clean and tidy as he would like. Annie also has the capacity to develop a sense of individuality as she gains in experience and as she becomes more and more human, cracks start to happen in the relationship.

I liked this book. It wasn't an easy read as it's an allegory for an emotionally abusive relationship, but I thought it was very good. Thanks to Úll for the recommendation. * *

And 45 minutes in, it’s totally glorious so far!

Phew! I found it very ‘modern’. If Stuart Turton didn’t magpie the whole Who am I and what am I doing here? for 7 Deaths then I’ll eat a cloche hat.

Strange Journey by Maud Cairnes
Thanks for the recommendation. I really enjoyed this- funny and sweet. A Thoroughly Lovely Book.

After an occasionally difficult week it really cheered me up to sink into bed and read a few chapters, finishing it off this afternoon in a blissfully empty house.

69. No Mercy - Martina Cole

I didn't like this and wouldn't have finished it, except that she is apparently the Queen of Crime, and I don't think I've ever read one of hers.

The chapters were short. The sentences were dull. A lot of gangsters were killed. I really did not care.

25. Where Stands a Wingèd Sentry: Margaret Kennedy.

Mentioned by Inaptonym on the 'Rather Dated' thread as a possible contender for a future read, I reserved this at the library and once it arrived, quickly for once, I delved into it. I read it quickly; I found it very absorbing.

The book is based on Kennedy's diaries that she kept during the summer of 1940 when the Nazis were making worrying progress in Europe. The French lines had largely collapsed and Britain was under serious threat from invasion. America was not involved at this stage. Kennedy was aware that she was living through a pivotal moment in history and she wanted her account to be preserved for her family. She sent her diaries to a friend in America. The book was published there first and only quite recently in Britain.

Kennedy is a wonderfully sharp and brilliant writer. Her observations on daily life in the village in Cornwall they moved to are astute and woven through with good humour. There is an overwhelming sense of worry and strain and you can tell that these days took their toll on her. There are reflections on politics and ideological points of view, but it's the minutiae of domestic life and the struggle of keeping going that make the book such a memorable read. If we read it for the RD Bookclub, I would gladly read it again.

I’ve just finished Glorious Exploits which I loved, and am moving straight on to Medea - Rosie Hewlett retelling. I don’t really know much about this period in history, but am interested, so I’m looking forward to this.

26. The Late Mattia Pascal: Luigi Pirandello (trans. William Weaver).

A classic in Italian literature, published in 1904, this tells the story of one Mattia Pascal. The carefree days of this man's youth are over. He is stuck in a humdrum job as an archivist in a dusty church, is married to a woman he no longer loves and has to put up with the incessant nagging of the harridan of a mother-in-law who lives with them. He takes off for a few days to Monte Carlo and tries his luck in the casinos. Miracle of miracles, the unlucky man makes a small fortune.

One week later he takes the train home. While reading the paper, he reads about the body of a man in his town who has been identified by his next of kin as Mattia Pascal. He has the uncanny experience of reading about his own death. He sees this as the perfect opportunity to make a fresh start and live another life. He goes on to live the life of a rolling stone, but when he wants to settle down he realises that he has become a shadow of himself and is a man without substance, trapped by the restrictions that he imposed on himself.

It took me a while to get into the book, and get used to Pirandello's writing style, his sarcasm that often veers into the absurd. Eventually after the midpoint I started to warm up to it as I understood the identity crisis our hapless hero had landed himself in.

The book explores the themes of identity, belonging, freedom and death which occur frequently in the writing of Pirandello, whose writing is underpinned by the newly developing field of psychology. Initially I thought I was going to read this in Italian, but it was way beyond me. It was challenging enough in English!

27. Chez les Flamands (Maigret #15): Georges Simenon.

Maigret is called by a family friend to investigate the disappearance of a young French woman in a small town on the French/Belgian border. The missing woman has been seeing the son of the local shop owners, a well-to-do Flemish family. They have had a child together, but the son is engaged to his cousin. The thorny subject of child maintenance has led to arguments prior to the woman's disappearance. The town is divided along French/Flemish lines; the Flemish side supporting the young man, the French side supporting the young woman's family.

Maigret undertakes the investigation in an unofficial capacity on behalf of the Flemish family. He has to put up with the incompetent local inspector, the distrust of the local people and the abominably wet weather. He squelches his way through the sodden streets, fortifying himself with many a glass of beer until he reaches a satisfactory conclusion to the case. This is another atmospheric book, this time highlighting the divisions between communities in northern rural France.

28. The Safekeep: Yael van der Wouden

The Netherlands, 1961. Isabel is living in her late mother's house. Louis, her brother, decides to bring his girlfriend Eva home for a week or so while he is away on a business trip. Isabel can't stand Eva. She is intrusive, loud and grabby, fingering her late mother's precious things. But quite suddenly, when the reserved, neurotic Isabel grabs Eva's arm in a moment of fury, sparks fly between both of them with unexpected consequences.

This is a story of repression and dispossession. Isabel's repressed sexuality finds an outlet after years of loneliness and she undergoes a transformation. Eva's story is one of dispossession and her story is very moving.

I found the historical background very interesting; the legacy of this aspect of ww2 in Dutch society isn't something I knew about and I thought this worked well in the story. It was an intense read in parts with scenes of a graphic nature (!) and emotionally rather draining as well. Altogether I thought this was a poignant story and it held my interest.

42 Diva by Daisy Goodwin

Diva is about the soprano Maria Callas and is based on the impact that her relationship with the shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis had on her. It starts with Maria dealing with the news that Onassis is going to marry Jackie Kennedy, despite still ostensibly being in a relationship with Maria. Every time I read the name Maria Callas I’d have the REM lyrics “dreaming of Maria Callas - whoever she is” but after reading this book I feel I have a sense of Callas, one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, and Maria, the woman who never received the love she needed. This isn’t quite a bold but I really enjoyed it, especially as I am in Greece at the moment, where a lot of the book is set. It’s free on kindle unlimited and I definitely recommend it. Right I’m off to listen to a couple of arias now.

Sounds like you have been put off her books but if you decide to try again , go right back to her earlier ones , as they are much better .
I used to love her books and would get them as soon as they were published but I've not bothered for the last half dozen .

Diva sounds interesting MamaNewtNewt.

Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo tr, from French by Howard Curtis I picked this up in a charity shop as it’s published by Europa editions and I’ve previously enjoyed their books, but I didn’t much like this. The blurb bills it as Marseilles noir, with 3 immigrant men who grew up together having drifted apart, 1 into the criminal underworld, another away from Marseille, and the third has become a cop. When the first 2 are killed, it’s this third who must avenge them, going maverick as he knows that justice will not be done by the police. This sounded up my street, and indeed much was - the immigrant experience, and the dynamics between different groups in the context of the rise of the far right locally; the mafia in the background; a real empathy for despair (and the mention of the Chateau d’If for Monte Cristo readalongers) - but there was a much more brutal murder of a young woman which didn’t even get a mention in the blurb, the writing or the translation was somehow a bit off, there was a coincidence of 2 very different crimes conveniently being connected, and I found myself reading to the finish without much interest in which particular thugs were responsible for the murders being avenged.

The Secret Room by Jane Casey. Decided I couldn't wait for the library so bought this on my kindle and raced through it! Very satisfying double fiendish mystery. Like others I did have a few doubts about the presentation of domestic violence but I can see why she needed to do it. And my Maeve and Josh obsession only continues to grow...

Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld. New short story collection, I skipped over a few I think I've already read online. Obviously all very well written and sharply observed but I did find them a bit samey - all about middle class, middle aged women questioning their marriages. Which is fine but maybe not for 10 stories in a row! I did like the Prep follow up, although it relied on one of annoyances in sequels, a momentous event that took place during the first book which the author somehow failed to mention the first time (see also, Narky Joey)

29. Nesting: Róisín O'Donnell.

Clara Fay is a young mother with two small girls who lives on knife-edge with her controlling husband, Ryan. Afraid of putting a step out of place for fear of triggering one of his bad moods, one day she makes the decision to leave her home for her own safety as well her children's. She grabs some clothes from the washing line and takes off with her two young daughters without much money or means of support.

This is a harrowing story of surviving emotional abuse, brilliantly told. Set against the backdrop of the housing crisis in Dublin in 2018 (and still ongoing) it makes for a difficult read, especially how to manage living with children in emergency accommodation (a hotel room). The husband's campaign of intimidation to try and get Ciara to come home is relentless and Ciara often comes close to breaking point. I thought this was an excellent book and I found it very moving.

30. Conclave: Robert Harris.

For the season that's in it, prior to the election of the next pope, I thought this might be an interesting read and I wasn't wrong.

Cardinal Lomelli, Dean of the College of Cardinals, has been entrusted with running the conclave for the next papal election. This should be a straightforward matter, but there are reports that one of the front-runners had been summoned to the pope's suite on the evening before the pope died and the pair had had an argument. And why did another cardinal have a nun (a nun!) in his room in the middle of the night when the cardinals are meant to be sequestered. And who on earth is the cardinal from Baghdad who appeared at the last minute and who was secretly appointed by the pope? So many questions that make for an absorbingly twisty read with a very satisfying finale.

I particularly liked the setting of the book; the Sistine Chapel and the boarding house, the works of art that Lomelli spent time looking at, the voting procedure, the political manoeuvres and Sr. Agnes, who doesn't take any nonsense.

Next book: Glorious Exploits.

@FuzzyCaoraDhubh , I was thinking it would be an appropriate time to pick up Conclave! I think next weekend, as I'm away for a couple of days with my Kindle.

I recommend it :)

Excellent!

I enjoyed Conclave. The film was good too although by the time I saw it I had mixed up the book in my head with Angels and Demons which also features a papal conclave.

I really enjoyed Conclave a few years ago too - though by the time I saw the film a month or so ago I'd completely forgotten the (somewhat improbable) twist!

I also really enjoyed Conclave when I read it. Now might be good time for a reread.

That's a persuasive set of testimonials!

Definitely moving Conclave up my tbr. Think I have it on my kindle.

I really enjoyed Conclave too, and saw the film on a plane a couple of weeks ago just before the pope died. It sticks pretty close to the book from what I remember.

46. Girls - Kirsty Capes. This is mainly narrated by Matilda - Matt - the 30 something daughter of a famous Swedish artist, Ingrid, who died a couple of years before the book starts. Richard is writing a book about her life, and Ingrid's sister wants to put on a retrospective of her work. Ingrid was a tricky character, neglectful parent and addict with mental health issues. The book deals with how Matt & her younger suicidal sister Nora, come to terms with their mother's legacy. I thought bits of this were very good but it wasn't quite sure what it wanted to be. There are parts that are extracts from Richard's book and that seems to be saying something about fame, corporate sponsorship of art and unreliable witnesses. And then part is about Matt and Nora's relationship, and Matt's teenage daughter that she had at 16, and learning to live with their traumatic childhood. There's also a random foray into a road trip across America with a Dolly Parton cameo.

23 Lady Sings The Blues - Billie Holiday

Not particularly well ghost written, and short but still interesting autobiography, though I note it’s been criticised for various inaccuracies and seems to have been a bit of a rush job. There must be a decent biography out there which I’m going to have a look for as her life was fascinating as well as extremely tough.