50 Books Challenge 2025 Part Five

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fifth 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 or / 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 like to bring over lists to the next thread- again, this is up to you.

The first thread of the year is here, the second thread here , the third thread here and the fourth thread here.

@nowanearlyNicemum I really enjoyed your Tucci review. I have Taste on my kindle so must bump it up.

Finished 59 The Blackbird, by Tim Weaver and am currently on 60. The Shadow at the Door, by Tim Weaver. These are thrillers centred on a missing person investigator. There's a formula - impossible disappearance; hero gets involved; his attention is snagged by small clues; follows thread back to decades-old murders. The villain has laid his (or her) plans in improbable detail over the course of decades. Sooner or later the hero is tied to a metaphorical powder keg while the villain pauses, match lit, to twirl his (or her) moustachios and lay out the details of his (or her) cunning plan. I'm having fun reading them.

I was a Did Not Finish on the Tucci. I found his lifestyle a bit jarring - I mean, I know it's his normal, but he lives in a proper bubble.

Thanks @MegBusset I'll check that one out too!

23. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
    This month's read christie challenge book, this time focusing on detectives. Poirot, Ariadne Oliver and two other crime-solvers are invited to a dinner party by the exotic Mr Shaitana who promises Poirot he'll also invite 4 people who got away with murder. Obviously a murder occurs at the dinner party and it's up to the four sleuths to work out what historic murders these four people committed and which one of them killed again. Classic locked room mystery which is always my favourite Christie device. Despite remembering the episode of this from the David Suchet series I couldn't remember whodunnit so it was a nice surprise. I much prefer the Poirot/oliver books to the Poirot/Hastings ones

24. Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood
    This was a short story which I got under Amazon first reads. 4 retired women discuss the men who wronged their 5th friend in their youth and how to get revenge. The revenge plots were all a bit pointless and hyperbolic but I thought the writing of what it's like to grow old as a woman was fascinating and I enjoyed the way the women's friendships worked

25. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
    This was in the 50 classics to read before you die book that someone on here recommended as it was less than £1 on Kindle (sorry, can't remember who tipped us off). I added each of the stories individually into my random number generator so I can hopefully tackle a few a year and this was the first to be pulled out. A horror story from 1894 involving a doctor who operates on a woman's brain to allow her to see the spiritual world, also known as "seeing the great god Pan"

I found this rather disjointed with lots of characters that were hard to keep straight. For such a short book (84 pages) it was unnecessarily confusing and also very vague on many details. I didn't really get the "horror" vibe as it glossed over anything that could be deemed scary. I read a synopsis afterwards to make sure I'd understood the book fully and I hadn't. Apparently there were a couple of time jumps of several years at a time but I don't know how we were supposed to know that many years had passed. It also apparently talked about orgies but clearly the language of this was too flowery as I didn't pick up on any orgy chat. I think classics probably just aren't for me. It's been too many years since I studied English lit and I'm too rusty

It was me that recommended the 50 Books, I’m delighted that someone else benefited from it! (I’m still ploughing through Middlemarch.)

I also have added Burnt Shadows to my list, thank you for the review.

Good to know Fourth Wing doesn’t have too much shagging, as my 13YO is devouring books at the moment and loves that series. I can’t say much though, I was reading Flowers In The Attic and all its sequels at that age!

I also read the Belgariad around that time, and read a lot of fantasy. Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin was another favourite.

Sorry for not tagging folks, I can never remember who said what!

The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter

I love Angela Carter's writing and it doesn't disappoint in this gothic coming of age. Melanie is the eldest child in a middle class family, her parents die while on a lecture tour of the States and she and her two sibling go to live with their maternal uncle whom they have never met. Uncle Philip owns the toyshop of the title and makes complex toys and puppets in the basement of the shop. He terrifies his wife (who was struck dum on her wedding day) and her two younger brothers who have lived with them in the flat above the shop since they too were orphaned years before. Melanie is bereft at the straitened circumstances they now live in. But over time she comes to love her aunt and her brothers. There is a suitably strange ending involving one of Uncle Philip's puppets that leaves lots of questions unanswered. All very Angela Carter but I think I am maybe a bit too old for this early novel and despite 'kill the parents' being the first chapter of every children's novel ever, spent a lot of my time getting angry at Melanie's parents who had spent all their money and so left nothing for the children. I think that maybe I was hoping for some magic realism to lighten the situation but in some ways it can be read as a realistic novel. Not sure if it's a bold but certainly memorable.

My list so far...
(1) The Nurse by Valerie Keogh
(2) The Wrong Child by Julia Crouch and M. J. Arlidge
(3) The Perfect Parents By J.A. Baker
(4) Darkest Fear, written by Harlen Coben
(5) Old Filth by Jane Gardam
(6) The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
(7) Last Friends by Jane Gardam
(8) American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins -
(9) The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden
(10) The Coworker by Frieda McFadden
(11) Maid by Stephanie Land (Audio Book)
(12) The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
(13) The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
(14) Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education
Book by Stephanie Land
(15) Verity by Colleen Hoover
(16) Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
(17) Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
(18) Home Front by Kristin Hannah
(19) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Latest Book.....

(20) Fly Away

Description taken from Amazon......

Fly Away is the heartrending story of three women who have lost their way and need each other – plus a miracle – to transform their lives . . .

Tully Hart, a celebrity news reporter is spiralling downward after the sudden loss of her best friend Kate.

Consumed with guilt, Tully and Kate's daughter, Marah, grapple with their past mistakes. Meanwhile, Cloud, Tully's mother, endeavours to alleviate the burden. For them to find their way back, forgiveness becomes their only hope.

And then something momentous happens – something which causes each one of them to realize what they’ve done, and what they have become . . .

This book was okay.... a bit woke and cliched... not my favorite if I am honest....

Onto the next!

Happy reading everyone :)

@Castlerigg there is a bit more shagging in the second book but my 13 year old is also reading it - I decided it was ok after reading them both with my eldest (now 15) last year. I'm also of the Virginia Andrews generation so nothing is really that bad!

We Pretty Pieces of Flesh is in the deals today and a book that I've heard good things about.

Good morning 50 Bookers :

34. The Sellout by Paul Beatty Read for bookclub. It starts at the Supreme Court and the narrator is on trial for trying to reintroduce slavery and segregation. He has been brought up by a single father, who did weird psychology experiments on him, before being shot by the police, then in an attempt to reinstate his home town (which has lost it's city status after being swallowed by LA - I think- and then realises that the Black population were better off under segregation, and starts to introduce Blacks Only signs on public buses.

Not sure what I think really. I was expecting some good satirical writing, but it rambled around too much for me, and not being American (Or Black), I didn't understand most of the pop culture references. The N-word was everywhere - used satirically I assume. There were some parts of narrative that I thought we very clever, but a lot of it was lost on me. A bit like a sweary, angry Bill Bryson.

35. Middemarch by George Eliot I have had this on my Audible account for ages, and it has been glaring at me while I listened to less "worthy" books. I admit I felt a bit daunted by it and felt it was going to be a chore - but I finally got around to it. I'll also admit I found the first few chapters a bit of a chore and found myself looking at chapter summaries to make sure I was understanding things correctly. There are quite a lot of characters to keep track of, but in the end, that's what I ended up enjoying. It's exactly the kind of story I enjoy, a diverse group of characters living in the realistic but fictional town of Middlemarch in the early 19th century, how different lives are intertwined with others and how decisions made by one have effects throughout the community. I ended up rooting for most of them, was irritated by Rosamund (but I think we are meant to, and in fairness to her - she was a product of her time). All in all, I'm glad I've read it, and can appreciate it's quality.

After a couple of "worthy" books, I am now on the first Maeve Kerrigan book based on recommendations here.

Thanks for your review of Middlemarch, WelshBookWitch - one of these days…

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel - Thanks to ÚlldemoShúl for recommending this non-fiction about a young man Stephane Breitwieser, a compulsive art thief who with his girlfriend stole hundreds of priceless artworks from museums, galleries and churches across several European countries, and kept them in his bedroom. All done without breaking in anywhere. Effortlessly readable, an often nail biting drama without any violence. I liked rather than loved it as there was slightly too much author presence, it gets a bit repetitive, and as Breitwiser’s mother and partner are so key to his life and crimes it’s a shame for the book that they wouldn’t speak to the author and he didn’t quite get the measure of them. However I’d still recommend the book as an interesting and often compelling read that I was always keen to pick up.

Thank you @Stowickthevast , I have bought We Pretty Pieces Of Flesh.

I’m plodding on with Mary Read the Pirate, because I’m more reluctant to DNF a physical book than an ebook, but dear god, if she reminds the reader she was brought up as a boy one more time it might hit the work book swap shelves sooner than intended . It’s like crappy documentaries on non subscription tv where the presenter reminds you of the previous 15 min segment after every bloody advert!

22 Shakespeare: The Man who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea

Much-reviewed on here - for those who haven't read it, the book is essentially a conversation between Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea about all the Shakespearean roles she has played, going through play by play. At first I felt it was a bit plodding, but as I went on I really enjoyed it, not just for Dench's musings on acting, but also for her insights into the plays, some of which I have never seen or read. You can hear her voice coming through from the page, which I liked, and the book also includes some of her doodles and illustrations from her scripts. Enjoyable and informative.

@bibliomania , yes, The World According to Colour was my contribution to the swap – glas you found it interesting. Coincidentally I’m part way through my pick from last year’s swap (and enjoying it so far).

20.The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey.
Miv is 12 and living in West Yorkshire in 1979. Her community is living in the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper. Scared and frustrated at the lack of progress at catching him, she begins with her friend Sharon to compile a list of suspicions about a number of men known to them.

I didn’t really get on with this one. I didn’t think the characters were very well developed. Also I found that the attempts to balance the light and naïve tone of the narrator with the troubling subject matter of racism, violence and mental illness weren’t successful.

@AlmanbyRoadtrip just finished it - I know what you mean! Have you got to the Hepburn/Hepworth (?) mixup yet? Another book in need of a proof reader - though apparently it has been as the author included the reader in her acknowledgments! Full review to follow when I’ve had a chance to mull.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister

Already read by a few on here. I enjoyed this, not quite a bold, but one that I looked forward to picking up each evening. A woman’s son commits a crime and she finds herself moving back through time trying to figure out what she can do to stop it happening.

As part of the “read the oldest thing on your kindle” challenge, I read How to Completely Change Your Life in 30 Seconds - Earl Nightingale. It was not life-changing. A transcript of some radio broadcasts, I think from the 80s? Some good advice in it, but nothing unique. I don’t know where the 30 seconds comes from.

I’ve started reading Less by Patrick Grant, from the Great British Sewing Bee. Tagline is “Stop buying so much rubbish: How having fewer, better things can make us happier.” A bit of a memoir, but also about valuing the quality and detail in well made clothes, vs the current situation where it’s all about quantity, buying more and more whilst barely worn clothes go to landfill. It’s interesting reading, and thought-provoking.

Less is hovering on a DNF for me (I have put it aside rather than writing it off) - I found the author to be a bit too blasé about how much more fulfilled everyone was when they made three good garments that lasted for years… yeah, but what about all the death in childbirth, infant mortality, lack of access to education etc?

77 . Black And British by David Olusoga

The historian David Olusoga seeks to examine the longevity of Black people within the United Kingdom to contradict the widely held false belief that Black people only came to Britain post WW2.

He brings us Black Georgians, Black Tudors and black soldiers going as far back as Roman Britain.

Had this on my TBR for ages and decided to read it now because the author is on Sleb Traitors!

It’s a challenging read, slavery casts a long shadow and covers a large section of the book. What is upsetting is the disgusting and shameful way Black people have been treated throughout our history. I found myself upset more than once and found out things that shocked me. One of these was that black troops who had fought in WW1 were not permitted to walk in the Victory parade despite having served the country and also that many people didn’t want black soldiers at all in case it “gave Africans ideas” or words to that effect

I think I noticed a mistake in a reference to Much Ado About Nothing that should’ve been picked up on in the edit.

Otherwise this is a groundbreaking book and quite the education. The accompanying TV series is still on iPlayer and I’ve been watching that as well.

It is quite the tome at over 800 pages (200 of which are notes) but I do recommend it. I’m glad I finally got round to it.

He’s written a version for children @EineReiseDurchDieZeit, which is also excellent.

Yes @AlmanbyRoadtrip I read that somewhere and think it’s cool

What’s happened to the thread set up? It’s no longer showing as having pages on my phone?

And I’ve turned pink when I was always green?! It seems to be sitewide. Not sure I’m happy about it…

@ÚlldemoShúl The website version is still showing pages for me on my phone

I’m also still Green

Do you use an iPhone @EineReiseDurchDieZeit ?
I’m sure I’ll adjust to the changes but right now I don’t really like it.

Yep iPhone!

I use the app mainly but I do go on the mobile site