I am ludicrously behind on posting reviews, so apologies in advance for the enormous text dump.
28. Slow Horses, by Mick Herron. I think I'm the last person in the world to read this. I found the first quarter very slow going, then couldn't put it down. Having not finished a book for months, I was surprised how quickly I got through this.
29. Dead Lions, by Mick Herron. Brilliant again.
30. Real Tigers, by Mick Herron. And again. These have given me my reading mojo back - they're so well plotted and the characterisation is great, PLUS they're funny and have some beautiful phrases. No wonder they are so beloved.
31. Spook Street, by Mick Herron. Another bloody brilliant read. I was about to start the next and then realised I don't have the next 2 on my Kindle, so I've come to a temporary forced stop, which is probably a good thing or I'd have likely binged the lot.
32. Heartwood, by Amity Gaige. A multi-point-of-view telling of the search for a hiker who has vanished from the Appalachian Trail, I love, love, loved this. As well as being about hiking and the back country, it's about mothers and daughters, friendship, work, and much more. Read in two days and I didn't want it to end. I also want to be Lieutenant Bev when I grow up. Having really enjoyed this and God of the Woods, I suppose I'd better crack on and read North Woods to complete the trifecta.
33. A Gorgeous Excitement, by Cynthia Waite. Set in New York in the summer of 1986, Nina Jacobs and her friends are trying to pack in as much fun as they can before they leave for college. Things take a dark turn when a girl is found dead in Central Park, and the victim and suspect are both people the friends know and hang out with. This was absolutely outstanding at depicting teenage debauchery, uncertainty and the challenges of balancing family and friends from different groups. I was a little bit put off when I found out it was based on real events, which seemed slightly exploitative - but Waite grew up on the Upper East Side in the 80s, and the case clearly exerts quite an influence on her. A bold for me.
34. Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President, by E. Jean Carroll. Astounding account of her two trial victories against Donald Trump; the first for sexual assault and the second for defamation. Half written in her inimitable and often exasperating style, and half direct transcripts from the trials, it's absolutely jaw-dropping, particularly the evidence they didn't admit (cough, Epstein, cough). I remember the trials in the news but this behind the scenes look is unforgettable.
35. A Mind of My Own, by Kathy Burke. Kathy Burke's autobiography - I've always thought she was a thoroughly good egg and this confirms that, which is all the more surprising given her very tough upbringing. She's very frank, and my only real complaint about this is that it is very straightforwardly told, and sometimes skates very lightly over events that she surely has more to say about. Still excellent though.
36. Wreck, by Catherine Newman. Follow up to Sandwich, two years on, when Rocky's mother has died, her dad has moved in with the family, and she is battling health problems. Chatty, realistic, funny and moving - an excellent quick read that only just misses being a bold for me.
37. Death in Zion National Park, by Randi Minetor (yes, apparently a real name). Weird confession time - whenever I visit a US national park I buy the corresponding 'Death in…' book, which seems to be a thing. They tend to be a quite dry account of events, but I find them quite comforting because the vast majority of accidents and incidents are so clearly avoidable (don't stand in waterfalls or feed the bears, folks), that it makes me feel safer in the sometimes overawing and intimidating landscape.
38. Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs, by Miranda Sawyer. Oh boy did this take me back! Miranda Sawyer was already a music journalist in the 90s and had a ringside seat to Britpop. This is wildly entertaining and very thorough. My only complaint is that there is quite a bit of repetition/crossover between chapters - she does say at the end that she wrote the book very quickly and I think it could have done with some more editing. Not quite a bold, but pretty close.