It makes me a bit sad looking at my little list. It is definetely the shortest since I joined these threads. It turns out that working (part-time), while taking a cornicopia of drugs to hopefully prevent cancer reoccurence, actually leaves less time & concerntration to read than being off sick. I am really glad to be back able to work again, but lets just say it is often a grind. However, reading (even if infrequent) can still bring me joy, as do these threads. Hoping to read more in 2026, but even if i dont manage more quantity I know their will be a few gems waiting to be found.
Being generous with my bolds here - cant remember what i bolded at the time.
1# Watermelon Marian Keyes
I know there are loads of Keyes fans (including ones on this thread), but will be frank - I hated this. Seemed dated & found main character intensely annoying.
2# Guide Me Home Attica Locke
Deep south thriller set in first Trump administration. Final part of trilogy.
3# Girl Woman Other Bernadine Evaristo
Multi-voiced feminist novel. Liked how all the different voices linked together.
4# Nothing More to Tell Karen McManus
5# The House of My Mother Shari Franke
6# The Clocks in This House all Tell Different Times Xan Brooks
Dark, original tale set just after ww1. Not for the faint hearted. Good reads reviews suggest it divides opinion.
7# Terms & Conditions: Life in Girls Boarding Schools 1939-1979 Ysenda Maxtone Graham
I think we can safely say im not the audience for this.
8# Five Sumners Una LaMarc
Summer camp set drivel.
#9 The Hawthorne School
Difficult to describe. It isnt a bold, but enjoyably weird & odd. Not quite so bad it's good, but along those lines. If you fancy some easy to read wackiness give it a go. Woman enrols her troubled child at an alternative school, what could go wrong ....
#10 We Begin at the End Chris Whittaker
#11 The Couple at No. 9
Paint it by numbers, forgetable domestic thriller.
#12 Big Dunc Duncan Ferguson with Henry Winter
#13 Appointment with Yesterday Celia Fremlin
You either like Fremlin or you dont - i do. Domestic noir which often tilts into melodrama.
#14 Swimming Home Deborah Levy
Great start with a naked women found in a rental villa's pool who is invited to stay. Peels back the layers of intially dislikable characters. Was surprised by how much i enjoyed it.
#15 The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Much reviewed summer camp set thriller. Really enjoyed it but the resolution to.one of the story arcs annoyed me. Still a good read though.
#16 An Experiment in Love Hilary Mantel
Probably semi-autobiographical Mantel.set in 1960s women's hall of residence.
#17 Queenie Candice Carty Williams
Slice of twenysomething London life. Made me laugh out loud, which is so rare it must be a bold.