50 Books Challenge 2025 Part Nine

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the ninth and final thread of the 50 Books Challenge for this year.

The challenge was 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, the fourth thread here , the fifth thread here , the sixth thread here , the seventh thread here and the eighth thread

Happy Christmas all! I'm enjoying seeing everyone's book gifts. I only got two but I asked for them both, the Margaret Atwood memoir and the Mitford sisters graphic novel.

I'm reading two very light festive books this week, A Christmas Fling by Lindsey Kelk and The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallet. Both passing the time easily although unlikely to make my books of the year list!

I also read Small Mercies by Denis Lehane, decidedly not festive. It's about an Irish woman in Boston in the 70s who starts a vigilante revenge campaign against the mob after her daughter goes missing - compelling but very violent and unpleasant.

I've followed these threads on-and-off for years and wanted to join you all again. I might even make it to 50 books for the first year ever! (I have really got into audio books this year)

48. Victoria Park - Gemma Reeves

I picked this for the ‘V’ in my alphabet reading challenge and found that I quite enjoyed it, but it probably won’t stay with me for long.

Over the course of a year, and chapter by chapter, we glimpse into the lives of twelve varied families who live around the titular Victoria Park in Bethnal Green, London. The characters all brush up against each other in small ways as they go about their own lives, without ever knowing the trials and challenges each other faces.

The narrator (Henry Goodman) has a broad repertoire of voices and accents which sounded melodic and plausible, including for the female characters and across the age spectrum, which was refreshing.

Welcome @Zireael an alphabetic reading challenge sounds interesting.

Some great hauls on here. As suspected, I didn't get any books but my 13 year old who's inherited the reading gene got me a cute bookmark.

I remember reading the BTB years ago @AgualusasL0ver probably as a teen going through Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins at a rate of knots. I read something recently where the main character has violet eyes which seemed like a stretch!

@Cherrypi I'm hearing the Roy memoir is great.

@JaninaDuszejko I really liked Boulder and her next book Mammoth maybe even more.

I realised I had forgotten a book I read - the first of the Jeri Howard anthology that @elkiedee recommended about a private eye in San Fran Kindred Crimes. I quite enjoyed this talw if tracking down a missing woman who was involved in a crime many years before. I'll definitely get to the others.

I have the Death in Yosemite book too! I was there in the spring and I have to say it was immediately clear how many people are blithely unaware of any sense of danger, including paddling in the water at the top of a waterfall, right next to signs telling them to stay out of the water. Don't get me started on the people hiking a steep and slippery trail in heels...

And Merry Christmas, Internet friends! Love seeing all the book presents. Here is my small but perfectly formed haul.

Happy Boxing Day, 50 bookers! My book haul! Very crime/mystery Puzzle heavy, but that's not a bad thing.

71 Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson

Bought for me a few years ago, I've only just got round to reading this short story collection/recipe hybrid. I am a Winterson fan, but she can switch on a dime between obscure and cloying sentimentality, which I sometimes find a bit much in her novels. It's perfect for a Christmas short story collection though, and still better are the snippets of recipes and personal stories which come from her friends and (estranged) family. The best is Ruth Rendell's pickled red cabbage; a virtuoso cameo both of Rendell herself and of the inter-generational friendship between her and Winterson. There is also a cathartic vignette of Winterson's father's last Christmas. These are so good I preferred them to the stories, but there are a few good ones in there, including The Lion, The Unicorn and Me and my favourite, The Snow-Mama.

Edited for autocorrect!

Merry Christmas you lovely lot.
@Piggywaspushed – are you ok? 💐

@InTheCludgie – The Island of Missing Trees was one of my favourites for 2024 and @ChessieFL – great haul @Benvenuto – that sounds FABULOUS!! Tempted to get it for DM as a wee extra for her birthday next week.

No books for me, surprisingly. DD did have a look, but was overwhelmed at what to get me. However, I did treat myself to The Stand by Stephen King when I was out shopping for books. I’m taking part in a slow read between January and June, so that’s quite the commitment lol. Anyone else read it?

Love seeing everyone’s book hauls! I’m looking forward to the reviews on future threads.

Murder at Martingale Manor - Jodi Taylor

This is the now-traditional St Mary’s Christmas story. Max and Leon go away to a country house hotel in 1924 to have a week of rest and relaxation. Needless to say this doesn’t happen! Max has been reading Agatha Christie which might give you a clue as to what happens. This isn’t Christmassy at all but I really enjoyed it - I loved the 1920s country house setting. The only downside is that you don’t get to see any of the other St Mary’s characters.

@tarragon123- it’s a nice little book with anecdotes / facts about a National Trust property on the left hand page (the facts are good although the writing style hasn’t grabbed me) & a recipe on the right hand page. There’s a range of recipes (basic, sweet, savoury, chocolate etc.) - I haven’t tried any yet, but even if you didn’t like the scone recipe compared to ones in other books you could probably transfer the flavourings to your own recipe.

DH bought it for me as I had a splendidly named Dragon scone at an NT cafe last month (sadly I don’t think it’s in the book).

I feel better today, physically and also emotionally. Thank you for asking tarragon. Read another chapter of Dombey and Son and it was a lovely one. Also just read the iconic Little Women skating scene.

@Tarragon123 The Stand was my entry Stephen King book and I love it. It's a very long book but he is exceptionally easy to read. I hope you enjoy it.

Hope you enjoy The Haunted Wood. It was one of my stand outs from this year.

Merry Christmas 50 Bookers! I hope everyone is having a nice chilled time.

Finishing my reading year on a nice round number:

60 Vertigo - Harald Jahner

Very interesting account of the Weimar Republic, which filled in some gaps in my knowledge about the period between the wars and the combination of circumstances that led to Hitler’s rise to power.

@Tarragon123 The Stand is one of my all time favourites. It's a bug commitment though and if you've never read King before, it's not necessarily the one I'd recommend to start with, unless you particularly like post-apocalyptic novels.

@Piggywaspushed Glad you're feeling a bit better.

I started with the lurgy two days after breaking up from school (but of course I did). Fingers crossed it's not been too awful though and I've only had one day of properly sick. DP started with it last night though. We've got a few days on our own coming up now, so it will involve plenty of lying around reading and some hot toddies for him/Dishoom recipe chai for me.

65. Precipice: Robert Harris.

The story begins in London during the summer of 1914 just before the outbreak of WW1. Prime Minister Asquith is besotted with twenty-six-year-old Venetia Stanley who is good-looking, clever, but bored with her socialite friends and looking for diversion. He writes to her twice or three times a day about his thoughts and feelings and goes as far as divulging confidential parliamentary business and sensitive information to her. He treats her as a confidant and values her opinion. He leans on her way too much and loses perspective. When he tosses carbon copies of telegrams out the car window during their Friday jaunt, these are picked up by members of the public and an intelligence officer from Scotland Yard is sent to investigate the leak of top-secret documents.

I enjoyed this very much. Like 'Conclave', this was a very engaging read. It's hard to believe how Asquith could have been so careless in his correspondence with Venetia and in (mis)handling sensitive documents, yet this aspect of the story is based on factual evidence. I became very annoyed with his neediness and his obsession of her. Also, how he had the time to write to her three times a day, make social engagements, meet her clandestinely and lead the cabinet while a war was going on, is quite amazing. A very engaging blend of fact and fiction; recommended.

Get well soon @Piggywaspushed and @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie 🫖📚

Thank you for the thread @Southeastdweller and happy Boxing Day to all 50 Bookers and hope you are all enjoying a lovely Christmas. Well I have lost the plot and have missed books that should have been added to my list but an abysmal reading year only about 10 but have enjoyed popping in to see what folks are reading. Will try again in 2026. Anyway reading a fantastic debut at the moment Prussian Blue by Zara Katanzaro only on chapter 4 but really enjoying it so far. Briefly about an artist which is why I am enjoying it as the description writing of the oils etc has really drawn me in. Only 99p at the moment on Amazon for kindle.

Very good!! Haha!

DO just presented me with a book gift. Not a Christmas present apparently, but something he found brand new in the charity shop a few weeks ago and has been holding onto.

Agree on Asquith, @FuzzyCaoraDhubh what an obsessive whiny tool he was!

I completely agree!

@FuzzyCaoraDhubh He was a total pain in the arse and I found the book really irritating and boring for that reason. I think I was part of a minority of around three in really disliking the book. I couldn't wait for it to finish.

72 The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

A novella featuring the main character of The Maid. This was a freebie from one of the book events I've attended over the past couple of years. I've not read The Maid and this didn't encourage me to give it a go. An extremely silly storyline in which Molly (the titular maid of the series, who works in a fancy hotel) becomes suspicious of her boyfriend, who is very clearly planning a nice surprise for her. The writing is stilted and the characterisation insufficient to make up for the (lack of) plot. This may be a tad unfair as I'd perhaps be more invested had I read others in the series. But I haven't so this was a bit of a stinker for me.

I can understand that! I was glad when it wound up too! Still thought it was good though!

Wish we still had the laughing emoji.