50 Books Challenge 2026 Part One

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the first thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2026, 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.

Is there a 2026 RWYO thread?

here:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/5467592-read-what-you-own-2026

@SheilaFentiman- thank you (not sure how I missed it when scrolling through!)

@SharpPoet yes! I have the Ted Chiang collection its been on my TBR a very long time, I’m not really a short story person but I do intend to do it one day!

I’ve bought The Wedding People. It’s very much not my usual thing, but I’m hoping it will be an easy and not too annoying read.

It’s definitely not taxing @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie but I didn’t love it

I don’t think I’d love anything right now tbh , so I’m just hoping for something I can cope with until the end!

I read it last year as a holiday read (mind you I was only in Wales) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Verging into chick lit but well written and plotted with interesting characters

Today, I finished The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Book 1. Despite my apprehensions of this book being too gentle, I actually quite enjoyed it.

This is the story of 4 pensioners who live in a retirement village that get together once a week to attempt to solve crimes. When a body shows up, they are only too happy to put their skills to use. With the help of friends far and wide from a variety of professions, this cunning group not only befriended the two police officers but solved a couple of murders.

Whilst navigating through the investigations, you are given a glimpse of life through the lens of those in retirement and the difficulties, frustrations, loneliness, but also the joy the characters find within their frienships from the village. The characters' wit, dry humour and lack of subtlety stood out
What I found great was how death was addressed and discussed, rather than being taboo. Just because they are older certainly doesn't mean they are ready to die. Osman has managed to depict these topics very well.

For a course, I read Utilitarianism by J.S Mill (1863). That might have been interesting, but nowhere as much fun as The Thursday Murder Club. I will definitely be reading the rest.

Jumping in quickly to say @Frannyisreading that Elif Batuman’s The Idiot is on my top 19 reads EVER. I loved it. But I share many things with her, including her Russian lecturer crush, Russian literature obsession and that we are both Turkish - which just excites me more than it needs to because not everyone with a Turkish name is a great writer, but I seem to give them 25% just for being so (different lecturers) - that may have been in her book The Possessed. The sequel was

9 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

I must admit I was a little apprehensive about reading this book, it’s so loved on the thread, what if I hated it, or worse somehow, just found it boring? Readers, I will put you out of your misery, for I absolutely adored it. It had everything, humour, books, history, joy, poignancy, generosity of spirit, friendship. I read it with a smile on my face the whole time, apart from that one letter, where I just closed my eyes for a moment. I loved, loved, loved this and it’s a bold all day long.

The Wedding People
Finished it. Liked it. I liked the literary references. It made me laugh a few times. Could’ve used some trimming. I didn’t find it chick lit - it was more Richard Curtis movie.

@AgualusasL0ver ah that's great! I had a look on goodreads and found lots of other enthusiastic readers too. I did think Turkish or perhaps Hungarian readers would get bonus joy from it - she does describe a range of cultures with humour and affection

Great news that you found a likeable read, @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie

2 There is nothing for you here - Fiona Hill Memoir by the Bishop Auckland-born daughter of a coal miner who rose to become a top national security adviser in the US during Trump's first presidency. I've heard interviews with Hill before and have a lot of time for her - she always seems to talk sense about the political environment, so this book was high on my wishlist.

It is a combination of her own story, from her working-class origins in a left-behind corner of England to St Andrews, Harvard and eventually a Russia specialist in the public eye; and an analysis of the political, social and economic circumstances over the course of the 20th century and into the 21st century in the UK, Russia and the US, drawing parallels between all three countries. I really enjoyed reading about her own personal story - she grew up a few miles from me (a generation earlier) and it really is incredible how different an individual's opportunities can be, solely based on their family's economic and social position and geographical location; she made it to the top due to a combination of luck and support from family, friends, philanthropy and government-backed programmes (as well as a lot of hard work). Her wider argument is that people's opportunities shouldn't rely on this type of lottery and, instead, everyone should be given the same chances regardless of their origins. I found her analysis of what led to the general lurch towards populism really fascinating and sensible.

The Trump section is pretty jaw-dropping as you might expect - I already knew much of what she talks about but getting her inside view gave a new perspective on the pure selfishness of Trump and his entourage. She wrote the book just after Biden became president and it's depressing reading about her hopes for the future as if Trump's chaos was in the past, given where we are now (the one-year anniversary of Trump 2 tomorrow - only one year and look how much he's already screwed the world up!!). I think this is a really important book, especially in the current political context, as well as being interesting on the personal level. It took me quite a long time to get through, but worthwhile - my first bold of the year.

2 The Siege - Ben Macintyre

Probably the last person on this thread to read this 😄 so I won’t say any more than that to absolutely nobody’s surprise, I thought it was brilliant.

Book 3. The killer question by Janice Hallett

The story of new landlords running a pub with a Monday night quiz. Then a body is found. The story is told in Hallett's usual style of emails and texts.

I enjoyed this one. It was back to the more fun style of the appeal. I was a bit unconvinced by the motivation for murder but it was enjoyable ride. Looking forward to the third appeal book.

Now to pick something from my shelves in order to "read what I own".

@DuPainDuVinDuFromage I am working my way slowly through There Is Nothing For You Here and I agree with every word of your review, with the caveat that her references to ‘we’ i.e. Americans and the explanations about Britain aimed at the American reader ever so slightly grated from time to time. However, I do accept that she is writing as someone with an almost unique experience of both worlds and who at the time was based in the USA.
She’s an incredible woman and her speech to the graduands at their Durham congregation was inspiring. Not in a wishy washy way, but acknowledging their efforts while emphasising what a great privilege they all had and that they should now go out into their chosen fields and give something back.
DS told us that in the pre-ceremony info talk they all had strict instructions not to shake her hand too firmly, as she was still recovering from two broken wrists. We had noticed that there were some ‘barely there’ handshakes from the graduands but had put it down to nerves

@MaterMoribund fantastic that you (and your DS - congratulations on his graduation!) had the opportunity to hear her talk. Bloody hell re. the wrists - how did she manage that? Must have been so hard to do anything during the recovery period!

Also, in relation to the references to “we” (as in the Americans), I know what you mean but I do like the idea that people across the United States are getting to know about the tiny corner of the world that contains Bishop Auckland and its environs 😊

@DuPainDuVinDuFromage and @MamaNewtNewt I have put There Is Nothing For You Here instantly on my wishlist!

Luckily for my aims to get through my kindle back log, I am far too tight to pay £14.99, so it'll have to sit there waiting for at least a few quid off.

Great to hear this was a bold for you as I bought a copy after the last positive review but haven’t got around to it yet. Must move it up the TBR pile.

Last Man Standing - David Baldacci
FBI thriller that needed more editing (600 pages long!), Published in 2019, makes glancing references to the Oxy crisis but is fundamentally about Web London, the sole survivor of a Hostage Recue Team (abbreviated throughout to HRT, which was most odd ) who froze on his way into what turned out to be a set-up that killed the other 6 members of his HRT. Why? Is he a traitor or a hero?

It was workable enough but could've been at least 100 pages shorter and still had room for all the twists, turns and double crosses, by cutting clunky repetitive explanations about cars, guns and night vision goggles.

They weren’t told how she did it, but the fact she stood and shook so many hands all that week only added to my fangirling . Honestly, I didn’t feel tearful at DS getting his Masters but I did get my hanky out for her speech - all about the history of the region not being just fancy castles and Romans, but the very real and hard lives of ordinary people.

Oof, My DD did that aged 10 going over the handlebars of her bike, it was great fun for a few weeks, poor girl. I bought the book after listening to her The Rest Is Politics interview last year. I’ll bump it up the TBR pile.