50 Books Challenge 2026 Part Three

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the third thread of the 50 Books 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.

The first thread of the year is here and the second thread here

I tried advance searching as I was interested to see what the reviews were on here, though it didn’t get me very far.

It’s a bold for me so far, I’ll see how I feel a bit further into the year!

Another RWYO.

39 Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert George Jenkins

I know a lot of people have read and loved this on the thread, and while I liked it and found it sweet and charming, it wasn’t quite a bold for me. Not sure what is up with me at the moment as I’m enjoying pretty much every book I read but nothing is quite hitting the bold mark.

22 The Secret Hours by Mick Herron

Thoroughly enjoyed this Slough House prequel, filling in back story from some of the main characters' days in Berlin. Pacy and very satisfying. @Tarragon123 I did guess who Alison was from the start but I think that's because you'd got me thinking about it! There are a few clues thrown in if you know what you're looking for.

19 Witch Trial - Harriet Tyce
Courtroom drama focusing on two Edinburgh schoolgirls accused of scaring a friend to death by playing around with satanic witchcraft - as seen through the eyes of walking unreliable narrator trope/juror Matthew. Quick read and enjoyable nonsense to get me through some recent sick leave, with frankly laughable descriptions of demonic apparitions (baaing sheep coming out of the toilet walls, anyone?), but the ending was actually quite clever.

20 Heresy - Catherine Nixey
Before Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, it was more of a braided river than a single torrent, with multiple narratives of the life of Jesus and his relation to the cosmos and other divine beings, and competing texts, many of which did not make it into the Bible we have today. Not only that, but these narratives drew on religious themes already prevalent in the ancient world - healer gods, semi-divine saviour sons of gods (aka Roman emperors), wonder-working magicians and miraculous births.

Not really new material if you’ve spent much time in the ancient world, but she spins it into an entertaining story with short chapters on different themes rather than a chronological history (for the most part). This left me feeling I would have liked a little more sense of the timeline and interrelation of the different ‘Christianities’. One thing is clear: the Romans weren’t always tolerant, but the mainstream Christians were absolutely vicious in their suppression of anything but the party line once they got hold of power.

21 Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss
Found myself out and about without a book the other day (shock, horror!) so had to nip into the library to grab something, and I’d been meaning to read this for a while. The brutal opening had me hooked from the start - it’s one of those novels where you get a real sense of the physicality of the human experience, which is one of the things I love in fiction.

Teenage Sylvie and her mum are being forced by her controlling father to spend their summer in a full immersion Iron Age reenactment, while he indulges his fixation on the ‘purity’ and brutality of the past, in particular the ancient bog body sacrifices of Northern Europe. Sylvie’s growing fear is racheted up in a way that makes this an uncomfortable page turner, with the message of the bog sacrifices becoming increasingly clear to us and to Sylvie - that men have hurt and broken the things they love since time immemorial.

First fiction bold of the year. Never read a Sarah Moss before but will definitely look out for more now.

Well now, thanks to positive reviews from @Tarragon123& @Welshwabbit I’ve had to buy The Secret Hours (99p today), if only to find out who Alison North is. I’m thinking it’s either M. D. or D. T. But I look forward to finding out!

@LadybirdDaphne I haven't read any of Sarah Moss books but your review of Ghost Wall has inspired me to add this one to my TBR list.

I know what you mean about being out and about without a book and having to procure one. I recently spent a long weekend staying with a relative and had not taken a book with me nor did they have any books at their home. Argh.

I loved Ghost Wall when I read it a year or two ago. Not read anything else by the author but have a few of her books in TBR mountain I think.

I was way out, this is set post Covid not a prequel as I assumed. Now I’m even more curious as to who she is!

Finished The Puppet Show by M W Craven. Bought all of these Washington Poe/ Tilly Bradshaw books a while back after recommendations on here. In this first one they investigate a serial killer. Didn’t guess whodunnit. Good characters. Will read more.

DNFed Moderation by Elaine Castillo from the WP longlist (will try again if shortlisted) at 17%- too caught up in money- the awful loss of the family second home in the 2008 crash, the brands of everything, what your watch brand signifies. Not for me.

30. James by Percival Everett - I know this has had rave reviews and it had a lot of powerful ideas. But somehow I didn't connect with it emotionally which is odd considering how much rage it contains and should inspire. I appreciated it intellectually but I didn’t feel it in the way I would have liked to.

31. The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi - An entertaining historical fiction set in newly independent India. Another well reviewed book but not for me. The setup was engaging enough and it had enough momentum to keep me going. But I feel a lot of character (and logic!) was sacrificed at the altar of plot.

It is partly a prequel (in flashback!)

Edited to say sorry, this was meant to be a reply to @DesdamonasHandkerchief about The Secret Hours - I blame my phone!* *

Having People Over by Chelsea Fagan

This is a non fiction book about hosting in modern times, the author considers it a lost art. I think the algorithm suggested this to me and it's actually right up my street. She focuses on the idea that we don't need to redecorate our homes seasonally and how to build your community. In discussing who she follows on Instagram she mentions having internet rules which chimes with my desire to scroll less. So if the algorithm can give me this, which fits nicely to my outlook and values, it must also be giving racist, red pill stuff to the Manosphere? Scary thought.

This was a quick read, and useful for me.as someone who does occasionally get in a tizz before people come over. I'd like to be more chill about it and I think her insights will help achieve that. For instance pointing out that you don't need to new cook new dishes each time as your friends probably love your favourites they had before.

Somewhat oddly she mentions shoes on or off in nearly every chapter. Perhaps this is an important point of etiquette in America. I always go shoes off and am at that point in my life where I take slippers with me so my feet aren't cold....

I'm having friends over for Easter and going follow some tips and see if they notice!

Off the Map: Feral Places and What They Tell Us About the World Alistair Bonnett

I think I must have bought this in a 99p deal and I know I have read some of Bonnett's more scholarly work before. This was a great read, looking at places that don't appear on maps, or have been erased, or exist in some level of ambiguity e.g. Indian villages in Bangladesh which in turn have Bangladeshi villages inside them with each village belonging officially to its respective nation but neither State stepping up to help and support the people who live there. There was a fascinating chapter about a town built along the border of North Korea that is empty but built specifically to give the illusion of life and prosperity.

The chapters here are short and snappy and cover 47 different places (just like A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders by Jonn Elledge that I read and enjoyed last year). No idea if geographers are particularly obsessed with things coming in sets of 47.

I am also still slumping so only have empathy to offer.

@Welshwabbit – well done 👏

@DesdamonasHandkerchief – my lips are sealed about Alison’s identity. But while there is a large chunk of the book post COVID, we spend a lot of time in 1990s Berlin. I'm not quite clear where the book sits in the Slow Horses universe. Probably between Bad Actors and Clown Town. Do not look this up on wiki as you will be able to guess who Alison is.

43 The Wedding People – Alison Espach – much read on here. I quite enjoyed it. Yes, you could see the plot from the moon, but I couldn’t help rooting for Phoebe, our heroine.

Okay, that makes perfect sense now Taragon123 & Welshwabbit, looking forward to the flashbacks and reacquainting myself with some familiar faces.

Reminder to those on the Readalong it’s our penultimate discussion of A Tale Of Two Cities starting tomorrow.

@CrochetGrannySquare "Nor did they have any books in their home" <faints>. I read some very odd stuff in the pre Kindle times particularly abroad from traveller book shops and British Council Libraries. I made my way through Lawrence Durrell's tomes one year as it was all I could find in English.

I wasn't mad about Moderation @ÚlldemoShúl although it does improve in the second half.

International Booker short list is out, and the only book from the longlist I've read - The Remembered Soldier - didn't make it. I have She Who Remains on my TBR and will read The Director too, not sure about the others.

That's a disaster @CrochetGrannySquare although I must admit I always travel with my Kindle just in case - I get twitchy if I can't read!

22. A Bird in Winter - Louise Doughty

Heather works in the intelligence services and the book opens with something clearly going wrong and her needing to escape. The story then follows her on the run with flashbacks to her earlier life working up to the opening incident. I enjoyed this as Heather has lots of faults and is relatable. No idea how accurate it is about intelligence services. I would have liked a more conclusive ending.

Now playing catch up on A Tale of Two Cities which I thought I had a long train journey for yesterday but ended up being cancelled. Also need to read this week's chapters of Les Miserables.

17 The Wall - Marlen Haushofer

I’d never heard of this 1968 novel but loved it so much. It starts as an eerie dystopian tale (woman is stranded in the forest following a mysterious disaster that wipes out human life) but thanks to its female author and protagonist, it takes a very different route from the usual bloke-gets-gun-and-kills-everything-to-survive trope. I won’t spoil it any further but really recommend for an unsettling, thought-provoking read.

Morning all, fallen way behind with this thread, just caught up. Sorry to all those in a slump - as others have said, maybe return to an old favourite that's easy and lovely to read to get you up and running again.

I've been reading the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley as a relative of mine keeps sending me them. Books 2 and 3 (The Storm Sister and The Shadow Sister) are the same in style...each sister, all adopted by their enigmatic father, is left a legacy as to her true heritage when he dies. They go off and try to find it - and we get a story within the story as we learn the fates of their ancestors as well as themselves.

Belief is definitely to be suspended but they're an easy read and the stories are generally interesting. Not bolds but I will no doubt read the others when they're sent to me.

Loads on my wishlist was reduced today!

Another Life by Kristin Hannah
Awake by Jen Hatmaker
This Must Be The Place by Maggie O'Farrell
The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

I only added The Rachel Incident a couple of days ago so happy about that.

I aim to read everything by Kristin Hannah and Maggie O'Farrell so that's useful to keep on my kindle for when I don't know what to read next.

I was about to kick myself for buying more books than I read in a month again but I am actually 18 books in at the end of March so I guess this is just me keeping up.

I suppose I don't even want to get to the end of kindle really, as then I'd have to buy full price books....

Oh, annoying, I bought The Death of Us a few days ago for £2.99. Never mind 🙂

Annoyingly the only reductions on my wishlist were to £3.89 which I don't really count!

I did pick up a couple of the daily deals though
Departures by Julian Barnes
Wreck by Catherine Newman. It seems to be a sequel to Sandwich which I think was quite marmite on here but I liked

and main deals
Death of an Ordinary Man - Sarah Perry from the woman's prize NF list.

Unsettled Ground is on there which I read earlier this year and would recommend.

My basket is

The Shining - Stephen King
Departure(s) - Julian Barnes
Big Little Lies - Liane Moriarty
A Murder of Quality - John Le Carré
Nightshade - Michael Connolly

Waiting to see if 50Bookers spot any other candidates before I check out 😀

I’ve just picked up Helm - Sarah Hall based on reviews from 50 Bookers.

I see The House at Riverton - Kate Morton is 99p today, I absolutely loved this, but I have it in paperback.

I was wondering about Big Little Lies too but thought 5 books was enough. I am now wavering as the other Liane Moriarty i wolfed down on a travel day....