50 Books Challenge 2026 Part Five

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the fifth 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 as this makes it much easier to keep track of books or authors that may appeal (or not appeal) to everyone else.

Some of us bring over our updated lists to the new thread. Again, this is up to you.

The first thread of the year is here the second thread here, the third thread here and the fourth thread

All this Alba de Céspedes chat has intrigued me - I really fancy Forbidden Notebook now. My library has only one of her books, There's No Turning Back, so I’ve reserved that to start off with.

@SpunkyKhakiScroller I really enjoyed Crow Lake. I love a coming of age novel. I read one of her later books more recently A Town Called Solace and I wasnt nearly as keen. I also have an irrational dislike of the title. It gives off strong twee vibes.

I've used this month's audible credit on Forbidden Notebook - wondering if that's the right call as some things I do prefer to actually physically read, but I'm already feeling guilty about how badly RWYO is going after I went a bit mad with 99p deals, whereas using an audible credit feels like an acceptable work around my own rule!

I laughed this morning thinking about the audiobook discussion up thread, I'd claimed they worked ok for me but last night I started None of This is True on audio and I woke up this morning realising I hadn't heard anything beyond the title and 'read by' announcement. I was clearly more tired than usual!

On the RWYO thing I'm almost finished Tamar by Mal Peet which has been on my kindle over 9 years! I just checked and I bought it in Feb 2017. I've no idea why I got it at the time as I avoid WW2 stuff generally (DH is obsessed so I feel like I'm at max capacity with WW2 content without adding to it in my own reading), but I'm enjoying it now I realise it's YA (I was a bit thrown by the tone/ style shift between the two time periods at first but now I realise it's meant to be YA I feel like I know where I am!). Will do a proper review when finished.

Book 40 was very quick because it was Stylepedia, which was a reference book about style subcultures across the world and through the ages, so it was heavy on pictures! I did read every word cover to cover though. It was actually a lot more interesting to read than I was expecting, particularly to see the reasons behind some of the particular elements of different looks, and how they grew out of different things like music, politics and migration. I think it could have been more comprehensive but hey-ho.

Book 41 and 42 are Pagans by James Alistair Henry and The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. I'm enjoying them both at the moment, but am only about 40 to 50 pages into each so far.

@BauhausOfEliott I look forward to seeing your review of Ministry of Time. I read it earlier this year and, as my review at the time said, though I loved the beginning, I was not a fan by the end!

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch
I thought I was pretty well informed about social/ LGB history, particularly when it occurred in my lifetime, but this novel explores an aspect of it that I was unaware of; the treatment of lesbian mothers by the courts and society as recently as the 1980s.
Dawn is 23, married to Henry/Heron and they have a little girl, Maggie. When Dawn meets Hazel at a jumble sale she embarks on an affair that has consequences she could not have foreseen.
It’s a dual timeline and the first part concentrates on Heron and his recent terminal diagnosis. Through his Swedish Death Cleaning efforts paperwork comes to light that changes everything about how Maggie saw her childhood and upbringing. Lynch is incredibly generous to Heron as a character, even when he’s making the most selfish and punitive decisions in his 20s. She’s also excellent at exploring the emotions of her female characters and I felt the book could have been longer. I can, however, see why she pared down the events and feelings to produce an exquisitely poignant piece of fiction based on the very real torments so many women went through. All the hideous questioning of Dawn in court about what sexual appliances she uses with her lover, all the harsh moral judgements in the SS paperwork etc is taken directly from contemporary records of the time.
I can’t say I ‘enjoyed’ it, as it made me cry several times, but I’m very glad I read it.

43.Pagans by James Henry

Read by quite a few on here. Detectives Aedith and Drustan are trying to solve a series of murders and prevent a terrorist incident but this is a universe where the Norman Conquest did not happen. Britain is a series of disparate nations and tribes living in poverty and warring while the Pan African industrial revolution has positioned them as the foremost world power.

I enjoyed the world but I just don’t get on with police novels and so I found this a bit of a slog to be honest.

44.The Heat of the Moment by Sabrina Cohen-Hatton

Memoir by a female firefighter. Worth a read. This was very interesting about the logistics and challenges of how fires are assessed and managed by the fire service- it is considerably more challenging and complex than I had previously understood. The amount of overt sexism and discrimination she has faced is extraordinary.

43.Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf

A novel full of gothic tropes. A young woman is in a car accident and then takes on a job sorting out the library of an aristocrat on an isolated Scottish island. The island’s only inhabitants are its taciturn housekeeper and her brother.

This was full of all sorts of themes and allusions from Jane Eyre to The Turn of the Screw to The Woman in Black. I enjoyed it immensely. It became a bit too magical towards the very end but I could accept that because the claustrophobic gothic setting was portrayed so well.

44.In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

What poorly written rubbish this was. I was barely able to read it. A woman survives a plane crash and discovers her soulmate in the next seat. Fate and poor communication keeps them apart. Until it doesn’t through a series of unbelievable coincidences and plot bollocks brings them together again in war torn Afghanistan.

It was just so badly written. Stream of consciousness for the tiktok generation. God Help Us All.

45.The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I have very much enjoyed the Goalhanger book club podcast. I have been going through their archives and this was a book I hadn’t read. Decadence, intrigue, unreliable narrators, forbidden love. I did enjoy this but much more so for being able to hear the book club’s commentary on it. Dominic and Tabby are good reading companions.

Interesting! I’ll let you know how I get on.

@SpunkyKhakiScroller I don't think it was me who recommended Crow Lake, but I was happy to see your review as I absolutely loved it! I really liked the ending though - I thought that the gentleness and wisdom of how it resolves was totally in keeping.
I've enjoyed Lawson's other novels too, but I do think Crow Lake is my favourite.

Latest read, I think book 39...
Ripeness by Sarah Moss. Dual-timeline story of Edith - a Jewish farmer's daughter from the north of England. One narrative details her stay in Italy at the age of 17, supporting her pregnant sister. In the other, she is in her seventies, living on the west coast of Ireland and reflecting on past event and questions of home, belonging and narrative. I loved this. Edith's voice is delightful and totally convincing in both timelines and the blend of plot and narrative with Edith's reflections works really well. The places are beautifully evoked too.

27 The Name Of The Rose - Umberto Eco

Clever medieval whodunnit, which I read long enough ago (30+ years) that I’d forgotten the denouement. There’s probably a lot of stuff about medieval politics and ways of thinking that went over my head but still a thoroughly enjoyable read.

25 - The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (translated by Lucia Graves)

Daniel is taken to the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books' in Barcelona when he is 10. There, he finds a book he loves and which soon attracts attention. It turns out all copies of the author's books have been destroyed - Daniel tried to find out why, while trying to dodge some unwelcome attention the book and his search brings.

I loved this - it's set in the 40s and 50s where the effects of the Civil War are still being felt and there's a real sense of unease. There are some well-drawn characters - you find yourself really rooting for Daniel, while his nemesis is evil, but all too believable. It's not perfect - there are some places where you can tell it's a translation as the language/phrases used slightly jar, and some characters that make you wonder why they're there, but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the story. This is one of a trilogy so I'll definitely keep an eye out for those.

Welcome @VanGoSunflowers

Hugs @GrannieMainland that must have been scary for you

@elkiedee – thank you! I’ve definitely heard some of the adaptations on BBC4. I might try there before investigating library/borrowbox etc

I’m feeling so much better and have been able to concentrate a bit more on my reading. However, I have been distracted by the football and the tennis. Never seen so much football at a tournament before I think.

@Piggywaspushed – I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, including The Square of Sevens. I managed to get The Art of A Lie as a 99p special. I hadn’t appreciated it was published in 2018. I wonder why its being hyped up now?

69 After the Funeral – Agatha Christie. Hercule Poirot is brought in by an old friend, a lawyer, who has concerns about the sudden death of a client and his sister who dies suddenly after the funeral. Really clever plotting, despite having read this years ago, I couldn’t remember who the murderer was. This was exactly what I needed.

70 Birnam Wood – Eleanor Catton. I did not enjoy this. Maybe its just the mood that I’m in, not sure. I really struggled to get into it. Nearly DNF, but I kept going, because it’s fairly short. Did anyone really love it?

Plans for this week. Start the new Perveen Mistry. @SpunkyKhakiScroller – Did I tell you that my library ordered the rest of the series based on me raving about book number 1? Finish Ragtime. That’s a weird book. I should also finish Orbital, potentially later on tonight.

Oh, I didn't notice! That was the same with one of the Sara Sheridan books. Perhaps that kind of fiction has come in to fashion since Bridgerton or something?

49. The Promised Neverland Vol 11 by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Manga about a group of children who stumble across the horrifying truth that their orphanage is really farming people for demons to eat. Action packed and fairly suspenseful.

This volume contains the end of the Goldy Pond arc, where they’re fighting back against a group of demons. It all goes surprisingly well.

@Tarragon123 where did you see about The Art of a Lie having been published in 2018? I’m not sure that’s true - everything I can see says it was first published July 2025. Goldsboro Books are selling first editions with the 2025 publication date and I’m not sure they would do that if it has been published before.

@Tarragon123 I just found my review of Birnam Wood from 2023, also not a fan! Here's part of it:

The first part of the book is very slow moving and goes into in depth character analysis of the motives of Mira, Shelley, Tony and Robert. There's also a lot of lectures on capitalism and socialism particularly from mansplaining trust fund Tony. I guess these are meant to be satirical but I found them rather tiring. The action picks up in the second part where they all converge in Thorndike and then it becomes much more like a thriller with Tony hiding out in the woods in camo gear, drone and mobile phone surveillance and twisted coincidences. It ends very abruptly with the ending told by a peripheral character. This wasn't really for me, too much telling, the billionaire was a textbook psychopath, and I think the pacing was a bit off. I didn't really pay much attention to the Macbeth theme while reading it but I think the point was that any of the characters could be Macbeth as they're all self-serving.

@SpunkyKhakiScroller I really like Mary Lawson too, I think I preferred A Town Called Solace but have liked all her books.

@MaterMoribund also thought A Family Matter was excellent.

@Tarragon123 i was pretty meh about Birnam Wood in 2024!

63. The elements - John Boyne. I think several people read these when they were first published as novellas. All 4 deal with abuse but the protagonist role varies in each one. There is the enabler, accomplice, abuser and victim although it's not quite that clear cut. I thought the first Water was probably the strongest. I found Fire a bit far-fetched, Earth was very bleak and Air gave somewhat of a respite. They're very readable, but rather depressing.

I haven’t read Birnam Wood but do have it on my kindle. Not long after DNFing The Elements @Stowickthevastthere’s something about John Boyne I just can’t get on with- his depiction of a Dublin courtship and marriage in the 1990s (in Water)was more like the 1970s or 80s which is strange- he’s the same age roughly as me so would have been a young man at that time and surely Dublin would’ve been more progressive than the two horse country town I grew up in where those ideas would have been old-fashioned? Even the POV character’s voice was old-fashioned for a modern day middle class middle aged Dublin woman. I didn’t even reach the end of Water. Anyway, I know now he’s ’not for me’ so that was 99p well spent.

It did feel like it was set much earlier. The attitude of the wife felt far more like my parents than mine.

I hope the people trying out Alba de Cespedes aren't disappointed!

I agree with @FruAashild's remark that she is like Elena Ferrante in that her women characters aren't always very likeable. But they are compelling.

I'm also a fan of Ferrante, but Ferrante's Neapolitan novels look back to the past, whereas de Cespedes is actually writing about her own time, which makes her work seem even more forceful to me.

She reminds me a bit of Simone de Beauvoir, in that they both combine an interest in feminism with a broader interest in politics. De Cespedes herself moved to Paris after the war, and she and Beauvoir knew each other.

@Tarragon123 that's wonderful news about the Perveen Mistry series and even better news that you are feeling better. Which Perveen Mistry are you starting? Libby only had till #3 in all my libraries.

Welcome @VanGoSunflowers
💐to you both @GrannieMainland and @Tarragon123 and hope all is well
Hello @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie (waves)

Although I’ve also checked out The Other Bennet Sister, which if the TV series is a faithful adaptation at least, shouldn’t include any cannibalism. @LadybirdDaphne thank you, this did make me snigger.

29 Orbital, Samantha Harvey (RWYO)

I had the luxury of reading this in a single day while on holiday - I think if Id tried to dip in and out I would have struggled due to the almost complete lack of plot. It would be very easy to lose the sense of what it's doing, I think, without plot points to navigate by. As it was, I was able to appreciate the supremely beautiful use of language, and the experience of seeing ourselves and our lives on earth from a novel and revealing perspective.

30 The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau, Graeme Macrae Burnet (RWYO)

I wasn't sure about this but remembered how much I had enjoyed His Bloody Project and decided to give it a go - I am glad I did.

A woman goes missing in a small French town. The local oddball, Manfred, is suspected of involvement. Burnet keeps us guessing as to the level of Manfred's involvement. Apparently strongly influenced by Georges Simenon, who I have never read (but will try off the back of this) - I also (wanky A Level French student that I once was) could see a LOT of L'Etranger in this.

31 The Book of American Martyrs, Joyce Carol Oates (RWYO)

This book opens with a murder - an obs-gynae doctor shot outside an abortion clinic by a fundamentalist Christian protester. It then follows, at length, the stories of the two men and their families, the circumstances that led to the murder, and its aftermath.

This has been hugely praised as a Zeitgeist novel about modern america, capturing its polarisation and the widening gap between people with different life experiences. I thought it was decently done but waaay too long (this is the problem with Kindle books, it's too easy to start reading and then realise, once you are committed, that you're reading an 800 page monster). I also found the author's depiction of the lower class family to be patronising and belittling (albeit interesting) - there's only so many times you can use animalistic imagery to describe someone before it starts to feel kind of uncomfortable. Nonetheless, and especially considering its length, an interesting read.

32 Audition, Katie Kitamura

Extremely self-aware and self-regarding actress interacts with two men, one of whom may or may not be her son and the other of whom is probably her husband. The story switches up part way through in a way that is linked intricately to her experiences rehearsing intensely for a demanding stage play where the link between the two halves is difficult to understand.

I know there are people who love overly stylised books like this, where it's not quite clear what's going on and what (if anything) is real. I am not one of them. It reminded me of The Unconsoled, and in my world that is not a good thing.

@cassandre - I hope I haven't oversold Scaffolding!

@Iamnotaloggrip - I love The Shadow of the Wind and need to reread the series as there is now a fourth one I haven't read. Just to confuse you, The Angel's Game is a prequel.

@Stowickthevast - I have read all the Elements books but spread out and Water was my favourite. I agree that they're quite depressing so not reading them all at once worked well. There were some uplifting moments (occasionally!). In terms of being dated or not reflecting the period it almost feels like an Irish thing (gross generalisation!) as Small Things Like These also felt like it was set much earlier in time or wasn't reflective of the time it was set. Now I will be dredging my memory for further examples....

It won't let me @ UlldemoShul above! Sorry....

I think Irish society was less progressive than the UK in the 1980s and 90s (I am Irish) but not as backward as he’s portraying it. That’s why it surprised me when I found out he was only a couple of years older than me- I’d assumed he was talking of the Ireland of his youth but as Stowick said it’s more like his parents youth- more of a time with Maeve Binchy