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

I sincerely hope that he has a good supply of factor 50!

As an Evertonian, I still have a soft spot for him.

@elkiedee @SpunkyKhakiScroller – Luckily for me, my library ordered books 2, 3 and 4 in because I raved about book number 1. Book 5 isn’t out in paperback until next February, so I imagine that the library has ordered it for then. I have added it to my wish list in case Kindle have an offer and then I'll get a notification.

Interestingly, I had a look on Audible and while it only had the first Perveen book, there are 11 in the Rei Shimura series. And I have managed to get book 1 for free. Happy days!!

As an Evertonian 👀

I’ve massively fallen off this thread. Sorry to hear about those who are struggling. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things, but in the meantime here are some quick reviews:

Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A story of black identity, immigration and home told through the relationship between Nigerian teens, Ifemelu and Obinze who end up in the US and U.K. respectively Really enjoyed this, I will definitely seek out more from this author.

The Reckoning (Maeve Kerrigan 2), Jane Casey
Nice easy read, I’ve got book 3 ready for when I need it! Thanks to the thread for recommending this series, it’s just the ticket sometimes.

East of Eden, John Steinbeck
There is nothing like an upcoming TV or film adaptation to motivate me to pick a book up and I see I’m not the only one here! People rave about this, but it took me a little while to get into it and I very nearly DNF in the early chapters but I’m glad I didn’t. The upcoming Netflix adaptation was filmed in my native New Zealand so I’m excited to see it.

Among the Thugs, Bill Buford
Non fiction. Published in the early 90s, this book profiles English football hooliganism in the late 80s, concluding with Italia 90. Buford, an American journalist living in the U.K., attempts to embed himself into various supporter “firms” to explore what the driver behind the violence and destruction is. It’s written in a sort of Hunter S Thompson gonzo style and is very funny, shocking, and wincingly violent. Bold.

The Wedding People, Alison Espach
Much reviewed. Thought this was a bit ‘meh’ but a good palette cleanser.

A friend recommended The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland so I’m working on that currently.

@SpunkyKhakiScroller i really enjoyed The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi last year! So great to read that kind of fun, adventurous story with - as you say - a middle aged (with knee pain, if I remember correctly?) woman protagonist.

I’ve fallen off the thread slightly, at least my reading has slowed down - even further. It seems to be the rule that everything in all parts of life happens at once, and always just before a holiday. Looking forward to relaxing with a book (or six) next week. How many books is sensible for a week away? I have a luggage weight limit…I think 6 short to medium books? it’s at times like this that I slightly regret not having a Kindle, but I know I’d be out of control with book buying if I did.

Best wishes to all those who are poorly 💐

32.. Dear Miss Lake - AJ Pearce

The last in the four part series which started with Dear Mrs Bird sees our heroine Emmy Lake still at Women’s Friend magazine trying to keep her readers’ spirits up as the end of the Second World War looms ever closer. The office decamps to Hampshire, and in the absence of her husband Emmy throws herself into work and country living. She has the chance to be the proper war correspondent that was her aim in the first book, but then tragedy strikes and she needs to rethink her plans.

After reading the visceral scenes of wartime in Life After Life this felt very fluffy, but there are still hints of dark reality behind the cosy settings and characters, not all jolly hockey sticks and ginger beer. A fitting end to the series that wrapped things up nicely.

@RomanMum holidays are when Kindles absolutely come into their own. I still remember the dread of pre Kindle days where running out of books was a real possibility. I guess I do slightly miss the reading some obscure book as it was the only thing in English you could find, although they did tend to be airport thrillers. (not sure if that is even still a thing, am thinking of Tom Clancy, Penni Vincenzi style) . I think 6 if you can fit them in is great. You never know what you'll be in the mood for.

68. The Delusions - Jenni Fagan. I've loved the other books I've read by Fagan - Ootlin and Luckenbooth - but this one didnt do it for me. It's set in death's waiting room and narrated by Edi, one of the admins responsible for processing the dead. She has various questions that HR give her to ask and the idea is that to pass, the dead have to get rid of their delusions. The premise is interesting but once you have learnt what's going on and what delusion is, it became a bit repetitive and ranting. Edi was a single mother living in poverty in Scotland and is obsessed with finding her child in the queue. There's a lot about how we're destroying the world, how bad all the people in charge are, and how the other species in the universe are giving up on humanity. I nearly gave up on it a number of times.

I think I am on book 33 now - Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie. I picked this up from my local charity shop, and it was a fairly easy read; a story of 2 middle/upper class Karachi girls growing up in close friendship during turbulent times in Pakistan, then moving to London where they become highly successful in their fields. The novel was split in 2 parts, and while I loved the description of Karachi in the 80s, the book felt a bit clumsy in writing and a little too superficial compared to Home Fires. But I persisted, and the writing and the story improved in the second half, although 30 years was brushed aside easily and some serious character development forgotten. However, the story intertwined some nice themes (like old friendships, men's masochist actions on women's safety, friendship and sense of self) as well as UK's cultural and political changes in 2019. It could have been more fleshed out and it could have even been an epic 500-page novel, but at 320 pages it was an easy, nice read that left me feeling not too attached to the characters.

I am tackling Northanger Abbey next, and I also bought Piranesi by Susanna Clarke at a different charity shop. I went to my favourite independent book shop yesterday and I walked around stroking books but resisted buying any for now.

DH is reading Our London Lives right now but said it was "a bit on the dull side"

29.The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd Robinson. In London, under the reign of George II, Hannah Cole is running her late father’s chocolate shop. Hannah was widowed, her husband Jonas having been murdered, although Hannah is far from devastated by Jonas’s death. She is courted by William Devereux, who introduces himself as friend of her late husband, and proposes both to support Hannah in finding out what happened to Jonas, and in keeping her business afloat. This is the story we are presented with at the outset. However neither Hannah nor William is being entirely honest.

I think this has had mixed reviews, but like @MaterMoribund. I thought it was great. Georgian London is depicted in vivid detail, both in the luxury of affluent middle class society and the brutality of its criminal underbelly. The confectionery shop in particular is brought to life beautifully, reminding me a little of Chocolat in parts. The plot races along and it’s never clear who will be caught out first. Very good fun.

@PigtailsandallI’ve got Northanger Abbey coming up, a reread for me, but I’m going to see a production of it in August so want remind myself of the detail. I think it’s the only Austen I haven’t reread since I originally read them all when I was about 24.

Life Lessons from Historical Women: Stories of Bravery, Wit, and Rebellion for Modern Times Eleanor Morton

I’ve got a fiction paperback and a non fiction hard back on the go, so needed something a bit easy to dip in and out of at bedtime on Kindle when I inevitably fall asleep.

Morton is a comedian and does Tik Tok/insta things (I think, this is what I took from what she said in the book). She has picked a bunch of women from history who she finds interesting in some basic wiki like chapters and attached a learning to them e.g. How to Express Yourself.

It’s a decent 99p read that served the purpose I needed. I learnt some stuff about some women I hadn’t heard of, and she is quite witty and readable. These sorts of books always make me think about who I would put on my list and why.

Hello everyone, and my sympathies to @EineReiseDurchDieZeit and @Owlbookend for the difficulties you're experiencing.

Have been busy with family stuff for the last couple of weeks so haven't been posting, but have been reading (early nights and long train journeys). Agree with @Stowickthevast that e-readers are invaluable here. My kindle means I can travel more like Jack Reacher, with just a toothbrush in my pocket, rather than the expedition to Rum Doodle and its 3000 local porters.

And so to the books:

76. Sylvester, or The Wicked Uncle, Georgette Heyer
The usual GH fun - girl meets duke, there are accidents, sojourns in country inns, dashes to the continent, drama, misunderstandings, and lo, girl falls into duke's manly arms. As often, it's the family relationships that bring a lot of the humour.

77. Receipts from the Bookshop, Katie Clapham
Diary of a bookshop owner. Very much along the lines of Shaun Bythell's books, although she sells new books so we have less about buying expeditions. Nothing profound, but somehow soothing.

78. Filthy Rich: the Jeffrey Epstein Story, James Patterson
DD has become interested in true crime, so we both read this. It was originally written 10 years ago with some updating. What you'd expect given author and subject.

79. Proto, Laura Spinney
An account of the origins and spread of the Indo-European language and movements of history. In fact it was more about prehistoric migrations rather than linguistic minutiae, but that's fine by me. Not sure how much I have retained of the information, but I did find it reasonably interesting.

80-82. Cast, In Order of Disappearance; So Much Blood; Star Trap, all by Simon Brett
Recommended upthread - six instalments of this 1970s crime series can be bought on kindle for 99p. Some light reading for train journeys. The central character is an actor who does some sleuthing on the side. I enjoyed the faintly louche 1970s atmosphere - my goodness, the lunchtime drinking.

83. Forbidden Notebook, Alba de Cespedes
The diary of a woman in 1940s children whose children are growing up and who is now wondering who she is and what her life is about now. Read thanks to @cassandre 's championing. Good article about on the BBC website here. With my own dd about to head off to university (assuming A level results are all okay), this did resonate with me.

84. The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscript Club, Christopher de Hamel
In twelve chapters, the author outlines twelve individuals through history associated with manuscripts - commissioning, writing, illustrating, selling and buying. Reading on kindle means I didn't get the benefit of the illustrations. Some chapters were most interesting than others - occasionally it was a bit of a slog, if I'm very honest. However, I did rather enjoy the overall atmosphere of cloistered antiquarian calm.

85. The Good Enough Job, Simone Stolzoff
I haven't quite lived up to my own career aspirations, so I read this account of why you shouldn't give your all to work - there needs to be more to your life than that. He profiles a number of individuals who felt passionately about their career - until the day they didn't. Nothing I didn't already know, but worth being reminded.

86. The Ascent of Rum Doodle, W E Bowman
First published in the 1950s, this is a parody of the accounts of mountaineering expeditions then in vogue. It's not exactly subtle - the geographer always gets lost, the doctor is always sick, the linguist whose role it is to build relationships with locals invariably falls out with them, but I was amused by Pong the inexorable cook and by the obtuseness of the expedition leader, who narrates and who completely fails to understand what is happening around him.

87. The Rose and the Yew Tree, Agatha Christie writing as Mary Westmacott
World war 2 is ending and a small Cornish town in preparing for the general election. The Conservative candidate has charisma but alas, is no gentleman. But will there be a scandal? AC knows how to delineate character in a few lines as well as how to keep you turning the pages and I want to read more of her Mary Westmacott books.

DP and I used to have a whole list of 'Dickensian Footballers', which were all footballers whose names sounded like Dickens characters. Our favourite was Newcastle's Titus Bramble but the list also included Harry Kane, Danny Drinkwater, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tom Huddleston, Peter Crouch, Harry Winks, Darius Vassell and Jolyon Lescott.

54. The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence

Second in The Book of the Ice trilogy, set on the icy world of Abeth.

Yaz, part of a clan of nomads who live on the ice, and a group of her friends, all of whom have some sort of special supernatural powers, have escaped the Pit of the Missing.

They’ve now got a whole new set of challenges to overcome before setting out on a quest to find the narrow green belt around Abeth’s equator.

The book starts with some brief catch up notes of book 1, which is a great idea. More series of books should do this because it’s all too easy to forget bits if you’re not able to read the books in quick succession.

I enjoyed reading this for the most part. The underlying struggle between the left behind city-minds is becoming a bit clearer, and there’s lots of action. It does feel a bit like 2 books squished together, as there’s a definite shift in the setting and the number of characters between the first and second halves of the book. The start of the second half does drag rather, with a very lengthy ice trek, and ends with a cliff hanger. So hopefully my library reservation for the last book in the trilogy comes in soon!

55. Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet? By John Sutherland

A collection of essays on literary puzzles in classic literature, mostly 19th century literature, such as the one in the title.

It’s an interesting read, although that does obviously depend on the reader being familiar with the books discussed. I’ve never read any Anthony Trollope or Elizabeth Gaskell so I skipped those chapters.

@bibliomania The Good Enough Job and The Ascent of Rum Doodle added to my list.
@RomanMum Kindle has transformed holiday reading. Although I do slightly miss the excitement of buying those special early editions paperbacks at the airport. I use to take enough books for one every two days, but that was pre- internet.

@bibliomania Proto was recommended to me when I was buying How to Kill Language in my local book shop so high on my list. The Ascent of Rum Doodle was one of the first books I ever read in a book club, I have fond memories where I remember very little.

That made me laugh @BauhausOfEliott - loving the Dickensian Rovers!

This is a fabulous list.

I feel that Anthony Gordon is a lesser character in a Christie or a minor benighted schoolboy in some early 20th century bildungsroman.

I am now sitting planning a Hardy XI to take on Dickens' city boys. Danny Blanchflower will do for a start.

I will also claim Danny Drinkwater and you can have Walter Winterbottom.

Jude Bellingham, perhaps?

@Piggywaspushed I nominate Clym Yeobright and Damon Wildeve!!!

Oh do they need to be real?

Oh, of course!!

Yes, although we could sneak yours in and no one would notice.

True story and potentially outing but it was a looooong time ago. I once had a pupil called Emma Woodhouse who was then taught A level literature by Mr Knightley.