The Book Thread 2025

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward

The latest four were in the same omnibus, so I read them all; M. Dard is perhaps a little too noir for my taste.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins

Two brothers, one of them a hunchback with learning difficulties, have been sent to work in an aristocrat's remote forest during the second world war. Love, hatred, insanity, obsession, snobbery, death, renewal: how had I missed this allegorical masterpiece until now?

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray

In the aftermath of the First World War, a woman's search for information about her missing fiancé uncovers an unusual atrocity. I had to suspend disbelief about her role in the narrative, but otherwise this is a well-written mystery thriller.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer

French life from the mid-20th century until 2006; history as lived by the author, a Nobel prize winner.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

This was recommended by a friend; I cannot say that I share her enthusiasm for it.

[kiore]

OK so a slow start for me this year, all history books:
1) The Scapegoat (the brilliant brief like of the Duke of Buckingham). Lucy Hughes Hallet.
2) The Warrior King and the Invasion of France (Henry V, Agincourt, and the campaign that shaped medieval England). Desmond Seward.
3) The Wide Wide Sea (Imperial ambition, First contact and the fateful final voyage of Cpt James Cook). Hamptom Sides.

OK so I tend to read multiple books at the same time because I am easily distracted.

1) The Scapegoat (the brilliant brief like of the Duke of Buckingham). Lucy Hughes Hallet.
2) The Warrior King and the Invasion of France (Henry V, Agincourt, and the campaign that shaped medieval England). Desmond Seward.
3) The Wide Wide Sea (Imperial ambition, First contact and the fateful final voyage of Cpt James Cook). Hamptom Sides.
4) The rest is memory ( a novel!) Lily Tuck a story of holocaust via photographs taken at Auschwitz ,
5) Air Bourne by Carl Zimmer , the hidden life we breathe, brand new book by this famous popular science writer a very nice over view.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes

An old woman of the Evenki people, reindeer herders from northern China, looks back on her life during the twentieth century. Very interesting, albeit brutal in parts. Recommended to me by katya z.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix

I dunno: a rather dim narrator develops a (not credible) attachment to a very unpleasant, bullying housekeeper who engages in random acts of kindness. The author is Hungarian, and this was published in the 80s, so call me intuitive but I suspect I'm dealing with an allegory here.

[NamelessFaceless]

1. The Barrens - Rosamond Smith (pseudonym of Joyce Carol Oates)
2. Native Son - Richard Wright
3. And Give Up Showbiz? How Fred Levin Beat Big Tobacco, Avoided Two Murder Prosecutions, Became a Chief of Ghana, Earned Boxing Manager of the Year, and Transformed American Law - Josh Young
4. The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah
5. Dcacula - Bram Stoker (Audiobook)
6. This Penis Business: A Social Activist's Memoir - Georganne Chapin

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix
21. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell

Another one for the 'I dunno' pile. Sadly interesting subject matter - the vile abuse of children in Victorian institutions - but for me this narrative required too much suspension of disbelief; also, neither characterisation nor dialogue was convincing.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix
21. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell
22. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

I imagine fans of David Mitchell's writing - I am not among their number - might enjoy this.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix
21. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell
22. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
23. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Truly excellent entry in the feminist canon; hard to believe it was published in 1899. Also hard to believe that I hadn't come across it before now.

[NamelessFaceless]

1. The Barrens - Rosamond Smith (pseudonym of Joyce Carol Oates)
2. Native Son - Richard Wright
3. And Give Up Showbiz? How Fred Levin Beat Big Tobacco, Avoided Two Murder Prosecutions, Became a Chief of Ghana, Earned Boxing Manager of the Year, and Transformed American Law - Josh Young
4. The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah
5. Dcacula - Bram Stoker (Audiobook)
6. This Penis Business: A Social Activist's Memoir - Georganne Chapin
7. Busybodies Collection (1. Crime of Fashion, 2. The Reunion Dinner, 3. Staged, 4. A Classic Case, 5. One Lucky Subscriber, 6. The Nosy Neighbor) - Various Authors (audiobook)
8. The Best American Short Stories of 2005 - Various Authors
9. Holiday Hideaway - Mary Kay Andrews (audiobook)
10. The Christmas Book Hunt - Jenny Colgan (audiobook)

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix
21. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell
22. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
23. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
24. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein

First book of the four 'Neapolitan Novels' following the lives of two friends from a poor district of Naples. I enjoyed it enough to have ordered the second of the series.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix
21. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell
22. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
23. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
24. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
25. The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein

And I enjoyed this one enough to order the third. Very well-written popular fiction, I'd say.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix
21. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell
22. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
23. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
24. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
25. The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
26. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein

A little too much on angsty relationships for my taste, but redeemed by interesting stuff on Italian politics, organised crime, and the traditional lot of women in mid-20th century southern Italy.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix
21. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell
22. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
23. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
24. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
25. The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
26. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
27. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein

See my comment on #26 above; although the narrator's lack of self-awareness, which presumably reflects authorial intent, is quite interesting.

[Blip]

1. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
4. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
5. Table for Two by Amor Towles
6. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
7. The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
8. The Burning Stones by Antii Tuomainen translated by David Hackston
9. The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Surendranath Tagore
10. French Exit by Patrick Dewitt
11. The Gravediggers' Bread by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
12. Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard translated by David Bellos
13. Crush by Frédéric Dard translated by Melanie Florence
14. The Executioner Weeps by Frédéric Dard translated by David Coward
15. The Cone-Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
16. Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray
17. The Years by Annie Ernaux translated by Alison L. Strayer
18. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
19. The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian translated by Bruce Humes
20. The Door by Magda Szabó translated by Len Rix
21. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell
22. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
23. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
24. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
25. The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
26. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
27. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante translated by Ann Goldstein
28. Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

Diverting easy reading with two especially entertaining characters: a former army officer who lost a leg in Afghanistan, and an animal-rescuing veterinary surgeon who lives with her wife on a smallholding.