Virtual Mount TBR Challenge 2024 discussion

Coming back for my annual Narnian expedition.

Good luck to everyone competing in the Virtual Mount TBR challenge in 2024.

1. Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes.

5 stars. A really good read. My favourite chapter was about Demeter which I would not have suspected before reading.

Borrowed from the library.

2. The Great Deceiver by Elly Griffiths.

4 stars. Always good to be back in 1960s Brighton and I enjoyed everything but the end which was not convincing.

Borrowed from the library.

3. Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery.

5 stars. Not as immediately gripping as its predecessor but it is a quietly poignant book with a great cast of side characters.

Borrowed from the library.

4. If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino.

4 stars. That was a ride. Fascinating and perhaps the oddest thing I will read this year.

Borrowed from the library.

5. Slay by Laurell K. Hamilton. No cover uploaded.

3 stars. I thought we were finally going to get the wedding...nope. Aggh! Story is okay. Too rushed at the end.

Borrowed from the library.

6. Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood.

5 stars. The author says she took liberties with the chess world in this book - and she definitely did - but I loved this book. It is my second favourite Ali Hazelwood (so far)...

Borrowed from the library.

7. Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin.

5 stars. Highly recommend this Muslim take on Persuasion. Loved it to pieces.

Borrowed from the library.

8. The Accidental by Ali Smith.

3 stars. So disappointed with this. I was hoping for a five star but this felt like a first draft at best and an unfinished mess at worst.

Borrowed from the library.

9. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson.

4 stars. A rare re-read in which I have changed my mind. This is a poetic gem of a lesbian slowly discovering her identity and self in a strict Pentecostal society.

Borrowed from the library.

10. Bride by Ali Hazelwood.

5 stars. Drat I have run out of published Ali Hazelwood books as they seem to be pretty much all I am enjoying this year. Ali does vamps and weres in this one. Loved it.

Borrowed from the library.

11. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen.

4 stars. This might be my favourite Elizabeth Bowen book so far. Really interesting use of different perspectives to tell the story.

Borrowed from the library.

12. Pirates of Darksea by Catherine Doyle.

3 stars. Good fun.

Borrowed from the library.

13. The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black.

4 stars. I like being in the world but there always seems to be something missing from the stories.

Borrowed from the library.

14. Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates.

3 stars. Bland and lacked depth. But I don't particularly like Arthurian retellings/settings (ie the ones from Kiersten White). When I say this lacked depth I think it did not go below surface level in reconciling women and violence.

Borrowed from the library

15. Under The Net by Iris Murdoch.

5 stars. Best book I've read this year so far. Meandering plot with great characters and great writing.

Borrowed from the library.

16. The Cook of Castamar by Fernando J. Múñez.

4 stars. I have been waiting for this translation since I saw the Netflix adaptation a few years ago - it did not disappoint.

Borrowed from the library.

17. Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin.

5 stars. Could not resist another book from this author. A good read, loosely based on Pride and Prejudice. Not quite as good as Much Ado About Nada though.

Borrowed from the library.

18. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

4 stars. Featuring the traumatic whale moment which is one of the saddest things I have ever read. However, this is my first re-read in twenty-odd years and it was funnier than I remembered. Apart from the whale incident. I cried.

19. The Last Word by Elly Griffiths.

4 stars. Another charming crime story from Elly Griffiths. I did not like the ending much but loved the story and the character development.

Both borrowed from the library.

20. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams.

4 stars. Loved most of this book...poor Marvin. Glad Arthur finally got a good cup of tea. I had forgotten that.

Borrowed from the library.

21. Funny Story by Emily Henry.

4 stars. One of her strongest books. A welcome return after her disappointing last book. Just a tad too long.

Borrowed from the library.

22. Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson.

4 stars. Really interesting book. I feel she downplays the influence of Tamar in the story of Judah's redemption but overall the book was a good idea, well executed.

Borrowed from the library.

23. Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery.

4 stars. My least favourite in the series so far. Read more like a collection of short stories. Also reads like a transition book as the emphasis changes to the children.

Borrowed from the library.

24. The Cuckoo by Camilla Läckberg.

4 stars. Started off quite slow but picked up well towards the end of the book. Not close to being my favourite book by her, but I did guess most of the solution which made a nice change.

Borrowed from the library.

25. Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood.

3 stars. My third Ali Hazelwood this year and my good luck has run out. I was not particularly interested in the plot and her writing and the characters could not redeem it for me. Unfortunately, I think this is my least favourite of all her books.

Borrowed from the library.

26. The Man in Black: Stories by Elly Griffiths.

5 stars. Unexpectedly good. I have always liked her writing style and it was good to catch up with some of her characters again (an adult Justice!) but the other stories that were unaligned with her series were all good too.

Borrowed from the library.

27. Dear God Most of the Time Your Quite Nice by Maggie Durran.

4 stars. God as seen through the eyes of children.

My favourite:

"Dear God
Please make all the owls tame and friendly."

Borrowed from my partner.

28. Buddhism For Sheep by Chris Riddell.

3 stars. Okay, so I read it because of the cute cover. But it is amusing.

Borrowed from my partner.

29. The Heart of Princess Ozra by Anthony Hope. (No ISBN and not going to search for the book manually).

3 stars. Old fashioned but rather enjoyable collection of short stories based on men falling in love with the princess and her eventual fall.

Borrowed from the library.

30. Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs.

4 stars. One of the better Tempe Brennan novels of recent times.

Borrowed from the library.

31. Vile Bodies: The Body in Christian Teaching, Faith and Practice by Adrian Thatcher.

3 stars. I don't gel with the author's writing style and this was a a struggle to read.

Borrowed from the library.

32. The Bear by Raymond Briggs.

3 stars. Mysterious bear briefly enters a young girls life.

Borrowed from my partner.

33. Before the Queen Falls Asleep by Huzama Habayeb.

3 stars. Interesting story about displacement.

34. Orbital by Samantha Harvey.

3 stars. Why did I ask for this from the library? This is not the type of thing I usually read and while I really enjoyed parts of it, it was just not my style of book.

Both borrowed from the library.

35. Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs.

3 stars. Not a particularly remarkable book. Nice to be back with the characters again though.

36. The Voyage Home by Pat Barker.

5 stars. My most anticipated book of the year was great. I was initially sad to leave behind Briseis as our narrator but loved the contrasts between Clytemnestra and Cassandra and the ghost children acting almost like a Greek chorus - fantastic. I was expecting this to be the last in the series but it did not feel that way. I would love there to be more.

Both borrowed from the library.

37. The Royal Rebel by Elizabeth Chadwick.

4 stars. I just didn't want to read a book about Joan of Kent. The writing was good, as expected.

38. Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner.

4 stars. It had (the study of) Neanderthals in in. Really interesting take on a spy novel. Creative. Enjoyed it a lot.

Both borrowed from the library.

39. The Story Spinner by Barbara Erskine.

4 stars. This author has so much imagination but has fallen into a paint-by-numbers style. This book was much better than some of her recent offerings.

Borrowed from the library.

40. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney.

3 stars. This was interesting enough when I was reading it but after I had put it down I felt minimal compulsion to pick it up. I accumulated a 60p library fine because it took so long for me to read. It was not bad but I am not a huge fan.

41. The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul by Douglas Adams.

4 stars. A bizarre piece of fantasy. Surprisingly enjoyable.

Both borrowed from the library.

42. Agatha Raisin: Killing Time by M.C. Beaton & R.W. Green.

4 stars. Enjoyable.

43. The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson.

2 stars. I did not really get on with this at all.

44. Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri.

3 stars. A good read but not one of the best ones in the series so far.

45. God's Own Gentlewoman: The Life of Margaret Paston by Diane Watt.

4 stars. Even as one of the few non-royal women about whom we have surviving letters, much is still not known about Margaret Paston. This book is also a guide to surviving sites associated with her. It is an interesting approach.

46. A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry.

4 stars. I found this one of the more enjoyable in the series. Liked our main character and the setting.

All borrowed from the library.

47. New York Christmas by Anne Perry.

4 stars. Another enjoyable novella.

Borrowed from the library.

48. Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood.

5 stars. Exactly what I wanted. Fun and enjoyable.

49. Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey.

3 stars. Enjoyable but unfortunately the worst in this collection of 5 Christmas novellas.

50. All by My Elf by Olivia Dade.

4 stars. A bit weird and unusual. But the guy wears glasses so it is all good.

51. Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur.

4 stars. Klutz and a fireman meet over Christmas. Liked this one.

52. Only Santas in the Building by Aleixis Daria.

4 stars. My Second fave. Such a great hero.

All borrowed from Kindle Prime.

Wandered around Narnia but did not hit the peak. Next year!