Vestafan benefits from experience in 2024 (she hopes!)
Charlas2024 Category Challenge
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1vestafan
This is my second year of the category challenge, and I am trying to avoid eliminating lots of my TBRs by my choices of category. Some remain the same, some are new, and, of course, there will be miscellaneous to cover anything that catches my eye during the year.
3lowelibrary
Good luck with your 2024 reading.
4DeltaQueen50
Enjoy your 2024 Challenge.
5vestafan
>3 lowelibrary: Thank you! I'm just getting down to listing my categories.
6vestafan
>2 Tess_W: Thank you so much and happy reading to you too!
7vestafan
>4 DeltaQueen50: Thank you and happy new reading year to you!
8vestafan
Firstly, some categories that remain from 2023.
1. Book Group - my book group meets once a month so I will list our reading here.
The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield - a thriller set in 1976, imagining a scenario involving murder and political machinations if the Apollo 18 mission had taken place. Rather too technical, Tom Clancy-like for me (I feel I could have gone to the moon myself!) but lacking in psychological insight.
The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas - a novel inspired by an actual asylum that existed in Paris during the 19th century where women who had become the slightest bit inconvenient to men were subjected to public treatments by male doctors. The subject matter is shocking but the style is quite flat.
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson - A Jackson Brodie novel by one of my book group's favourite authors. I always enjoy the way differing threads are drawn together at the end of her work. The character of Reggie is particularly engaging.
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods - a romantic tale with random amounts of fantasy.
1. Book Group - my book group meets once a month so I will list our reading here.
The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield - a thriller set in 1976, imagining a scenario involving murder and political machinations if the Apollo 18 mission had taken place. Rather too technical, Tom Clancy-like for me (I feel I could have gone to the moon myself!) but lacking in psychological insight.
The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas - a novel inspired by an actual asylum that existed in Paris during the 19th century where women who had become the slightest bit inconvenient to men were subjected to public treatments by male doctors. The subject matter is shocking but the style is quite flat.
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson - A Jackson Brodie novel by one of my book group's favourite authors. I always enjoy the way differing threads are drawn together at the end of her work. The character of Reggie is particularly engaging.
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods - a romantic tale with random amounts of fantasy.
9vestafan
2. Backlisted - I remain a fan of this excellent podcast which has sparked many of my book purchases and reads during the past few years. I shall include books they have devoted a whole podcast to, as well as books they mention in passing and on the associated podcast Locklisted.
Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute - a novel published in 1960, with many of the social attitudes to gender and race that prevailed at that time. A self-effacing engineer becomes the guardian of his niece when her parents die in a sailing accident on their way to start a new life, and has to recover something from the wreck of their boat to provide her with a good standard of living. Rather like The Apollo Murders there is a lot of technical detail, but the story was more involving in this case. The domestic detail really took me back to my childhood.
Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute - a novel published in 1960, with many of the social attitudes to gender and race that prevailed at that time. A self-effacing engineer becomes the guardian of his niece when her parents die in a sailing accident on their way to start a new life, and has to recover something from the wreck of their boat to provide her with a good standard of living. Rather like The Apollo Murders there is a lot of technical detail, but the story was more involving in this case. The domestic detail really took me back to my childhood.
10vestafan
3. Crime - my go to genre for relaxing and sometimes undemanding reading. This is likely to be the most read category by far.
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett - a sequel to The Appeal with the same format - a retired judge challenges two young lawyers to solve a crime by examining documents.
Real Tigers by Mick Herron - the third in the Slough House series, which I was prompted to read by binge watching Slow Horses as we have AppleTV+ on a month's trial. I love this series and feel it is improving as it goes along. Probably not my last Mick Herron this year.
Eye for an Eye by M J Arlidge - What if the new identities of released child criminals were leaked to the relatives of their victims? This is a compulsive but rather lurid novel.
The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child - the latest Reacher novel, and one that is set in the past, as recent political and technological developments make it hard for Reacher to act in the solitary way he does in the early novels. This is rather formulaic and not as irresistible as earlier novels in this series.
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter - a crime novel dealing with the popular subject of true crime podcasts and TV programmes, in which a TV producer attempts to find out who killed his stepfather many years ago.
Spook Street by Mick Herron - another Slough House novel - this series comes highly recommended and although standard spy fiction does not appeal to me, the characterisation and dark humour help this series outshine the genre as a whole.
The Whisper Man by Alex North - one of an increasing number of crime novels where an element of the supernatural may (?) be part of the cause/solution.
The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson - Very light but entertaining country house mystery.
Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn - a Daisy Dalrymple mystery set in the 1920s - how many murders can be solved during Daisy's pregnancy?
Joe Country by Mick Herron - another in the Jackson Lamb series where the MI5 operatives exiled to Slough House for various misdemeanours/character flaws manage to involve themselves in another tricky case.
Past Lying by Val McDermid - another in the Karen Pirie series, set during lockdown, with reminders of the mood in the country at that time. Does an unpublished manuscript hold any clues to the disappearance of a young student?
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo - a classic locked room mystery set in the 1930s in Japan.
Suddenly at his Residence by Christianna Brand - One of the British Library Crime Classics series. It has an entertainingly complicated solution and the usual broad brush approach to anyone lower than upper middle class.
Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie - this is a reread for me and passed a couple of sleepless nights in a comforting manner.
The Botanist by M W Craven - the first in the Washington Poe series that I have read, which I very much enjoyed. This is a modern take on a classic locked room mystery.
Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths - Another enjoyable read from this author, this one from the Harbinder Kaur series.
Joe Country by Mick Herron - My progress through the Slough House series continues. In this novel, you know from the start that two of the characters you have come to know will die, so every action and statement becomes fraught with potential disaster.
A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin - Rebus is still hanging in there, shorter of breath than ever - will he survive until the end of the book? We know he is in the dock but not what he is supposed to have done.
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett - a sequel to The Appeal with the same format - a retired judge challenges two young lawyers to solve a crime by examining documents.
Real Tigers by Mick Herron - the third in the Slough House series, which I was prompted to read by binge watching Slow Horses as we have AppleTV+ on a month's trial. I love this series and feel it is improving as it goes along. Probably not my last Mick Herron this year.
Eye for an Eye by M J Arlidge - What if the new identities of released child criminals were leaked to the relatives of their victims? This is a compulsive but rather lurid novel.
The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child - the latest Reacher novel, and one that is set in the past, as recent political and technological developments make it hard for Reacher to act in the solitary way he does in the early novels. This is rather formulaic and not as irresistible as earlier novels in this series.
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter - a crime novel dealing with the popular subject of true crime podcasts and TV programmes, in which a TV producer attempts to find out who killed his stepfather many years ago.
Spook Street by Mick Herron - another Slough House novel - this series comes highly recommended and although standard spy fiction does not appeal to me, the characterisation and dark humour help this series outshine the genre as a whole.
The Whisper Man by Alex North - one of an increasing number of crime novels where an element of the supernatural may (?) be part of the cause/solution.
The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson - Very light but entertaining country house mystery.
Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn - a Daisy Dalrymple mystery set in the 1920s - how many murders can be solved during Daisy's pregnancy?
Joe Country by Mick Herron - another in the Jackson Lamb series where the MI5 operatives exiled to Slough House for various misdemeanours/character flaws manage to involve themselves in another tricky case.
Past Lying by Val McDermid - another in the Karen Pirie series, set during lockdown, with reminders of the mood in the country at that time. Does an unpublished manuscript hold any clues to the disappearance of a young student?
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo - a classic locked room mystery set in the 1930s in Japan.
Suddenly at his Residence by Christianna Brand - One of the British Library Crime Classics series. It has an entertainingly complicated solution and the usual broad brush approach to anyone lower than upper middle class.
Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie - this is a reread for me and passed a couple of sleepless nights in a comforting manner.
The Botanist by M W Craven - the first in the Washington Poe series that I have read, which I very much enjoyed. This is a modern take on a classic locked room mystery.
Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths - Another enjoyable read from this author, this one from the Harbinder Kaur series.
Joe Country by Mick Herron - My progress through the Slough House series continues. In this novel, you know from the start that two of the characters you have come to know will die, so every action and statement becomes fraught with potential disaster.
A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin - Rebus is still hanging in there, shorter of breath than ever - will he survive until the end of the book? We know he is in the dock but not what he is supposed to have done.
11vestafan
4. Publishers specialising in women's writing -this enables me to include Virago and Persephone books as well as British Library Women Writers and the Furrowed Middlebrow section of Dean Street Press.
One Afternoon by Sian James - a widow's account of a year in which her life changes completely. It was written in the 1970s, but the central character's approach to life seems much more modern.
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim - from the British Library Women Writers series, a novel about a single woman unexpectedly freed from the responsibility of caring for her demanding father.
My Husband Simon by Mollie Panter-Downes - another from the British Library Women Writers series, which asks if a female writer can continue to produce good work and have a successful marriage to a passionate and combative man. I was surprised that this was dealt with in such an open way.
One Afternoon by Sian James - a widow's account of a year in which her life changes completely. It was written in the 1970s, but the central character's approach to life seems much more modern.
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim - from the British Library Women Writers series, a novel about a single woman unexpectedly freed from the responsibility of caring for her demanding father.
My Husband Simon by Mollie Panter-Downes - another from the British Library Women Writers series, which asks if a female writer can continue to produce good work and have a successful marriage to a passionate and combative man. I was surprised that this was dealt with in such an open way.
12vestafan
5. Literary award winners and shortlisted works - I have got quite a few Booker Prize winners on my shelves, as well as works that have won the Pulitzer Prize and other literary prizes.
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady - Nero Book Awards Non-Fiction winner 2023 - a blackly comic account of the author's experience of living with undiagnosed autism throughout her childhood and early adulthood and the sheer effort of masking the condition to try and appear 'normal'.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021 - this is a strange and fascinating novel. It opens with a man describing his life in a strange building with only one other inhabitant in a vast statue-filled space. Gradually the secrets of his life are revealed.
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady - Nero Book Awards Non-Fiction winner 2023 - a blackly comic account of the author's experience of living with undiagnosed autism throughout her childhood and early adulthood and the sheer effort of masking the condition to try and appear 'normal'.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021 - this is a strange and fascinating novel. It opens with a man describing his life in a strange building with only one other inhabitant in a vast statue-filled space. Gradually the secrets of his life are revealed.
13vestafan
6. Authors new to me - there are books on my shelves by authors I have never tried, so I aim to sample a few of them this year. Because my husband and I share our collections, there some eclectic names I plan to have a go at - Robertson Davies, Ivy Compton-Burnett, Ann Patchett and Dostoyevsky, to name just some.
14vestafan
7. Books I keep meaning to read - some books just never seem to get read do they? I have chosen half a dozen that I am going to have a really good go at this year and I will mark them with a date when they are completed. They are Anna Karenina, Wild Swans, Demon Copperhead, H is for Hawk, A Little Life and The Odyssey.
15vestafan
8. Women-centred works - this can include books on women's history, women in the arts and social issues with relevance to women.
16vestafan
9. World War II - I have always had an interest in the history of this period, not so much the military aspects as the Home Front. I will include any fiction or no-fiction of this era in this category.
Love in the Blitz by Eileen Alexander - letters from the author, a Cambridge graduate, to the man she eventually marries written during World War II. It is interesting to see the intensity of emotion in the correspondence and to understand that there were so few opportunities to communicate at a time of war without the resources we now have.
World War II London Blitz Diary by Ruby Side Thompson - a wartime diary published by a descendant of the author. She is surprisingly frank about her dislike of her husband with their marriage only seeming to survive by a physical attraction. The constant fear and anxiety caused by the Blitz comes over strongly.
Love in the Blitz by Eileen Alexander - letters from the author, a Cambridge graduate, to the man she eventually marries written during World War II. It is interesting to see the intensity of emotion in the correspondence and to understand that there were so few opportunities to communicate at a time of war without the resources we now have.
World War II London Blitz Diary by Ruby Side Thompson - a wartime diary published by a descendant of the author. She is surprisingly frank about her dislike of her husband with their marriage only seeming to survive by a physical attraction. The constant fear and anxiety caused by the Blitz comes over strongly.
17vestafan
10. Music - I plan to include books about composers and musical artists here, as well as books on the social and psychological aspects of music.
Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster - The author, a comedian, decides to acquire as much music released in 2016 as possible. This activity takes on a great importance to him as he tries to come to terms to the end of a relationship, wonders if he wants to be a comedian any more, and begins therapy. I'd hardly heard of any of the music he enthuses about, but I think I understood the importance of this activity to him.
Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine - a memoir by a former member of The Slits, a punk band. Through many exciting but also harrowing and unpleasant experiences, the author develops a sense of her own self.
Liner Notes by Loudun Wainwright III - the memoir of the singer-songwriter, told in his distinctive wry voice. He doesn't spare himself when recounting some less successful parts of his personal life.
Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster - The author, a comedian, decides to acquire as much music released in 2016 as possible. This activity takes on a great importance to him as he tries to come to terms to the end of a relationship, wonders if he wants to be a comedian any more, and begins therapy. I'd hardly heard of any of the music he enthuses about, but I think I understood the importance of this activity to him.
Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine - a memoir by a former member of The Slits, a punk band. Through many exciting but also harrowing and unpleasant experiences, the author develops a sense of her own self.
Liner Notes by Loudun Wainwright III - the memoir of the singer-songwriter, told in his distinctive wry voice. He doesn't spare himself when recounting some less successful parts of his personal life.
18vestafan
11. The Literary World - the plan here is to include literary memoirs, biography and criticism.
Stet by Diana Athill - a literary editor's memoir which covers changes in publishing between WWII and the 1970s and memories of particular writers
What Writers Read edited by Pandora Sykes - a collection of short essays on books read by writers. I have been encouraged to add a few books to my TBR list while reading this.
Stet by Diana Athill - a literary editor's memoir which covers changes in publishing between WWII and the 1970s and memories of particular writers
What Writers Read edited by Pandora Sykes - a collection of short essays on books read by writers. I have been encouraged to add a few books to my TBR list while reading this.
19vestafan
12. Miscellaneous - My big lesson from last year is include a section for the items as yet unknown that will spark my interest over 2024. Writing this all down makes it seem quite ambitious, but whatever happens I aim to read for pleasure this year.
Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe - this is a novel I was reading at the turn of the year. A Greek woman meets the director Billy Wilder and later gets an interpreter's job on the set of his film Fedora. In later life she recalls the experience and understands how people can feel unwanted in their profession as they age.
Wintering by Katherine May - a book in praise of retreating from the world when pressures become too great.
Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe - this is a novel I was reading at the turn of the year. A Greek woman meets the director Billy Wilder and later gets an interpreter's job on the set of his film Fedora. In later life she recalls the experience and understands how people can feel unwanted in their profession as they age.
Wintering by Katherine May - a book in praise of retreating from the world when pressures become too great.
