What fun the 1954 Club has been! At the time of writing, we are very close to 100 reviews (see them on this round-up post) – and more still to come as Sunday finishes across the world. I’m always blown away by the number of people who contribute, and the range of books that are included.
It’s always interesting to see what major themes come out. Yes, we had books from our usual suspects of Georgette Heyer, Georges Simenon, and Agatha Christie – stalwart and prolific authors that appear in almost every single club year, and it’s always wonderful to see them. Besides them, it seems also to have been a heyday of children’s literature. And detective fiction, of course, though fading away from the peak of the Golden Age into slightly darker territory.
My favourite cultural moment was reading the comments about whether or not there were fridges in 1954 England (conclusion: not very many) – I love that this sort of thing comes up. And, of course, some of the club readers can just about remember 1954 and add in their memories.
I suspect nobody will remember our next year – because, in October, we are going to travel to 1929! Here is your six month’s warning to get hold of 1929 books. I can’t wait to see what you all read. And thanks again to Karen for her wonderful co-hosting – and, again, to everyone who wrote and read the reviews.
I haven’t finished my book yet. I hope that I can include it?
Yes, just post the link and I’ll add it in :)
And I still have a book to review but probably won’t have time until Wednesday. Is that too late? (Suspect it is…) Had such a good time with this and am avidly awaiting October now.
Don’t worry – pop the link in the comments when you have it, and I can add it!
Thank you Simon & Karen for hosting this wonderful community evevnt once again. I can’t wait to see what 1929 turns up :-)
thanks so much for joining in!
1954 was a great year, many thanks to you and Karen for hosting! I really like the image for the 1929 Club – wonderful.
Thanks so much for joining in! Now for our next challenge..!
The great stock market crash month/year! I’ll have to see what I’ve read an what I will be reading. I read Mary Ann by Daphne Du Maurier for 1954 Club. I loved it.
Yes, that was partly what made me interested to read 1929!
Thanks for hosting another great reading week! Now off to do my favourite activity: start on my booklist for the 1929 club.
I wrote eleven titles I want to read on a post-it that I will certainly lose long before October :D
1954 was such a good year and there have been so many wonderful books and posts! Thanks for co-hosting and 1929 sounds grand!
Already looking forward to it!
Looks like an interesting year is coming up. I have read three masterpieces from that year already:
Wolfe, Thomas “Look Homeward, Angel. A Story of the Buried Life.” – 1929
Döblin, Alfred “Berlin Alexanderplatz: Die Geschichte vom Franz Biberkopf ” (Berlin Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf) – 1929
Bulgakow, Michail “The Master and Margarita” (Мастер и Маргарита/Master i Margarita) – 1929-39
All three quite long and not the easiest of reads but all very deserving.
Oo great suggestions – and all quite meaty.
Hi, Simon, I just realized that one of my entries for the 1954 has a date problem. Go Tell It on the Mountain turned up in a Goodreads lists of books for 1954, but now it appears to have been written in 1953, which might be why no one else read it for the club. When I just google when it was published, I get 1952, which makes this even more confusing, but Wikipedia places it at 1953. So, if you want to take it off the list for accuracy, please do. I read it for the club but obviously I should have checked my facts. I suppose it might have been written in 1953 but was popular in 1954, so ended up on the list, which is probably computer generated. I have already noted problems with those Goodreads lists (for one prewar club, it listed At Bertram’s Hotel, which is obviously postwar), so from now on when I am compiling my lists, I’ll double-check the dates.
Ah, easily done! I might take it out of the list when I do final additions – thanks for letting me know :) I do find the Goodreads lists can be tricky. One of the books I had in a pile to read turned out to have been written in the 1930s, so my LibraryThing also went awry!
Wow – a hundred reviews. Well done!
1929 looks a really interesting year, and I am surprised to find I have several books on the shelves – including Dashiell Hammett who I’ve been longing to re-read.
It’s wonderful that so many people joined in! Looking forward to 1929 already :)
It’s great to hear so many people participated this time. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was wishing we had longer to fit in a few more. My mom had a great time too. Thanks for hosting. I still have lots of reviews to catch with reading, and am going to be ending up adding lots to my TBR once again.
We’re both looking forward to 1929. I have Bowen and Nella Larsen on my TBR already, and I see quite a few detective made their debut that year.
Thanks so much to you and your mum for joining in! I think 1929 will be nice for a mix of big names and little-known books.
I only have one book from 1929 on my shelves but several I have already read and reviewed. That means I will have to buy more books. Oh, no!
What a shame :D
Dear me, what will you buy?
So neat that we were so many to participate!
It’s always thrilling to discover the year for the next club, and to go through my TBR shelf to see what I have for that year.
So I’ll be reading The Roman Hat Mystery (Ellery Queen Detective #1), by Ellery Queen.
See you then
Lovely! That sounds like a wonderful addition, so I look forward to hearing what it’s like.
Hm… Passing by Nella Larson is wonderful, and that’s from 1929. Also two Agatha Christie – Partners in Crime (stories – which I’ve read), and The Seven Dials Mystery (which I don’t think I have read). Lots of other cozy mystery books came out that year, I see… Hm…
Excellent! Can usually rely on some Christie.
Gosh 1929 was a big year and amazed to find how many I have already read. Will be able to revisit some classic crime (Allingham, Christie, Chesterton and Berkeley) and delight in some PG Wodehouse. Heavy year for WW1 novels but sadly still too relevant. Will also nudge me to finish two books I have had on my shelf for years – Last September and Laughing Boy – and rediscover the lost pleasure of Milly Molly Mandy. I still have my copy on my shelf. I know its mine because I wrote my name in it and my age – 6! Books never leave us, they just wait for us to come back.
Oh I’ve never participated in this but it sounds like such fun! I’ll have to find some books published in 1929! Does this challenge only happen once a year? What happens in between now and 6 months from now? Just curious :)
I was so glad to be able to take part!! I hope I have something from 1929 or if I don’t have now, I do have by then …
I have no idea about fridges in 1954 England but my parents in 1954 Scotland did have one and it lasted well (though poor in energy efficiency until about 1975).
Wow! That is impressive stamina for a fridge. I would be surprised if fridge-ownership differed wildly in England from Scotland, but who knows.
I’ve chosen Jean Cocteau’s ‘Les Enfants Teribles’ (translated as ‘The Holy Terrors’ by Rosamond Lehmann). Hopefully I’ll make time to also review it at my blog https://messybooker.wordpress.com/