Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish reading?
- What do you think you’ll read next?
Why not join in too? Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!
What I’m Currently Reading
Adder Stone by Clare Clark (ARC, Wilson Square)
It is 1963 and in north Wales the Jones family are being forcibly ejected from the land they have farmed for generations. Their valley is to be drowned, turned into a reservoir for the people of Liverpool.
While her husband Dai is grief-stricken, Olwen Jones privately sees it as a blessing, an unforeseen chance to escape the narrow confines of the valley. But for her teenage son Emyr, Liverpool’s careless arrogance is proof that Wales will never be free to decide its own future until, like Ireland, it breaks the shackles of English imperialism.
Based on true events, Adder Stone is an exploration of personal identity and the possibilities and limits of love. How far will we go for our child or for our country? Who are we when we lose the places and the people that define us? And how much, in the end, is it possible to forgive?
Julia Wakes by Zoe Caryl (Review copy, courtesy of the author)
It’s 1946, and Evie is back on stage where she belongs, her voice ready to soar in the theatres of Scotland.
One question shadows every note she sings: Is the brilliant young trumpet player who stole her heart under the Indian sun still part of her future?
Myles has dreams of his own, bold and uncompromising, and Evie dares to believe she can build a life where love, family, and a glittering career all shine together. Yet the climb toward “having it all” is steeper than she imagined; as Evie’s star rises, she seizes bright, shining moments of opportunity that strain the fragile balance between career and home, and when life delivers an unexpected miracle, she learns how deep the unbreakable bonds of love really are.
Her journey in the spotlight carries her across the world, taking her far from her beloved Glasgow, bringing moments of breathtaking joy and quiet heartbreak; Evie strives for love, whilst never turning her back on the extraordinary gift that has been given to her – her voice.
Inspired by a true story, Julia Wakes celebrates the resilience of a woman who refuses to give up on her dreams, and the fierce, enduring love that ultimately defines her legacy. This is a story for anyone who has ever reached for that bigger, brighter star, and refused to let go.
The Weight of Angels by John Boyne (Doubleday via NetGalley)
Can one rash decision prove the difference between a life well lived and a life destroyed?
When the Marquis of Queensbury left his calling card at the Albemarle Club in February 1895, it bore only his name and five words: ‘For Oscar Wilde, posing Somdomite’. The famous playwright sued for libel, which led to his arrest, criminal prosecution and imprisonment. From then on, his gilded existence spiralled into public disgrace and an early death.
But what if he had simply ignored the insult?
Rather than dying impoverished in Paris at forty-six, what if he had lived to bear witness to the momentous events and cataclysmic changes at the start of the twentieth century, and even influence some of them? What if the second half of his life were as celebrated, dramatic and tumultuous as the first?
What I’ve Just Read
The Bohemian Queen by Jean Findlay (ARC, Scotland Street Press)
The sequel to the award-winning The Queen’s Lender, The Bohemian Queen tells the remarkable story of Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James I of England amd VI of Scotland, whose brief reign as Queen of Bohemia helped ignite the catastrophic Thirty Years’ War and reshape Europe forever.
Set against the backdrop of political intrigue, religious conflict and exile, the novel sees Elizabeth, heavily pregnant with her fifth child, flee Prague following the Battle of White Mountain. Married to Frederick, Elector Palatine, Elizabeth had accepted the crown of Bohemia in a move that would plunge Europe into decades of war. But exile does not diminish her influence.
Through court politics, diplomacy and dynastic ambition, Elizabeth continues to shape the future of Europe while giving birth to eight more children, ensuring her descendants become woven into the ruling houses of an emerging continent. (Review to follow for blog tour)
What I’ll Be Reading Next
Dead Men Don’t Ski by Patricia Moyes (Review copy, Farrago Books)
Inspector Henry Tibbett is taking a much-needed holiday from his job at Scotland Yard with his wife Emmy. Headed for a spot of skiing in the Italian Dolomites and some first-class people-watching, Tibbett’s worries blissfully melt away.
That is, until a fellow guest who boards the ski lift alive at the top of the mountain is found dead when the lift touches the bottom. Another dead body turns up, and then another, and it becomes clear that murder has come to the mountain.
