My Week in Books – 8th October ’17

New arrivals

Bibliophiles know what the first of the month means – a new set of books on monthly deal at Amazon….

The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaller (ebook, Kindle deal)

When seventeen-year-old Franz exchanges his home in the idyllic beauty of the Austrian lake district for the bustle of Vienna, his homesickness quickly dissolves amidst the thrum of the city. In his role as apprentice to the elderly tobacconist Otto Trsnyek, he will soon be supplying the great and good of Vienna with their newspapers and cigarettes. Among the regulars is a Professor Freud, whose predilection for cigars and occasional willingness to dispense romantic advice will forge a bond between him and young Franz. It is 1937. In a matter of months Germany will annex Austria and the storm that has been threatening to engulf the little tobacconist will descend, leaving the lives of Franz, Otto and Professor Freud irredeemably changed.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Seek by Anthony O’Neill (ebook, Kindle deal)

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Continues… Seven years after the death of Edward Hyde, a stylish gentleman shows up in foggy London claiming to be Dr Henry Jekyll. Only Mr Utterson, Jekyll’s faithful lawyer and confidant, knows that he must be an impostor – because Jekyll was Hyde. But, as the man goes about charming Jekyll’s friends and reclaiming his estate and as the bodies of potential challengers start piling up, Utterson is left fearing for his life…and questioning his own sanity. This brilliantly imagined and beautifully written sequel to one of literature’s greatest masterpieces perfectly complements the original work. And, where the original was concerned with the duality of man, this sequel deals with the possibility of identity theft of the most audacious kind. Can it really be that this man who looks and acts so precisely like Dr Henry Jekyll is an imposter?

Victoria Four-Thirty by Cecil Roberts (ebook, Kindle deal)

London, 1937. A world famous composer, a honeymooning couple, a novelist in search of a plot, a German film star, a young crown prince and a sister of charity are among the disparate group of travellers on the boat train to continental Europe. “It would be very interesting to know the life history of everybody on this train – why we are travelling on it …” Set amid the political upheaval of the 1930s, this is the witty, insightful and bittersweet story of the passengers on the four-thirty from Victoria. Each is facing a different journey, with their own hopes, fears and challenges; and for some, their lives will cross in unexpected ways. The 80th anniversary edition of the newly rediscovered classic bestseller from the 1930s.

Whiteout (Dark Iceland #5) by Ragnar Jónasson (ebook, review copy courtesy of Orenda Books)

Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kálfshamarvík. Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop? With winter closing in and the snow falling relentlessly, Ari Thór Arason discovers that the victim’s mother and young sister also lost their lives in this same spot, twenty-five years earlier. As the dark history and its secrets of the village are unveiled, and the death toll begins to rise, the Siglufjordur detectives must race against the clock to find the killer, before another tragedy takes place. Dark, chilling and complex, Whiteout is a haunting, atmospheric and stunningly plotted thriller from one of Iceland’s bestselling crime writers.

Dance of the Happy Shades by Alice Munro (ebook)

Alice Munro’s territory is the farms and semi-rural towns of south-western Ontario. In these dazzling stories she deals with the self-discovery of adolescence, the joys and pains of love and the despair and guilt of those caught in a narrow existence. And in sensitively exploring the lives of ordinary men and women, she makes us aware of the universal nature of their fears, sorrows and aspirations.

 

 

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I took part in the blog tour for Woman Enters Left by Jessica Brockmole, sharing my review of this fantastically cinematic historical fiction with a Hollywood flavour.

Wednesday – I spent Tuesday at Henley Literary Festival and today shared my review of one of the events I attended, authors Anne O’Brien and Rory Clements talking about writing historical fiction.

Thursday – My Throwback Thursday was a review of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

Friday – I took part in the book blitz for Appointment with Yesterday by Christopher Stratakis, the semi-autobiographical story of a young Greek boy’s experiences in World War 2.

Saturday – I helped celebrate the release of Money Power Love by Joss Sheldon, described as ‘a literary mélange of historical, political and economic fiction’. I also shared my review of the other event I attended at Henley Literary Festival on Tuesday – author, Rachel Joyce, talking about her latest book, The Music Shop.

Sunday – I interviewed Ray Britain about his debut crime thriller, The Last Thread.

Challenge updates

• Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge – 117 out of 156 books read, 2 more than last time
• Classics Club Challenge – 5 out of 50 books reviewed, same as last time
• NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2017 (Gold) – 49 ARCs reviewed out of 50, 1 more than last time
• From Page to Screen 2016/7– 7 book/film comparisons out of 12 completed, same as last time
• From Page to Screen 2017/18 – none yet completed

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

• Q&A: Bells of Avalon by Libbet Bradstreet
• Book Review: Tremarnock Summer by Emma Burstall
• Blog Tour/Review: The Crows of Beara by Julie Christine Johnson
• Q&A: White Water, Black Death by Shaun Ebelthite
• Blog Tour/Review: The Quest for the Crown of Thorns by Cynthia Ripley Miller
• Blog Tour/Review: The Book of Forgotten Authors by Christopher Fowler
• Blog Tour/Q&A: The Coven by Graham Masterson

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How was YOUR week in books? Literary sensation or slush pile candidate?