My Week in Books – w/e 29th April ’18

New arrivals  

Never Say Die (Alex Rider #11) by Anthony Horowitz (signed hardcover, giveaway prize)

After being forcibly recruited by MI6, teenage super-spy Alex Rider vowed he would never go back.  But even Alex can’t fight the past…especially when it holds a deadly secret.

Conclave by Robert Harris (ebook)

The Pope is dead.

Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals.

Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.

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On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I took part in the blog tours for The Port of No Return by Michelle Saftich and The Lost Children by Theresa Talbot.

Tuesday – I welcomed Angelle Petta, author of The Artist and the Soldier to my blog, with a Q&A about the book and its inspiration.  The Top Ten Tuesday topic was Frequently Used Words in (Genre) Titles and I chose historical fiction as my genre, pointing out the number of titles that include the words ‘Wife’ or ‘Daughter’.

Wednesday – WWW Wednesday is the opportunity to share what I’ve just finished reading, what I’m reading now and what I’ll be reading next.   I also took part in the blog tour for The Picture, featuring a Q&A with author Roger Bray.

Thursday –My Throwback Thursday book was The Visitor at Anningley Hall by Chris Thorndycroft.  The story is a prequel to ‘The Mezzotint’, a short story by that master of the ghost story, M. R. James.

Friday – I took part in the blog tour for The Concubine’s Child by Carol Jones, sharing a fascinating guest post from Carol about some of the experiences on her travels that inspired the story.  I also published my review of the recently published The Great Darkness by Jim Kelly.  Set in Cambridge in 1939, it’s the first book in what looks like a fantastic historical crime series that would be perfect for those mourning the absence of TV’s Foyle’s War.

Saturday –I shared my review of thriller, The Good Father by S. R. Wilsher.  This was a book that has been languishing in my author review pile for far too long and turned out to be gripping read.  The rest of the day was spent taking part in the Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon.  Don’t worry, I didn’t read for the full 24 hours but I did manage to finish two books and make good progress with a third!

Challenge updates

• Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge – 63 out of 156 books read, 6 more than last week
• Classics Club Challenge – 13 out of 50 books read, same as last week
• NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2018 (Silver) – 19 ARCs read and reviewed out of 25, same as last week
• From Page to Screen– 10 book/film comparisons out of 15 completed, same as last week
• 2018 TBR Pile Challenge – 5 out of 12 books read, same as last week
• Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2018 – 30 books out of 50 read, 2 more than last week
• When Are You Reading? Challenge 2018 – 7 out of 12 books read, same as last week
• What’s In A Name Reading Challenge – 0 out of 6 books read, same as last week
• Buchan of the Month – 3 out of 12 books read, same as last week

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On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

• Blog Tour/Review: The Million Dollar Duchesses by Julie Ferry
• Book Review: Prussian Blue (Bernie Gunther #12) by Philip Kerr
• Book Review: The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst
• Buchan of the Month: Greenmantle by John Buchan
• Book Review: The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby
• Blog Tour/Review: Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone
• Book Review: Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall
• Book Review: The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse
• Blog Tour/Review: Grace After Henry by Eithne Shortall

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How was your week in books?  Readathon or readabit?