On What Cathy Read Next last week
Monday – I shared my review of Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson.
Tuesday – As part of the blog tour, I published my review of Crow Court by Andy Charman, a historical mystery told in the form of interlinked short stories.
Wednesday – I shared my review of Viking age historical adventure A Night of Flames by Matthew Harffy as part of the blog tour. WWW Wednesday is my weekly opportunity to share what I’ve just read, what I’m currently reading and what I plan to read next… and to take a peek at what others are reading.
Thursday – For Throwback Thursday I revisited my reviews of the books that make up The Meonbridge Chronicles by Carolyn Hughes.
Friday – I published my review of The Marsh House by Zoe Somerville.
Saturday – Indulging my other love besides books – gardening – I took part in the weekly #SixonSaturday meme.
New arrivals
All books on the longlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2022.
Fortune by Amanda Smyth (Peepal Tree Press)
Eddie Wade has recently returned from the US oilfields. He is determined to sink his own well and make his fortune in the 1920s Trinidad oil-rush. His sights are set on Sonny Chatterjee’s failing cocoa estate, Kushi, where the ground is so full of oil you can put a stick in the ground and see it bubble up.
When a fortuitous meeting with businessman Tito Fernandez brings Eddie the investor he desperately needs, the three men enter a partnership. A friendship between Tito and Eddie begins that will change their lives forever, not least when the oil starts gushing. But their partnership also brings Eddie into contact with Ada, Tito’s beautiful wife, and as much as they try, they cannot avoid the attraction they feel for each other.
Fortune, based on true events, catches Trinidad at a moment of historical change whose consequences reverberate down to present concerns with climate change and environmental destruction. As a story of love and ambition, its focus is on individuals so enmeshed in their desires that they blindly enter the territory of classic Greek tragedy where actions always have consequences.
News of the Dead by James Robertson (Hamish Hamilton)
Deep in the mountains of north-east Scotland lies Glen Conach, a place of secrets and memories, fable and history. In particular, it holds the stories of three different eras, separated by centuries yet linked by location, by an ancient manuscript and by echoes that travel across time.
In ancient Pictland, the Christian hermit Conach contemplates God and nature, performs miracles and prepares himself for sacrifice. Long after his death, legends about him are set down by an unknown hand in the Book of Conach.
Generations later, in the early nineteenth century, self-promoting antiquarian Charles Kirkliston Gibb is drawn to the Glen, and into the big house at the heart of its fragile community.
In the present day, young Lachie whispers to Maja of a ghost he thinks he has seen. Reflecting on her long life, Maja believes him, for she is haunted by ghosts of her own.
Blue Postcards by Douglas Bruton (Fairlight Books)
Once there was a street in Paris and it was called the Street of Tailors. This was years back, in the blue mists of memory.
Now it’s the 1950s and Henri is the last tailor on the street. With meticulous precision he takes the measurements of men and notes them down in his leather-bound ledger. He draws on the cloth with a blue chalk, cuts the pieces and sews them together. When the suit is done, Henri adds a finishing touch: a blue Tekhelet thread hidden in the trousers somewhere, for luck. One day, the renowned French artist Yves Klein walks into the shop, and orders a suit.
The Sunken Road by Ciaran McMenamin (Vintage)
Annie, Francie and Archie were inseparable growing up, but in 1914 the boys are seduced by the drama of the Great War. Before leaving their small Irish village for the trenches, Francie promises his true love Annie that he will bring her little brother home safe.
Six years later Francie is on the run, a wanted man in the Irish war of Independence. He needs Annie’s help to escape safely across the border, but that means confronting the truth about why Archie never came back….
On What Cathy Read Next this week
Currently reading
Planned posts
- Book Review: Latchkey Ladies by Marjorie Grant
- Blog Tour/Book Review: The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
- Book Review: Lean on Me by Serge Joncour
- Blog Tour/Book Review: Yinka, where is your huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
What Cathy Read Next... 
Wow, you’ve been quite busy on your blog.
I recently reviewed Lean on Me, and am curious of your review.
https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/02/28/book-review-lean-on-me/
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Thanks. I’ve only skimmed your review as I’ve still to write mine. Although I don’t usually go for books with a romance element I actually really loved the book.
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