On What Cathy Read Next last week
Monday – I published my review of historical crime mystery, Skelton’s Guide to Blazing Corpses by David Stafford.
Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was Books I Hope Santa Brings This Year.
Wednesday – As always WWW Wednesday is a 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 – I shared my sign-up post for the When Are You Reading? Challenge 2023.
Friday – Another day, another sign-up post – this time for the What’s In A Name? 2023 reading challenge.
New arrivals
No fancy publisher’s gift boxes like some lucky people, instead three lovely ARCs via NetGalley.
The Lace Weaver by Lauren Chater (eARC, Allison & Busby via NetGalley)
1941, Estonia. As Stalin’s brutal Red Army crushes everything in its path, Katarina and her family survive only because their precious farm produce is needed to feed the occupying forces. Fiercely partisan, Katarina battles to protect her grandmother’s precious legacy – the weaving of gossamer lace shawls stitched with intricate patterns that tell the stories passed down through generations.
While Katarina struggles to survive the daily oppression, another young woman is suffocating in her prison of privilege in Moscow. Yearning for freedom and to discover her beloved mother’s Baltic heritage, Lydia escapes to Estonia.
Facing the threat of invasion by Hitler’s encroaching Third Reich, Katarina and Lydia and two idealistic young soldiers, insurgents in the battle for their homeland, find themselves in a fight for life, liberty and love.
No Life for a Lady by Hannah Dolby (eARC, Head of Zeus via NetGalley)
It’s remarkable how men react when women break the rules… but the people of Hastings are about to discover, women can be remarkable too…
1896. At 28, Violet’s father is beginning to fear she will never marry. But every suitor he puts forward, she finds an increasingly creative way of rebuffing. Because Violet is a woman who knows her own mind – and her mind is on her mother, who went missing 10 years earlier, vanishing from Hastings Pier without a trace.
Looking for the missing is not a suitable pastime for a lady. But when Violet hires a seaside detective to help, she sets off an unexpected chain of events that will throw her life into chaos.
Can Violet solve the mystery of Lily Hamilton’s vanishing? Or will trying cost her more than she can afford to lose?
The Last Party at Silverton Hall by Rachel Burton (eARC, Head of Zeus via NetGalley)
Two women. Two centuries. A life-changing night…
1952: Vivien and Max collide in the thick London smog. Within a few years, their whirlwind romance sees them living a quiet life on the Norfolk coast, blissfully happy with their beautiful daughter – at least, that’s how it appears…
2019: Isobel is hoping for a fresh start when she inherits her beloved grandmother Vivien’s house in Silverton Bay. But when she discovers an old photograph of Vivien at one of the infamous parties held at Silverton Hall in the 1950s, Isobel is forced to question how well she really knew her grandmother. Silverton Hall is a place Vivien swore she never went and never would – but why would she lie? And what other secrets was she keeping?
Together with an old friend, Isobel searches for answers. But is she prepared for the truth?
On What Cathy Read Next this week
Currently reading
Planned posts
- Book Review: Devils and Saints by Jean-Baptiste Andrea
- Book Review: The Girl from Simon’s Bay by Barbara Mutch
- Book Review: Resurrection by David Gilman
- Book Review: My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor
What Cathy Read Next... 
No fancy publishers’ boxes here either 😦
I really like the sound of The Last Party at Silverton Hall and I loved Her Mother’s Shadow.
Happy Christmas, Cathy.
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I’m going to try that What’s in a Name challenge. The question is… what if a book is good for more than one category. The Queen of Thieves that I’m reading now… works for Q,X,Z, Chess Piece, AND 7 Deadly Sins!
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Wishing you a Happy New Year, Cathy.
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