
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.
The rules are simple:
- Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
- Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
- Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
- Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is a freebie meaning we have to come up with our own topic. My list contains books I’ve read that feature characters in holy orders, e.g. priests, monks, nuns, etc. Links from each title will take you to my review.
- The Sea Road West by Sally Rena – Trouble begins when a new young priest, Father James, arrives in a remote Scottish village
- For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie – The story of two 15th century female mystics – Margery Kempe and anchoress, Julian of Norwich
- Sister Rosa’s Rebellion by Carolyn Hughes – 1363. When Mother Angelica, prioress of Northwick Priory, dies, many nuns presume Sister Rosa will take her place. But Sister Evangelina, Angelica’s niece, believes the position is hers by right and sets out to ensure it is
- My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor – Based on the true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty who, along with others, risked his life to smuggle thousands of Jews and escaped Allied prisoners out of Italy during WW2.
- The Second Sleep by Robert Harris – In 1468, dedicated young priest, Christopher Fairfax finds everything he’s been taught to believe – and has preached to others – is turned upside down by the discovery of a book containing an earth-shattering revelation
- The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting – In 1879, young pastor Kai Schweigaard arrives in an isolated village in Norway determined to replace its 700-year-old stave church and its two bells, believed to have supernatural powers, with a more modern, larger church
- Clear by Carys Davies – In 1843, John Ferguson, an impoverished church minister, is sent to evict the sole occupant of a remote Scottish island so it can be turned over to the grazing of sheep
- The Monk by Tim Sullivan – The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol
- The Road to Grantchester by James Runcie – A prequel to the series featuring Sidney Chambers, vicar of Grantchester and honorary canon of Ely Cathedral
- Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather – The story of two priests – Bishop Jean Marie Latour and Father Joseph Vaillant – who are sent to establish the Catholic Church in the newly acquired territory of New Mexico











Great idea Cathy!
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I really liked My Father’s House but I still haven’t read the follow up book!
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I’m sure you’ll enjoy it then when you get to it
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Interesting topic, in general I avoid any thing that features religion. I do enjoy the TV series of Grantchester though.
Happy Tuesday!
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Funnily enough, I’ve never watched any of the Grantchester series or read any of the books. A glaring ommission on my part I think because I really enjoyed this one.
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Love it, great fun!
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Clear sounds so good.
Here is our <a href=”https://www.longandshortreviews.com/miscellaneous-musings/top-ten-tuesday-picture-books-about-the-new-year/“>Top Ten Tuesday.</a>
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Good job! Name of the Rose, In This House of Brede, and Abbess of Crewe come to mind.
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Oh good ones. I actually thought of a lot more afterwards including Black Narcissus, and others suggested the Father Brown and Brother Cadfael series
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When I saw your topic, my brain instantly went to Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/december-2025-holiday-tbr-will-i-read-them-all/
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Good one. I think there are probably masses more I could have used.
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I will have to consider some of these for next year’s When Are You Reading challenge. Nice topic and list, Cathy.
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This is a really interesting topic! What made you think of it?
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I did one involving teachers a while back so I thought I’d try another “profession”. I may have to pass on accountants, architects…
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