On the blog last week
Monday – I published my review of The Newer World by Sebastian Barry.
Tuesday – I went off-piste for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday with a list of Books with Alliterative Titles.
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.
Saturday – I joined other gardeners for #SixonSaturday sharing six things from my garden this week. I also shared my review of V is for Venom by Kathryn Harkup.
New on my shelves
The Marchesa by Sarah Dunant (ARC, Weatherglass Books)
Inside the opulent world of the Italian Renaissance, Isabella d’Este ruled not just by birth-right, but by wit, will, and an unquenchable thirst for power.
In The Marchesa, Isabella tells her own story: a girl transcending a loveless marriage to become both the first and greatest female art collector of her time and its most formidable woman political operator, navigating an unstable Italy of fragile alliances, high art and brutal warfare.
Through her eyes, the vanished splendour of Mantua and the great Renaissance courts are brought back to life, contrasting their surface beauty and artistic brilliance with an underbelly of infighting, treachery and sexual transgression.
What I’m currently reading
I’m reading Doom Painting by A. K. Blakemore from my NetGalley shelf and May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry, longlisted for the Booker Prize 2026.
Look out for…
- Book Review: The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain
- Book Review: Farewell to Eden by Sebastian Faulks
- Book Review: Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson
What Cathy Read Next... 