My Week in Books – 26th May 2024

My Week in Books

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Monday – I made a visit Down The TBR Hole to decide the whether books I’ve still to read should stay or go. Spoiler: most of them stayed!

Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was Authors I’d Love A New Book From

Wednesday – I published my review of The Small Museum by Jody Cooksley as part of the blog tour. And 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 – To celebrate mark the start of the General Election campaign in the UK, I shared a list of Ten Novels About Politics

Friday – I published my long overdue review of All Day at the Movies by Fiona Kidman.

Saturday – I shared an update on my progress with this year’s When Are You Reading? Challenge


New arrivals

The Heart in WinterThe Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry (eARC, Canongate via NetGalley)

He was ready to die for love. He just needed to find the right girl.

October, 1891. Butte, Montana. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers.

Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and balladmaker, but also a doper, a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington.

A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho. Briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunsmen are soon in hot pursuit of the lovers, and closing in fast . . .

The Days of Our BirthThe Days of Our Birth by Charlie Laidlaw (eARC, courtesy of the author)

It was a perfect relationship until time pulled them apart.

The Days of Our Birth delves into the intricate bond between Peter and Sarah as they navigate their formative years. Spanning from their sixth birthday through two decades, the narrative unfolds against the backdrop of Sarah’s placement on the autism spectrum.

With a blend of humour and poignancy, the book intricately weaves together themes of love and friendship, unravelling the tale of two individuals who grapple with their emotions for each other, even though they remain unacknowledged.

A beautiful story sensitively told about how love and friendship can conquer everything, including time, to a point.

In This Ravishing WorldIn This Ravishing World by Nina Schuyler (eARC, Regal House via NetGalley)

In This Ravishing World is a sweeping, impassioned short story collection, ringing out with joy, despair, and hope for the natural world. Nine connected stories unfold, bringing together an unforgettable cast of dreamers, escapists, activists, and artists, creating a kaleidoscopic view of the climate crisis.

An older woman who has spent her entire life fighting for the planet sinks into despair. A young boy is determined to bring the natural world to his bleak urban reality. A scientist working to solve the plastic problem grapples with whether to have a child. A ballet dancer endeavors to inhabit the consciousness of a rat.

In This Ravishing World is a full-throated chorus— with Nature joining in— marveling at the exquisite beauty of our world, and pleading, raging, and ultimately urging all of its inhabitants toward activism and resistance.


On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading


Planned posts

  • Book Review: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
  • Book Review: The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis
  • Book Review: Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke
  • #6Degrees of Separation
  • Blog Tour/Giveaway: Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler

When Are You Reading? Challenge 2024 – An Update

when-are-you-reading-2024The When Are You Reading? Challenge is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It involves reading a book set in each of twelve time periods. Although determining what period a book belongs in is the decision of the participant, generally the rule is to choose the years where the largest part of the action occurs or the most important events.

I’ve managed to complete the challenge for the past two years and I’m taking part again this year.  I shared a provisional list back in January, deliberately trying to include books that have been in my TBR pile for a long time.  I thought it was time to take a look at my progress and I’m pleasantly surprised. Links from the title will take you to the book description on Goodreads or to my review.

If you love historical fiction but often find yourself sticking to one or two favourite time periods, or if you’re keen to read more historical fiction in 2024, there’s still time to sign up. Plus the time periods go up to the present day and into the future so you don’t even have to stick to historical fiction. 


Pre-1200:           Sword of the War God by Tim Hodkinson Read and reviewed

1200-1499:        A Tapestry of Treason by Anne O’Brien Read and reviewed

1500-1699:        The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola Read and reviewed

1700-1799:        The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small by Neil Jordan

1800-1899:        The Household by Stacey Halls Read and reviewed

1900-1919:         The Paris Peacemakers  by Flora Johnston Read and reviewed

1920-1939:        A Madras Miasma by Brian Stoddart Read and reviewed

1940-1959:        The Draughtsman by Robert Lautner

1960-1979:        Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

1980-1999:       Little Fires Everywhere by Celete Ng

2000-Present:  How To Make A Bomb: A Novel by Rupert Thomson Read and reviewed

The Future:       The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller