My Week in Books – 20th November 2022

MyWeekinBooksOn What Cathy Read Next last week

Monday – I published my review of crime novel The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz.

Tuesday – I shared my review of Thea and Denise by Caroline Bond. 

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 published my review of historical mystery Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver. 

Friday – I shared an update on my progress with the #NetGalleyNovember reading challenge. 


New arrivals

The English FuhrerThe English Führer by Rory Clements (eARC, Zaffre via NetGalley)

Autumn 1945 – Off the east coast of England, a Japanese sub surfaces, unloads its mysterious cargo, then blows itself to pieces.

Former spy Professor Tom Wilde is enjoying peacetime in Cambridge, settling back into teaching and family life. Until a call from senior MI5 boss Lord Templeman brings him out of retirement.

A nearby village has been locked down by the military, its residents blighted by a deadly illness. No one is allowed in or out.

There are rumours the Nazi machine is still operational, with links to Unit 731, a notorious Japanese biological warfare research laboratory. But how could they possibly be plotting on British soil – and why?

What’s more, Wilde and Templeman’s names are discovered on a Gestapo kill list. And after a series of assassinations an unthinkable question emerges: could an Englishman be behind the plot?

Skelton's Guide to Blazing CorpsesSkelton’s Guide to Blazing Corpses by David Stafford (Allison & Busby via NetGalley)

Guy Fawkes Night, 5th November, 1930. Bonfires are blazing, rockets burst. In a country lane, revellers discover a car that has been set on fire. At first, they assume that this is the work of vandals taking the Guy Fawkes spirit a little too far, sitting at the wheel is a body, charred beyond recognition.

The initial assumption is that the owner of the car, Mr Harold Musgrave, a successful travelling salesman has taken his own life in a particularly grisly act of self-immolation. The post-mortem, however, reveals that Mr Musgrave was either unconscious or dead before the fire was lit. When Tommy Prosser, a local criminal, is charged with the murder, barrister Arthur Skelton believes him to be innocent, so sets out to ensure justice is served. 

The Darlings of the AsylumThe Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly (eARC, HQ via NetGalley)

‘She wakes in a strange, stark room. Through the bare walls she hears muffled cries and yells. The label on her unfamiliar, starched gown reads PROPERTY OF HILLWOOD GRANGE LUNATIC ASYLUM. Her heart thumps as a key rattles in the lock…’

In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. Violet Pring’s scheming mother has secured a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman. But Violet does not want to marry. She longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms.

Violet’s family believes she is deranged and deluded, so she is locked away in Hillwood Grange against her will. In her new cage, Violet faces an even greater challenge: she must escape the clutches of a sinister and formidable doctor and set herself free.


On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Book Review: The Night Ship by Jess Kidd 
  • Book Review: Night-Time Stories by Yen-Yen Lu
  • Guest Post: The Case of the Emigrant Niece by David Cairns of Finavon

#NetGalleyNovember Reading Challenge Update @NeverEndingNG

NetGalleyNovember GoalsNetGalley November 2022 BannerOnce again I’ve joined the NetGalley November reading challenge, a month long readathon where you focus on reading books from your NetGalley shelf and – hopefully – increasing your feedback ratio as a result. You can follow the progress of all the participants on Twitter and Instagram.

Although I don’t have that many books on my NetGalley shelf and I’ve worked hard to get my feedback ratio as high as possible, some of the books that remain on my shelf have been there for a really long time. Since 2018 in the case of the oldest one.

As we’re just over half way through November I thought I’d review my progress so far. I’m pretty pleased with the fact I’ve already read four books and I’m part way through the next one, although it’s over 800 pages so I may be here for some time. Links from the book titles will take you to the book description on Goodreads or to my review.

Newest approval: My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor
Published this year: Death to the Emperor by Simon Scarrow Read and reviewed
New to you author: Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver Read and reviewed
Most anticipated: Resurrection by David Gilman
Buddy read: The Weather Woman by Sally Gardner  Read and reviewed
Green cover: Forest of Foes by Matthew Harffy
Title beginning with ‘N’: ? (Resisting the temptation to request a new book that fits the category)
One you’ve been putting off: The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Currently reading
Oldest approval: The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz Read and reviewed