My Week in Books – 18th September 2022

MyWeekinBooksOn What Cathy Read Next last week

Tuesday – I shared my review of crime novel, The Santa Killer by Ross Greenwood as part of the blog tour. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was Book Titles Containing Geographical Terms. 

Wednesday – I published my review of dual-time novel, Island of Secrets by Patricia Wilson, set on the island of Crete.  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 publication day review of historical novel, Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. 

Friday – I made another trip Down the TBR Hole to take a long hard look at the oldest books in my TBR pile. Should they stay or should they go?

Saturday – I celebrated completing the When Are You Reading? Challenge 2022. 


New arrivals

The Coming DarknessThe Coming Darkness by Greg Mosse (ARC, Moonflower Books)

Paris, 2037. Alexandre Lamarque of the French external security service is hunting for eco-terrorists. Experience has taught him there is no one he can trust. Experience has taught him there is no one he can trust – not his secretive lover Mariam, not even his old mentor, Professor Fayard, the man at the centre of the web. He is ready to give up. But he can’t.

In search of the truth, Alex must follow the trail through an ominous spiral of events, from a string of brutal child murders to a chaotic coup in North Africa. He rapidly finds himself in a heart-thumping race against chaos and destruction. He could be the world’s only hope of preventing THE COMING DARKNESS… 

SBS Special Boat SquadronSBS: Special Boat Squadron by Iain Gale (eARC, Head of Zeus via NetGalley)

From this moment on, you and your men, you don’t exist.

Operation Anglo, 31 August 1942. Beneath the waves of the Mediterranean, HMS Traveller closes in on the coast of Rhodes. Aboard, eight SBS commandos check their weapons as they prepare to infiltrate and sabotage two Axis bomber fields. Only two of the eight commandos will make it back to alive. Ex-Black Watch Sgt Jim Hunter will be one of the lucky ones, but what he will face next will make Operation Anglo look like a cakewalk.


On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Book Review: Life Time by Russell Foster
  • Book Review: The Bone Flower by Charles Lambert
  • Book Review: The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland
  • Book Review: All the Broken Places by John Boyne

When Are You Reading? 2022 – Challenge Completed!

when-are-you-reading-2022-final-1The When Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words is one of my favourite reading challenges.  It involves reading a book predominantly set in (or written in) each of twelve time periods.

I’m delighted to say I’ve now matched all the time periods and completed the challenge ahead of time. There were quite a few changes from my original list with, sadly, those that were replaced still languishing in my TBR pile.  However, there’s always next year… Links from each title will take you 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 2022, it’s still not too late to join in.


Pre-1300:           Deposed by David Barbaree A Night of Flames by Matthew Harffy

1300-1499:        The Painter of Souls by Philip Kazan Essex Dogs by Dan Jones

1500-1699:        Tidelands by Philippa Gregory Traitor in the Ice by K. J. Maitland

1700-1799:        The Foundling by Stacey Hall That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn

1800-1899:        The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs

1900-1919:        A House of Ghosts by W. C. Ryan Sell Us the Rope by Stephen May

1920-1939:        The Summer House Party by Caro Fraser Fortune by Amanda Smyth

1940-1959:       These Days by Lucy Caldwell

1960-1979:       The Reading Party by Fenella Gentleman

1980-1999:       The Matchmaker by Paul Vidich

2000-Present:   Yinka, where is your huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn How To Save a Life by Clare Swatman

The Future:       Villager by Tom Cox