My Week in Books

New arrivals

A Sea of Straw by Julia Sutton (ebook, 99p)

Will a man walk two thousand kilometres for a woman? In 1967, Zé will. Salazar’s Portugal has become a prison for him.

1966: When Jody, young mother and designer from the north of England, arrives on the Lisbon coast, she brings the lure of ‘Swinging London’ to Portuguese painter Zé’s existing dreams of freedom. A nascent love is interrupted when, back in England, husband Michael forces her to choose between their 2-year-old daughter Anna and Zé. And Zé, at home in Lisbon and grounded by the state’s secret police, can only wait.

For both Jody and Zé, love is revolution. And personal and political threads weave their story, a period piece set amid the then socially conservative North of England, the light and rugged landscapes of modern Portugal, and the darkness of the dying years of Europe’s longest-running dictatorship. A Sea of Straw, with its pervading atmosphere of saudades, is a quest for love in revolutionary times.

Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson (ebook, 99p)

In Falkenberg, Sweden, the mutilated body of talented young jewellery designer Linnea Blix is found in a snow-swept marina. In Hampstead Heath, London, the body of a young boy is discovered with similar wounds to Linnea’s. Buchenwald Concentration Camp, 1944. In the midst of the hell of the Holocaust, Erich Hebner will do anything to see himself as a human again. Are the two murders the work of a serial killer, and how are they connected to shocking events at Buchenwald? Emily Roy, a profiler on loan to Scotland Yard from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, joins up with Linnea’s friend, French true-crime writer Alexis Castells, to investigate the puzzling case. They travel between Sweden and London, and then deep into the past, as a startling and terrifying connection comes to light.

The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath (eARC, NetGalley)

January 1947. London is in ruins, there’s nothing to eat, and it’s the coldest winter in living memory. To make matters worse, Charlie Grice, one of the great stage actors of the day, has suddenly died. His widow Joan, the wardrobe mistress, is beside herself with grief. Then one night she discovers Gricey’s secret. Plunged into a dark new world, she realises that the war isn’t over after all.

Broken Branches by M. Jonathan Lee (paperback, advance reader copy courtesy of Hideaway Fall)

‘Family curses don’t exist. Sure, some families seem to suffer more pain than others, but a curse? An actual curse? I don’t think so.’ A family tragedy was the catalyst for Ian Perkins to return to the isolated cottage with his wife and young son. But now they are back, it seems yet more grief might befall the family. There is still time to act, but that means Ian must face the uncomfortable truth about his past. And in doing so, he must uncover the truth behind the supposed family curse.

The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett (ebook, 99p)

What if you had said yes? The moments that change everything… One Day meets Sliding Doors in this outstanding debut that is causing a buzz across the publishing world. Some moments can change your life forever. Have you ever wondered, what if…? A man is walking down a country lane. A woman, cycling towards him, swerves to avoid a dog. On that moment, their future hinges. There are three possible outcomes, three small decisions that could determine the rest of their life. Eva and Jim are nineteen and students at Cambridge when their paths first cross in 1958. And then there is David, Eva’s then-lover, an ambitious actor who loves Eva deeply. The Versions of Us follows the three different courses their lives could take following this first meeting. Lives filled with love, betrayal, ambition but through it all is a deep connection that endures whatever fate might throw at them.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (ebook, 99p)

Major Ernest Pettigrew is perfectly content to lead a quiet life in the sleepy village of Edgecombe St Mary, away from the meddling of the locals and his overbearing son. But when his brother dies, the Major finds himself seeking companionship with the village shopkeeper, Mrs Ali. Drawn together by a love of books and the loss of their partners, they are soon forced to contend with irate relatives and gossiping villagers. The perfect gentleman, but the most unlikely hero, the Major must ask himself what matters most: family obligation, tradition or love? Funny, comforting and heart-warming, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand proves that sometimes, against all odds, life does give you a second chance.

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Book Reviews

On Thursday I published my review of A Countess in Limbo: Diaries in War and Revolution, the journals of Countess Olga Hendrikoff, edited by her great niece, Sue Carscallen. Absolutely fascinating memoirs of living through the Russian Revolution and the occupation of France during WW2. Saturday saw my review of Widdershins, the debut novel by Helen Steadman, inspired by the true story of the witch trials that took place in 17^th century Newcastle.

Other posts

On Monday, I shared a post entitled Temptations of a Book Blogger which really seemed to strike a chord with a lot of other bloggers. It appears many of us are prey to temptation on the blogging front! On Tuesday I took part in the book blitz for Dawn Girl by Leslie Wolfe, a gripping thriller about a serial killer. My guest on Wednesday was David Smith, author of Letters to Strabo, who shared an interview with the book’s fictional narrator. On Friday, I was thrilled to join the blog tour for Sugar, Sugar: Bitter-sweet Tales of Indian Migrant Workers by Lainy Malkani. Lainy was kind enough to answer some questions about her debut short story collection – well worth a read.

Challenge updates

Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge – 62 out of 78 books read (3 more than last week)
Classics Club – 2 out of 50 books reviewed (same as last week)
NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2017 (Gold) – 33 ARCs reviewed out of 50 (same as last week)
From Page to Screen – 6 book/film comparisons completed (same as last week)
The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction Shortlist 2017 – 3 out of 7 read (same as last week)

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

Book Review: Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
Book Review: Fata Morgana by Steven R. Boyett & Ken Mitchroney
Author Q&A: The Last Train by Michael Pronko
Book Review: The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer
Book Review: The Floating Theatre by Martha Conway

Reviews to be added to NetGalley

Fata Morgana by Steven R. Boyett & Ken Mitchroney

New arrivals

A much needed, quiet week for acquisitions. I’ve been able to catch up on reviews, NetGalley ARCs and preparation for blog tours…. I almost feel in control!

The Ice by Laline Paull (ebook, NetGalley)

It’s the day after tomorrow and the Arctic sea ice has melted. While global business carves up the new frontier, cruise ships race each other to ever-rarer wildlife sightings. The passengers of the Vanir have come seeking a polar bear. What they find is even more astonishing: a dead body. It is Tom Harding, lost in an accident three years ago and now revealed by the melting ice of Midgard glacier. Tom had come to Midgard to help launch the new venture of his best friend of thirty years, Sean Cawson, a man whose business relies on discretion and powerful connections – and who was the last person to see him alive. Their friendship had been forged by a shared obsession with Arctic exploration. And although Tom’s need to save the world often clashed with Sean’s desire to conquer it, Sean has always believed that underneath it all, they shared the same goals. But as the inquest into Tom’s death begins, the choices made by both men – in love and in life – are put on the stand. And when cracks appear in the foundations of Sean’s glamorous world, he is forced to question what price he has really paid for a seat at the establishment’s table. Just how deep do the lies go?

The Fall by Martin Lee (ebook, free)

It’s 1998, and Michael O’Neill arrives in Singapore, on his latest mission. His taxi driver recognises him as a famous actor, but long before that, he was a young soldier with the Manchester Regiment, stationed in Singapore.

Manchester, 1938. There’s no jobs to be had, and Reg Dwyer has children to clothe and feed, so he enlists in the army, certain he’ll never see action. He’s sent to Singapore, where he must overcome the stifling heat and the constant longing he feels for his wife Marjorie and his three children by writing endless letters home. The Manchester Regiment is a good bunch of lads, and they all get on, mostly. Then there’s Michael O’Neill, an Irish lad. Being a soldier is not for him, and the others think he is doolally. But when it comes time to fight, he takes orders better than any of them. And then there’s Sergeant Percy B Shelley who works tirelessly to keep the men in line and ready to fight. And then war breaks out and Manchester is bombed. And on a hazy February Day in 1942, everything changes for the Manchester Regiment, when Lieutenant Whitehead gives an order no soldier should have to follow. Now, fifty years later, Michael O’Neill, in the biggest role of his life, returns to say goodbye to the men he knew as lads, who never got to see Manchester again.

You Can’t Make Old Friends by Tom Trott (ebook, free)

Blacklisted by the police. Being sued by a client. And broke. Things can’t get any worse for Brighton’s No.1 Private Detectiv e, Joe Grabarz, in this blistering debut novel from award-winning writer Tom Trott.That’s when his best friend’s body washes up on the beach. Could it really have been ten years? What happened? How could his life have ended like this? He needs answers. But with the city in the grips of organised crime, and struggling to deal with an influx of legal highs, who cares about just another dead drug dealer? Joe, that’s who. After all, you can’t make old friends.

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Book Reviews

On Wednesday I published my review of The Wages of Sin by Kaite Welsh, a historical mystery with a feisty heroine. I’m great fan of Marina Fiorato’s historical fiction and her latest book, Crimson & Bone is a dark, compelling gothic melodrama. I shared my review as part of the blog tour on Friday. There’s a giveaway as well – a chance to win a hardback copy of Crimson & Bone (UK/ROI only) – make sure you enter! Saturday saw my review of Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy. Set in Roman Britain in AD98, this was a cracking, action-packed read and, I hope, the start of a series.

Other posts

On Monday, I shared a list of 10 Book Blogs I Love, risking the wrath of all those other wonderful bloggers I missed off my list! On Tuesday I featured a Q&A with Simon Bourke, author of And The Birds Kept on Singing. Simon shared the inspiration behind this, his debut novel. On Thursday, I was delighted to put another indie author was in the spotlight – S. R. Wilsher, author of The Good Father.

Challenge updates

Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge – 59 out of 78 books read (2 more than last week)
Classics Club – 2 out of 50 books reviewed (same as last week)
NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2017 (Gold) – 33 ARCs reviewed out of 50 (2 more than last week)
From Page to Screen – 6 book/film comparisons completed (same as last week)
The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction Shortlist 2017 – 3 out of 7 read (same as last week)