#WWWWednesday – 18th February 2026

Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too?  Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!


Time of the Child by Niall Williams (Bloomsbury)

Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in the little town of Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from his community. A visit from the doctor is always a sign of bad things to come.

His youngest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father’s shadow, and remains there, having missed her chance at real love – and passed up an offer of marriage from an unsuitable man.

But in the advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy’s lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter’s lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever.

A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia (Picador via NetGalley)

Rome, 1953. David is young, handsome, charismatic and sworn to celibacy. He is freshly ordained, and about to return to England to begin life as a priest. Devotion to God is all he’s ever known.

In London, Margaret is entangled in an impossible love affair. Committed to living on her own terms without sacrificing her faith, she becomes drawn to a women’s movement challenging the archaic rules of the Church.

When their lives are thrown together at a Catholic college in a quiet village, an undeniable connection forms between them. And so begins a story of forbidden love, sacrifice and secrets, with consequences that will reverberate across the generations.

The Cut Line by Caroline Pihelgas, trans. by Darcy Hurford (World Editions)

The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall (The Borough Press)

Cambridge, 1942. Twins Tessa and Theo had always shared everything – until the summer Tessa spent studying in France. She hasn’t been the same since. But before Theo can find out why, he is recruited by the RAF and disappears into the skies.

Determined to carve her own path, Tessa joins the clandestine Special Operations Executive, slipping into the shadows of occupied France. It will be dangerous work, but France is the home of her greatest love – and her darkest secret. Tessa has many reasons for wanting to return.

Two years later, only one of them comes home. (Review to follow)

The Two Roberts by Damian Barr (Canongate)

He will stay like this forever, Robert’s arm draped round him. They will be forever twenty.

Scotland, 1933. Bobby MacBryde is on his way. After years grafting at Lees Boot Factory, he’s off to the Glasgow School of Art, to his future. On his first day he will meet another Robert, a quiet man with loose dark curls – and never leave his side.

Together they will spend every penny and every minute devouring Glasgow – its botanical gardens, the Barras market, a whole hidden city – all the while loving each other behind closed doors. With the world on the brink of war, their unrivalled talent will take them to Paris, Rome, London. They will become stars as the bombs fall, hosting wild parties with the likes of Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and Elizabeth Smart. But the brightest stars burn fastest.

Book Review – Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

About the Book

In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond; mission specialists John Griffin and Lydia Danes; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer.

As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Format: Audiobook Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: 3rd June 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find Atmosphere on Goodreads

Purchase Atmosphere from Bookshop.org [Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops]

My Review

Atmosphere is the first book I’ve read by this author but having read lots of positive reviews I thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it.

The dramatic events that unfold aboard the space shuttle are absolutely gripping. The author keeps the tension high and the level of technical detail gives it a real feeling of authenticity. I enjoyed the insight into the gruelling nature of the training for the astronaut programme. There’s camaraderie amongst the candidates – after all a crew must have total confidence in each other – but there’s also intense competition for places on a mission.

Joan Goodwin is a talented astrophysicist, accomplished pianist and devoted aunt. She could have come across as too perfect but the author shows us her vulnerable side meaning she is always an empathetic figure. Her determination to become an astronaut has dominated her life leaving no time for relationships. It’s an omission that hasn’t really bothered her until she meets someone who will change her life. However, it’s a relationship that must remain hidden as discovery could jeopardise two careers. In the end, Joan’s calm demeanour proves her most important asset. It gives her the opportunity to undertake a crucial role in the space shuttle mission. But it’s one which will test her ability to control her emotions in the most difficult of circumstances.

The gripping final scenes of the book gave me real Apollo 13 vibes (the film version starring Tom Hanks).

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kristen DiMercurio and Julia Whelan. They sounded so similar I didn’t actually realise there were two narrators until the end credits!

In three words: Dramatic, emotional, authentic
Try something similar: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

About the Author

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels AtmosphereCarrie Soto Is BackMalibu RisingDaisy Jones and The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True LovesMaybe in Another LifeAfter I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. She lives in Los Angeles.

Connect with Taylor
Website | Instagram | Facebook