My Week in Books – 4th May 2025

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On the blog last week

Tuesday – I chose the word ‘blue’ for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic, Books With [Word] In The Title.

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 shared My Top 3 April 2025 Reads.

Saturday – I took part in the #6Degrees of Separation meme forging a book chain from Rapture by Emily Maguire to Conclave by Robert Harris.

New on my shelves

The Book of Days by Francesca Kay (audiobook, Swift Press)

Anno Domini 1546. In a manor house in England a young woman feels the walls are closing round her, while her dying husband is obsessed by his vision of a chapel where prayers will be said for his immortal soul.

As the days go by and the chapel takes shape, the outside world starts to intrude. And as the old ways are replaced by the new, the people of the village sense a dangerous freedom.

The Last Apartment in Istanbul by Defne Suman (Apollo via NetGalley)

Pericles Drakos has lived in the exquisite Circle Building for all of his seventy-five years. From its lofty windows, he has seen his little corner of Istanbul shift and transform. But as the area has become increasingly gentrified, Pericles has retreated into its shadowy corners. And when the pandemic hits, his isolation deepens.

But when Leyla, a sparky and beautiful thirty-something moves in, Pericles is enthralled. And when he discovers Leyla is a writer, he decides to put his own pen to paper and record his own fraught that of a Greek man subjected to the politics of oppression and intimidation in twentieth-century Turkey.

Kane by Graham Hurley (Head of Zeus via NetGalley)

Washington DC, 1941. Quincy Kane, hero of the Boston Police Department and scourge of organised crime, is now a Secret Service agent. His meteoric rise means he’s trusted to guard the most important man in the country: President Roosevelt.

Then Imperial Japan attacks the US naval base at Pearl Harbor.

For Kane, American entry to World War II means the most crucial mission of his career: a complex scheme of bribery and subterfuge that will see him cross the Atlantic. He could change the course of the conflict and save thousands of Allied lives.

First, though, he will have to survive a return to the world of organised crime via the City of Angels itself: Los Angeles, where every gangster has Quincy Kane in their crosshairs.

What I’m currently reading

I’m reading Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, listening to The Book of Days by Francesca Kay – both books on the shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction – and reading My Name is Emilia Del Valle by Isabel Allende from my NetGalley shelf.

Look out for…

  • Book Review: Sister Rosa’s Rebellion (The Meonbridge Chronicles #6) by Carolyn Hughes
  • Book Review: The Kellerby Code by Jonny Sweet
  • Book Review: Days of Light by Megan Hunter
  • 20 Book of Summer 2025 Sign-Up

#6Degrees of Separation – A book chain from Rapture by Emily Maguire to Conclave by Robert Harris

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It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for 6 Degrees of Separation.

Here’s how it works: a book is chosen as a starting point by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.

Kate says: Books can be linked in obvious ways – for example, books by the same authors, from the same era or genre, or books with similar themes or settings. Or, you may choose to link them in more personal or esoteric ways: books you read on the same holiday, books given to you by a particular friend, books that remind you of a particular time in your life, or books you read for an online challenge. Join in by posting your own #6Degrees chain on your blog and adding the link in the comments section of each month’s post.   You can also check out links to posts on X using the hashtag #6Degrees.

This month’s starting book is Rapture by Emily Maguire. It’s set in 9th century Europe and tells the story of Agnes who disguises herself as a man and becomes a scribe in a Benedictine monastery. Apparently it’s inspired by the apocryphal story of the female Pope Joan. It’s a book I haven’t read but is on my wishlist.

All sorts of monastic routes suggested themselves but I’ve gone with For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by Victoria Mackenzie which depicts, in fictional form, the lives of two female religious figures – Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe. It was longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2024.

Staying in the 14th century, in Sister Rosa’s Rebellion by Carolyn Hughes, Sister Rosa finds herself torn between her vows of obedience and her dismay at the changes wrought by the new prioress of Northwick who seems to prioritise her own pleasure over piety.

Leaping ahead to the 1950’s, in Murder at Gull’s Nest by Jess Kidd former nun Nora Breen arrives in the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her pen pal.

Switching to male religious figures now let’s go to 17th century Scotland and Witch Wood by John Buchan which sees young parish priest David Sempill arrive in Woodilee to find evidence of Satanic practices and witchcraft amongst some of his flock.

There’s no witchcraft to defeat in My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor, just Nazis to outwit. The book is based on the true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty who, from his base in Vatican City, smuggled thousands of Jews and escaped Allied prisoners out of occupied Rome during World War Two.

This very obviously takes me to Conclave by Robert Harris, not least because of the recent death of Pope Francis and the fact a real life conclave will be taking place soon behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know there’s a link to the starting book in this month’s chain.

My chain has a distinctly spiritual theme. Where did your chain take you?

Witch Wood