My Week in Books – 12th January 2025

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On What Cathy Read Next last week

Monday – I published an extract from Lights Along The Interstate by Adam Fike and I shared my sign-up post for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025.

Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025.

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 sign-up post for the When Are You Reading Challenge 2025.

Friday – I shared a look back at My Bookish Goals for 2024.

New arrivals

Woman in Blue by Douglas Bruton (eARC, Fairlight Books via NetGalley)

In the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam, there is a painting called Woman in Blue Reading a Letter. Each day a man visits to gaze at it. He is irresistibly drawn to it. Obsessed by it. He studies the painting, in search of resolutions to his past and present loves, and the Woman in Blue studies him back.

For there is more to the Woman in Blue than any of the men who gaze upon her realise. She has a story of her own to tell.

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Book Review: Homeseeking by Karissa Chen
  • Book Review: The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
  • Extract: The Tudor Prophecy by Julie Strong

Looking Back At My Bookish Goals For 2024 – Win Some, Lose Some

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BlogMilestones_GoalsI like to set myself some book-related goals every year. Now the moment has come to look back to see how I did before I set some new ones for this year.

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2024 Final

  1. Achieve my Goodreads target of reading 104 books – I made it… just.
  2. Read at least 25 books that have been in my TBR pile for longer than two years – Failed. I only managed 16.
  3. Attend Henley Literary Festival and one other literary festival – Achieved. I went to three events at Henley Literary Festival and one at Falmouth Books Festival.
  4. Complete the When Are You Reading? Challenge 2024 – Achieved. My wrap-up post is here.
  5. Complete the What’s in a Name Challenge 2024 – Failed. I matched 5 of the 6 prompts but the final one – a book title involving footwear – eluded me.
  6. Complete the 20 Books of Summer 2024 reading challenge – By my strict rules I failed because I didn’t read all the books on my original list, but most others would say I succeeded because I read 20+ books during the period of the challenge.
  7. Complete the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2024 – Achieved. I read 64 historical fiction books in 2024.
  8. Read all the books on The Walter Scott Prize 2024 shortlist before the winner is announced – Nearly. There was one I didn’t get to – The Upper Country by Kai Thomas
  9. Complete my Backlist Burrow challenge – Failed. I only managed to read one from my list  – All Day at the Movies by Fiona Kidman – so this challenge will have to roll over.
  10. Maintain a 95%+ feedback ratio on NetGalley – Achieved. My ratio is currently 97%.

If you set any book-related goals for 2024, how did you get on?