What Cathy Read Next...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf. My ‘close your eyes and pick a book’ exercise resulted in 5 books I’ve read and 5 books that are still in my TBR pile. You’ll either recoil in horror at or take comfort from how long some of the latter have been there. Links will take you to my full review if I’ve read the book or the description on Goodreads if I haven’t.

Song by Michelle Jana Chan (Read July 2018) – ‘A wonderful tale of survival, friendship, courage and triumph over adversity. It also has at its heart a tender and heart-warming love story.’
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (Unread, acquired July 2022) – historical fiction
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (Unread, acquired March 2019) – historical fiction
Songbirds by Christy Lefteri (Read July 2021) – ‘I really enjoyed the beautiful writing and the insight it gave into issues I had not thought about before.’
The Lost Shrine by Nicola Ford (Read May 2019) – ‘With apologies to those not familiar with UK TV series, think of it as the intriguing love child of Midsomer Murders and Time Team.’
The Saracen’s Mark by S. W. Perry (Read May 2020) – ‘With its well-crafted plot, lashings of period detail and colourful cast of characters, The Saracen’s Mark will appeal to fans of historical crime mysteries, such as C J Sansom’s Shardlake series.’
The Monk by Tim Sullivan (Read April 2023) – ‘A skilfully crafted and ingenious crime novel with a really engaging protagonist that will keep you turning the pages.’
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (Unread, acquired October 2024) – historical fiction
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex (Unread, acquired December 2020) – historical fiction
The Year Without Summer by Guinevere Glasfurd (Unread, acquired December 2020) – historical fiction

What books did your random grabbing turn up?

Novellas in November 2025

Novellas in November is an annual reading event hosted by Cathy at 746 Books and Rebecca at Bookish Beck designed to celebrate the art of the short book. When it comes to what classifies as a novella, our hosts suggest books should be less than 200 pages, and ideally under 150 pages. There are also two buddy reads including one of the books – Seascraper by Benjamin Wood – on my reading list.

We’re invited to begin the event by posting a review of the novellas we’ve read in the past twelve months. I was a bit disappointed to find so few novellas – four to be precise – amongst the list of books I’ve read since 1st December 2024. They’re listed below with links to my reviews.

For thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria MacKenzie – In the year of 1413, two female mystics – Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich – meet for the first time in the city of Norwich.

Queen Macbeth by Val McDermid – Exploring the truth behind the story of the woman we know as Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare;s play but whose real name was Gruoch and herself possessed royal blood.

Woman in Blue by Douglas Bruton – Each day a man visits the Rijksmuseum to gaze at the painting Woman in Blue Reading a Letter by Vermeer. Only that painting, and for hours on end.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey – Six astronauts rotate in their spacecraft above the earth. Together they watch our silent blue planet: endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.

I’ve scoured my shelves and my Kindle for any novellas I’ve not yet read and have come up with four, including one conveniently recently sent to me by the author.

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood – ‘A mesmerising portrait of a young man confined in by his class and the ghosts of his family’s past, dreaming of artistic fulfilment.’

Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet – ‘A dark, psychological thriller, leavened by moments of black humour and absurdity.’

The Forgotten Daughter by Anirudh Joshi – ‘In the rain-slick alleys of Kamathipura, truth is a luxury few can afford. When Meher disappears, the city shrugs—but one man refuses to forget.’

The Shooting Party by Isobel Colegate – ‘A quiet, elegant meditation on class frustration and the transience of human concern.’