On What Cathy Read Next last week
Monday – I published my review of Molly & the Captain by Anthony Quinn.
Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was a Hallowe’en Freebie and my list consisted of books featuring witchcraft or witch hunting.
Wednesday – 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 review of historical crime mystery Rivals of the Republic by Annelise Freisenbruch.
Saturday – I took part in the #SixonSaturday meme sharing six highlights from my garden this week.
New arrivals
My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor (eARC, Vintage via NetGalley)
When the Nazis take Rome, thousands go into hiding. One priest will risk everything to save them.
September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. The war’s outcome is far from certain.
An Irish priest, Hugh O’Flaherty, dedicates himself to helping those escaping from the Nazis. His home is Vatican City, the world’s smallest state, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway. Here Hugh brings together an unlikely band of friends to hide the vulnerable under the noses of the enemy.
But Hauptmann’s net begins closing in on the Escape Line and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. By Christmastime, it’s too late to turn back.
Based on an extraordinary true story, My Father’s House is a powerful literary thriller from a master of historical fiction. Joseph O’Connor has created an unforgettable novel of love, faith and sacrifice, and what it means to be truly human in the most extreme circumstances.
Devils and Saints by Jean-Baptiste Andrea, trans. by Sam Taylor (ARC, Gallic Books)
An elderly man gives virtuoso piano performances in airports and train stations. To the incredulity of the passers-by, he refuses their offers to play in concert halls, or at prestigious gatherings. He is waiting for someone, he tells them.
Joseph was just sixteen when he was sent to a religious boarding school in the Pyrenees: les Confins, a dumping ground for waifs, strays, and other abandoned souls. His days were filled with routine and drudgery, and he thought longingly of the solace he found through music in his former life.
Joe dreams constantly of escape, but it seems impossible. That is, until a chance encounter with the orphanage’s benefactor leads him to Rose, and a plan begins to form…
Humorous even in its darkest moments, Devils and Saints tells a daring tale of camaraderie, love, and good triumphing over evil.
On What Cathy Read Next this week
Currently reading
Planned posts
- My Five Favourite October 2022 Reads
- Book Review: The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
- #6DegreesofSeparation
Six on Saturday is a weekly meme orignally hosted by 
One – The rosemary bushes (right) have started flowering again, much to the delight of the bees. I spent a lovely few days in Falmouth recently and spotted a rosemary with a much darker blue flower in the garden of the hotel where we were staying so of course I nicked a cutting.
Two – The choiysa (left) also has a second flush of flowers. It has pretty much taken over one corner of the garden between the hawthorn hedge and a crab apple tree so it is overdue for some taming.
Three – Despite giving it a drastic chop back a month or so ago in an attempt to give it a better shape (or perhaps because of) this bay laurel (right) is covered with beautifully scented flowers.
Four – The Japanese anemones (left) can be relied upon to deliver some late colour to the garden. They spread everywhere but I tend to leave them, especially as they are a pain to dig out.
Five – I have no idea how this cyclamen (right) found its way into the garden and managed to make itself at home at the edge of a gravel path but I’m glad it did. And yes, I should have cleared away the leaves from the hazel before taking the picture.
What Cathy Read Next... 