books – Page 16 – What Cathy Read Next…

On the blog last week

Tuesday – I went off-piste for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, revisiting My Winter 2025/2026 To-Read List.

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 sign-up post for the 20 Books of Summer 2026 reading challenge.

Saturday – I joined other gardeners for #SixonSaturday, sharing six things happening in my garden this week.

New on my shelves

The Newer World by Sebastian Barry (Viking via NetGalley)

“I knew as I made my way home that there was no home. All the old things…were gone forever.”

Born into bondage in Union-leaning northwestern Tennessee, Tennyson Bouguereau’s life revolves around his sister, Rosalee, his work in the Magan family’s tobacco fields, and keeping apart from his pro-Confederate neighbors.

In the wake of emancipation, when a gang of defeated soldiers descends on the farm—now also home to Irish immigrant Thomas McNulty; his companion, John Cole; and their adopted Lakota daughter, Winona—Tennyson commits a deadly act.

Tennyson will not now have the chance to till the ten acres Magan has given him and Rosalee as their own. Instead, he must leave everything he knows, and venture into the newer world.

Rose & Renzo by Carolyn O’Brien (Northodox Press)

Manchester, 1936.

Fascism looms in Europe, and Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts are on the rise.

After the death of their father, two sisters arrive in Manchester’s vibrant ‘Little Italy’: creative misfit, Rose, and her much older sister, Ivy. Fearful of Rose’s impulsiveness, Ivy seeks to control her, forcing her to give up her cherished place at art school.

Frustrated and desperate to pursue her passion, Rose meets Renzo, a painter arrived from Europe. Their connection is instant and powerful. Yet as their feelings deepen, Renzo’s past in Mussolini’s Italy remains a mystery.

As Blackshirts march across the city, Rose is drawn to the fight against fascism, even as she’s compelled to face the devastating question: just which side is Renzo on?

What I’m currently reading

I’m reading Once the Deed is Done, shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and Bane of Bernicia (published on 4th June by Head of Zeus) from my NetGalley shelf

Look out for…

Book Review: Relative Failures by Matthew Sturgis
Book Review: Paper Sisters by Rachel Canwell
Book Review: Flashlight by Susan Choi
Book Review: Goodbye Chinatown by Kit Fan

Last year Cathy at 746 Books handed over the baton of the 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge to two new hosts: Annabel at AnnaBookBel and Emma at Words and Peace. This year Annabel has taken on sole hosting duties producing brand new graphics and a new hashtag #20BOS26.

The 20 Books of Summer 2026 challenge runs from 1st June to 31st August. You can find all the information you need about the challenge here where you can also sign up to participate.

Every year I approach the challenge high on ambition and usually low on likelihood of success. I’m aiming for the full 20 books again but this year with a healthy dose of realism. Therefore the majority of books on my list are from my NetGalley shelf, prioritising those with publication dates between June and September that I should theoretically be reading during that period anyway. I’ve added a couple from my current Classics Club list, my book club’s June pick and a couple of nonfiction books. Finally the remaining books longlisted for this year’s Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction that I haven’t yet read.

I usually like to stick to my original list but this year I’m going to take advantage of the option to swap books in and out, especially where I need/want to move newly acquired books up my reading pile. Links from the titles will take you to the book description on Goodreads or my review.