On the blog last week
Monday – I published a guest post by author Paul Linggood about his recently published novel The Boy on the Sofa.
Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was a freebie on the theme of Fall/Autumn. My take on the topic was Books Linked to Autumn Events.
Wednesday – As always #WWWWednesday 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 novel The Marchesa by Sarah Dunant.
Friday – I shared my review of A Monster in the Ash by Susie Gordon as part of the blog tour.
Saturday – I joined other gardeners for #SixonSaturday sharing six things from my garden this week. Plus it being the first Saturday of the month I took part in the #6Degrees of Separation meme forging a bookish chain from Life of M by Rachel Cusk to The Readers’ Room by Antoine Laurain.
New on my shelves
The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet (Penguin)
In 1969, the Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul opened for the first time: a glistening white box, high on a hill, that symbolised Afghans’ hopes for a more prosperous future.
In the decades since, its staff have kept working through multiple coups, a Soviet occupation, civil war, the US-led invasion, and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban.
Here Lyse Doucet offers a vividly human history of modern Afghanistan through the lives of the people who have kept the Inter-Con running. It is the story of a hotel, and the story of a people.
The Bohemian Queen by Jean Findlay (ARC, Scotland Street Press)
Set against the backdrop of political intrigue, religious conflict and exile, the novel leads to 1620 as young Queen Elizabeth, heavily pregnant with her fifth child, flees Prague following the Battle of White Mountain. Married to Frederick, Elector Palatine, Elizabeth had accepted the crown of Bohemia in a move that would plunge Europe into decades of war.
But exile does not diminish her influence. Through court politics, diplomacy and dynastic ambition, Elizabeth continues to shape the future of Europe while giving birth to eight more children, ensuring her descendants become woven into the ruling houses of an emerging continent. She is a survivor, a mother, a leader and a friend of the great philosopher, René Descartes.
What I’m currently reading
I’m still reading Doom Painting by A. K. Blakemore from my NetGalley shelf (it’s 672 pages long) and May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2026.
Look out for…
- Book Review: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
- Book Review: Farewell to Eden by Sebastian Faulks
- Book Review: Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson
