My Week in Books – 17th May 2026

Monday – I published my reviews of Relative Failures by Matthew Sturgis and Flashlight by Susan Choi.

Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was May Flowers and I created a list of Books By ‘Flowery’ Authors (authors with first names that are flowers).

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 list for the latest Classics Club Spin.

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

Conqueror (Agricola #4) by Simon Turney (Head of Zeus via NetGalley)

Following years of distinguished military and political exploits, Agricola has been rewarded with control of Aquitania by the Emperor Vespasian.

But Agricola’s greatest glories have always come in that rainy northern corner of the Britannia. When Vespasian sends him back to Britannia, this time as governor, he has a chance to cement his place in Roman history.

To conquer Britannia completely Agricola must overcome its many Celtic tribes. The Ordovices have massacred a Roman cavalry unit. The Selgovae and Damnonii resist Imperial rule fiercely. And he must take them on with ever fewer troops due to a series of changes at the heart of Roman power.

Failure will mean disgrace or death, but if he should succeed, Agricola will be forever lauded among the pantheon of Rome’s heroes.

Trials of the Heart by Stephen Wade (Northodox Press)

Will the forbidden fruits of their labours come to light?

As the end of the Second World War nears its close, a tense mood surrounds Leeds. Karel Letnov faces the noose at the Leeds assizes. Accused of a string of suspicious killings in the peaceful village of Forley, a war-ravaged community contemplates its future.

Clara nursed Karel back to health following the evacuations from Dunkirk at the start of hostilities. So when her husband, Tom, is found murdered, rumours of a secret relationship abound. 

Alyse Rose, a singer with Ken Kershaw’s dance band, becomes enraptured by the case when it is revealed that Kershaw and Karel were perhaps more than friends.

I’m reading Once the Deed is Done, shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and Carrion Crow, published in paperback on 30th June by Pushkin Press, from my NetGalley shelf


  • Book Review: Paper Sisters by Rachel Canwell
  • Book Review: Goodbye Chinatown by Kit Fan
  • Book Review: Bane of Bernicia by Matthew Harffy

My Week in Books – 10th May 2026

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.

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?

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


  • 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