Tag: Currently Reading

My Week in Books – 27th October ‘19

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MyWeekinBooks

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I published my review of the final event I attended at this year’s Henley Literary Festival – Anne De Courcy talking about her book Chanel’s Riviera.  I also republished my review of The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby to celebrate its imminent publication in paperback.

Tuesday –  The Top Ten Tuesday topic was Books I’d Give Different Titles To. I wimped out a bit on this instead sharing a list of books that have been published under different titles.

Wednesday – WWW Wednesday is the opportunity to share what I’ve just read, what I’m currently reading and what I plan to read next…and have a good nose around to see what other bloggers are reading.

Thursday – I took part in the birthday book blitz for The Summer Springsteen’s Songs Saved Me by Barbara Quinn and republished my review of Stealing Roses by Heather Cooper to coincide with its publication in paperback.

Friday – I shared my reading list for the Nonfiction November Reading Challenge which starts next week and continues throughout November.

As always, thanks to everyone who has liked, commented on or shared my blog posts on social media this week.

New arrivals

Mrs Ps Book of SecretsMrs P’s Book of Secrets by Lorna Gray (eARC, courtesy of One More Chapter and NetGalley)

The Cotswolds, Christmastime 1946: A young widow leaves behind the tragedy of her wartime life, and returns home to her ageing aunt and uncle. For Lucy – known as Mrs P – and the people who raised her, the books that line the walls of the family publishing business bring comfort and the promise of new beginnings.

But the kind and reserved new editor at the Kershaw and Kathay Book Press is a former prisoner of war, and he has his own shadows to bear. And when the old secrets of a little girl’s abandonment are uncovered within the pages of Robert Underhills’s latest project, Lucy must work quickly if she is to understand the truth behind his frequent trips away.

For a ghost dwells in the record of an orphan girl’s last days. And even as Lucy dares to risk her heart, the grief of her own past seems to be whispering a warning of fresh loss.

There are no white shrouded spectres here, no wailing ghouls. Just the echoes of those who have passed, whispering that history is set to repeat itself.

The Honourable Life of Thomas ChayneThe Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne by Cynthia Jefferies (eARC, courtesy of Allison & Busby and NetGalley)

Thomas Chayne has never managed to impress his overbearing father, and when a small act of rebellion has lasting consequences, Thomas finds himself exiled in disgrace.

But with England on the brink of civil war, a larger revolution is in the air and Thomas has an opportunity to prove his worth by rallying a troop of royalists to defend Oxford from the escalating violence.

But he soon faces an impossible choice between honouring his family and his loyalty to the crown …

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
  • NonFiction November Week 1 : Your Year in Nonfiction
  • Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween Freebie
  • Waiting on Wednesday
  • Book Review: Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
  • Book Review: The House of the Four Winds by John Buchan
  • Blog Tour/Book Review: The House That Alice Built by Chris Penhall
  • Six Degrees of Separation

WWW Wednesdays – 23rd October ‘19

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WWWWednesdays

Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too?  Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!

Currently reading

Chanels RivieraChanel’s Riviera: The Cote d’Azur in Peace and War, 1930-1944 by Anne De Courcy (audio book)

Far from worrying about the onset of war, the burning question on the French Riviera in 1938 was whether one should curtsey to the Duchess of Windsor.

Featuring a sparkling cast of historical figures, writers and artists including Winston Churchill, Daisy Fellowes, Salvador Dalí, the Windsors, Aldous Huxley and Edith Wharton – and the enigmatic Coco Chanel at its heart – Chanel’s Riviera is a sparkling account of a period where such deep extremes of luxury and terror had never before been experienced.

From the glamour of the pre-war parties and casinos, to Robert Streitz’s secret wireless transmitter in the basement of La Pausa – Chanel’s villa that he created – while Chanel had her German lover to stay during the war, Chanel’s Riviera explores the fascinating world of the Cote d’Azur elite in the 1930s and 1940s, enriched with original research that brings the lives of both rich and poor, protected and persecuted, to vivid life.

The Tide Between UsThe Tide Between Us by Olive Collins (e-book, review copy courtesy of the author)

1821: After the landlord of Lugdale Estate in Kerry is assassinated, young Art O’Neill’s innocent father is hanged and Art is deported to the cane fields of Jamaica as an indentured servant. On Mangrove Plantation he gradually acclimatises to the exotic country and unfamiliar customs of the African slaves, and achieves a kind of contentment. Then the new heirs to the plantation arrive.

His new owner is Colonel Stratford-Rice from Lugdale Estate, the man who hanged his father. Art must overcome his hatred to survive the harsh life of a slave and live to see the eventual emancipation which liberates his coloured children. Eventually he is promised seven gold coins when he finishes his service, but he doubts his master will part with the coins.

One hundred years later in Ireland, a skeleton is discovered beneath a fallen tree on the grounds of Lugdale Estate. By its side is a gold coin minted in 1870. Yseult, the owner of the estate, watches as events unfold, fearful of the long-buried truths that may emerge about her family’s past and its links to the slave trade. As the body gives up its secrets, Yseult realises she too can no longer hide.

Recently finished

Their Eyes Were Watching GodTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (ebook)

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston’s beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom.

Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose.

A true literary wonder, Hurston’s masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published—perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature. (Review to follow)

What Cathy (will) Read Next

20191015_134401_resizedThe House of the Four Winds by John Buchan (hardcover)

A sequel to Huntingtower and Castle Gay, The House of the Four Winds is set in Central Europe in the 1930’s. Scottish grocer Dickson McCunn features in his most exciting role. Gorbals Die-hards, Jaikie and his pals, are now dabbling in politics. On his trek across Europe, Jaikie is warned to avoid Evallonia. However Jaikie cannot resist taking a look and ends up needing to be rescued.  Evallonia’s fate hangs in the balance until Dickson McCunn appears on the scene.