Tag: Currently Reading

My Week in Books – 8th July ’18

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MyWeekinBooks

New arrivals  

The PartyThe Party by Elizabeth Day (ebook)

Martin Gilmour is an outsider. When he wins a scholarship to Burtonbury School, he doesn’t wear the right clothes or speak with the right kind of accent. But then he meets the dazzling, popular and wealthy Ben Fitzmaurice, and gains admission to an exclusive world. Soon Martin is enjoying tennis parties and Easter egg hunts at the Fitzmaurice family’s estate, as Ben becomes the brother he never had.

But Martin has a secret. He knows something about Ben, something he will never tell. It is a secret that will bind the two of them together for the best part of 25 years.

At Ben’s 40th birthday party, the great and the good of British society are gathering to celebrate in a haze of champagne, drugs and glamour. Amid the hundreds of guests – the politicians, the celebrities, the old-money and newly rich – Martin once again feels that disturbing pang of not-quite belonging. His wife, Lucy, has her reservations too. There is disquiet in the air. But Ben wouldn’t do anything to damage their friendship.

Would he?

The One From The OtherThe One from the Other (Bernie Gunther #4) by Phillip Kerr (ebook)

Munich, 1949: Amid the chaos of defeat, it is home to all the backstabbing intrigue that prospers in the aftermath of war. A place where a private eye like Bernie Gunther can find a lot of not-quite-reputable work: cleaning up the Nazi past of well-to-do locals, abetting fugitives in the flight abroad, sorting out rival claims to stolen goods. It is work that fills Bernie with disgust – but it also fills his sorely depleted wallet.

Then a woman seeks him out. Her husband has disappeared. She’s not looking to get him back – he’s a wanted man who ran one of the most vicious concentration camps in Poland. She just wants confirmation that he’s dead.

It is a simple enough job. But in post-war Germany, nothing is simple.

The Unlikely Heroics of Sam HollowayThe Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway by Rhys Thomas (eARC, review copy courtesy of Headline and Random Things Tours)

Sam Holloway has survived the worst that life can throw at you. But he’s not really living. His meticulous routines keep everything nice and safe – with just one exception . . .

Three nights a week, Sam dons his superhero costume and patrols the streets. It makes him feel invincible – but his unlikely heroics are getting him into some sticky situations.

Then a girl comes along and starts to shatter the walls Sam has built around himself. Now, he needs to decide if he’s brave enough to take off the mask, and to confront the grief he’s been avoiding for so long . . .

Hilarious and heart-warming, this is a story about grief, loneliness, and the life-changing power of kindness.

Published in paperback on 9th August 2018, to pre-order from Amazon click here

The Secrets of Primrose SquareThe Secrets of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll (hardcover, prize courtesy of Readers First and Zaffre)

There are so many stories hidden behind closed doors . . .

It’s late at night and the rain is pouring down on the Dublin city streets. A mother is grieving for her dead child. She stands silently outside the home of the teenage boy she believes responsible. She watches . . .

In a kitchen on the same square, a girl waits anxiously for her mum to come home. She knows exactly where she is, but she knows she cannot reach her.

A few doors down, and a widow sits alone in her room. She has just delivered a bombshell to her family during dinner and her life is about to change forever.

And an aspiring theatre director has just moved in to a flat across the street. Her landlord is absent, but there are already things about him that don’t quite add up . . .

Welcome to Primrose Square.

Published on 26th July 2018, to pre-order from Amazon click here

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I joined the blog tour for The Underground River by Martha Conway, sharing my review of this historical fiction novel, published under the title The Floating Theatre in the UK.    I also published my review of another historical fiction title, The Year of the Snake, this time of the historical crime variety, set in ancient Rome.

Tuesday – Top Ten Tuesday saw me compiling a list of Books with Read, White and Blue Covers in honour of the 4th July holiday in the United States the following day.  I also shared my review of a terrific historical crime mystery, The Devil’s Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch.   Thanks to Readers First for my wonderful prize copy. Finally, I did a round-up of my Five Favourite Reads in June.

Wednesday – WWW Wednesday is the opportunity to share what I’ve just finished reading, what I’m reading now and what I’ll be reading next.   Following on from my review of the book Darkest Hour by Anthony McCarten last week, I reviewed the film version (for which McCarten wrote the screenplay) and shared my thoughts on the comparison between the two.  I also joined the blog tour for Nadine Dorries’ latest novel, Shadows in Heaven, hosting a giveaway (UK & ROI only) that closes on 10th July.

Thursday – I hosted a slot on the blog tour for Call of the Curlew by Elizabeth Brooks, publishing my review of this deliciously creepy and atmospheric dual time story.

Friday – I published an excerpt from a historical fiction novel set in WW2 Eritrea that is in my author review pile, The Italian Couple by J. R. Rogers.

Saturday – I took part in the monthly Six Degrees of Separation meme creating a bookish chain that commenced with Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City and ended with The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Look out for the #6Degrees hashtag on Twitter for brilliantly imaginative chains by other book bloggers.   I also published my (spoiler-free) introduction to this month’s Buchan of the Month, The Watcher by the Threshold.  It’s a collection of short stories many of which have a supernatural feel.

Challenge updates

  • Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge – 99 out of 156 books read, 3 more than last week
  • Classics Club Challenge – 16 out of 50 books read, same as last week
  • NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2018 (Gold) – 35 ARCs read and reviewed out of 50, 2 more than last week
  • From Page to Screen– 11 book/film comparisons out of 15 completed, 1 more than last week
  • 2018 TBR Pile Challenge – 5 out of 12 books read, same as last week
  • Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2018 – 48 books out of 50 read, 2 more than last week
  • When Are You Reading? Challenge 2018 – 7 out of 12 books read, same as last week
  • What’s In A Name Reading Challenge – 1 out of 6 books read, same as last week
  • Buchan of the Month – 6 out of 12 books read, same as last week
  • NEW 20 Books of Summer Challenge – 7 out of 20 books read, 1 more than last week

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Book Review: Song by Michelle Jana Chan
  • Blog Tour/Extract: The Distance by Zoe Folbigg
  • Book Review: Legionary: The Blood Road (Legionary #7) by Gordon Doherty
  • Book Review: The Lost Letters of William Woolf by Helen Cullen
  • Book Review: Hold by Michael Donkor
  • Book Review: Grace by Paul Lynch
  • Guest Post: Sheriff and Priest by Nicky Moxey
  • Blog Tour/Q&A: The Girl in the Pink Raincoat by Alrene Hughes

WWW Wednesdays – 4th July ’18

whatcathyreadnext18 Comments

 

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

GraceGrace by Paul Lynch (ebook)

Early one October morning, Grace’s mother snatches her from sleep and brutally cuts off her hair, declaring, ‘You are the strong one now.’ With winter close at hand and Ireland already suffering, Grace is no longer safe at home. And so her mother outfits her in men’s clothing and casts her out. When her younger brother Colly follows after her, the two set off on a remarkable journey in the looming shadow of their country’s darkest hour.

The broken land they pass through reveals untold suffering as well as unexpected beauty. To survive, Grace must become a boy, a bandit, a penitent and, finally, a woman – all the while afflicted by inner voices that arise out of what she has seen and what she has lost.

Song Cover ImageSong by Michelle Jana Chan (review copy courtesy of Unbound and Random Things Tours)

Opening in the mid-nineteenth-century, this dazzling debut novel traces the voyage of Song, a boy who leaves his impoverished family in rural China to seek his fortune. Song may have survived the perilous journey to the colony of British Guiana in the Caribbean, but once there he discovers riches are hard to come by, as he finds himself working as an indentured plantation worker.

Between places, between peoples, and increasingly aware that circumstances of birth carry more weight than accomplishments or good deeds, Song fears he may live as an outsider forever. This is a far-reaching and atmospheric story spanning nearly half a century and half the globe, and though it is set in the past, Song’s story of emigration and the quest for opportunity is, in many ways, a very contemporary tale.

Recently finished (click on title for review)

The Devil's Half MileThe Devil’s Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch (hardcover, prize courtesy of Readers First and Corvus)

New York, 1799: Justy Flanagan, lawyer, soldier, policeman, has returned to his native city, bloodied and battered after fighting in the Irish Rebellion against the English. Determined to hunt down the man who murdered his father, his inquiries lead him to Wall Street and the fledgling stock market there.  But as his investigations into the past move ahead, the horrific murders of young slave women in the present start to occupy his time. Convinced that there is a link between his father’s murder, the deaths of the young women, and a massive fraud that nearly destroyed New York’s economy, Justy can trust no one.

As the conspiracy deepens, it becomes clear that those involved will stop atnothing to keep their secrets. Justy is forced to choose: will he betray his father’s memory, compromise his integrity, and risk the lives of his closest friends, to get to the bottom of a tale so dangerous it could change the landscape of America forever?

The HalfheartedThe Half-Hearted by John Buchan (ebook)

Set in the closing years of the nineteenth century, The Half-Hearted tells the story of Lewis Haystoun, a young Scottish laird, who finds himself unable to commit wholeheartedly to any course of action.

When he fails to seize an opportunity, he interprets this as a sign of cowardice and departs for the Empire’s dangerous North West Frontier to prove himself.

The Year of the SnakeThe Year of the Snake by M. J. Trow and Maryanne Coleman (eARC, courtesy of NetGalley and Endeavour Media)

Sometimes, a snake is just a snake. And sometimes…

First-century Rome.  Senator Gaius Lucius Nerva is taken ill at a dinner party and dies a few days later. His heartbroken wife, Flavia, is told it was a natural death. Calidus, Nerva’s recently freed slave, suspects otherwise.  As he embarks upon the funeral ceremonies, Calidus becomes more and more convinced that his master was murdered and begins an investigation, seeking out everyone who had attended the dinner party.

His enquiries lead him to rub shoulders with the ‘great and good’ of Rome; senators, soldiers, even the ruthless and mercurial Emperor Nero. And his former lover, Julia Eusabia, who seems intent on rekindling their romance and luring him away from his wife and daughter.  Calidus’ quest is by no means easy or safe as he encounters the darkest and most dangerous people in Rome. But he knows he must keep searching for the person responsible, to bring justice to the master he had loved.

This racy historical whodunnit brings to life the sights, smells and sounds of ancient Rome, with sharp humour and a Christie-style finale to boot.

Call of the CurlewCall of the Curlew by Elizabeth Brooks (ebook, courtesy of Random Things Tours and Doubleday)

Virginia Wrathmell has always known she will meet her death on the marsh in reparation for the mistakes of her childhood.

On New Year’s Eve, at the age of eighty-six, Virginia feels the time has finally come.

In 1939, Virginia is ten, an orphan arriving to meet her new adoptive parents, Clem and Lorna Wrathmell, at their mysterious house, Salt Winds. The house sits right on the edge of a vast marsh, a beautiful but dangerous place. It’s the start of a new life for Virginia, but she quickly senses that all is not right between Clem and Lorna – in particular, the presence of their wealthy neighbour Max Deering, who takes an unhealthy interest in the family. When a German fighter plane crashes into the marsh, Clem ventures onto the deadly sands to rescue the airman. And that is when things really begin to go wrong…                     (Review to follow as part of blog tour)

What Cathy (will) Read Next

Legionary_The Blood RoadLegionary: The Blood Road (Legionary #7) by Gordon Doherty (eARC, courtesy of the author)

81 AD: The Gothic War draws to a brutal climax, and the victor’s name will be written in blood…

The great struggle between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Gothic Horde rumbles into its fifth year. It seems that there can be no end to the conflict, for although the Goths are masters of the land, they cannot topple the last of the imperial cities. But heralds bring news that might change it all: Emperor Gratian readies to lead his Western legions into the fray, to turn matters on their head, to crush the horde and save the East!

The men of the XI Claudia legion long for their homeland’s salvation, but Tribunus Pavo knows these hopes drip with danger. For he and his soldiers are Gratian’s quarry as much as any Goth. The road ahead will be fraught with broken oaths, enemy blades… and tides of blood.   Published on 10th July 2018.  Pre-order via Amazon here

A Long Island StoryA Long Island Story by Rick Gekoski (eARC, courtesy of NetGalley and Canongate Books)

It is 1953, a heat wave is sweeping across America and the Grossmans – Ben, Addie and their two children – are moving their lives from the political heart of Washington DC to suburban Long Island. Benny was a successful lawyer in the Department of Justice, but all that has come tumbling down. With the McCarthy era of paranoia, persecution, and propaganda at its height, his past has come back to haunt him, forcing him to pack up his family and leave the capital behind.

With their future uncertain, life in Long Island starts to open old wounds for Ben and Addie, both start to wonder if they were meant for more, whether their future might look different than they planned, and whether their marriage – their family – is worth fighting for . . .

A Long Island Story is a portrait of a marriage in crisis, of a unique and fascinating period in US history and of a seemingly perfect family fighting their demons behind closed doors.