Tag: memes

#WWWWednesday – 13th April 2022

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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

The CapsariusThe Capsarius by Simon Turney (ARC, Head of Zeus)

Egypt, 25BC. A former surgeon from the city of Ancyra, Titus Cervianus is now a capsarius – a combat medic. He is a pragmatist, a scientist – and deeply unpopular with his legion, the Twenty Second Deiotariana.

The Twenty Second has been sent to deal with uprisings and chaos in Egypt. Founded as the private royal army of one of Rome’s most devoted allies, the king of Galatia, their ways are not the same as the other legions’ – a factor that sets them apart and causes friction with their fellow soldiers.

Marching into the unknown, Cervianus will find unexpected allies in a local cavalryman and a troublesome lunatic. Both will be of critical importance as the young medic marches through the searing sands of the south, finding forbidden temples, dark assassins, vicious crocodiles, and worst of all, the warrior queen of Kush…

Recently finished

The Swallowed Man by Edward Carey (Gallic Books)

The Lost Boy of Bologna by Francesca Scanacapra (Silvertail)

The Physician’s Daughter by Martha Conway (Zaffre)

The Fall by Rachael Blok (Aries Fiction)

Fortune by Amanda Smyth (Peepal Tree) 

Eddie Wade has recently returned from the US oilfields. He is determined to sink his own well and make his fortune in the 1920s Trinidad oil-rush. His sights are set on Sonny Chatterjee’s failing cocoa estate, Kushi, where the ground is so full of oil you can put a stick in the ground and see it bubble up. When a fortuitous meeting with businessman Tito Fernandez brings Eddie the investor he desperately needs, the three men enter into a partnership. A friendship between Tito and Eddie begins that will change their lives forever, not least when the oil starts gushing. But their partnership also brings Eddie into contact with Ada, Tito’s beautiful wife, and as much as they try, they cannot avoid the attraction they feel for each other. (Review to follow)

What Cathy (will) Read Next

The Dark FloodThe Dark Flood by Deon Mayer (ARC, Hodder & Stoughton) 

One last chance. Almost fired for insubordination, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughan Cupido find themselves demoted, exiled from the elite Hawks unit and dispatched to the leafy streets of Stellenbosch. Working a missing persons report on student Callie de Bruin is not the level of work they are used to, but it’s all they get. And soon, it takes a dangerous, deeply disturbing turn.

One last chance. Stellenbosch is beautiful, but its economy has been ruined by one man. Jasper Boonstra and his gigantic corporate fraud have crashed the local property market, just when estate agent Sandra Steenberg desperately needs a big sale. Bringing up twins and supporting her academic husband, she is facing disaster. Then she gets a call. From Jasper Boonstra, fraudster, sexual predator and owner of a superb property worth millions, even now.

For Sandra, the stakes are high and about to get way higher.

For Benny Griessel, clinging to sobriety and the relationship that saved his life, the truth about Callie can only lead to more trouble.

#TopTenTuesday Authors I Haven’t Read, But Want To

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Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

  • Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
  • Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
  • Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
  • Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week topic is Authors I Haven’t Read, But Want To, a topic suggested by Deanna at A Novel Glimpse. My list is a combination of authors whose books I’ve heard about and authors whose books I own but haven’t yet got around to reading.

Redhead By the Side of the RoadAnne Tyler – I’ve seen Anne’s books receiving high praise from many other bloggers including for her most recent book, French Braid. And she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

SnowJohn Banville – I have two of the author’s books on my bookshelves – Snow and April in Spain. My husband read Snow a few months back and really enjoyed it so that’s a recommendation I can’t ignore. John Banville also won the Booker Prize in 2005 for his novel The Sea.

Jane Harper – An author who has won numerous awards for her crime novels, this is another example of my husband having a better record of reading books sitting on our bookshelves than I do. He read and enjoyed Force of Nature, the second book in the author’s Aaron Falk series, recently.

Still LifeSarah Winman – I really have no excuse not to have read one of Sarah’s books, especially since I own a lovely signed copy of her much-praised book, Still Life.  And it’s on the longlist (and possibly the shortlist by the time you read this) for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2022. I always try to read as many as I can of the books on the list.

Girl Woman OtherBernadine Evaristo – Another Booker Prize winning author whose books I’m keen to read. By now you won’t be surprised to learn that I have a copy of Girl, Woman, Other and that it’s as yet unread. 

The RoadCormac McCarthy – There are some authors whose books fall into the category of modern classics and I think Cormac McCarthy is one of those. His best known book is probably The Road for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007. It’s post-apocalyptic theme still seems relevant to the times we’re living through.

The Sweetness of WaterNathan Harris – It was more a book – The Sweetness of Water – and its subject matter that drew my attention to this author. His debut novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize. And, yes, I do have a copy on my bookshelf.

GileadMarilynne Robinson – I can thank a previous Top Ten Tuesday topic (21st Century Books I Think Will Become Classics) for the inclusion of this author in my list. I’m most likely to pick up Gilead which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005. 

The Last PartyClare Mackintosh – This is an author I’m aware has accumulated legions of fans for her bestselling crime thrillers. It’s a genre I don’t read much but I have a proof copy of The Last Party which I’m looking forward to reading.  

Rose NicolsonAndrew Grieg – This is an author I was unaware of until his novel Rose Nicholson appeared on the longlist for the Walter Scott Prize 2022. Once I read some reviews of the book I concluded this was an author whose books I’d enjoy. Even more so when I looked at his backlist and noticed he’d written a book called The Return of John MacNab, inspired by John Buchan’s novel John MacNab (regular followers of this blog will know I’m a huge Buchan fan). 

Which authors do you have in your sights?