#WWWWednesday – 28th February 2024

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 Story CollectorThe Story Collector by Iris Costello (ARC, Penguin)

London, 1915: Tarot reader Katerina is trying to hold her life together amid the wartime chaos. When she opens a bakery that offers divination alongside sweet treats, she is hailed as a beacon of hope. But Katerina is hiding a dark truth that could cost her everything.

Germany, 1918: A mute British soldier is taken to a prisoner of war camp where he meets Miriam, a researcher. She is drawn to his gentle manner and secretly vows to help him. But soon she will have to make an impossible will she save the one she loves, or herself?

Cornwall, Present Recently widowed Edie is astonished to discover a mysterious box hidden in the wall of her newly cottage. As Edie starts to investigate, she uncovers a secret that has lain hidden for over a century…

A Tapestry of TreasonA Tapestry of Treason by Anne O’Brien (HQ via NetGalley)

Her actions could make history – but at what price?

1399: Constance of York, Lady Despenser, proves herself more than a mere observer in the devious intrigues of her magnificently dysfunctional family, The House of York.

Surrounded by power-hungry men, including her aggressively self-centred husband Thomas and ruthless siblings Edward and Richard, Constance places herself at the heart of two treasonous plots against King Henry IV.  Will it be possible for this Plantagenet family to safeguard its own political power by restoring either King Richard II to the throne, or the precarious Mortimer claimant?

Although the execution of these conspiracies will place them all in jeopardy, Constance is not deterred, even when the cost of her ambition threatens to overwhelm her.  Even when it endangers her new-found happiness.

With treason, tragedy, heartbreak and betrayal, this is the story of a woman ahead of her time, fighting for herself and what she believes to be right in a world of men.


Recently finished

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey (Penguin)

The Other Princess by Denny S. Bryce (Allison & Busby)

A Madras Miasma (Superintendent Le Fanu Mystery #1) by Brian Stoddart (Crime Wave Press)

Our Souls at Night by Kent Huruf (Picador)


What Cathy Will Read Next

DivaDiva by Daisy Goodwin (eARC, Aria via NetGalley)

In the glittering and ruthlessly competitive world of opera, Maria Callas is known simply as la divina: the divine one. With her glorious voice, instinctive flair for the dramatic and striking beauty, she’s the toast of the grandest opera houses in the world. Yet her fame has been hard won: raised in Nazi-occupied Greece by a mother who mercilessly exploited her, Maria learned early in life how to protect herself.

When she meets the fabulously rich shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, her isolation melts away. For the first time in her life, she believes she’s found a man who sees the woman rather than the legendary soprano. Desperately in love, Onassis introduces her to a life of unbelievable luxury, mixing with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

And then, suddenly, it’s over. The international press announce that Onassis will marry the most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to pick up the pieces.

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2024 Longlist

WalterScottPrizeThe longlist for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2024 was announced on 22nd February. Congratulations to all the authors and publishers of the books on the longlist.

As usual, the longlist provided some surprises but also includes three books I’ve read and two more that are in my TBR pile.

I’ve divided the twelve novels on the list into three parts: those I’ve read and reviewed, those I own but have yet to read, and those that are now on my wishlist (if they weren’t already). Links from the titles will take you to my review or the book description on Goodreads.


Read and reviewed

The New Life by Tom Crewe
My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

Waiting to be read

Music in the Dark by Sally Magnusson
Absolutely & Forever by Rose Tremain

On my wishlist

A Better Place by Stephen Daisley
Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein
For Thy Great Pain, Have Mercy on my Little Pain by Victoria Mackenzie
Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
Mister Timeless Blyth by Alan Spence
In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas

The shortlist will be announced in May by which time I hope to have read more of the longlisted books and be in a position to make a few predictions. Have you read any of the books on the list? Are there any you’re planning to read?
Walter Scott Prize Longlist 2024