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! What I'm…

I'm thrilled to welcome author Robert Porter to What Cathy Read Next today to talk about his novel The Winter Raven: The Pirate of Boscastle Bay which was published on 10th September 2026. The Winter Raven is available to purchase as an ebook or in paperback from Amazon. As you'll learn from his guest post, when it comes to creating vivid historical fiction, for Robert it's all about location, location, location.

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…

September started off with the most glorious weather, which clearly arrived especially for my birthday weekend. OH and I took the opportunity to explore nature and recharge our batteries, and were …

Reading update I read eight books in September, two fewer than the previous month. I didn't manage to read all my ARCs publishing in September which had been my objective. I have two left and they are both over 600 pages so that's my excuse. October is a quieter month so I'm hoping to be able to dig into my TBR pile as well.

We Chase Shadows is the second in the We Solve Murders series from Richard Osman. The detective agency We Solve Murders comprises ex-policeman Steve, his daughter-in-law Amy and best-selling novelist Rosie. They haven't had many (okay, any) murders to solve since they set the company up six months earlier, which suits Steve just fine as he'd rather be sitting in the pubs with his pals.

On the blog last week Monday - I published a guest post by author Paul Linggood about his recently published novel The Boy on the Sofa. Tuesday - This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic was a freebie on the theme of Fall/Autumn. My take on the topic was Books Linked to Autumn Events. Wednesday – As always #

Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. We were promised rain overnight on Tuesday but unfortunately it bypassed us here in Berkshire. On a more positive note my order of spring bulbs and vegetable seeds for next year has arrived. One - Do you think I've ordered enough bulbs?

It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for 6 Degrees of Separation. Here’s how it works: a book is chosen as a starting point by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.

Welcome to today's stop on the blog tour for A Monster in the Ash by Susie Gordon which will be published on 15th October 2026. My thanks to Kelly at Folk PR for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Claret Press for my review copy. About the Book Sadie Shaposnick spent the war running a black-market racket out of her husband Leon’s East End butcher shop.

Welcome to the first day of the blog tour for The Marchesa by Sarah Dunant which will be published in paperback on 7th October 2026. My thanks to Kelly at Folk PR for inviting me to take part in the tour and Weatherglass Books for my review copy. About the Book Inside the opulent world of the Italian Renaissance, Isabella d’Este ruled not just by birth-right, but by wit, will, and an unquenchable thirst for power.

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! What I'm…

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…

I'm thrilled to welcome Paul Linggood to What Cathy Read Next today to talk about his novel The Boy on the Sofa which was published by Broadwater Books on 25th September 2026. The Boy on the Sofa is available to purchase as an ebook or in paperback from Amazon and other retailers. Although I'm 'officially' closed to review requests, Paul's book sounded so compelling I couldn't help agreeing to add it to my review pile.

On the blog last week Tuesday - This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic was Books on my Autumn 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.

Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. This week has seen another dry spell so it's watering cans at the ready again. There's no end in sight to the hosepipe ban until, Thames Water inform us, there has been a substantial period of rain.

This year's Henley Literary Festival takes place between between Friday 2nd and Sunday 11th October. Authors appearing at this year's Festival include Ben Okri, Susie Dent, Meg Mason, Kate Mosse, Lucy Worsley and Victoria Hislop. There's also a varied programme of children's events. All in the beautiful setting of Henley-on-Thames. I'm going to seven events this year and links from the author names will take you to the event details on the Henley Literary Festival website where you can purchase tickets, including for livestreamed events.

About the Book Mrs Danowski – known as Danni – is the housekeeper of a grand mansion on the wild coast of Cornwall. When glamorous young writer Daphne du Maurier visits Manderville Hall to research her new novel, she and Danni are drawn into a clandestine and intoxicating affair. For Danni, it is an all-consuming love; for Daphne a submission to long-suppressed desires.

Hosted by Lipsy Lost and Found, my Wednesday post gives you a taste of what I’m reading this week. A similar meme is run by Taking on a World of Words.  At sunrise, high in the Itali…

Information Goodreads: The Circular StaircaseSeries: NoneAge Category: AdultSource: LibraryPublication Date: 1908 Summary Rachel Innes is persuaded by her young adult wards to take a house to let i…

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! What I'm…

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…

On the blog last week Monday - I published my review of The Newer World by Sebastian Barry. Tuesday - I went off-piste for this week's Top Ten Tuesday with a list of Books with Alliterative Titles. 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...

This year is the first in a few years that I’ve got any excitement up about the Booker Prize, and I’ve now read four titles with a fifth just published (Switzy by Emma Cline) arriving i…

About the Book Fourteen stories. Fourteen more poisons. Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean it’s all made-up … Agatha Christie is renowned for her captivating plots and creative ways of killing off ill-fated victims. And what better way to add intrigue to a story than poison? The surreptitious ways they can be administered and the characteristic symptoms they produce make these killer chemicals the ideal method of murder in a ‘whodunit’.

Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. No sooner had we been celebrating the arrival of rain than it's disappeared again, at least here in the south of England. It would do wouldn't it just as we've installed two additional water butts to collect water from the guttering on the new potting shed.

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! What I'm…

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…

About the Book I knew as I made my way home that there was no home. All the old things . . . were gone forever. Against the rapidly shifting landscape of post Civil War America, Tennyson Bouguereau - freed man, devoted brother, nascent singer, conflicted soldier and wanted man - journeys to find meaning and belonging. From the relative safety of home in Tennessee with his sister Rosalee, he is offered the possibility of a whole new life in Nashville, until a surprising trip to Victorian England changes everything.

On the blog last week Tuesday - This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic was an Indie freebie. I shared a list of Favourite Independent Publishers. 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.

About the Book A private plane cuts through the winter night, somewhere over Greenland. David, a retired executive, sits back in his leather seat, playing solitaire on his phone. Click. Click. Drag. Click. In his pocket is a notebook filled with urgent reminders — but he can no longer read his own handwriting. He’s travelling with his assistant. There will be a stopover in London, dinner with his adult daughter, a meeting in France with an old friend.

#SixOnSaturday for 12/09/2026. This week I mowed the lawn!

Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. There's a real feel of autumn in the air. Does anyone else find it slightly depressing to have to put lights on in the house in the evening? There's a sense this year's growing season is coming to an end and it will soon be time to tuck up the garden for the winter.

About the Book Summer, 1923. Six-year-old Catherine Carolan grows restless on her parents' farm. It's already clear that her intellect will soon outgrow the two-room schoolhouse across the fields. But in post-Civil War Ireland, an education is not an easy thing for a girl to access, and young Catherine is not the only one in her family who will come to tire of rural life.

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! What I'm…

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…

On the blog last week Monday - I published my review of Conqueror by Simon Turney, the fourth and final book in the Agricola series. Tuesday - This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic was Books With Nationalities in the Title. I also shared my final update for the 20 Books of Summer 2026 reading challenge. Plus I shared my review of historical mystery…

It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for 6 Degrees of Separation. Here’s how it works: a book is chosen as a starting point by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.

Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. Well, we've had rain but of course not really enough to make up for the weeks of drought. Only fellow gardeners will understand the joy that full water butts can bring... One - Finally some beetroot worth harvesting.

About the Book Gabriel Dax is on route to Russia, tasked with delivering a mysterious Blanco drawing to celebrated defector, Kit Caldwell. But Caldwell is convinced that the KGB suspects him of treachery and he wants to get out - now. When Gabriel is ordered by his enigmatic handler Faith Green to help, he is pulled into a web of shifting loyalties and dangerous escape plans.

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves was the latest pick for my book group. It is always so interesting to hear other people's reactions to a book and see how much they differ. I always try to guess what the other members will think based on previous books we've discussed and what I know they generally like. I got it well and truly wrong this time!

Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.