Cathy J

Graphic showing fronts covers of books longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026 with profile pictures of their authors beneath

How's your reading of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Ficton longlist coming along? Here's my progress so far.. #books #WalterScottPrize #historicalfiction ⏳️📚 #booksky 💙📚

Graphic showing front covers of the five books shortlisted for the Winston Graham Historical Prize 2026

Right, the judging's done for this year's Winston Graham Historical Prize. The winner will be announced tomorrow evening at the awards ceremony at Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery. Who's your money on? #Cornwall #WinstonGrahamHistoricalPrize #books #historicalfiction ⏳️📚 #booksky 💙📚

#WWWWednesday – 11th March 2026 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…

#WWWWednesday Check out the books I've just read, I'm reading now & I'll be reading next #books #bookreviews #amreading #booksky

#TopTenTuesday Take Your Positions – Ten Historical Fiction Book Series #TuesdayBookBlog 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…

#TopTenTuesday Take Your Positions - Ten Historical Fiction Book Series #TuesdayBookBlog #books #bookreviews #historicalfiction #booksky

One to watch out for: Wonderful by Louise Beech | #bookreview #FiveStars Today is International Women's Day so it seems rather appropriate to be sharing my review of a book which very much celebrates women. You will have to wait a bit for this one if you like the sound of it as it's not due out until June but I promise it's worth waiting for. I'd like to thank the author, Louise Beech, for sending me an early digital copy of…

One to watch out for: Wonderful by Louise Beech | #bookreview #FiveStars

Today is International Women's Day so it seems rather appropriate to be sharing my review of a book which very much celebrates women. You will have to wait a bit for this one if you like the sound of it as it's not due out…

My Week in Books – 8th March 2026 On the blog last week Tuesday - This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic was a freebie on the theme of genre. I shared ten Historical True Crime Novels, i.e. novels based on or inspired by real cases. 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...

My Week in Books - Books read, reviewed & acquired this week #books #bookreviews #amreading #booksky

Front cover of hardback edition of What Remains After A Fire: Stories by Kanza Javed against a pale wood background. The front cover has a large image of a plant with bright green leaves and yellow flowers against a black background.

Graphic with caption 'Longlist Celebration Blog Tour 9th - 19th March' above a bust of Dylan Thomas alingside a shelf of books spines outward. At the top are the logos of Swansea University and the Dylan Thomas Prize

Thanks to @wwnortonuk.bsky.social for my copy of What Remains After A Fire: Stories by Kanza Javed, longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize 2026. Look out for my review as part of the longlist blog tour starting next week #SUDTP26 #DylanThomasPrize #books #shortstories #booksky 💙📚

#BookReview: The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter @HarperCollinsUK @fictionpubteam #TheLastWidow #damppebbles “From the No.1 bestselling author comes a gripping new crime thriller featuring Will Trent and Sara Linton It begins with an abduction. The routine of a family shopping trip is shattered when…

#fivestarflashback ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#BookReview: The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter @harpercollins.bsky.social @fictionpubteam #TheLastWidow #damppebbles
➡️ buff.ly/3SaW4wF

#whattoread #bookish #BookSky #skybrarians #bookrecs #bookrecommendation

Yes, I swear he would have won the prize if it had been based just on the author's reading from their book

#SixOnSaturday – Six things happening in my garden this week Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. It's been another week with some dry and sunny days here in Berkshire, albeit still chilly overnight. The rain returned on Friday so the al fresco mid-morning coffee breaks have had to be paused temporarily. However, the turf laid in the autumn in our revamped front garden has had its first cut and I spotted a pair of robins who look like they're setting up home in one of our hedges.

#SixOnSaturday - Six things happening in my garden this week #gardens #gardening #growyourown #flowers #nature

#sixonsaturday 07-03-26 : with 2 camellias, pruning trees and wood chips, bananas 🌱, fredgardenerblog2.wordpress.com/2026/03/07/s...

A collage of six photographs of flowers, comprising: a pale pink six petalled Hellebore with dark purple at the centre and creamy large stamens; two spires of electric blue/purple star-like Hyacinth flowers edged with pale blue stripes; a cluster of dainty white Daffodil flowers with short orange trumpet-like centres, covered with dew; a bright glossy yellow petalled lesser celandine flower with yellow stamens & dark glossy black leaves; a twig covered with small white blossom with slightly pink centres; two pale blue star-like Chionodoxa flowers with dark blue stripes.

In today's #SixOnSaturday... a 'Sugar Plum' Hellebore, fragrant Hyacinths, a mini Narcissus named 'Baby Doll,' a 'Brazen Hussey' lesser celandine, Prunus incisa 'Kojo-no-mai' blossom & Chionodoxa 🌱 onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2026/03/07/s...

He read an excerpt from it at the award ceremony for last year's Walter Scott Prize and it was brilliantly done 👏

#6Degrees of Separation – A book chain from Wuthering Heights to The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte 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.

#6Degrees of Separation - A book chain from Wuthering Heights to The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte #books #bookreviews #booksky

My Top 3 February 2026 Reads February was a slow reading month (only five books finished) because I was concentrating on rereading the books shortlisted for the Winston Graham Historical Prize ahead of the meeting with my fellow judges next week. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on Thursday 12th March at Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery. You can find my three favourite February reads below with links to my full review or the book description on Goodreads.

My Top 3 February 2026 Reads #books #bookreviews #TheShockOfTheLight #WhenTheCranesFlySouth #APrivateMan #booksky

Review in the Gloss Mag

Great to see Sweep the Cobwebs Off the Sky by @maryodonnell.bsky.social
featured in ‘the best new books this March’ in The Gloss Mag

‘The writing has such light to it.’

Published on 19th March amd available now for pre-order.

#epoquepress #books #bookcommunity #booksky

Would make a great choice for Reading Ireland Month 2026 hosted by @cathybrown746.bsky.social #readingirelandmonth26 🇮🇪☘️ #books #Ireland #booksky 💙📚 746books.com/2026/03/01/i...

Book Review – The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry @canongatebooks About the Book What if we ride out tonight? What if we ride out and never once look back? October, 1891. Butte, Montana. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city is rich on cop…

#ThrowbackThursday My review of The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry, shortlisted for the #WalterScottPrize 2025 @canongate.co.uk #books #bookreviews #historicalfiction ⏳️📚 #booksky 💙📚 whatcathyreadnext.co.uk/2024/06/29/b...

*NEW BLOG POST*

Today on #damppebbles I am sharing this week's #WWWWednesday post. Find out what I've recently finished reading, what I'm currently reading and what I plan to read next!

Check out my post here...
➡️ buff.ly/IJuN3lz
#BookSky #skybrarians #books #bookish #book

“You don’t so much read about the folk of Meonbridge as dwell amongst them for a few precious hours” @whatcathyreadnext.bsky.social

CHILDREN’S FATE, the Fourth Meonbridge Chronicle, Silver Medal, the Coffee Pot Book Club Awards 2024 for #Medieval #HistFic

#Kindle #KU #Paperback

mybook.to/F7c6

Graphic showing front covers of the five noveks shortlisted for the Winston Graham Historical Prize 2026

Not long to wait now until the winner of the Winston Graham Historical Prize 2026 is announced at Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery on 12th March. Who will scoop the prize? #books #historicalfiction ⏳️📚 #booksky 💙📚 #WinstonGrahamPrize 🏆

Book Review – The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall About the Book Cambridge, 1942. Twins Tessa and Theo had always shared everything – until the summer Tessa spent studying in France. She hasn’t been the same since. But before Theo can find out why, he is recruited by the RAF and disappears into the skies. Determined to carve her own path, Tessa joins the clandestine Special Operations Executive, slipping into the shadows of occupied France.

My review of the compelling, moving & authentic The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall #books #historicalfiction #booksky

#WWWWednesday – 4th March 2026 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…

#WWWWednesday - Check out the books I've just read, I'm reading now & I'll be reading next #books #bookreviews #amreading #booksky

Rhubarb leaves and red stems

Rhubarb crumble anyone? #gardens #gardening #growyourown 🌱

Close up of white blossom on damson tree

Blossom on the damson tree already 🌱 #gardens #gardening #Gardeningfeed #bloomscrolling #spring

Ten historical true crime novels including the Walter Scott Prize longlisted Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet #walterscottprize #historicalfiction ⏳️📚 #booksky 💙📚

#TopTenTuesday Historical True Crime Novels #TuesdayBookBlog 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…

#TopTenTuesday Historical True Crime Novels #books #historicalfiction #truecrime #TuesdayBookBlog #booksky

“In Winter I Get Up At Night” by Jane Urquhart – Book Review #AudiobookReview #LibbyListen @LibbyApp #InWinterIGetUpAtNight #CanadianFiction @McClellandBooks A dual timeline novel from one of Canada's greatest writers. 1960s - Emer McConnell is an itinerant music teacher in Saskatchewan. She is single, but has memories of a 'great love' named Harp. A man who was a scientist that made a great discovery. A man that she could never really call hers.  Emer walks with a cane. She has been very lame ever since she was a child.

“In Winter I Get Up At Night” by Jane Urquhart – Book Review #AudiobookReview #LibbyListen @LibbyApp #InWinterIGetUpAtNight #CanadianFiction @McClellandBooks

A dual timeline novel from one of Canada's greatest writers. 1960s - Emer McConnell is an itinerant music teacher in Saskatchewan. She is…

My Week in Books – 1st March 2026 On the blog last week Tuesday - This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic was Bookish Quotes and I shared the opening lines of ten of the books on the longlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026. 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...

My Week in Books - Books read, reviewed & acquired this week #books #bookreviews #amreading #booksky

Fictionophile’s February 2026 #BookHaul #AnticipatedReads #TBR #ForthcomingTitles #ForthcomingFiction #bookbloggers #BookSky📚💙 This month I added 4 new review commitments to my TBR mountain. Three were offered to me via invitations ; One was an auto-approval. (All book descriptions are linked to Goodreads.) I received TWO …

Fictionophile's February 2026 #BookHaul #AnticipatedReads #TBR #ForthcomingTitles #ForthcomingFiction #bookbloggers #BookSky📚💙 fictionophile.com/2026/02/28/f...