Left on the Shelf

About the Author

Margaret Amatt is a bestselling Scottish author, professional daydreamer, and certified chocolate addict. She’s been making up stories for as long as she can remember – some of them even made it onto paper (and, tragically, onto floppy disks that no computer can read anymore). After two decades of writing in secret, she finally unleashed her first novel on the world in 2021, kicking off a ten-book series set on the stunning Isle of Mull.

But why stop there? She’s also the creator of The Glenbriar Series, where romance, small-town drama, and a pinch of spice keep readers coming back for more. This series is still going strong, with more books planned!

Margaret has spent her whole life in Scotland’s breath-taking Highland Perthshire, despite her entire extended family coming from the Glasgow area. Her books are romantic and emotional, sweet and funny, and each one can be read as a standalone, but long-time readers know the joy of familiar faces popping up, adding to the chaos.

So, if you love relatable characters, sizzling chemistry, and plenty of banter, you’re in the right place – just don’t blame Margaret when you stay up way too late reading just one more chapter.

You can also find Margaret at:

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Friday, 14 November 2025

Not Pop Pop by Angela De Groot & Illustrated by MacKenzie Haley - #bookreview

Yay! It's library day.

The doors SWISH open.

I slide my old books down the chute.

The Blurb

In this sweet and tender picture book, a trip to the library turns into an adventure in kindness and a reminder that people experiencing homelessness deserve compassion and respect--just like every human.

During a visit to the library, Brian is sure he sees his Pop-Pop around the corner--same eyes, same beard, same bushy eyebrows.

Nope, that's not Pop-Pop!

This man brushes his teeth in the restroom and his sneakers are patched with duct tape. Some people make frowny faces and even call him mean words, but Not Pop-Pop loves books, puzzles, and turtles, just like Brian.

He may not be Brian's pop-pop, but could he be someone's?

Not Pop-Pop also includes a kid-friendly resource for adults to begin conversations about homelessness, empathy, and ways that anyone can make a big difference in the life of a person in need.

My Review

Not Pop Pop is a touching story and is perfect for sharing with children.

The story begins with a young boy, Brian, and his mum entering the library to exchange his books. When he thinks he spots his own Pop Pop he becomes very excited but soon realises that it is not his Pop Pop. Instead, he finds a man who is shabbily dressed, who brushes his teeth in the sink in the library toilets and who seems to be living in his car.

This realisation leads to his mum explaining to him about homelessness. Whilst, other library users are disapproving and even call Pop Pop unwelcome names, his mum is able to teach him about compassion and understanding of those less fortunate than ourselves.

The colourful illustrations by MacKenzie Healey support the text perfectly and will catch the eye of young readers.

Additionally, at the back of the book are sections about homelessness intended for both children and their parents/carers. Headed as Understanding Homelessness, How we can Help and For Parents, Caregivers and Teachers, there is something for everyone in this lovely picture book.

November is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month in the US and an ideal time to share this book with little ones. In the UK we mark World Homeless Day on the 10th October. That said, this would be a marvellous book to share with children at any time and to introduce this important issue.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0593578926

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

Formats: e-book and hardback

No. of Pages: 40 (hardback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

About the Author

Angela De Groot was born in England, grew up in South Africa, and now lives in New Jersey with her family.

Angela’s debut picture book, NOT POP-POP (PRH/Waterbrook) is a 2025 Moon Beam Gold Medal Winner for Compassion and a 2025 Anna Dewdney Read-Together Award finalist. Angela hopes that her writing inspires curiosity and compassion while creating worlds that readers can find and lose themselves in.

A lifelong lover of reading and writing, Angela teaches ESL and Basic Literacy at her local library. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her in the garden talking to the birds.

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(book and media courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Thursday, 13 November 2025

Charles II's Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza by Susan Abernethy - #bookreview

Shortly before the union of the crowns, the financing of the India fleets and the operation of the royal spice monopoly had become too much for the Crown to manage...

The Blurb

Catherine of Braganza has regularly been referred to as ‘the forgotten queen’ and there is much truth in this statement. Following her death in 1705, a fully detailed biography in English remained unwritten until 1915. The last major bio published about her was in Portuguese in 1941 and it has never been translated into English. Despite her sheltered and religious upbringing, she made a spectacular marriage that was plagued by the infidelities of her husbands. Readers can readily find published biographies of Charles II’s many glamourous mistresses, but curiously, little on his wife.

This new work presents more comprehensive information on Catherine’s life in Portugal than previous biographies and integrates new scholarship regarding Catherine’s practice of queenship and patronage of Catholic Baroque culture in an effort to carve out a prominent role at the Stuart court and to compete with her rivals. Readers familiar with Catherine’s story may learn some delightful new details about her life. Catherine has never been forgotten in Portugal. She considered herself Portuguese at heart and during her reign as Queen of England, she persistently looked out for Portuguese interests. In her own words, she considered her marriage a personal sacrifice to what was best for her home country. She is one of the few dowager queens in history to return to her homeland where she acted as regent for her brother.

This biography places Catherine within the context of the history of Portugal and their seaborne empire, and the strong political and commercial ties between England and Portugal dating to the mid-fourteenth century which played a key role in the culmination of the Marriage Treaty of 1661. Her legacy lives on in her dowry, specifically the port of Bombay which allowed England to become a global empire, introducing many everyday items into European culture.

My Review

History is full of the stories of kings and other great men. But what about the queens who served alongside them? In this book, the author, Susan Abernethy, brings to the fore the life and legacy of Catherine of Braganza.

Catherine was the wife of Charles II, a little-known queen who I am pleased to have learned more about in this informative book. She may be the 'forgotten queen' here in the UK, but in her homeland of Portugal, her legacy lives on to this day. In addition, she had a significant influence on English culture.

In this book, Catherine's story is sandwiched between the history of the time before and after her death. The author portrays the political upheaval of the period before Catherine's arrival as the bride of Charles II. Indeed, it demonstrates why the British looked to Portugal to provide a queen for the king, and this has clearly been extensively researched.

My heart went out to Catherine on many occasions. Not only was she parted from her family in Portugal and all that was familiar to her, sent to a country where she neither spoke the language nor understood the English culture, but she also had to contend with a string of mistresses that her husband, the king, openly flaunted before her and society.

The author provides the reader with glimpses into the primary sources with the inclusion of letters and contemporary accounts, all of which blend together to provide this excellent narrative of Catherine's life.

The author has done a great job in celebrating Catherine's life in this book. She has elevated a little-known, female historical figure, bringing her to the fore in this excellent book.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1036121648

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Formats: Hardback

No. of Pages: 248

Purchase Links

About the Author

Susan Abernethy has a degree in history and is a member of the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association, the Society for Renaissance Studies, the Historical Writers Association and The Historical Association. Her blog, The Freelance History Writer has been continuously publishing historical articles since 2012, with an emphasis on European, Tudor, medieval, Renaissance, Early Modern and Women’s history.

Susan's latest book, The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe is due to be published on 30th November and is available for pre-ordered here.

You can also find Susan at:

Bluesky

Catherine of Braganza

King Charles II

(ARC and media courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Wednesday, 12 November 2025

A Week in the Life of Amelia Nash by Sarah Healey - #bookreview

“My mother, of course, was never boring. At the house in Lucas Street she took a hammer to the wall in the middle of the night.”

The Blurb

Amy hasn’t spoken to her mother for seventeen years, but a sense of duty brings her to the hospital when she’s told that her mother is unconscious and dying. As she sits, solitary, at the bedside, she tells the story of her turbulent childhood, dragged along in the wake of her volatile, destructive mother.

After an acrimonious divorce, Amy’s mother rushes through a succession of unreliable boyfriends and plunges herself and her young daughter into a series of temporary homes, including a dangerous hostel, a flimsy caravan, an artists’ commune with no electricity and bird droppings in the hearth, and a rented house that she smashes and burns to the ground. When stability at last comes into their lives, Amy’s mother seems determined to destroy it, leading to a final, devastating betrayal.

This is the story of a vicious love-hate relationship, a bond that can never really be broken, and a life spent seeking a home.

My Review

This is a powerful book which has been beautifully written and fully deserves the five stars I have given it.

It is a short book at only 176 pages, but each one of those has been superbly executed. Each word has been crafted and placed with care, and the result is this absolute gem of a book.

It tells the story of Amy, who has received a call informing her that her mother, the titular Amelia Nash, has had a stroke and is dying. They have been estranged for many years, but as Amy sits by her hospital bedside, she mentally revisits the toxic relationship they have shared, from childhood to the present day.

It is a tale of a complex relationship but was told with humanity and sensitivity. The book deals with some difficult themes, but the author treats her characters with compassion. It is brutal but honest, and makes for excellent reading.

At some point in our lives, many of us will sit at the bedside of a dying parent, and this book will resonate with many readers. However, this book never felt depressing because it was obvious from the outset that Amy would find her own way in life.

Sarah Healey is an author I have never read before. Based on the quality of this book, I will definitely be reading some of her back catalogue and looking forward to what she might bring us in the future.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1915975164

Publisher: Portland Press

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 176 (paperback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

Having worked for ten years as a criminal defence lawyer in busy courts and police stations, Sarah Healey settled down in the far reaches of West Cornwall to live a quiet life, writing and editing books.

She is the author of five novels, Red Blue Green, Having Fun, The Day of the Trial, The Night Watch and A Week in the Life of Amelia Nash.

You can also find Sarah at:

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Bluesky

(book and media courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Tuesday, 11 November 2025

Kittiwake Stormhaven and the Pirate's Portolano by Victoria Williamson - #bookspotlight #blogtour

The Blurb

A daring mission, a sister turned pirate and a sea full of secrets…

In a world of water where land is a legend, 11-year-old Kittiwake Stormhaven dreams of adventure aboard the Amazon Princess. When a vital mission takes the ship into dangerous waters, Kittiwake discovers shocking news - her long-lost sister, Petrel, is now a feared pirate queen.

Kittiwake must outsmart pirates, outmanoeuvre storms and face ghostly captains to save her ship, her mischievous monkey Caboodle and her friends. But in a high-stakes showdown, family loyalty collides with survival, and Kittiwake learns the ocean hides more secrets than she ever imagined.

Kittiwake Stormhaven is a fast-paced, sea-swept adventure filled with daring rescues, thrilling discoveries and the magic of friendship.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0722355732

Publisher: Tiny Tree Books

Formats: e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 174 (paperback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author from Glasgow, Scotland, who loved reading

books and writing adventure stories from an early age. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK.

Her previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, War of the Wind, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, Norah’s Ark, The Whistlers in the Dark, Feast of Ashes, and Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs. Her books have won the RED Book Award 2024, YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023 and the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, and have been short-listed and long-listed for numerous other awards. War of the Wind and Norah’s Ark were also both nominated for the 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medals.

Victoria writes and edits Key Stage 2 books for the education company Twinkl. She spends the rest of her time writing novels and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops. Her latest novel, Kittiwake Stormhaven and the Pirate’s Portolano, channels her love of pirates and swashbuckling adventure to create a steampunk world set on the seven seas, and is illustrated by the very talented James Brown.

You can also find Victoria at:

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Bluesky

(media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Monday, 10 November 2025

The Cameo Keeper by Deborah Swift - #bookreview #blogtour

Around the edge of the piazza the purveyors of predictions had ceased their trade. Mia had no clients; all business was in hiatus...

The Blurb

Rome 1644: A Novel of Love, Power, and Poison

Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always ― Dante Alighieri

In the heart of Rome, the conclave is choosing a new Pope, and whoever wins will determine the fate of the Eternal City.

Astrologer Mia and her fiancé Jacopo, a physician at the Santo Spirito Hospital, plan to marry, but the election result is a shock and changes everything.

As Pope Innocent X takes the throne, he brings along his sister-in-law, the formidable Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, known as La Papessa – the female Pope. When Mia is offered a position as her personal astrologer, she and Jacopo find themselves on opposite sides of the most powerful family in Rome.

Mia is determined to protect her mother, Giulia Tofana, a renowned poisoner. But with La Papessa obsessed with bringing Giulia to justice, Mia and Jacopo's love is put to the ultimate test.

As the new dawn of Renaissance medicine emerges, Mia must navigate the dangerous political landscape of Rome while trying to protect her family and her heart. Will she be able to save her mother, or will she lose everything she holds dear?

For fans of "The Borgias" and "The Crown," this gripping tale of love, power, and poison will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

My Review

I am a huge fan of this author, and was delighted to be given the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication.

Although the book is the fourth in the series, sufficient of the back story was included in this novel to inform the reader of the gist of what had gone before. Although I have read several other books by this author, this was my first in this particular series.

The main characters, Mia and her betrothed Jacopo, are great characters. Both are principled and have integrity. Jacopo is a doctor who just wants to help people. Mia shares his views although she is an astrologer and she seeks to aid people in making wise decisions according to the stars.

Set in Rome during the mid 17th century the book is oozing with atmospheric details. The author clearly has researched her period thoroughly and that comes across very well in the book. I felt immersed in the setting and almost felt as though I was there.

I was gripped by the story and I was fully invested in the characters and the society in which they lived. The author uses a good blend of narrative and dialogue to move the story along and that balance made for excellent reading.

I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. I am confident that you will enjoy this book every bit as much as I did.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1739360467

Publisher: Quire Books

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 362 (paperback)

Series: Book 4 in the Giulia Tofana Series

Purchase Links

About the Author

Deborah Swift is the author of twenty novels of historical fiction. Her Renaissance novel in this series, The Poison Keeper, was recently voted Best Book of the Decade by the Wishing Shelf Readers Award. Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was the winner of the BookViral Millennium Award, and is one of seven books set in the WW2 era.

Deborah lives in the North of England close to the mountains and the sea.

You can also find Deborah at:

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(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Friday, 7 November 2025

A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft - #bookreview #blogtour

Georgine tied the laces of her running shoes, keeping one anxious eye on the patterned glass in her front door and the two manly shapes silhouetted by November sunlight...

The Blurb

Can the happiest time of year heal the most broken of hearts?

Georgine loves Christmas. The festive season always brings the little village of Middledip to life. But since her ex-boyfriend walked out, leaving her with crippling debts, Georgine’s struggled to make ends meet.

To keep her mind off her worries, she throws herself into organising the Christmas show at the local school. And when handsome Joe Blackthorn becomes her assistant, Georgine’s grateful for the help. But there’s something about Joe she can’t quite put her finger on. Could there be more to him than meets the eye?

Georgine’s past is going to catch up with her in ways she never expected. But can the help of friends old and new make this a Christmas to remember after all?

My Review

This was a lovely Christmas story and I am so glad that I read it.

The story begins with debt collectors hammering on the door of the main character, Georgine. However, the debts don't belong to her but to her ex-boyfriend, for whom they accrued whilst he lived with her. Now that he has left, he hasn't informed those to whom he owes money and has left Georgine to deal with the fallout.

Georgine loves her job, working with young people in a music college. She is run off her feet dealing with the Christmas productions, so is relieved when she finds herself with a volunteer assistant, Joe. It's not long before the chemistry between them fizzes, but what Georgine doesn't realise is that she already has a past with Joe.

The book is multi-layered. Whilst it makes for easy, festive reading, there is a deeper theme running throughout. As well as debt, the book considers neglect and hunger. However, the author writes about these issues sensitively, and the book never becomes depressing.

Instead, it is an uplifting and hopeful novel, filled with the charm of Christmas with a little romance thrown in. I really enjoyed getting to know both Georgine and Joe and I found myself rooting for them throughout.

This is a lovely novel to enjoy over the festive period, and would make a lovely gift for others.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0008765194

Publisher: Avon

Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 384 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

About the Author

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author. Her novels have been #1 on Kindle UK and Top 100 on Kindle US, Canada, Germany and Italy. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Novel of the Year, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award, two HOLT Medallions and the Katie Fforde Bursary. She’s the president of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world.

You can also find Sue at:

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Tuesday, 4 November 2025

Ines by Catherine Mathis - #excerpt #extract #blogtour

I am delighted to be bringing you an excerpt of this book today.

Ines by Catherine Mathis is the first book in the Queens of Portugal trilogy and looks fabulous.

The Blurb

An heir to the throne, a gorgeous blonde lady-in-waiting, the king's trusted advisor. When a father and son don't understand each other, the son pays an outrageous price.

Love, jealousy, loyalty, and revenge roil the court of 14th century Portugal.

In this engrossing launch to the Queens of Portugal trilogy, Catherine Mathis gives a fresh take on the tale of Pedro and Inês, Portugal's real-life Romeo and Juliet. Pedro's father would not have been king if not for his trusted advisor, Gonçalves. Once king, he wants no part in neighboring Castile's royal convulsions though his son, Pedro, befriends powerful Castilians.

The all-consuming drive of the king is to ensure his line rules Portugal for centuries to come. He needs legitimate, strong heirs. The Infante Pedro loves a woman not deemed worthy to wear the crown as queen. Between father and son is Gonçalves, the king's powerful, unquestioned counselor who is mentor to the son. Both Gonçalves and Pedro seek the attention of Inês.

There is a horrific cost to winning the love of Inês. She will not release her grip on Pedro until he keeps the two sworn oaths he made to her. Can Pedro do the impossible to satisfy Inês?

Inês is based on real people and events, exploring a cultural touchstone of Portuguese history.

The Excerpt

The Death of King Dinis

Chão da Feira Palace, Santarém 6th and 7th of January 1325

Despite Afonso’s anxious wish to get to the palace, a throng forced them to a slow walk as they exited the castelo’s grounds to make for the other side of town, lest they overrun a child or animal in the crowded street. The large horses nearly filled the narrow road and caused people to back up against walls or step into alleys. Afonso and Gonçalves approached the square with the Monestario de Sao Francis coat the northeastern end and the Chão da Feira Palace on the eastern side of the square. They passed the facade of the palace to enter a courtyard gate. The Infante Afonso and his men dropped to the ground from their snorting coursers; the spurs on their boots made a sharp clanging sound as they hit the stones. They stretched weary limbs and took a few steps toward the doorway.

“Come to seek a final blessing from our father?” taunted. His laughter echoed off the stone walls of the palace’s inner ward. Sancho and João emerged from the shadows of the royal apartment’s portal into the light of torches as the setting sun cast dim winter light into the courtyard. A casual swagger suggested confidence.

Gonçalves bumped into Afonso, who turned and whispered with widened eyes, “We are too late.”

“Give not the two bastards the satisfaction of your unease,” Gonçalves whispered in return. When Afonso spoke, Gonçalves realized his advice had fallen on deaf ears.“

Has he passed? Have you played the part of Jacob? Why are you not in Albuquerque?” the Infante Afonso snapped as his eyes narrowed.

Gonçalves feared Afonso would either grab or punch Sancho. He noticed servants had paused and were taking in the scene. A fight among royal brothers as the king lay dying would not be seemly. The king cannot be dead, he reasoned, or an armed escort would greet them.

“Come,” Gonçalves said, attempting to calm the infante’s blaze of anger. “Ignore these surly whoresons. Let us go to the king’s bedchamber.”

January’s cloudy day and icy winds had left the newly arrived men chilled to the bone. Last night’s poor sleep on hard ground diminished the men’s temperament. Urgency drove them here, and now they would learn their destiny.

Afonso’s gaping mouth and labored breath betrayed his shock at seeing his half-brothers looking for all the world as though they owned Santarém. Gonçalves’s message and warning had not adequately prepared the infante for the situation. Sancho’s strutting, evidenced confidence, and belied his status as a man exiled from Portugal. João, nine years older than Sancho, played the sycophant to the younger man.

With Gonçalves in tow, Afonso brushed roughly past Sancho and João to step inside the portal. Of the two remaining men-at-arms, one stayed to deal with the horses while the other followed Afonso and Gonçalves into the staircase. Sniffing the piquant air on entering the stairs to the royal apartments, Gonçalves’s nose wrinkled, and his mouth involuntarily watered. The aroma of cloves, roasted meat, and chestnuts enveloped them and set their stomachs growling. Gonçalves shut his eyes briefly to breathe in deeply the rich scents boding well for a good meal, a mug of wine, and a warm fire.

“Come,” Afonso commanded, jerking him out of his moment of anticipation. Afonso had raced up a dozen steps before pausing mid-step and turning back to seek them. They climbed the steps two at a time to catch up. They strode down the hall and turned left into an antechamber filled with men. The man-at-arms paused in the passageway to wait, as it was not his lot to enter the king’s solar. Conversation ceased as Afonso erupted into the room; he moved swiftly across the space to enter his father’s bedchamber. Afonso neither looked at nor spoke to anyone as he passed through the room.

The king was hardly visible under a mound of coverlets. The pungent air shrouded their heads, stale and smelling of the gas a body passed as death neared. While Gonçalves paused a few feet from the foot of the bed, Afonso moved to stand next to his mother, Queen Isabella.

Afonso gazed down at his father’s waxen features. The shallow rising and falling of the king’s chest told Gonçalves the king was yet alive. Gonçalves saw the breath go out of Afonso as his shoulders relaxed. For a moment, Gonçalves was lightheaded with relief. He glanced around the king’s private bedchamber. The queen was the only woman present. While the outer room teemed with courtiers of various levels of importance, the bedchamber held half a dozen men of the highest rank. The bishop and chanceler stood by the side of the bed opposite the queen. The other four men huddled by the fire ceased their whispered conversation upon Afonso’s entrance.

“My Lady, I came as soon as I heard,” Afonso said, turning to his mother. “He looks so pale. Have you spoken with him today?”

“Your father has slept this day,” Queen Isabella sighed without looking at Afonso.

The bishop cleared his throat, drawing their eyes to him. The bishop spoke, “Welcome Dom Afonso. Your safe arrival is a blessing. King Dinis woke briefly yesterday to make a final confession, receive the host, and hear last rites. He did on the last day of the year just past make his fourth Will and Testament. He is shriven and in all manner prepared to meet his Lord in Heaven. Your brother Sancho spoke privately with him but yesterday.” With a touch of malice, he offered, “Mayhap Sancho will have some word to share of what passed twixt them."

Gonçalves made a mental note to find some way to repay so cruel a comment. All knew the ill blood between Afonso and Sancho. For Afonso to learn that the king, in his dying moments, had spoken with Sancho and not Afonso was a tonic of bitter wormwood. Now Gonçalves prayed theold king would wake and speak yet one more time with his final words to Afonso.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1592116027

Publisher: Histria Fiction

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 360 (paperback)

Series: Book 1 in the Queens of Portugal trilogy

Purchase Links

About the Author

Catherine Mathis was born in Berlin, the daughter of an American spy. As she grew up in Washington, D.C., her spy father turned into a drug enforcement agent. His career change wrecked any chance at high school popularity. She graduated from Sewanee | The University of the South with a degree in history focused on the medieval period. After a career in finance, she returned to her first love of medieval history to ‘Share Iberian Tales.’ Outside of writing, spare time joys are family, friends, reading, collecting folk/outsider art, and travel.

You can also find Catherine at:

(media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

Monday, 3 November 2025

10 Ten Books I Want to Read in November 2025 - #booklist

Hello November! It's so lovely to see you again with your crispy brown leaves and warm indoor fires.

Here is my list of ten books that I hope to read this month.

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

I've been following her for the past few days.

I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works.

I don't know the colour of her eyes or what they look like when they're scared. But I will.

Mia Dennett can't resist a one-night stand with the enigmatic stranger she meets in a bar. But going home with him might turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life…

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

In 1914, war feels far away to Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood. They're too young to enlist, and anyway, Gaunt is fighting his own private battle - an all-consuming infatuation with the dreamy, poetic Ellwood - not having a clue that his best friend is in love with him too.

When Gaunt's mother asks him to enlist, he signs up immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings. But Ellwood and their classmates soon follow him to the front. Ellwood and Gaunt find love in the trenches – but just as war brought them together, it can tear them apart…

An epic, unforgettable love story between two soldiers in the First World War, In Memoriam is a breath-taking debut.

The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn by Helene Harrison

Mistress. Queen. Reformer. Traitor. Icon.

This book is not like any others you might have read on Anne Boleyn.

It is not a biography of the life of Henry VIII’s second wife and queen.

What this book does is to examine Anne Boleyn through images and perceptions of her.

Through documents, letters, images, propaganda, films, novels and historical biographies, this book explores Anne Boleyn through more than 500 years of history.

Explore how perceptions of her have changed and developed over time.

Whether she is seen as a mistress, a queen, a mother, a reformer, a traitor, or a tragic heroine, Anne Boleyn continues to inspire so much exploration and even new discoveries today.

See Anne through the eyes of people who knew her, loved her, hated her, and studied her.

In the present day, Anne Boleyn has quite a devoted scholarship, honed through perceptions built over the last half a millennium.

Her life, reign, and tragic death at the hands of the man who tore England apart to be with her have made Anne Boleyn one of the most divisive and exciting figures in English history.

The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams

Spitalfields, 1840.

A murderer nicknamed The Man of Crows.

A heroine with a mysterious past and a vivid imagination.

Catherine Sorgeiul lives with her Uncle in a rambling house in London's East End. When a murderer strikes, ripping open the chests of young girls and stuffing hair into their mouths to resemble a crow's beak, Catherine is fascinated, and devours news of his exploits.

As the murders cause panic throughout the city, she comes to believe she can channel the voices of his victims and that they will lead her to The Man himself. But she's already far closer than she realises - and lurking behind the lies she's been told about her past are secrets more deadly and devastating than anything her imagination can conjure.

The Broken Afternoon by Simon Mason

A SHOCKING DISAPPEARANCE

A four-year-old girl goes missing in plain sight outside her nursery in Oxford, a middle-class, affluent area, her mother only a stones-throw away.

A TRIGGERING RESPONSE

Ryan Wilkins, one of the youngest ever Detective Inspectors in the Thames Valley force, dishonourably discharged three months ago, watches his former partner DI Ray Wilkins deliver a press conference, confirming a lead.

A DARK WEB

Ray begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of criminal forces in the local area. But while Ray's investigation stalls Ryan brings his unique talents to unofficial and quite illegal inquiries which will bring him into a confrontation with the very officials who have thrown him out of the force.

Christmas Wishes at the Station Bookshop by Margaret Amatt

While Glenbriar twinkles with Christmas lights, both Scarlett and Lloyd are haunted by their pasts, drawn together in their present, and uncertain of their future.

Queen Esther by John Irving

Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board a ship from Bremerhaven to Portland, Maine, and anti-Semites murder her mother in Portland. In the orphanage at St. Cloud’s, it’s clear to Dr Larch, the physician and director of the orphanage, that the abandoned child not only knows she’s Jewish, but she’s familiar with the biblical Queen Esther she was named for. Dr Larch knows it won’t be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther; he doubts he’ll find any family to adopt her.

When Esther is fourteen, soon to become a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meets the Winslows, a philanthropic family with a history of providing for unadopted orphans. The Winslows aren’t Jewish, but they detest anti-Semitism and similar prejudice. Esther’s gratitude to the Winslows is unending. As she retraces her steps to her birth city, Esther keeps loving and protecting the Winslows – even in Vienna.

The final chapter of this historical novel is set in Jerusalem in 1981, when Esther is seventy-six.

A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft

Can the happiest time of year heal the most broken of hearts?

Georgine’s past is going to catch up with her in ways she never expected. But can the help of friends old and new make this a Christmas to remember after all?

Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Two disparate people—lost in their own way—find an unexpected healing connection in a poignant novel about redemption and chosen family by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

An army veteran with a career as a beat cop behind her, security guard Addie Finch is tough—on the outside. Internally, she’s in crisis mode. She’s lonely, introverted, struggling through AA, estranged from her son, and, at sixty-two years old, questioning her role as a protector. She also has a soft spot for the underdog that’s about to change her life.

Addie finds Jonathan, a homeless teenager abandoned by his mother, holed up in a warehouse and vulnerable to the elements and to predators. Touched by the boy’s gentle nature and a wisdom beyond his years, Addie offers him temporary shelter in her garden shed in exchange for maintaining the sprawling property. It’s an act of kindness and purpose that means the world to Jonathan. But when Addie faces a situation that sends her internal world tumbling, the emotional connection with Jonathan, once the unlikeliest of strangers, becomes her lifeline as well.

As both process past traumas, Addie and Jonathan forge a surrogate grandmother-grandson bond—a chosen family that could restore trust and heal hearts they thought were broken forever.

The Bestest Big Brother, Ever by Ben Mantle

Nano loves his big brother, Felix, but sometimes Felix gets annoyed and frustrated – he wants some SPACE; he's fed up of Nano following him around. Feeling hurt and sad after Felix bans him from the garden treehouse, Nano decides he can make his own fun. He doesn't need anyone else. But when his game in the garden goes wrong, and he ends up feeling even worse than he already did, there's only one person who knows exactly how to cheer him up. Can you guess who that is?

Writing from his own fraternal experience, as well as being a dad to two little boys himself, Ben Mantle captures all the little (and big) ups and downs, laughs and tears (and sometimes shouts!), of sibling relationships that will give children the confidence to try and sort out their own differences through patience, imaginative play and making compromises.