50 - A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent

[Maja]

I would definitely suggest The Knight Templar series by Jan Guillou for this prompt! Takes place in both a monastery and a convent, and could also work for the 'takes place in Scnadinavia' prompt

[Viji]

Would
1. Conclave by Robert Harris
2. The Eight byKatherine Neville
work for this?

[Viji]

Few more books I could think of:

1. Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead

2. The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra

3. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

[Sandra]

Any YA suggestions for this prompt? :D

[Anja]

Would Grey Sister also work? I've just started Red Sister.

[Ellie]

Sightwitch is set in a convent according to the blurb. It's an illustrated companion novella to a series so not sure if it can be read standalone but I have read Truthwitch so it might be an option.

I like the other suggestion of Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life too.

[Beth]

Joyce wrote: "I'm just finishing The Pillars of the Earth which is set in a priory that builds a cathedral. I'll probably read the second book in the trilogy World Without End for ..."

Thank you for putting this out there. I loved "The Pillars of the Earth," and I'd hoped I could fit "World Without End" in this year's reading challenge!

[Alicia]

I waited forever to read Outlander because I had been watching the show (I never seem to like movies that I already read the book). But it is one of my favorite books this year. The last part of the book takes place in a monastery.

[Nicole]

I really want to fit in Les Misérables this year and I seem to remember (from the movie) that the main characters were hiding in a convent or smth for several years.

Can anyone who read it tell me if its the same in the books?

[Anne]

Yes, in the book Jean val Jean and Cosette hide in a convent for several years.

[Ruth]

I'm going to attempt The Name of the Rose. I've had it for years, but never started it. And I LOVED the movie, so guessing I'll love the book too. But I'll be starting it early in the year LOL. Just in case. If it doesn't work out, probably The Mermaid Chair, that someone else mentioned. I have that one as well, but hadn't realized it would fit this prompt. Nice to have a back up, just in case.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

Sandra wrote: "Any YA suggestions for this prompt? :D"

The Hawk and the Dove is one I enjoyed. Not sure if it's aimed more at YA or middle grade, but it's well enough written that I still enjoy it in my 30s either way.

[Karyn]

Karen Marien Monings Fever Series - part of it takes place in an Abbey

[Milena]

I haven't seen The Guineveres mentioned yet. Has anyone read it?

[Jen]

As I have just discovered when I was accidentally and hour early for the doctor and had to buy a book to occupy myself (how sad, bet your hearts bleed):
Dracul the new Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker one is set in an Abbey. Bram is holed up there telling his story.
Might have to pause my reading on this one since I have already read Brother Odd and the others don't appeal.

[Miriam]

I think I am going to read Conclave, even though it is not technically a convent or cloister or monastery etc., but since it is about a conclave deciding who the next Pope should be, I feel it is near enough to the original prompt and sticks true to the idea behind it.

Plus, I already own the book :-)

[Alice]

Red Sister has been on my TBR list for a while so I think I'll go with that.

[Nadine in NY]

Alice wrote: "Red Sister has been on my TBR list for a while so I think I'll go with that."

All of a sudden I keep seeing this series!!! (And, granted, all of the mentions may be in this same post, Idk) I'd never had any interest in Mark Lawrence, I wasn't even aware of this series, but now I have to read it.

[✨ A ✨]

does anyone have any YA suggestions?

[Ellie]

I just noticed Maresi is the first in a series called "The Red Abbey Chronicles" if anyone's looking for YA fantasy to fill this.

[Maja]

Azrah wrote: "does anyone have any YA suggestions?"

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers! It might only be small parts of the book that takes place in a convent, but I would still say that this book (the entire series really) works for this prompt and those books are really worth reading no matter what! :)

[Lindi]

Joyce wrote: "I'm just finishing The Pillars of the Earth which is set in a priory that builds a cathedral. I'll probably read the second book in the trilogy World Without End for ..."

I'm so intimidated because of the length, but I've been meaning to read the first one for sooo long.

[Brittany]

I want to find something good to read about the Borgia family. I don’t know if anyone ever watched the tv show the borgias when it was on showtime, but that family was scandalous and had two popes in it so there has to be something out there that I could use for this topic. Does anyone know of anything??

[Tracy]

Brittany wrote: "I want to find something good to read about the Borgia family...."

Let me look on my Kindle Brittany, Fascinating ( twisted) stuff, right? I didn't even know about them until I read Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire, and then started researching.I know I read something that I enjoyed about them that set me off on a binge trying to find more so I have several books on the topic. I haven't read them all though....

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph]

Anyone else considering stretching the goal a little and finding something set in a house of worship for a a different religion instead?

[✨ A ✨]

@crystal I am so with you on that one

[✨ A ✨]

@crystal I am so with you on that one

[✨ A ✨]

@crystal I am so with you on that one

[Tracy]

Brittany wrote: "I want to find something good to read about the Borgia family. ..."


I'm pretty sure besides Mirror Mirror ( which used the characters to drive the re-telling, so it wasn't historical), the book I read that set me off on a hunt was either The Borgia Bride or The Borgia Betrayal. I wish I could remember which one but it was 9 years ago at least. The Borgia Betrayal is #2 in a series about Francesca, and Book List reviews said its THE series to read after watching the show. The first book is Poison. I can't tell you how I rated the one I read either, because I wasn't using good reads until at least a year or two later. But I enjoyed it enough to go searching for more LOL. Don't remember if I ever got around to the second one I bought. Theres also this listopia:
Borgias

Wish I could be more helpful :/

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph]

Azrah wrote: "@crystal I am so with you on that one"

Any ideas or suggestions? I haven't found time to search a lot yet.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows did have quite a few scenes at a Sikh temple and community center. But I just read that this year. so I'm hoping for some other options.

Christian places of worship are fine, but they are just so well represented. I thought the goal of challenges was to, well, challenge us?! :)

[Ellie]

Crystal wrote: "Christian places of worship are fine, but they are just so well represented. I thought the goal of challenges was to, well, challenge us?! :)..."

I hardly ever read books with a Christian element, so it's a challenging prompt for me! I'd rather read Ayisha Malik's 2019 book This Green and Pleasant Land which is about a lapsed Muslim whose mother's dying wish is for him to build a mosque in his home village. I loved her Sofia Khan books so I'll be fitting this in somewhere, but I'm going to try and stick to the wording of this prompt, even if I end up reading about assassin nuns...

Just a note, monasteries are common in Buddhism too.

[Ian]

Would Priestdaddy work here?

[Alison]

Ellie wrote: "I just noticed Maresi is the first in a series called "The Red Abbey Chronicles" if anyone's looking for YA fantasy to fill this."

I've read Maresi and can confirm it works for this task as the whole thing is set in an abbey (and it's a really good read). I've been kind of tempted to pick up the sequel (which is actually a prequel) Naondel for this task but I get the feeling it's about the journey to set up the abbey rather than set there.

[The Chapter Conundrum (Stacey)]

Alicia wrote: "I waited forever to read Outlander because I had been watching the show (I never seem to like movies that I already read the book). But it is one of my favorite books this year. The la..."

Thanks! I wanted to suggest that here as well but I couldn't remember if that bit was in the first or second book! xD

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph]

Just a note, monasteries are common in Buddhism too.

Yes, and also possible for Hinduism and Jainism. I actually found a title I'm excited to read, set in an urban Buddhist monastery in Thailand. Mindfulness and Murder: A Father Ananda Mystery

Thanks for the other recommendation, though. This Green and Pleasant Land sounds great!

[Ian]

Does anyone know if [books: The All of It] would count here?

[Brittany]

Thanks so much Tracy

Tracy wrote: "Brittany wrote: "I want to find something good to read about the Borgia family. ..."


I'm pretty sure besides Mirror Mirror ( which used the characters to drive the re-telling, so it wasn't histor..."

[Eujean2]

I was just looking at the books at my parents place and got excited that I could use Murder in the Cathedral for this prompt. Turns out I was misremembering and the prompt asks for "abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent."

Has anyone read this? Might it still apply? (Or is it literally in the cathedral.)

[Therese]

SarahKat wrote: "I will read A Morbid Taste for Bones. I totally forgot Cadfael was a book series as well as a television one. My dad has some of the books I think. We used to watch the show together!..."

I've wanted to check this series out but never did before. There are a few of them on sale if you read on a Kindle. I just got one for $1.99.

[Juniper]

Viji wrote: "Would... Conclave by Robert Harris... work for this?"

i am thinking about using this one too, so i hope it does fit. 😊

[Mandi]

I read The Power earlier this year, so I won't be reading it again, but I believe it works for this prompt since a portion of the book takes place at a convent.

[Kay*FindMeInThePages*]

I found one In my TBR stack that would fit. It was recommended by a friend. The Crowfield Curse.

[Sabrina]

I think some of the daredevil comics could work for this?? He goes to church a lot idk

[Mandi]

It's been years since I read Angels & Demons so I don't remember much at all, but I looked it up and it says one of the two major settings is "the Vatican and its surrounding sites of Catholic worship."

Does anyone know if that would qualify as an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage or convent?

[Ian]

I think it would qualify. They do most of the work out of the Vatican

[Alexis]

I'm reading The Ninth Hour right now and this would totally work. So far it seems to be about a group of nuns at Brooklyn convent in the early 20th century and their relationships with different people in the neighborhood. It's pretty good so far!

[Dawn]

I'm thinking of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

[Jackie]

I weirdly feel like I have a ton of options for this, which I wasn't expecting. I guess these are popular settings for murder mysteries, which is great because that's my favorite genre.

[Heather]

Amanda wrote: "Call the Midwife Call the Midwife is set at Nonnatus House, which is nuns"

I love this TV show but haven't read the books.

[Tracy]

Heather wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Call the Midwife Call the Midwife is set at Nonnatus House, which is nuns"

I love this TV show but haven't read the books."

This has been sitting on my shelf... I'll have to keep it in mind in case I don't get my hands on what I have planned.