As the evenings draw in and the clocks go back, I always find myself reaching for the same kind of books. These are usually the kind that are perfect for snuggling up with - crime novels, romances, thrillers - the kind of books that make you glad it's blowing a gale and raining sideways outside, so you can stay in and keep reading. Here I've recommended some of my favourites for the season, and a drink to accompany them as you read away the dark autumn days (well, you've got to keep yourself hydrated, right?):
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
I love reading this book especially in autumn because I
always imagine Manderley, the house where most of the story occurs, is shrouded in the kind of mists you only get at this time of year. It is,
essentially, a ghost story, which is perfect for the season – the narrator is
haunted by the memory of Rebecca, her predecessor as the wife of Maxim de
Winter. Everything about this book is full of tension and foreboding, from the
narrator’s first view of the great house to the descriptions of the stormy
night that Rebecca died. Throw in the menacing Mrs Danvers and you’ve got
a Gothic romance that, sometimes, is as creepy as a true-blue ghost story like The Turn of the Screw.
Recommended Drink: A large glass of red wine, to help calm
your nerves whenever Mrs Danvers appears on page.
The Miniaturist by
Jessie Burton
Another novel in a setting I always imagine as foggy, The Miniaturist is the tale of another
young bride, Nella, arriving at her new husband’s house, apprehensive but
hopeful. What she finds, however, is a household run by her intimidating
sister-in-law, where all the inhabitants appear to be keeping something from
her. A distraction arrives in the form of a doll’s house replica of her new
home, which she sets to furnishing with the help of an unseen Miniaturist, who
quickly becomes a menace when un-ordered items arrive that seem to foretell the
future. Before long, Nella is unravelling her new family and home’s secrets, all
the while unsure of whether the Miniaturist is an ally or an enemy. It’s not
quite a thriller, nor a mystery, nor a historical novel, but a good mix of the
three and perfect for curling up with.
Recommended Drink: The story is set in Amsterdam, so I’m
going to suggest a beer – a proper one, mind, none of this Fosters business.
I get the train every day, usually at the same time, along
the same route, and rarely does the countryside look as beautiful as it does in
early morning autumn sunshine. The Girl on the Train takes
place in the summer, so really it’s just the connection of trains that gets
this book a place in this list – that, and Rachel’s (one of our narrators)
familiarity with her own commute route. She’s a little too familiar with it,
actually, concocting a backstory for a couple she espies from her train every
day, and becoming so involved in her fantasy that, when she sees something that
threatens it, she begins to insinuate herself into the couple's lives. It’s got a
great pace and hooks you into the story pretty quickly, so it’s perfect to start
on a grey Sunday afternoon as day seeps into night.
Recommended Drink: Given the alcoholism of one
character, it might be in poor taste to recommend alcohol, so I’m going to go with a virgin mojito (it’s a thing…)
The Secret Place
by Tana French
Bit of a hollow connection here, but this is set in a school,
autumn is the season of going back to school, etc. After a boy is found murdered in the grounds
of a prestigious all-girls school, the police throw all their resources into
solving it – but the cliques of teenage girls are a hard nut to crack and the
murder goes unsolved. Until, that is, a pupil finds a note tacked in The Secret
Place – a noticeboard that allows pupils to spill secrets anonymously – stating
only, ‘I know who killed him.’ The story is told in the popular dual format –
part of the story comes from the perspective of a young officer helping
re-investigate the murder, and the other is a third-person narrative detailing
the lives of a core group of girls in the years and events leading up to the
murder. It’s a bit slow-going at times – at over 500 pages it might be a bit overlong
– but French keeps you guessing all the while, and the climax is worth slogging
through the duller patches.
Recommended Drink: Cider, to help get you back into the mindset of being a teenager.
And Then There Were
None by Agatha Christie
What better companion to a wild and windy night, than a
murder mystery? And what better murder mystery than the Queen of Crime’s best work? Ten strangers, with no apparent connection to each other, are lured to a house on a remote Devonshire
island under false pretences – it’s not until one of their number drops dead
and a record plays that they realise the true reason for their presence. With
no escape, numbers dropping fast and suspicion breeding distrust and
paranoia, the inmates of the house find themselves driven close to insanity as
they struggle to identify their assailant in time to save their own skins. It’s
as creepy as any traditional ghost story and incredibly tense, so carve out an
afternoon for this one – you won’t want to put it down.
Recommended Drink: It’s got to be a classic cocktail, to
match the time period – a gimlet, perhaps?
The Time Traveller’s
Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A warming romance now, featuring Henry de Tamble who, due to a
rare genetic condition, frequently finds himself displaced in time, physically returning to events that have already occurred. This is how he meets his future wife,
Claire, an artist whose early years and teens are haunted by a man who claims
to know her in the future. It’s a bit dodgy on the science front – obviously –
and I did sometimes get the heebie-jeebies thinking about how Henry spends a
lot of time hanging around with a child he later marries. But ultimately
it’s sweet, poignant and clever, dividing time equally between the man who can
never stay in one place, and the woman who gets left behind.
Recommended Drink: A big steaming mug of tea,
to compliment the warmth of the story.
This is a great book to read on a cold day when you’re all
toasty-warm inside. Set in Alaska in the early years of the 20th
century, Jack and Mabel are hoping to get a second chance at life after a
personal tragedy. But the bleak Alaskan landscape, the hardness of the farming
life and the weight of the past threatens to destroy everything they hoped to
build. It’s not until they’re befriended by their nearest neighbours, the hardy
Esther and George, and the mysterious girl Faina appears from the woods, that
their new life seems possible. It’s a fairy tale that’s not afraid to address
loss and depression, and the origins of Faina is a tantalising mystery that
keeps you guessing throughout the novel.
Recommended Drink: Hot chocolate, made with
milk (NOT hot water), with marshmallows in.
Any particular books you always find yourself reading at this time of year?
Any particular books you always find yourself reading at this time of year?
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