As Anne says in Anne of Green Gables, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers". As much as I love summer (and I really do), I'm just as happy when the nights draw in. Autumn is cosy, warm and comforting.
What makes a book autumnal? If a summer read is lightness and sunshine, autumn books have a cosyness to them, but also a layer of darkness. These aren't stories of love at first sight, of happy endings - there's more weight to them.
When the days start to darken earlier and the leaves start to fall, here are the books to snuggle up with under a cozy blanket with a hot chocolate in your hands.
North Woods by Daniel Mason
This stunning novel spans 400 years and many lives, all tied together by a house in the New England woods. It begins with a couple on the run, fleeing a Puritan community before the girl is forced into an arranged marriage. Over the centuries, we meet a haunted horticulturist, jealous twins and an amateur detective investigating a mass murder, set against some beautiful writing on nature.
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
It's autumn in Maine and the friendship between Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess has grown deeper and stronger. Meanwhile Bob is involved in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. Fans of Strout's will love that Olive Kitteridge makes an apprearance in the story.
Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan
I loved this soul-soothing story about a woman who gets divorced and quits her high-powered job to run a small bookshop in Seoul. It’s a real love letter to reading and the cast of characters, each going through their own struggles, is wonderful. The perfect cosy book to settle down with on a rainy afternoon.
The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
For those who like to scare themselves silly, there’s a new book from the queen of gothic chillers. When Jenny Wilcox is offered a job as a dresser at a West End theatre, she jumps at the chance. While it seems to be the answer to all her woes, her role takes a sinister turn when she’s also charged with spying on a young actress.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
With its themes of dark academia - before dark academia was even thing - this a classic autumn book. Although it was published over 30 years ago, the story of six priveledged college students who try to cover up the murder of one of their classmates still feels fresh and relevant. Tartt is an exceptional writer: the book is elegant, gripping and claustrophobic in both the relationships described and the incestuous New England setting.
Paperback The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A Murdered Is Announced by Agatha Christie
I could easily have picked almost any of Christie's Miss Marple books but this ingenious whodunnit opens with the most gripping of premises that places it firmly in autumn - with a notice in a local newspaper announcing: "A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, 29 October, at Little Paddocks, at 6.30 pm. Friends accept this, the only intimation." Miss Marple, who happens to be staying at a spa hotel nearby, is quick to join the police in their investigations. Although there's a certain cosiness in the setting, don't underestimate Christie - there's a great deal of violence and evil in her books, and they are all the more interesting for it.
A Haunting In The Artic by CJ Cooke
Ghostly mermaids and a haunted shipwreck at the northern tip of Iceland make for a spooky read. In the early 1900s a woman is held captive on The Ormen whaling ship, while in the present day, explorer Dominique is investigating a mystery surrounding the boat.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
There's an autumnal melancholia to this pitch-perfect novel about siblings, step-families and the meaning of home. Brother and sister Danny and Maeve grow up in a large mansion known as the Dutch House, with their father after their mother runs away to India when they're young. When their dad remarries, life changes dramatically. I was totally absorbed by this story and stretched out the last few chapters for as long as possible as I didn't want it to end. The two siblings are so well drawn, they leap off the page and their bond as they struggle with their new circumstances is deeply moving.
Small Hours by Bobby Palmer
Within a few hours, Jack loses his job, and finds out his mother has gone missing and his father has dementia. Moving home to help out, he slowly rediscovers what is important to him, helped by a talking fox that befriends him. A magical, comforting read that touches on father-son relationships, male mental health and the healing power of nature.
The Black Feathers by Rebecca Netley
Looking for an atmospheric read to while away the autumn nights? Set in a big house on the Yorkshire Moors, this Gothic ghost story delivers intrigue and suspense in spades. When Annie marries widower Edward Stonehouse, she finds herself living with his spinster sister Iris, too, whose seances fascinate and terrify her.
