We spend our days daydreaming about books and our nights reading them – curled up on the sofa with a hot drink in hand, in our pyjamas by nine with no regrets.
With the darker evenings drawing in (the season for fire lit evenings and cashmere socks), now’s the time to cosy up with a wonderful book. Whether you love whiling away the hours with a heart-warming love story, addictive thriller or uplifting tale of family and friendship, our friends at Page Turners picked five reads you’ll want to lose yourself in this autumn. See what they had to say about each one below.
One Winter Morning by Isabelle Broome
Looking for something uplifting and undoubtedly heart-melting this season? Then look no further than this enchanting story, sure to whisk you off to a faraway land and give you all the warm feelings. Genie lost her mother a year ago, and Christmas time is only serving as a sad reminder of the wonderful woman who took her in and raised her as her own. But then she finds herself in the stunning landscape of New Zealand, searching for her birth mother and for answers, and finding a lot more than she bargained for along the way. It’s a joyous, sparkling gem of a story and the ultimate cosy read for autumn.
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
If you like your plot lines to match the dark, inky skies glimpsed through the window late at night, this deliciously addictive read is for you. We won’t say too much because we don’t want to give it away, so go in blind and be blown away. What we will say is that it’s about a married couple who seem, from the outside, relatively normal. But they have a dangerous way of keeping the spark alive in their relationship, something disturbing, something unbelievable… something twisted but explosively entertaining. Unique, thrilling and completely unputdownable, it’s the kind of book that’ll keep you reading way past your bedtime.
The Things We Left Unsaid by Emma Kennedy
This book is as warm and wonderful as a flickering fire, with characters you’ll forever hold close to your heart. You’ll be pulled in from the start, slipping easily into Rachel’s world – a woman who has never had an easy relationship with her mother, Eleanor. Living in her mother’s shadow, she struggles with some difficult childhood memories which have driven a wedge between them. But when Rachel’s fiancé leaves her on the day of her wedding, she suddenly finds she has no choice but to move home. Can confronting your past sometimes hold the key to happiness? It’s a book that’ll have you glowing from the inside out.
Need something to hibernate with on a cold, dark evening? Make this top of your autumn reading pile. Meet Sylvia. She's a prickly woman who lives on her own, volunteers at a hedgehog sanctuary and works at a university. Curve ball: she’s in love with her boss, Professor Lomax, but he seems more interested in a bright new PhD candidate she can’t compete with. With brilliantly vivid characters and a wonderful, gradual change of heart as you wade deeper into the story, Sylvia realises it’s time to wake up and make some changes in her life. It’s a feel-good read that’ll lift you up. Wrap up in your dressing gown, throw on a pair of slippers, and let the story’s charm take you over.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Love. Redemption. Forgiveness. Faith. If you like a story with any of the above, then snap up a copy of this book and hug it close, because you’re not going to want to let it go. It tells the story of two families linked by chance and tragedy: the Gleesons and the Stanhopes. At first they’re colleagues, neighbours, family friends – but their relationship is destroyed one fateful night, leaving two children, Kate and Peter, unable to escape their beginnings. As heart-breaking as it is moving, it’s an extraordinary read, and one that’ll stay on your mind long after you’ve finished the final chapter. Settle down with this book and prepare to make room on your ‘favourite books’ list.
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