At the start of autumn, I start stockpiling books so I have a constant supply of material to delve in to when it starts getting really freakin’ cold in the evenings. I pile all the blankets I can find on the sofa, prep a pot of tea (probably a pack of biscuits too, knowing me) and lose hours to a good, gripping book.
I actually haven’t been reading all that much lately, although I did get through a few books whilst I was in Bali. I love the feeling of having a good book, I try to always make sure I’m reading something so I have an excuse to go to bed early… and then stay up until 3am turning pages.
Books I’ve Read & Loved Lately…
Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman; This book had me gripped from the get-go, the opening chapter totally shook me! I flew through the chapters because I wanted to know how it had gone from a couple celebrating their anniversary to a woman burying her husband in just three months. Wild.
There was quite a few twists and turns, and I loved the way it was written – so many other added little details that really built the characters for me.
Anyway, to give a bit of a backstory; the novel follows a couple who seemingly have it all. Erin is a filmmaker working on a documentary on prisoners awaiting release, and her husband Mark works in finance. They seem to be the dream couple, until Mark loses his job and some serious cracks start to show. Then, a chance happening on their honeymoon changes everything – it’s all pretty crazy.
It’s a bit of a farfetched storyline I suppose, but it doesn’t ever feel too unrealistic for some reason. It’s a very good read, one of those books where you shut the cover and think about it for half an hour afterwards!
Our House by Louise Candlish; I’ve talked about this book before, I recommend it to everyone! The storyline is so far from your typical thriller or crime novel, I felt myself get so in to this because even though it was such a unbelievable narrative it all made sense at the same time. I found myself sympathising with the antagonist in some strange way.
The book follows Fi who, upon returning from a weekend away, finds a family moving in to her home. Her home that she didn’t sell. When they show her evidence that the house sale is legit, Fi calls her husband Bram for information, but he is nowhere to be found.
The story has so many turning points, at first I thought it was all a bit too crazy, but the way the different parts come together keeps you so hooked. It was impossible to put down!
On My ‘To Read’ List…
The Light Between Us by Katie Khan; I read Katie’s first novel ‘Hold Back The Stars’ at the start of this year, on a flight to Miami. I didn’t put the book down for the entire flight, and I ended up finishing it in that one sitting. It was like no other book I’ve ever read!
Katie kindly sent me her latest release ‘The Light Between Us’ and I was so ready to delve in. I got through a couple of chapters quickly, but then went away and didn’t pack the book (am I destined to be a Kindle reader forever?!) and still haven’t had a moment to get back in to it.
I love Katie’s take on this sci-fi romance, it’s worlds away from anything I’ve ever come across before. Her characters are so loveable and unique, and the storylines are fascinating!
The Light Between Us shares the story of long-time friends Thea and Issac; it takes their friend going missing in an experiment gone wrong to realise that there’s more to their relationship than they thought. A bit of a twist on your usual romance read, and I am all for it!
The Cry by Helen FitzGerald; If you were hooked on the TV series that was based on this book, you no doubt quickly flocked to Amazon to purchase the novel! I know I did, I got a bit impatient between episodes and I needed to know what happened.
I actually didn’t get too far through this, but I think I’ll revisit it soon – the story is gripping and I think the book will be a beefier version of the series.
The Cry follows a young couple who travel to Australia to visit family, taking their newborn baby along with them. Soon after arriving, their baby is kidnapped and they are caught up in a media storm while searching for little Noah.
It’s clear pretty soon that nothing is as it seems, and straight away I was looking closely at the parents. I know what happens in the end from watching the series, but I’m hoping there’s a little extra backstory in there too.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton; I’ve had this book sitting on my ‘to read’ pile for an embarrassingly long time! Made worse by the fact that EVERYONE has told me to read it.
My friend told me she had a stitch from laughing at the first paragraph, which sounds exactly like something I want to be part of.
Dolly Alderton, former Sunday Times dating columnist, shares her own personal accounts of dating, breakups, nights out and everything else you’d prefer to leave behind in your 20s in this inspiring read. I love these ‘finding yourself’ reads that are so insightful and wholly genuine, they make me feel so complete. I will report back on this once I’ve read it!
If you need me, I’ll be having a pyjama day trying to get through all these books! Will you be adding any of these to your reading list?
