ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Autumn Reading
When the weather gets colder and the days get shorter , it ’ s the perfect time to catch up on all that reading you meant to do over the summer ( before you got distracted with BBQs and beaches ). Here is a selection of some of the best to enjoy this autumn .
The Summer Before The War by Helen Simonson
The heroine of this hauntingly beautiful book is Beatrice Nash , a school teacher in a seemingly unspectacular English village . After her father ’ s death she begins to feel unsettled , and looks for something more from her sedate , uncomplicated life . She soon finds that there is enough life and intrigue in her village to keep her occupied for a lifetime .
A Window Opens by Elizabeth Egan
Alice is a happily married mother of three with her own place in her own world full set out . Until , that is , her husband loses his job and she has to re-enter the workplace . All seems fine at her new place of work , Scroll , a company that aims to revolutionise reading , but is her new job really as perfect as it seems ? This is by turns funny and worryingly realistic , and could have you thinking differently about how you are even reading that book you ’ re holding …
Relativity by Antonia Hayes
Raised by a single mother for 12 years , Ethan has never given his father much thought until he finds that he must confront his past to save his future . Hospitalised due to something that happened to him in early infancy ( which has never been discussed ), brilliant physicist Ethan must find out as much as possible about both of his parents before his ignorance kills him .
The Strangler Vine by M . J . Carter
Colonial India , 1837 . Office junior , Avery , of the East India Company , is tasked with hunting down a famous author who has mysteriously vanished . Avery ’ s journey takes him into some dangerous and thrilling situations , and the final showdown is as taut and impressively twisting as they come .
The Girls In The Garden by Lisa Jewell
A communicant garden in London is a character of its own in this mesmerising and unsettling mystery . When a 13-year-old girl , Grace , is discovered injured and unconscious in the corner of this otherwise lovely garden , the investigation that follows uncovers the most terrible of secrets that have been hidden behind a beautiful exterior for decades .
Life from Scratch by Sasha Martin
Sasha Martin is a food blogger – and a popular one at that . This book is her story about why she became interested in food in the first place , and just what it means to her now . It turns out there ’ s a lot more to her love of food than simply enjoying the taste – it ’ s all wrapped up in memories and childhood dreams . This is an emotional read that will also make you peckish …
Music for Wartime by Rebecca Makkai
This collection of short stories is strange and varied , but each one focuses on looking for – if not necessarily finding – beauty in the worst of situations . From the story of a ringmaster has who has to bury his star attraction , an elephant , to the tale of a reality show producer who manipulates the TV world to create love , these stories are woven with poetry and full of music .
Whiskey & Charlie by Annabel Smith
Twin brothers , ‘ Whiskey ’ and Charlie couldn ’ t be more different . Whiskey is outgoing , confident , popular , and successful . Charlie , on the other hand , is a shy introvert who seems to fail at anything he puts his mind to . When Whiskey ends up in a coma after an accident , Charlie must confront his feelings of resentment to help his brother back to life .
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