I'm all for Summer reading- a stack of holiday reads on the beach with a fruit-filled cocktail? Glorious. Autumn reading is where it's really at though. Picture yourself in an oversized knit, curled up next to a roaring fire, pumpkin spiced latte in one hand, a book in the other.
It's good right?! And yes, I am
that person you know who pins loads of "isn't it great that it's
Autumn and I can wear big scarves and drink coffee and read books" images on
Pinterest.
Hello!
These are all new releases for the next couple of months (bar one), so if you're looking for something new to read, look no further! I'll also have my real life book club reads as I go along and I'll most likely do a separate Halloween book list and probably a separate New Orleans book list for our trip there in October (themed book lists; a firm favourite).
The Trespasser by Tana French
I love Tana French and having read all of her previous books, I get very excited at the thoughts of a new release from her. This one focuses on Detective Antoinette Conway, a member of the Dublin murder squad. She's good at her job but being a take-no-nonsense kinda woman, she's not well liked by her male colleagues. There's a nasty campaign going on to get rid of her while at the same time she and her partner get a case that looks almost too straight-forward. They're being pushed in a certain direction with the case but they must figure out whether this is part of the drive to get rid of her or whether there's something much more sinister going on. A perfect read for the darker evenings!
Release date: 22nd of September.
The Devil's Work by Mark Edwards
I've already started reading this one and I have a description AND a give-away for a copy of it HERE.
Release date: 13th of September.
The Distant Echo by Val McDermid
I've read a few of Val McDermid's books before; namely those in the Wire In The Blood series. They were all fairy non-putdownable but if I'm honest, they were a little bit too dark for me at the time. The Distant Echo is a different series from her so I'm hoping for good things.
Although, that bloody barbed wire on the cover sure doesn't bode well, does it? Hmm.
Anyway, this one takes us back to a Winter's morning in 1978 after the body of a murdered barmaid is found by four men in a cemetery. They are the only suspects but also, the only evidence is the blood on their hands so they are not charged. Twenty five years later and it's now a cold case in the hands of Inspector Karen Pirie. The resurgence into the case awakens old wounds for the four men involved who begin to be murdered, one by one. There's someone out there getting revenge and the only way to save themselves is for the original suspects to go back and try and solve the murder themselves.
Release date: This is the only one on the list that isn't a newbie and I'm sorry for that but I just really wanted to read this one, so it's on here anyway!
Today Will be Different by Maria Semple
I loved
Where'd You Go Bernadette, it was our book club read back in
January of this year and I particularly fell for
Maria Semple's slightly offbeat style of writing, She's previously written for the TV show
Arrested Development (one of my all time favourites) so it's great to see she transferred that quirky humour to her novels. Today Will Be Different is a day in the life of Eleanor, who decides that today will be different by making small changes; she will read poetry and do yoga and drop her son to school, she won't swear and she'll initiate sex with her husband. Unfortunately for Eleanor, the universe has other plans and has bigger changes in mind for her. Described as a "hilarious, heart-filled story about reinvention and sisterhood", this sounds just like my cup of tea!
Release date: 4th of October.
Nutshell by Ian McEwan
I'm also a big Ian McEwan fan so a new book from him is a no-brainer really. This one has already gained a bit of attention because the narrator is a foetus. Yes, you read that correctly, narrating away from inside a uterus and fully aware of the murder and deceit taking place in the outside world that his mother may or may not be involved in. To be honest, I'm just really intrigued by this one, it's a plot device that I've never heard of before.
Release date: 1st of September.
The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer
This will be my next Audible purchase as it's read by the woman herself. I'm expecting an Amy Poelher/Tina Fey/Mindy Kaling kinda book with added comedy sass.
Release date: 16th of August
The Female Of The Species by Mandy McGinnis
Good luck to us all getting that song out of our heads now, am I right?
Mandy McGinnis is a YA author and tends to veer on the dark side. I actually have another of her books on my to-be-read list but sure you know yourself, that may never happen. Anyway, this one is about Alex, a teenager who has turned to violence after her sisters murder went unpunished. Alex keeps away from other people in her small town, for fear of unleashing the darkness within but somehow becomes friends with the school jock and the preacher's daughter, an unlikely combination that leads to very bad things.
Release date: 20th September.
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
If there's one thing I can't resist, it's a book about books. I haven't read any of Jenny Colgan's previous novels (you may know her from such works as "The Loveliest Chocolate Shop In Paris" and "Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe"). Nina is a librarian in a big city who loves her job, that is until she's laid off. Upon moving to a small, sleepy village, she buys a van and becomes a mobile book seller, sharing her love of books as she goes. This just sounds lovely and cosy.
Release date: 20th September.
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
I love Zadie Smith- I still think about White Teeth every so often, even though it's about 8 years since I read it. Swing Time is about two young friends, both passionate about ballet but only one with real talent. The other has ideas about rhythm and time, black bodies and black music. A close but complicated friendship taking them from West Africa to North West London and from childhood friendship to an abrupt end to their relationship in their early twenties.
Release date: 15th November.
This is by no means an exhaustive list; I could walk straight into a bookshop right now and leave with a big bag full of new releases, none of them on this list! Autumn always feels like a great time to read a new book. I think it's the cosy factor.
Do let me know in the comments what you're planning on reading over the greatest season ever!
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