Cosy Reads for Autumn Nights
The nights are definitely drawing in and it’s certainly getting chillier. Around this time of year, the team at Cyberjammies find themselves falling for the lure of a warm, cosy evening spent on the sofa in our PJ’s instead of getting dressed up for an evening socialising. We love an Autumn TV mini-series or box set, as much as the next person, but call us old- fashioned we’re also huge fans of getting lost in a really good book.
Heading up for an early night armed with a gripping thriller, is an obvious option but some nights we just switch off the TV, put on some of our favourite tunes and make sure we’ve got a hot chocolate or glass of wine to hand. Now we’re all set to escape for the rest of the evening to anywhere our page-turner wants to take us.
Our team of avid bookworms are always keen to share news of any great books we’re reading and are often found sipping our morning coffee whilst updating the rest of the team on any literary gems we’ve discovered. We’ve pulled together a quick review of some of our latest finds but also some of the classic books that have really left their mark on us.
- Whodunnit? We were huge fans of the wave of modern thrillers, such as ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘Girl on a Train’ that reignited this genre a few years ago, and we’re amazed at the way, new writers can still think up twists that we really didn’t see coming. This year, we’ve been caught up by another spin-off from this style of writing which we’ve called the ‘thought provoking’ thrillers. Two of our recent favourites include ‘Three things about Elsie’ by Joanna Cannon and ‘Everything I never told you’ by Celeste Ng. Set in an elderly people’s home, ‘Three things about Elsie’ is an unusual thriller which centres around Florence, an eighty-four-year-old, who has fallen in her flat. As she lies on the floor waiting for help, Elsie revisits the past trying to solve the mystery of the new arrival at the home; a man she thinks has been dead for sixty years. Is Florence’s mind playing tricks on her or is it really him and how does Elsie fit in? We were gripped by this heart-warming, often funny and intriguing tale. Similarly, ‘Everything I never told you’ is told with a mix of retrospect and current events. In the 1970’s, Lydia, a teenage girl is found in a nearby lake. As her parent’s favourite child, the family is shook and as the book unfolds, so does a web of secrets and lies that have held her family together. Desperate for a culprit, the family are forced to take a really long look at themselves and try to understand what really made Lydia tick.
- Magical Escapes. Like millions of others, the Harry Potter books and their subsequent spin-offs reawakened a childhood fascination in us for all things magical and mysterious. We miss the days when we eagerly awaited the latest J.K Rowling instalment but have found a few other contenders to fill our longing for spells, secrets and enchantment. Whilst browsing the shelves of local bookshop, we were introduced by a member of staff to ‘The Storm Keepers Island’. Although billed as a children’s or young person’s book, we were reliably informed that, in a similar way to the Harry Potter books, this was a novel for all ages to enjoy. Set on the island of Arranmore, a young boy called Fionn, finds himself in the midst of a magical battle that has been raging for centuries. Once in a generation, the island, which holds true magic deep beneath its core and in the surrounding seas, chooses a new Storm Keeper to harness its power and protect it from its enemies. This is a beautifully told story with touches of humour, courage and mythology with realistic characters. Imagine an old-fashioned toyshop in the early 1900’s, with toys that are fired by real magic and truly come to life. You’ve entered the world of The Emporium, the scene for ‘The Toy Makers’ by Robert Dinsdale. The main character, Cathy, find herself there after running away from home and quickly becomes embroiled in the secrets of the Emporium and the Godman family who own it and create magical toys that are the talk of London. This book is a mix of a family saga and sibling rivalry blended with heartbreak, the horrors of the First World War and the magical nature of toys.
- Possibly our favourite book of the year If you haven’t already read ‘Elinor Oliphant is completely fine’ then we envy you. We’d love the chance to rediscover this awkward, funny and unpredictable character. The story of how one act of kindness transforms Elinor’s simple, yet lonely life is funny, heart-warming, touching and sometimes sad but it totally draws you in. At the end, it leaves you wanting more and almost like there is an ‘Elinor shaped hole’ in your life. We won’t give too much away but it’s a must-read if you haven’t already.
A few more oldies but goodies
Some books stay with you for a long time and the Cyberjammies team have been known to go back and re-read some of our favourites. We also enjoy introducing others to our all-time favourite books, so we thought we’d include a few below, just in case you’ve never read them:
To Kill a Mockingbird – Often first read at school but it’s well worth discovering or revisiting Harper Lee’s tale of friendship, courage, prejudice and inequality.
Lucia Lucia – Adriana Trigiani’s story of trying to balance love, family and a career across the decades is heart-warming, funny and truly memorable.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – We were torn between this and its predecessor ‘The Kite Runner’ but this story of two women trapped in arranged marriages and their struggles and friendship is one we’ll never forget.
Captain Correlli’s Mandolin – At times quirky but always captivating, Louis de Bernieres’ novel is a story of true love over adversity that starts during the Second World War.
As you can probably tell, we’re passionate about our favourite books but always love discovering new ones, so if you’d like to share your top reads from now or the past just drop us a line.
