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Seasonal Reading


Hayley

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We've had some discussions about winter reading in the past but I don't think we've ever had a thread about the other seasons!

 

So, do you have any books that you like to read in autumn? Maybe spooky themes for Halloween?

 

I think I might finally get round to reading The Woman in Black in October, as well as The Book Collector by Alice Thompson, as I think they're really the only books I own that could be considered horror. 

I'm really tempted to look for some kind of gothic short story collection too. I definitely don't need more books but it's still tempting... 

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Yes!  I always try to read horror/mystery novels through October.  I'm excited to read The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie and Muse by James Renner this year.  If I get through them quickly and have some October left over, I might add The Boy Who Saw True: The Time-Honoured Classic of the Paranormal by Cyril Scott, which sounds fascinating.  I can't wait to get started!  I tend to read more mystery/crime in autumn through winter in any case. 

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4 hours ago, Onion Budgie said:

Yes!  I always try to read horror/mystery novels through October.  I'm excited to read The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie and Muse by James Renner this year.  If I get through them quickly and have some October left over, I might add The Boy Who Saw True: The Time-Honoured Classic of the Paranormal by Cyril Scott, which sounds fascinating.  I can't wait to get started!  I tend to read more mystery/crime in autumn through winter in any case. 

Wow, I just looked up those books and they all sound brilliant! I feel like crime is a good genre for autumn too, there's something about the darker and more rainy days that makes a good atmosphere for them I think!

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39 minutes ago, Brian. said:

Last year I read Dracula in October and it's ended up as one of my favourite books. As a result I think I will read Frankenstein this October to keep the Halloween theme going.

I love both of those. Have you read Frankenstein before?

 

I went to one of my favourite second-hand bookshops today (Astley Book Farm) and went a bit mad with the spooky seasonal books. I did have in mind that I might get one short story collection, but I actually bought 4...

So I'm now the proud owner of Tales of Unease by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Haunted Hotel and Other Stories by Wilkie Collins, Classic Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories and Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (which also has a ghost story in it). Clearly I'm expecting to read a lot in October :lol:.

 

 

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Just now, Hayley said:

I love both of those. Have you read Frankenstein before?

 

No I haven't read it before, its one of the many many books I should have read but haven't got round to it. It was the same last year with Dracula, I'd owned a copy for years and never picked it up. I'm always on the look out for books to buy when my next favourite could well be on my bookcase already.  It's a sickness shared by many on here I suspect. :giggle2:

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2 hours ago, Brian. said:

 

No I haven't read it before, its one of the many many books I should have read but haven't got round to it. It was the same last year with Dracula, I'd owned a copy for years and never picked it up. I'm always on the look out for books to buy when my next favourite could well be on my bookcase already.  It's a sickness shared by many on here I suspect. :giggle2:

I just read that and then glanced up at the three shelves of books I haven't read yet. You may have a point :lol:

I think you will like Frankenstein though so fingers crossed it will be a new favourite! 

 

 

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4 hours ago, Hayley said:

So I'm now the proud owner of Tales of Unease by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Haunted Hotel and Other Stories by Wilkie Collins, Classic Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories and Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (which also has a ghost story in it). Clearly I'm expecting to read a lot in October :lol:.

 

 

 

They all sound GOOD!  I'm embarrassed to admit that I've not read anything of ACD's outside of his Sherlock Holmes stories -- even though I do own a large volume of his other collected works.  Perhaps the Tales you mention are in that volume -- I'll have to check.  Which book are you planning on reading first?

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16 hours ago, Onion Budgie said:

 

They all sound GOOD!  I'm embarrassed to admit that I've not read anything of ACD's outside of his Sherlock Holmes stories -- even though I do own a large volume of his other collected works.  Perhaps the Tales you mention are in that volume -- I'll have to check.  Which book are you planning on reading first?

I have read the Professor Challenger books (The Lost World is definitely the best one) but I didn't even know these other stories existed! I haven't decided what to read first yet but I am really intrigued by Tales of Unease so I might start with that. I suppose technically I could mix the short stories up and read a couple of the books at once, but I think I might end up getting confused :lol:.

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3 hours ago, Onion Budgie said:

I just took a look at my ACD book (The Unknown Conan Doyle: Uncollected Stories).  None of the stories match any that are included in Tales of Unease, but there are a couple of eerie-sounding ones, so I might dip in and try them.

Oooh that's great! Let me know if you come across a good one!

 

I also got Help the Witch by Tom Cox last week, which I think would be a good October book.

 

I think I just need to make a stack of spooky books and then get into bed and not leave the house for a month so I can read them all... 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I am not usually swayed in my reading by the season, but I have found in recent years that I am more likely to choose a 'darker' book to read around Halloween. 

 

On 03/10/2019 at 3:42 PM, Hayley said:

I think I just need to make a stack of spooky books and then get into bed and not leave the house for a month so I can read them all... 

 

Sounds like a plan!

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  • 7 months later...

It really doesn't feel like that long since we were posting about winter books but now it's summer solstice! 

 

I've started getting emails from bookshops and publishers about 'great summer reads', which got me thinking. I'm not sure I actually do change what I read in the summer and I never really pay attention to the books that are recommended as summer books. I'm not even sure what makes these books qualify as ideal for summer. 

 

Does anybody here have reading preferences for the summer? Or know any books that are 'summery' books?

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I suppose books set around summer holidays, or set in what would be popular summer destinations, eg Greek Islands etc?  Bit depressing at  the moment thought, to read about people going off on holiday!

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I think that I’ll be an armchair traveler again! :lol:

 

Trying the Silk Road trip Eastern Horizon by Levison Woods.

 

Possibly also The Riviera Set - 1920 to1960: the golden years of glamour and excess.

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I think they're really aimed at those people who tend only to read when on holiday - I know a fair number who barely read at all during the year, but always pack (and read) books for a holiday.  If anything, my reading goes down during a holiday - my most active times.

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  • 1 year later...

Now that meteorological autumn is here for the northern hemisphere, and the autumn equinox is nearly here, does anybody have any particular books they've been saving for autumn? Or books you plan to buy? 

 

I had a 25% off voucher for Waterstones, so I treated myself to The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights, which will be out on the 21st October and is probably not going to be saved until winter (although, having seen the size of my TBR list, it might be). I'd also like to read Classic Victorian & Edwardian Ghost Stories this year, which I ran out of time for last year, and Bone China by Laura Purcell :).

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Bone China by Laura Purcell is great!

 

I don't generally buy/read seasonally although I do have some Christmas reads that I bought last year and will probably read this year - The Ultimate Christmas Collection on Kindle, 150 + authors and 400 + books (allegedly). And, also on Kindle, T'was the night before Christmas.

Edited by lunababymoonchild
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2 hours ago, lunababymoonchild said:

Bone China by Laura Purcell is great!

I am really looking forward to that one!

 

2 hours ago, lunababymoonchild said:

The Ultimate Christmas Collection on Kindle, 150 + authors and 400 + books (allegedly)

Oh wow, I might have a look for that too! 

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