Autumn is a time for gathering, its a time of preparing to hunker down in the winter months. The time spent doing indoor things increases, the food I eat changes, and the types of books I read changes too. No longer tales of sunny shores and sun drenched foreign lands. Summer reading is mostly outside in the sun, wearing sunglasses and sipping cool drinks under the shade of a parasol. Winter reading is more likely to take place curled up in an arm chair with a cup of tea. As the weather changes I’m more interested in reading something a bit richer and with more depth. I am much more likely to turn to poetry in the autumn and winter months. I am also quite often found pouring over cookery books, planning menus and thinking about what I might cook as the nights draw in.
The changes of the seasons also brings with a it a whole new programme of author talks and events to look forward to. Lots of independent book shops now have a programme for Autumn and winter and October always sees a glut of new releases in the book world.
And if I may be so bold its not a bad time to start compiling your Christmas book wish list (I know I have).
Last week I picked up two Penguin Vintage Minis. If you haven’t discovered these yet, do seek them out. Vintage Minis are a series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human – from birth to death and everything in between. They cost only £3.50, so are very affordable. I bought mine in a little book shop in Hammersmith Broadway station but I have seen them in other much larger book shops too.
There are some great new cook books around too. Nigella has a new book. I love Nigella. I have every cookery book she has written and I can honestly say I use them all regularly. Her latest book ‘At My Table’ is a celebration of home cooking. I had a little peak when I was in a book shop last weekend and I look forward to having a copy of my own. There is to be an accompanying TV series too, which I will be sure to watch
I love the TOAST website not just for drooling over the clothes but because it has a great magazine section too, full of books, recipes and The co-founder of TOAST Jessica Seaton has written a beautiful cookery book called Gather Cook Feast. It celebrates the connection between the food we eat and the land on which we live, with lots of seasonal and sustaining recipes. The photography is beautiful and this is another book I shall be adding to my wish list.
Earlier this week I posted about my visit to Dulwich and the lovely bookshops I discovered. Village books has a great programme of talks in the next few weeks, one or two of which I hope to get along to. The wonderful Daunt books also has an interesting programme.
I also bought a copy Ali Smiths Booker nominated novel Autumn, which I am planning as my next read.
Have a suitably bookish weekend!
