The Autumn Reading Tag

This tag has been everywhere lately and even though I haven’t actually been tagged,I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon since everyone and their dog has done it already! Created by Amy Jane Smith, I think it captures the snuggly idealised Tumblr version of Autumn and I love it.

1) Are there any books you plan on reading over the Autumn season?

I try to avoid having a strict TBR as it tends to feel a bit restrictive, but some books I’m hoping to get to in the next couple of months are:

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter – I’ve been meaning to read this for years and finally bought a copy last week.

Human Acts by Han Kang – I read The Vegetarian earlier this year and loved it, so I’m interested to see whether I enjoy this as much.

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi – another author I want to read more of (What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours is one of my favourite books of the year so far). I think I’ll take this away with me on holiday next week.

Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky – this has been sitting on my shelf for far too long and it looks absolutely beautiful. I want to read this as part of Non-Fiction November, although it’s not really a typical non-fiction book!

The Rat by Günter Grass – I hauled this waaaay back and still haven’t picked it up! I need a rainy Sunday to make a start on it, but I’m hoping to finish it before the end of the year.

2) September brings back to school memories: what book did you most enjoy studying? And what were your favourite and least favourite school subjects?

The best book I studied at school was Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. It’s a really witty play that covers everything from romance to chaos theory and it’s greatttt. My favourite subjects were French, Spanish, English and Geography and my least favourites were probably P.E. and Biology.

3) October means Halloween: do you enjoy scary books and films? If so what are some of your favourites?

I pretty much hate scary anything! I have too overactive an imagination and just end up freaking myself out for days if I watch/read anything remotely creepy. So I’ll be watching Hocus Pocus instead next week…

Source

4) With November it’s time for bonfire night & firework displays. What’s the most exciting book you’ve read that really kept you gripped?

It’s hard to pick just one! A few page-turners I’ve read recently are:

The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney. Gritty and witty and great. I loved how all the characters wove in and out of each other’s lives and you were never really sure whose version of events to believe.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the first book in this series, but I tore through all 600+ pages of the sequel in a few days and now I don’t know how I’m going to wait until May for book three…

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr. I read this is one sitting and it was just lovely and brilliant and very unusual. I’ll share a more detailed review soon.

5) What book is your favourite cosy comfort read?

Harry Potter (all of them/any of them). Boring answer but it’s true! I also love reading Jane Austen at this time of year – maybe I’ll reread Northanger Abbey for some spoofy gothic fun.

6) Curled up with a good book, what is your hot drink of choice?

TEA. Tea, tea and more tea. English Breakfast in the morning, Earl Grey in the afternoon and herbal in the evening.

7) Any plans you’re looking forward to over the next few months?

Yes! I’m going on holiday to Helsinki and Tallinn next week and I’m so excited to explore two cool new cities. It’s going to be freezing (but actually), so I’m looking forward to some cosy reading and knitting time in between adventuring (v hygge). Expect photos soon…

What are you reading or hoping to read this autumn? And if you haven’t done this tag yet and would like to, please consider yourself tagged!