Winter calls for cosy, comforting reads, spanning from old favourites and sweeping romances, to books you can dip in and out of in between naps. All from the comfort our your own home (or a very plush hotel of course).
Pot of tea and a plate of hot buttered toast optional.
Riders by Jilly Cooper
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A satisfying doorstep of a novel, that puts the bonk into bonkbuster, full of posh folk getting up to all manner of equine-related shenanigans. Controversially I always preferred the brooding Jake Lovell to legendary right wing shagmeister, Rupert Campbell Black.
The Road To Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
If some books are like slipping into an old jumper, Bill Bryson's books are always like slipping into an old jumper of your dads. Comforting, wryly funny and a little bit ranty -just like a dad. This is a sort-of follow up to Notes From A Small Island, once more Bill meanders around Britain and you can join him without ever having to leave your sofa.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Because you can't always reread Pride And Prejudice and I think Northanger Abbey is probably the most underrated of Austen’s novels. It might not have the elegant wit or skilful plotting of her later work, but as a sly spoof of the histrionic gothic novels of her day, Northanger Abbey is a great read for when the wind's beating against the windows. And I love the pretty cover of the Vintage Classics reissue.
The Silent Hours by Cesca Major
When I'm full of cold and sniffling anyway, I like to lose myself in a bit of a weepie like this wonderful debut novel from Cesca Majors. Set in wartime France, The Silent Hours follows the lives of three people, Adeline, Sebastien and little Tristan, brought together then ripped apart by the war.
The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
A childhood favourite that I still read when I need a little pick me up. The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase is a Dickensian romp featuring plucky orphans, a wonderful villain in the form of the evil governess Miss Slighcarp and the forbidding mansion Willoughby Chase surrounded by howling wolves. That's a Sunday afternoon well spent right there.
The Cazalet Chronicles by E.J Howard
A stunning, hugely satisfying five volume series that follows the fortunes of the eccentric Cazalet family. It starts in 1937 with The Light Years, and once begun it's impossible to stop, until you've finished with the last volume Casting Off. Expect to have your heart broken several times along the way.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
For when you've already seen each season of Parks & Recreation five times over.
Dan And Sam by Mark Watson and Ollver Harud
A beautiful graphic novel that I don't want to spoil for you, but expect similar themes to The Time Traveller's Wife and One Day. Like those novels, Dan And Sam will have you sobbing so hard your duvet will get soggy.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone by J.K.Rowling
We might be proper grown-up ladies, but if ever there was a time of year to start a Harry Potter readathon this is it. These long dark nights were made for butter beer, sorting hats and vanquishing he who must not be named. Even better, Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone has just been reissued as a gorgeous illustrated edition. Hufflepuff 4 eva.
House Of Dreams by Fanny Blake
Baby, it's cold outside so experience some vicarious sun, sea and sand in uncomfortable places in Fanny Blake’s House Of Dreams, which is set in Spain. Three siblings arrive at the family’s hilltop villa after the death of their mother to celebrate her birthday and fall out and make-up as only siblings can.
