My Favourite Autumn Reads September - December 2021

Disclaimer: some of the books mentioned below were sent to me as PR copies. These are marked with an asterix *. I was under no obligation to include them in this post, and all thoughts are my own.

Apologies for the delay writing this, my final round-up of my favourite books I read in 2021. It’s been a while since I last shared my reviews of my reads, so what follows is an edit of the books I read from September to December last year. I actually picked up some of my favourite books of the entire year during these months, including a handful of books that immediately made it onto my list of all-time favourites that I’ll pick up and read again and again. And I don’t know if its just me, but I really love reading during the colder months of the year; huddling up beneath a blanket, the fire roaring and candles flickering. In general, I tend to read more books during the autumn and winter months.

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Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

I’m not a Japanese Breakfast fan (I’ve never listened to them) so I didn’t pick up Michelle Zauner’s memoir for this reason, rather I had read great reviews and was intrigued by her writing. It’s an incredibly touching and poignant book that focuses on food, family and identity, particularly focusing on Michelle’s relationship with her Korean mother who sadly was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. She writes beautifully about Korean food throughout the book, connecting specific memories to certain tastes and dishes. If you have lost someone close to you, be aware that this book predominantly deals with grief and loss.

Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney

I really enjoyed this and flew through it, although several months on I have come to the conclusion that it is probably my least favourite of Sally Rooney’s books. The story just hasn’t stayed with me the same way as her first two novels. Saying that, I love how Rooney writes and how her characters feel so real, flaws and all. I enjoyed reading the long emails that the two female protagonists send to each other throughout the book, and felt quite nostalgic for the days when I used to have pen pals. If you’re a fan of Sally Rooney’s books and haven’t already picked this up, I’d recommend giving it a go, but honestly this just wasn’t one of my favourite books of the year.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

If you haven’t come across this before, I Who Have Never Known Men is an incredible, captivating book that was first published in France in 1995. It’s told from the point of view of an unnamed protagonist who has spent her entire life in captivity, in a cage in a bunker with 39 older women. I went into reading this with very little knowledge of the story, and don’t want to give any spoilers. I will say not to expect a fast-paced read. This is a slow, considered book with much action; it’s a story to be savoured that you’ll think about for a long time after you put it down.

A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan

This is completely bonkers but brilliant! The story starts off as a tale of a slightly unhinged couple becoming obsessed with a girl they follow on Instagram, but eventually turns into a full-on body horror, complete with a genuinely terrifying monster. I loved how witty and unexpected this was, and both laughed out loud and gasped in horror several times when reading it. If you enjoyed Bunny by Mona Awad or are a fan of David Croenenberg films, I think you’d appreciate A Touch of Jen.

The Portrait of a Mirror by A Natasha Joukovsky

I loved this book! It’s clever, witty and completely addictive with a plot that reminded me of A Midsummer Night’s Dream crossed with grown-up Gossip Girl. It’s the story of two couples who unknowingly become involved with each other’s spouses, and the rich, high-brow world they inhabit. I laughed out loud throughout, enjoying the dry sense of humour and the satire of New York’s rich and beautiful people. It’s also wonderfully written.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield *

I loved Julia’s collection of short stories from a couple of years ago, and was very excited about reading this. The story cuts between alternate chapters from the point of view of wives Miri and Leah. Leah has just returned home from a deep sea mission and seems to have come back ‘wrong’. Her chapters detail her time trapped on the submarine and feel very claustrophobic and creepy. Miri’s chapters are a bit of a slower read, focusing on the relationship between the two women before and after Leah returned. A slight critique would be that I thought this could have worked better as a shorter novella, but Julia’s writing is incredible and I enjoyed all the symbolism.

The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell

This was a fun thriller that sucked me in and kept me hooked throughout, even if the twists were very obvious. In 1980, a group of 5 friends decide to squat in an abandoned cottage by a lake in the Peak District, but everything starts to fall apart as winter approaches and an uninvited guest arrives. Three decades later, Lila has been given the key to the cottage, and finds that her time spent alone in the middle of nowhere is helping her come to terms with a tragedy. No literary masterpiece, but I couldn’t put this down!

The Fell by Sarah Moss

This is more Summerwater than Ghost Wall, and although I do love how Sarah Moss writes, this didn’t measure up to Ghost Wall for me. It’s a wonderful piece of writing that is told in similar structure to Summerwater with each chapter written from the perspective of a different character - although there are only four characters in this story, and we keep returning to them so we get to know them better. Set during the first lockdown, the basic story is that a woman escapes lockdown to take a walk in the hills, but becomes lost. It’s a gripping read, and feels very strange to already be reading novels set during the pandemic.

In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead*

This was one of my favourite reads of last year - I just couldn’t put it down! Anyone who loves campus novels and psychological thrillers will enjoy this tale of a group of college friends reuniting ten years after one of their close-knit group was murdered. Now the group are back together, all sorts of dark secrets are coming out of the woodwork, as they try to figure out who actually killed their friend. There are so many twists and turns, with flashbacks to their college days revealing that they had all been keeping secrets from each other. There are obvious The Secret History comparisons, and while it in no way measures up, you’ll probably enjoy this if you’re like me and always searching for similar reads.

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy was my favourite read of last year and this (her second novel) is just as brilliant. On reflection, Migrations is a much better book (one of my all time favourites) but I really enjoyed this and felt melancholic when it was over. It’s the story of two sisters who move to Scotland for the protagonist, Inti’s work: reintroducing 14 grey wolves into the remote Highlands. There are similar themes to Migrations, with talk of wildlife, nature and climate change interwoven with fraught personal relationships and past trauma. In times, this is very difficult to read (trigger warnings for a very abusive relationship) but Charlotte writes so beautifully that I sailed through this, barely putting it down.

The Odyssey by Lara Williams *

I was really excited to read Lara’s new book after adoring Supper Club, her debut novel. The Odyssey is very different, but told with Lara’s distinct writing flair. It’s a weird book and unlike anything you’ve read before - but in a good way. It’s the story of Ingrid, who works on rotations on a massive cruise ship with a very strange boss who has recently inducted her into a bizarre mentorship. It’s in the same vein as books such as My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but in a wildly different setting and with refreshingly different ideas.

Dark Things I Adore by Katie Lattari

This is yet another book that I picked up for The Secret History comparisons. It didn’t quite live up to expectations for me, but did keep me hooked throughout and I enjoyed how the author writes. There are three POVs in this - the first two are Max, an egotisical art professor and Audra, his protegee student whose remote home he is visiting to review her thesis work. Both of these worked well for me, and I felt they had strong, unique voices. Where the book fell flat was it’s flashbacks to a group of artists gathered at a prestigious retreat in the woods 30 years ago, narrated by a character nicknamed Juniper. This section of the book was what initially drew me in, but most of the characters in this section were poorly fleshed out, and the narrator is just a bystander to the narrative. I would have loved these chapters to be told from a different point of view and to have been more in depth.

How High We Go In The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu *

This book is wonderful and I recommend everyone to read it, particularly anyone who loves Station Eleven. I loved this so much that I was having to fight my urge to race through it, forcing myself to put it down following each chapter so I could reflect on what I’d just read. Ever since I read Station Eleven, I have been searching for a book that measures up and this is it. I don’t want to say too much, as it’s best to go into this knowing very little, but it is concerned with the aftermath of a virus emerging from beneath the melting ice caps and completely transforming the world in an alarming way. Each chapter is told by a different narrator, although there are clever links between them all to watch out for. I loved how the book explored not only the long term impacts of a world-changing virus (literally spanning generations), but also really made me think about humanity and our origins. I feel really sad that I will never be able to read this for the first time again.

Metronome by Tom Watson *

My very last read of the year was Metronome, a well-written account of two people in exile on a remote island where all may not be as it seems. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s based in a dystopian future which felt particularly harrowing as it didn’t seem too far away from the present. Although there is plenty of action, this story focuses mainly on human relationships and makes you think about how you would cope when you are literally at the end of the world.