01. Are there any books you plan on reading over the autumn season?
I kind of want to do a re-read of some of my favourite books, including: Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. These books really remind me of colder weather and cosying up with a book and I just don't reread favourites often enough. But I also have such a huge pile of unread books that I'll feel pretty guilty for re-reading. What do you think I should do?
02. September brings back to school memories: what book did you most enjoy studying? And what were your favourite and least favourite school subjects?
I pretty much loved all the books that I studied at A-Level: Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, The Colour Purple *sigh for the good old days*. At university I studied far, far too many books to pick a favourite and to be honest they've all kind of turned into a blur at this point. I did really enjoy the Children's Literature module I did in particular though, particularly writing an essay on Shirley Hughes' Dogger.
My favourite school subject was obviously English, I just breezed through it and I loved my teachers, but my least favourite was definitely maths, by a long shot. I just didn't enjoy how it was taught, I was made to feel pretty stupid and not good enough (even though I was in the top set) and it just made me pretty unhappy. Now that I'm actually a tutor of maths and english, I try to never make my students feel that way.
03. October means Halloween: do you enjoy scary books and films? If so what are some of your favourites?
I actually find horror books scarier than films, there's something about imagining it all in your head that makes it ten times scarier than seeing it on a screen. I loved Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix, The Woman in Black by Susan Hill and The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. For a couple more Halloween recommendations, check out my Top Five Wednesday post on the subject.
This year I'm going to try and find some more Halloween reads, I definitely want to pick up My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and Scarecrow by Danny Weston. Leave any more Halloween recommendations in the comments!
04. With November it's time for bonfire night & firework displays. What's the most exciting book you've read that really kept you gripped?
Recently I read The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James and I just couldn't put it down. It's kind of a sci-fi thriller about a girl who is the only surviving crew member on a spaceship travelling towards a new planet, when she finds out a new ship has launched - with a single crew member, a boy named J. This was one of the most gripping reads I'd picked up in a long time and it's also excellently written. Definitely pick this one up.
05. What book is your favourite cosy comfort read?
I'm going to be Captain Obvious here and say Harry Potter, but not just any copy, the illustrated editions! There's nothing I love more than curling up with the huge illustrated editions of the first two Harry Potter books and spending long moments poring over each and every page. I cannot wait for the third one to come out this autumn.
06. Curled up with a good book, what is your hot drink of choice?
If we're talking evenings then it's going to be a cup of decaf Yorkshire tea, or if I'm feeling fancy, a Cadbury's hot chocolate topped with whipped cream (if I'm feeling super extra). I've never had a Pumpkin Spiced Latte, and although I'm intrigued, I'm not sure I'd really like it because I have pretty basic taste buds.
07. Any plans you're looking forward to over the next few months?
I love autumn because it's both mine and Stu's birthdays, so there's always lots of fun plans. I also go home every year for a bonfire party in the field behind my parents' house with so much delicious food, I'm drooling just thinking about it. Then every year in November, my mum and I go and see Hotbuckle Theatre who are a tiny theatre company (usually of just four actors) who put on adaptations of classic novels and it's always sweet and hilarious and so well done. This year they're putting on Wuthering Heights and we're going to see them in Skipton and I can't freaking wait. Basically, autumn is going to be amazing.
Do you have any plans for autumn? What are you going to be reading?
