Top Ten Tuesday is a listicle created by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was created from a love of lists, books and creating bookish friends. Each Tuesday she assigns a new topic for others to join in with. Here is where you can learn more information about Top Ten Tuesday. Ad/Affiliate – Some of these books have affiliate links, you can read my disclaimer here.
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday listicle is books on my autumn to-read list. I participated in this post last year on my old book blog, but since then I have transferred the book category to this blog. I can’t remember which books I had on my list last year, but hopefully, I managed to read some. My book goal for 2023 was to read 40 books and so far I am at 22, so a bit behind. This year I have been so busy with my studies so I’m trying to let myself off. I also gave myself the goal of reading 10 books I already own, so far I’ve only read 2.
1. The Otters’ Tale by Simon Cooper
I am almost a third of the way through this book and I have been finding it really interesting. Otters are one of my favourite animals, so it is nice to read more about them.
Synopsis:
When Simon Cooper bought an abandoned water mill that straddles a small chalk stream in southern England, little did he know that he would come to share the mill with a family of wild otters. Yet move in they did, allowing him to begin to observe them, soon immersing himself in their daily routines and movements. He developed an extraordinarily close relationship with the family, which in turn gave him a unique insight into the life of these fascinating creatures.
Cooper interweaves the personal story of the female otter, Kuschta, with the natural history of the otter in the British Isles, only recently brought back from the brink of extinction through tireless conservation efforts. Following in the footsteps of Henry Williamson’s classic 1920s tale Tarka the Otter, readers are taken on a journey through the calendar year, learning the most intimate detail of this most beautiful of British mammals. Cooper brings these beloved animals to life in all their wondrous complexity, revealing the previously hidden secrets of their lives in this beautifully told tale of the otter.
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Related post: Top 10 nature books I want to read
2. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
My sister sent me this book almost 3 years ago to borrow and I still haven’t finished reading it. I started and really enjoyed it, but never managed to finish it. Now I am holding myself accountable, and I will read it this autumn and then return it…
Synopsis:
This is Britain as you’ve never read it.
This is Britain as it has never been told.
From top of the country to the bottom, across more than a century of change and growth and struggle and life, Girl, Woman, Other follows twelve very different characters on an entwined journey of discovery.
It is future, it is past. It is fiction, it is history.
It’s a novel about who we are now.
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
3. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
I read The Rosie Project a few months ago and whilst I didn’t love it, I love a book series. Since finishing it, I have been looking in every charity shop to find the sequel. Last week I found The Rosie Effect in my local charity bookshop…hooray!
Synopsis:
With The Rosie Project, “Graeme Simsion achieved the impossible and created an entirely new kind of romantic hero,” Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You said. Now Don Tillman returns in the hilarious and charming sequel to the international sensation. Get ready to fall in love all over again.
Don sets about learning the protocols of becoming a father, but his unusual research style gets him into trouble with the law. Fortunately, his best friend Gene is on hand to offer advice: he’s left Claudia and moved in with Don and Rosie.
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4. Thirteen Weddings by Paige Toon
I haven’t read a Paige Toon book for a while, but I do quite like her books and style of writing. This book came from a charity shop a couple of years ago, and it seems fairly light-hearted. Plus, it is a book I already own.
Synopsis:
A year ago, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After one amazing night together they parted ways.
Now working on the picture desk for a glossy magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet a new colleague – who turns out to be all too familiar. Alex is now engaged, but the memory of the spark they felt when they met hasn’t died. As Alex’s wedding day looms, it is clear that he and Bronte have unfinished business…
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Continue reading: 10 books on my autumn to-read list – Top Ten Tuesday
5. In the Garden by various authors
The next book on my autumn to-read list is In the Garden. I have heard great things about At the Pond, but this book is much more my thing.
Synopsis:
An essay collection about gardening and our relationship to nature, following on from the successful At the Pond and In the Kitchen.
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6. The Secret To Happy by Vicky Pattison
I have been following Vicky Pattison on Instagram since she was on I’m A Celeb. I’m not one to follow many celebrities on social media, but I love Vicky because of how real she is. I think she published this book last year and ever since I have wanted to read it. A couple weekends ago, I was at a second-hand bookshop and saw it. I really wanted to get it, but I had so much stuff with me and not enough space for a hardback book.
Synopsis:
The debut self-help book from Vicky Pattison, on how to quash your inner doubts, overcome fear and live a happier life.
“If there’s any woman out there who is feeling like they’re going through things on their own, or they’re worried that they’re not achieving what they should be, or feeling or looking how they should, I want this book to let you know you’re not alone.”
In over a decade on television, Vicky Pattison has had her fair share of ups and downs, from her rise to fame on Geordie Shore to her public break-up with her fiancĂ©, her body confidence issues and debilitating anxiety. In The Secret to Happy, Vicky opens up about her darkest moments and shares the pearls of wisdom and hard-won lessons she’s picked up along the way – to overcoming heartbreak, ending toxic relationships and managing her mental health – to help you find inner strength, accept imperfections and be true to yourself.
Brave, honest and insightful, with Vicky’s trademark Geordie humour, The Secret to Happy is an empowering and uplifting guide to help you find your own kind of happiness, whatever that looks like.
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
7. The Future We Choose by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac
My sister gave me this book for Christmas 3 years ago and I’ve only just started reading it. I feel so bad, but it happens to most of my books. She picked it very well because I’m almost halfway through and I love it. The review will be coming hopefully soon.
Synopsis:
We can survive the climate crisis. This book shows us how. We have two choices for our future, which is still unwritten. It will be shaped by who we choose to be right now. So, how can we change the story of the world?
The Future We Choose is a passionate call to arms from former UN Executive Secretary for Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, and Tom Rivett-Carnac, senior political strategist for the Paris Agreement. We are still able to stave off the worst and manage the long-term effects of climate change, but we have to act now. We know what we need to do, and we have everything we need to do it. Practical, optimistic and empowering, The Future We Choose is a book for every generation, for all of us who feel powerless in the face of the climate crisis. This is the final hour: it can be our finest. But we must act now.
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice was definitely on my autumn to-read list last year, but I haven’t found the time to read it yet. It’s such a classic, I need to read it!
Synopsis:
Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work “her own darling child” and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.” The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen’s radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.
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9. Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
A few months ago, I read a review of this book on the blog Magical Reads and a few days later I found it at my local charity shop. It has been sitting on my desk for a while in the hopes that I will start reading it. I’ve previously read If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane which I really enjoyed, so I’m hoping I’ll like this book too.
Synopsis:
When Joe and Roisin join their group of friends for a weekend at a country house, it’s a triple celebration – a birthday, an engagement and the launch of Joe’s shiny new crime drama on TV.
For Roisin, it’s a chance to connect with the group of friends she made a decade before, working at Waterstones. But for Joe, it’s a distraction as his writing career soars.
As the weekend unfolds, tensions are revealed between the group and Roisin’s sense of foreboding about her own relationship grows.
And when the friends watch the first episode of Joe’s drama, she realises that the secrets she told him are right there on the screen.
But is that all he’s used? What if the fictional hero’s infidelity also isn’t fictional after all?
10. Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
The final book on my autumn to-read list is Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes. I have read lots of her books which I have enjoyed, and this has been on my list since she released it. I’m going to reserve this from the library.
Synopsis:
Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes?
Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope–she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.
That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag–she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself.
Bookshop* | Blackwells* | Waterstones* | World of Books
What books are on your autumn to-read list? Do we have any in common?
Caroline ♡
Great variety in your list. I really enjoyed Someone Else’s Shoes and The Rosie Effect ( great on audio). One day I’d like to try a Paige Toon book to see if she is my kind of author.
Thank you, I hope I like them too x
I don’t think I’ve heard of Paige, but her books seem like they could be ones I like. Plus someday I’d like to give a novel by Jojo a chance. Oh! And I’d like to ATTEMPT “Pride & Prejudice,” too. I love the adaptations but haven’t ever tried to give the book a chance. 🙂 Many thanks for visiting my website today!
Haha, I’ve read some adaptions too!
I have not read any of these, but yes, it is okay to give yourself a break since you have your studies! I hope you do enjoy the ones you are able to get to. Have a great week!
Thank you Cindy!
I hope you love all of these. They look good!
I love Mhairi McFarlane so I hope you enjoy that one.
Also I adore otters so I am definitely going to add that otter book to my wishlist.
Thanks 🙂
These are great suggestions, sharing this list with my friend as she was asking me for suggestions a few days ago. Thank you for sharing!
Aw thank you!
P&P is a great book! I hope you love it when you get to it.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Thank you Susan
I don’t have any books on my TBR list at the moment, but I really like the look of The Otter’s Tale, what a wonderful story. I’ve just finished re-reading Blood and Beauty, and the sequel, In The Name of The Family – both by Sarah Dunant and about the Borgias: Pope Alexander, Cesare, and Lucrezia. Absolutely fascinating!
Oh wow, that sounds very interesting!
I love Pride and Prejudice! I hope you get a chance to pick it up. Happy reading!
Thank you
These are really interesting suggestions. Girl, Woman, Other, Between Us and Thirteen Weddings sounds like interesting reads. Pride and Prejudice was a great book. I hope you get time to read it.
Thank you
The Otter’s Tale looks so cute! I’ve never heard of it but I really want to give it a shot!
Would definitely recommend x
Love Pride & Prejudice! I used to read it once a year, but since I’ve been blogging and reading ARCs, I don’t make the time anymore. I’ve read The Rosie Project but not The Rosie Effect, either. I hope you enjoy any of these you get to!
Oh wow, that’s so cool!
Great list. I do love it when you find a book you’ve been looking for in a charity shop.
Good luck with the reading. I will make a note of some of these titles for my reading list.
Me too, thank you Sam x
I love the variety of books on your to-read list, and I hope you enjoy them! I am quite intrigued by The Secret To Happy and Between Us. I don’t have a set to-read list for autumn, but I just started Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott
Thank you x
Nice list, I have only read one of them (Pride and Prejudice), few others look interesting to me however. Though already have a backlog of stuff to read (And watch).
Very relatable!
Pride and Prejudice has been on my TBR for years!! I love all the retellings and the film adaptations but haven’t read the original yet.
Me too x
Haven’t read these yet. Oh, more books for me to check out.
Haha, the list is never ending!
Oh I love these suggestions, I’m in desperate need to add some new books to my list. Ssomeone Elses Shoes sounds great, this will be the first one I add x
Lisa
http://www.lovefromlisa.com
Thank you 🙂