Allie Morgan – Writer & Cancer Survivor

As always, my bookshelves are absolutely bursting with books that I’m just desperate to get stuck into.

I’ve found it really hard recently to find the time to read as I tend to fall asleep if I’m reading in bed.

I’ve started to spend a bit of time each morning with my books so hopefully, I’ll be finishing some of them soon.

This winter, I’m hoping to get through some new books I’ve picked up recently – fingers crossed!

Here are five books I’d love to curl up with this winter.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

I cannot tell you how much I absolutely love Kate Morton and when I saw this book in Richard Booth’s bookshop, I couldn’t leave without buying it.

I’ve read all of Morton’s books so far – the first when I was having chemo in hospital – and they are just captivating.

Each book moves between two time periods so you’re effectively following two separate narratives that inevitably become intertwined.

This, of course, means you’re hooked from the get go as Morton keeps you guessing with every single chapter.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter is no different, telling the story of a group of artists who escape to Birchwood Manor for a month in 1862.

By the end of their time there, a woman has been shot dead and another is missing, along with a priceless heirloom.

The story centres around the manor and the people drawn to it over one hundred years after the mysterious tragedy, including one woman with family secrets of her own.

I can’t wait to get stuck into this book – I don’t think I’ll be able to put it down.

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

I’ve seen lots of people talking about this on social media so I picked it up in my local ASDA a few weeks ago.

This is another historical fiction book and aside from having the most gorgeous cover, it looks like it’s going to be a really gripping read.

Set in North England in 1612, it tells the story of Fleetwood Shuttleworth who is desperate to give birth to a healthy child to be an heir for her husband, Richard.

Simply by chance, she meets a midwife, Alice Gray, who promises to help her but their friendship soon comes under pressure when Alice is accused of witchcraft.

This book is based on the true events of the Pendle witch trials which I’m eager to learn more about.

I think it’s going to be a fascinating read.

A Keeper by Graham Norton

I had no idea that Graham Norton had written any fiction until I saw this on our way home from Skye.

Again, this seems to be a bit of a time jump novel with two seemingly separate stories, divided into chapters called ‘Then’ and ‘Now’.

In the ‘Now’ version of events, Elizabeth is returning to Ireland after her mother has passed away while in the retrospective ‘Then’ chapters, a young woman walks out of a remote house and into the darkness of the night.

I think this is going to be a real family drama with some dark humour in there too.

Can’t wait to start reading this & see what Graham Norton is like as a writer.

The Garden of Lost and Found by Harriet Evans

It seems I’ve gone for the same type of books this year as I’ve picked up another historical fiction book!

I really loved Evans’ book The Butterfly Summer so when I saw this & read the blurb, I knew it wasn’t going to be staying in the shop for very long.

The Garden of Lost and Found centres on a famous painting of the same name by Ned Horner, an artist who lives an idyllic family life. That is, until his wife finds him burning the painting just a few days before he suddenly dies.

It’s up to their great-granddaughter Juliet to discover the truth about what happened to make Ned’s perfect life fall apart.

I was so intrigued by this book & I love reading books that centre around the arts in some way, whether it be theatre, music or art itself.

Harriet Evans writes in such a way that keeps me hooked until the last page so I can’t wait to curl up in a corner with a cup of tea and delve into the pages of this book.

Winter by Ali Smith

And finally, to a book I feel I must read in the winter – the aptly named Winter by Ali Smith.

This forms part of Smith’s seasonal quartet of books which starts with Autumn.

I haven’t actually read Autumn & I don’t know whether it’s worth hunting it down before I start reading Winter (if you’ve read them, could you let me know please?)

Winter centres around a Christmas gathering in England – the protagonist, Sophia, at the heart of it all.

Based on the reviews I’ve read, I don’t think this is a book I’ll be able to read in a hurry – lots of people have mentioned that the book can be a bit confusing in the way it’s written, with Sophia’s mind jumping between different time periods.

But I’m looking forward to taking my time with it and enjoying the genius of Ali Smith with a hot chocolate and a comfy chair.

What are you reading this winter?

Allie x