Novels For Your Autumn Reading List

We’re always looking for ways to bring people together to connect, unwind and ponder over new ideas. That’s why, this autumn, we’ve been working with Penguin Books to host a series of book events across our bakeries.

From poignant reflections on life’s pivotal moments to a lyrical, life-affirming story about belief, memory, and love, these novels are the kind that stay with you long after the final page. If you’re looking for a new read to hunker down with this autumn, look no further than this list for your next page-turner.

Keep reading to find out more about the books we’re celebrating this season, how to join our upcoming Bristol event, plus how to start your own reading group, with tips from Penguin Books.

 

Births, Deaths & Marriages, Laura Barnett

Earlier this month, we gathered in Southwark, London, to hear from the number one bestselling author of The Versions of Us, Laura Barnett. Her latest novel is a story of six lifelong friends and one extraordinary year. It's Four Weddings and a Funeral, for a new generation.

The six friends were inseparable at university, all with secret (or not-so secret) passions for each other. Over the years, they have gone their separate ways. But when Rob's engagement party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, while old connections and resentments resurface. Over the next twelve months, there will, among the friends, be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose?

To find out more, please enjoy this complementary audio sample.

Cat Fight, Kit Conway

We welcomed Kit Conway to our Tunbridge Wells bakery to discuss her debut novel, Cat Fight. This exciting new novel explores the lengths women will go to when life leaves them feeling caged.

The story explores the lives of three women on an exclusive Sevenoaks estate. The trio appear to get along. But one May bank holiday, someone sees a panther on the estate. Cracks between the elite group begin to emerge.

As the summer wears on and there are more sightings, tensions between the neighbours threaten to boil over. Everyone is watching their back. But is the real

predator a seventy-kilo cat with razor-sharp claws – or is the actual danger of a much more domestic variety?

To find out more, please enjoy this complementary audio sample.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Homemade God, Rachel Joyce

For our final event in this series, we’ll be welcoming guests to our bakery in Bristol on Thursday 9th October for an exclusive Q&A with Rachel Joyce and her new novel, The Homemade God. You can order your tickets here.

Set against an intense heatwave in Europe, we meet three siblings, gathered at the family's house by Lake Orta in Piedmont, Italy. Their father, a famous artist, has recently remarried a much younger woman and decamped to Italy to finish his masterpiece. Now he is dead and there is no sign of a painting.

Although the siblings have always been close, as they search for answers over the summer, the things they learn – about themselves, their father and their new stepmother – begin to drive them apart. Will they ever come to an understanding of what their father's legacy truly is? This is a story about sibling relationships, what holds a family together and what might fracture it forever.

To find out more, please enjoy this complementary audio sample.

ORDER YOUR TICKETS

 

If you haven't been able to make our events, you're more than welcome to host your own book club at your local GAIL’s bakery.

Here are a couple more great reads to get you started.

Sandwich, Catherine Newman

From the author of We All Want Impossible Things, a raucously funny novel with an unexpected punch about being 'sandwiched' between growing children and ageing parents and the power of change.

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to the beach. The humble, quirky house they rent has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, shared mishaps and memories. It is a place where her family comes together and

Rocky wants to cling to every moment. But with her body in open revolt and surprises invading her peaceful haven, the seesaw of Rocky’s life is tipping towards change.

To find out more, please enjoy this complementary audio sample.

By Your Side, Ruth Jones

This is a warm and life-affirming novel from the author of the instant Sunday Times bestsellers, Never Greener, Us Three and Love Untold. In her role at the council’s Unclaimed Heirs Unit, Linda Standish investigates the lives of those who’ve died alone and tracks down any living relatives. She’s been a friend to the friendless for the past 33 years. And now she’s looking forward to an early retirement. But before she hangs up her lanyard, Linda must take on one last case – that of Levi Norman Jones – a Welshman who’d made his home on a remote Scottish island for the past five years. What brought Levi here? And who did he leave behind? Linda and Levi will never meet, but they’re going to change each other’s lives.

To find out more, please enjoy this complementary audio sample.

Tips on starting your own reading club

1. Gather your people

Round up friends, colleagues, or neighbours who love a good story (and a good cinnamon bun). Keep it small and cosy, or cast the net wide, whatever suits.

2. Pick your first read

Start with something engaging and accessible, like one of the five Penguin Books Summer Reads. A great book will get the whole group talking from page one.

3. Choose your meeting spot

We hope you’ll find our bakeries warm and welcoming, and that our delicious autumn menu will help conversation sparkle. Set a regular date and make it something to look forward to. If you’re not meeting in person, you can find some online book club tips here.

4. Set the tone

Will you take turns hosting? Go deep into character debates or keep it light and breezy? These are all decisions you can discuss together.

5. Keep the conversation flowing

Jot down some prompts, like “Which character would you want to be?” or “What would you change about the ending?” Allow your members to go off on all kinds of tangents.

We’re also giving away five book bundles including all five of the brilliant novels on this list. Sign up to the giveaway here.