Six For Sunday: Autumn Feels – Books you’d take on an Autumn walk

It’s week two of our October themed prompts on Six for Sunday, today you best dig out your scarf and a warm coat as we’re off for a walk!

Six for Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Steph at ALITTLEBUTALOT. You can find a list of prompts from July to December 2019 here

Books you’d take on an Autumn walk

In the summer there are few things that can top going for a walk on a sunny day and finding a spot to sit and read. I was super lucky then when I took a week of to head back to Devon and visit family it coincided with a bit of a heat wave and I found myself on a bench on top of the cliffs reading away for hours. I’ve still got the tan lines to prove it many months later!

While we still get nice autumn days in Scotland you’d be taking a big risk if you were hoping to find a beautiful spot to sit and read for any length of time, chances of a sudden downpour are high if the last week is anything to go by! Walking around with your nose in a book is also risky for many reasons so when I sat and thought about what books I would take on an autumn book the answer was obvious – an audio book! I have an Audible subscription and a fair few books that are sitting just waiting for me to finally listen to them so I’ve picked six to accompany me on some long autumn walks!

Cold As The Grave by James Oswald

The ninth book in the Sunday Times-bestselling phenomenon that is the Inspector McLean series, from one of Scotland’s most celebrated crime writers .

Her mummified body is hidden in the dark corner of a basement room, a room which seems to have been left untouched for decades. A room which feels as cold as the grave.

As a rowdy demonstration makes its slow and vocal way along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, Detective Chief Inspector Tony McLean’s team are on stand-by for any trouble. The newly promoted McLean is distracted, inexplicably drawn to a dead-end mews street… and a door, slightly ajar, which leads to this poor girl’s final resting place.

But how long has she been there, in her sleep of death? The answers are far from what McLean or anyone else could expect. The truth far more chilling than a simple cold case…

I first fell in love with this series through the audio books, having downloaded one for free as part of a promotion. The stories are fantastic and I love Ian Hanmore’s narration so even though the hardback is sitting on my shelf I will probably listen to this one instead.

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Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

Join Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, for a brand new case . . .

Martin Chorley, aka the Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud, and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run. Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring Chorley to justice.

But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that Chorley, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan. A plan that has its roots in London’s two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees.

To save his beloved city Peter’s going to need help from his former best friend and colleague–Lesley May–who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Punch . . .

This is another series I came across through Audible, in fact I don’t think I own any of this series in any format other than audio book… I had some credits to use up and Rivers Of London was recommended to me.the concept appealed but Kobna Holdbrook-Smith just brought the whole thing to life. If you enjoy crime and don’t mind a bit of the supernatural mixed in I cannot recommend these audio books enough!

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This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay

Adam Kay was a junior doctor from 2004 until 2010, before a devastating experience on a ward caused him to reconsider his future. He kept a diary throughout his training, and This Is Going to Hurt intersperses tales from the front line of the NHS with reflections on the current crisis. The result is a first-hand account of life as a junior doctor in all its joy, pain, sacrifice and maddening bureaucracy, and a love letter to those who might at any moment be holding our lives in their hands.

I’ve heard so many good things about this book, and recently listened to What Seems To Be The Problem where Adam Kay and the comedian Mark Watson talk about different body parts, what people thought about them historically, what we know now, and what the future may bring. It was really interesting so I used a credit to download this and I’m looking forward to listening

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The Body: A Guide For Occupants by Bill Bryson

‘We spend our whole lives in one body and yet most of us have practically no idea how it works and what goes on inside it.The idea of the book is simply to try to understand the extraordinary contraption that is us.’

Bill Bryson sets off to explore the human body, how it functions and its remarkable ability to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological make up.

A wonderful successor to A Short History of Nearly Everything, this new book is an instant classic. It will have you marvelling at the form you occupy, and celebrating the genius of your existence, time and time again.

‘What I learned is that we are infinitely more complex and wondrous, and often more mysterious, than I had ever suspected. There really is no story more amazing than the story of us.’ Bill Bryson

Many years ago I bought Bill Bryson’s book A Short History Of Nearly Everything and loved it. It was the sort of thing that appealed to my geeky nature. Now he’s back with this book about the body and it was calling to me so I downloaded it, I’m looking forward to learning some more random facts I can surprise people with in conversation.

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Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah, one of the comedy world’s fastest-rising stars and host of The Daily Show, tells his wild coming-of-age story during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed. In this Audible Studios production, Noah provides something deeper than traditional memoirists: powerfully funny observations about how farcical political and social systems play out in our lives.
“Nelson Mandela once said, ‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.’ He was so right. When you make the effort to speak someone else’s language, even if it’s just basic phrases here and there, you are saying to them, ‘I understand that you have a culture and identity that exists beyond me. I see you as a human being.'” (Trevor Noah)
Attuned to the power of language at a young age – as a means of acceptance and influence in a country divided, then subdivided, into groups at odds with one another – Noah’s raw, personal journey becomes something extraordinary in audio: a true testament to the power of storytelling. With brutal honesty and piercing wit, he forgoes an ordinary reading and, instead, delivers something more intimate, sharing his story with the openness and candor of a close friend. His chameleon-like ability to mimic accents and dialects, to shift effortlessly between languages including English, Xhosa, and Zulu, and to embody characters throughout his childhood – his mother, his gran, his schoolmates, first crushes and infatuations – brings each memory to life in vivid detail. Hearing him directly, you’re reminded of the gift inherent in telling one’s story and having it heard; of connecting with another, and seeing them as a human being.

Another non-fiction! Doing this topic for Six for Sunday I’ve definitely realised that I am far more likely to buy nonfiction as an audiobook to listen to than as a book to read… no idea why! I’m really intrigued to hear Trevor’s life story, he’s only a few years older than I am and coming from a mixed race family myself I think it’s going to be a bit of a shock to hear based on my own pretty sheltered experiences growing up in a little town in Devon.

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Their Lost Daughters by Joy Ellis

TWO GIRLS GO TO A PARTY, ONLY ONE RETURNS ALIVE
Toni, the surviving teenager, is found delirious, wandering the muddy fields. She has been drugged and it’s uncertain whether she’ll survive. She says she saw her friend Emily being dragged away from the party. But no one knows who Emily is or even if she’s still alive. . .
Meanwhile the drowned body of another girl has been found on an isolated beach.
And how does this all relate to the shocking disappearance of a little girl nearly a decade ago, a crime which was never solved? The girl’s mother is putting immense pressure on the police to re-open the high-profile case.

EACH ONE OF THEM IS SOMEONE’S DAUGHTER AND THE POLICE MUST GIVE THEIR FAMILIES JUSTICE AND CLOSURE
DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans of the Fenland police are stretched to the limit as they try to bring the perpetrators of these shocking crimes to justice.
There is evidence of an illegal drinking club run by a shadowy group of men, who are grooming teenagers. And the team come across a sinister former hospital called Windrush which seems to house many dark secrets.

Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the shocking ending.

THE DETECTIVES DS Marie Evans lost her husband in a motorbike accident and has personal connections to the case. DI Jackman leads the team. He is extremely smart and has a knack for bringing out the best in his diverse team, which includes the mysterious computer specialist Orac.

I’m finishing up with another crime story, this one is set in Lincolnshire and does sound pretty dark and intriguing. But I’d be lying if I tried to convince you it was anything other than the fact Richard Armitage is narrating that drew me to it initially!

They were my #SixforSunday! All in that’s over 60 hours of listening so I’d best get my steps in! If you’ve taken part leave a link to your post below and I’ll be sure to check it out!