The clocks have gone back, we’ve done hallowe’en and the shops are already featuring their Christmas displays so how will we survive the long, dark evenings? What better way than to sink into a book? Curled up in a comfy chair with the curtains closed to hide the night sky, there is something so satisfying allowing the imagination to follow the latest work of fiction by a favourite author. Or, perhaps, to explore the work of a new writer. And if you find holding a printed book too heavy and too uncomfortable, a device such as Kindle provides an alternative. 

There are so many titles out there that it is difficult to know where to start. Every month the bookshop, “Waterstones” sets up a couple of recommended books in its window. So in October I tried “Really good actually” by Maggie Heisey. I was SO disappointed. The blurb said things like “likeable heroine . . .” “Smart, funny. . .” No-o-o! The main  character, Maggie was trying to cope with divorce after 608 days of marriage. The plot follows her putting her life back together after the trauma of her divorce but nothing about her story appealed to me. It was really bad, actually.

Then I found “The Offing” by Benjamin Myers. It was a Radio 2 Book Club recommendation and the title intrigued me. Apparently the offing is the part of the sea that maybe seen from land between the horizon and the shore.

It’s a charming,  gentle story unfolding as it follows the travels of 16 year old Robert after he leaves his mining village to spend the summer wandering from village to village surviving by doing odd-jobs. When he reaches Robin Hood’s Bay he meets an eccentric older woman called Dulcie who opens up his eyes to poetry, good food, swimming in the sea and the potential for a life other than mining.

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis

This is an intriguing tale about rare books dealer Ashlyn Greer who has an amazing ability to feel echoes of a book’s previous owners when she holds the books in her hand. When two books about lovers Hemi and Belle come into her possession she feels their emotional imprint and works to unravel the mysteries of their tragic romance. As Ashlyn learns about Hemi and Belle,  she brings closure to their love story—and to the unfinished chapters of her own life.

Both books were worth reading and I plan to look for more books by Benjamin Myers.

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