10 Books To Read On A Rainy Day
With autumn well and truly here, embrace the change in the weather and curl up with a great book…
There’s something about pouring rain that makes you want to cuddle up inside, light a candle and read a book. Getting lost in a good story on a rainy day is blissful, but it’s not always easy to pick a novel that will suit. You want something impactful, heartwarming, thrilling or even just autumnal. If you can get lost in the novel for hours without noticing, that’s exactly what we’re after. And it’s even better if the book fits the vibe of your intimate surroundings.
So, if you’re reading this while there’s a storm battering down outside, sit tight. Fetch your blanket, a few pillows, a mug of tea and light a candle – here are ten books to dig your teeth into on a day like this.
1. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte, 1847)
It’s always a good idea to start with a classic. If you’re in the mood for a passionate, tear-jerking romance novel then this is one of the most obvious suggestions. In it, we follow the relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and the orphaned boy her father adopted when they were children, Heathcliff.
It’s tyrannical, it’s dramatic and it’s even sorrowful as the characters face jealousy, competition and even broken hearts before the novel comes to its heart-wrenching conclusion. It’s definitely one we recommend for a long day stuck in the house.
2. The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern, 2011)
In this intriguing fantasy novel, two magicians named Celia and Marco are about to face the deadliest duel of their lives.
As part of a mysterious circus that only opens at night, the two protagonists must take the lives of every circus member into their hands for a match they’ve trained all their lives. But will it end the way it should?
If you want to add some climax and curiosity into your day, we recommend this one.
3. The Last (Hanna Jameson, 2019)
Picture a post-apocalyptic world where the world has just ended. Twenty people remain in a hotel, unsure who else has survived this merciless disaster. There’s no lights, no nearby sanctuary. Just a barrier of towering trees trapping them in the one place.
Jon, a historian, is one of the people trapped, and he wonders whether his wife Nadia has survived out there. But suddenly the group find the body of a young girl – and it’s clear there’s a murderer in the building. But will the survivors identify the killer, and will everyone live to see the next few days? Pick up a copy now and find out.
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde, 1890)
A scandalous novel when it was first published, The Picture of Dorian Gray captures the quarrel between decadence and sin.
Dorian Gray, the book’s protagonist, is absorbed by his own exquisite portrait. It soon leads him to exchange his soul for an eternity of beauty and his life becomes corrupt as he tries to balance a respectable image in the public eye while indulging in some scandalous secrets privately.
Perfectly capturing the life of a Victorian gentleman, we praise this classic work of fiction.
5. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911)
You might’ve read this one as a child, but it’s an irreplaceable classic that we think is just as good to read as an adult.
Follow along the life of Mary Lennox who is sent to live with her uncle in Misselthwaite Manor.
Spoilt, pale and misbehaved, Mary has trouble getting along with her family, and she is also terribly lonely. But one day her ears are pricked when she hears about a deserted garden – locked up and inside the grounds of the manor.
When a friendly robin helps her to find the keys, her world is turned upside down by the most magical place she’s ever seen…
6. Out of The Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis, 1938)
One day, Elwin Ransom is taking a tour of the English countryside before the rain comes slashing down and he’s forced to run and take quick shelter.
Little does he know that he finds himself in a cave – one that’s being used for scientific experiments by two strange men. They drug him before Elwin suddenly awakes and finds himself tied up and on his way to Mars – where he will serve as a sacrifice to the creatures who live there.
Do you love thrillers, sci-fi and adventure? Well, here’s three in one.
7. Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, 1812)
There’s no better time than a rainy day to tuck yourself in and comb your way through Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Odd, silly, magical and perhaps a little grim at times, there’s over 200 tales to choose. And who knows, some of them might seem familiar. Others will be completely new. Why not have a go at some of them soon?
8. Lord of The Flies (William Golding, 1954)
In perhaps one of the most enthralling, on-the-edge-of-your-seat novels of the fifties, Lord Of The Flies follows the survival game of nine children who’ve endured a plane crash before finding themselves deserted on an island.
It explores the dark side of human nature as the boys fight over power, reasoning, tools and politics in order to co-exist on the island. But with no adults to monitor them, the children soon become violent and brutal.
In an unsettling depiction of what human nature can really be like, Golding asks one simple question: Are we savages at heart?
9. Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
Spiralling, descriptive and dizzying, Carroll’s classic children’s novel makes a joyful read for adults too, especially if you’re looking to get lost in a story on a boring day.
In it, a young inquisitive girl named Alice falls down a rabbit hole to discover a whimsical and delirious world full of talking animals, strange landscapes and bizarre adventures.
Together with some incredible illustrations, this novel will suck you in for an hour or two as you live through the maddening adventures with Alice.
10. Room (Emma Donoghue, 2010)
If we can entice you with one last thriller, it would be 2010’s Room.
You might’ve seen Brie Larson win an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2016 for her performance in the live action version of the book. In it, she plays the single widow who’s been captured and held in a room with her 5-year-old son, Jack, for seven years. There are no windows other than a single sky light – and the place is shielded with only one code-locked door for their imprisoner to get in through. Read the novel version which follows the struggle of the two hostages as they try to figure out ways to escape, all while the outside world seems extraordinarily alien to Jack.
