It’s autumn, the nights are drawing in, and you want to curl up on the sofa with a good book. But which book?
Here are some classic reads which are perfect for the season.
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
This Gothic tale is incredibly atmospheric. Follow Jane’s life from her tough upbringing in an orphanage to her role as a governess in the vast mansion of Thornfield, where her enigmatic boss Mr Rochester hides a dramatic secret…
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
The story of Tess is a nineteenth century classic. Enjoy Hardy’s beautiful writing and his vivid descriptions of the fictional county of Wessex.
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
No one who has encountered Miss Havisham can ever forget her. Meet her, Pip and Estella in Dickens’ greatest novel.
Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen
Most Austen fans love Pride and Prejudice, but personally I feel her first novel Northanger Abbey is perfect for autumn. Young Catherine loves gothic romances but she soon realises these do not reflect real life, in this enjoyable tale.
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The classic vampire tale is perfect for this time of year.
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley could be called the founder of science fiction, and her famous tale – penned when she was just eighteen years old – is a classic.
Middlemarch – George Eliot
This sweeping novel tells the story of the idealistic Dorothea, who undergoes a change in the course of the novel.
The War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells
The original Martian adventure, this is an exciting story about an alien invasion.
The Portrait of a Lady – Henry James
This classic tale is the story of a young American woman, Isabel Archer, who travels to Europe and is expected to soon marry, but instead resolves to enjoy her freedom.
Moby-Dick – Herman Melville
The story of Captain Ahab, whose obsession with the white whale of the title determines his fate and that of his seafaring colleagues.
These classics and lots of others are available in Penguin Clothbound Classics, a beautiful range of hardback novels that look gorgeous on your bookshelf.