Hello Autumn lovers.

As a nation, we tend to begrudge the rain. We bring it up in conversation, ‘good weather for ducks’ we say. We know we’re united with strangers in one thing, our begrudged, reluctant acceptance, if not appreciation of rain. An unwelcome side effect of English living. 

I grew up in the soft cocoon of rainy days. Afternoons playing in the house to the soundtrack of rain pattering on the windowsill. Weekends walking the dog along the banks of the River Severn, rain frizzing my hair and numbing my skin. I grew up in the cold, grey, British countryside where rain was expected, near constant, unremarkable. 

Yet I’ve always quite liked the rain. A cold blooded March baby, the rain never slowed me down. I grew up in a house where the rain was never an excuse, we carried on regardless of weather. I remember playing with friends in the street until the downpour became too much, warming up again by the fire with lunch before heading straight back out again. Roadtrips made better watching raindrops chase each other down the window in the car The dog needed walking whether the weather was good or not, so we’d don our raincoats and head out into the nature reserve regardless. It was never an annoyance or inconvenience, it was just there. 

More than that though, I came to appreciate the rain. I loved the sound of it when I was tucked up in bed, I loved sheltering from a downpour with my family under a tree, I loved the feeling of a summer shower, cooling me off from the otherwise sticky heat. I loved squelching in the mud on dog walks, and being hosed off in the garden, I loved roast dinners eaten on rainy days and afternoons rained off with a book. Rain was my preferred weather, I found myself wishing for rainy days year round. 

Now that I’m older, wiser (ha) I recognise something in my love of the rain. This romantic old Pisces loves the extra dimension rain adds to a day, the cosy layer of padding on the day. I love the feeling rain brings, a desire to bed down under piles of blankets, light candles, drink cup after cup of hot tea from the sofa. I love the quietness of the rain, the way my favourite beaches and forest paths empty out of people, until it’s just me in my warm coat and timberland boots, treading soggy ground in peace. I love the smell of rain when I step out my front door, fresh and cleansing. I love the vibrancy rain brings, saturating the world with fresh colour. I even love it as an excuse to cancel plans and stay home. 

So this October, I challenge you to look at the rain differently. When it falls, which inevitably it will, I challenge you to look out for the good, appreciate the difference, and learn to love the rain. Change your miserable rainy days to something to look forward too, an excuse to cocoon yourself up. If you're constantly waiting for the sun to shine, you'll miss the beauty of the rain.

I'm so glad we picked The Familiars as the first book this year, it was exactly what I needed to get in an autumnal reading headspace! This historical fiction tells the most beautiful story of witchcraft, strong women, and a fight for power.

Hall's dedication to the period, her flawless research and knowledge of the era really draws you in, and helps you feel immersed in Fleetwood Shuttleworth's world. I'm still totally floored that this is a debut novel, it reads so beautifully. From the very start of the book I felt invested in Fleetwood's life and story, her tumultuous marriage, her burning need for a child, and her desperation to be taken seriously. She's everything you want in a heroine to root for (and I certainly felt an affinity for her when she said "I sighed and wished I hadn’t come, wished I was sitting in the parlour with my dog."!). I loved watching Fleetwood evolve in this story, and I was rooting for her from the start. I often struggle to connect with the characters in historical fiction, they're just too far removed from my own life to be relatable, but Fleetwood was so well written, it was easy. 

Equally, this read is so frustrating on so many levels! You want to bang heads together, promise the female characters things get better, and scream when they accuse a woman of trying to kill a man with witchcraft, when I'm pretty certain he just had a stroke. All of this adds to it's charm though, and you can't help but speed through in the hopes of a happy ending.

If you identify as a feminist, if you love a beautifully written historical fiction, or if you love gothic tales of witchcraft, this is the book for you! 

One of my favourite reads this year, a solid four and a half stars! 

Read if you liked: Practical Magic, A Skinful of Shadows, The Night Circus, The Bear and The Nightingale, Circe.