The Cambridge Satchel Book Club

As hot chocolate season creeps closer and staying in starts to sound considerably more appealing than going out, it is time to turn our attention to the bookshelf.

The only trouble is choosing what to read next. Bookshops are wonderful places, until you are twenty minutes in, surrounded by possibilities and somehow no closer to a decision. So, from romantics to deep thinkers, consider this our little helping hand for your autumn reading list.

For the hopeless romantic
Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld

Think SNL. A clever, funny take on modern romance set behind the scenes of a late night comedy show. Sally is a writer in her early thirties, once married and now firmly sceptical about love. That is, until a charming pop star arrives as the week’s musical guest and puts her cynicism to the test.

For the nostalgic
When God was a Rabbit, Sarah Winman

A funny and tender story about childhood, family and the strange things we carry with us as we grow up. At its heart is Elly, her brother Joe and a wonderfully eccentric cast of family and friends, following them from an unusual childhood into adulthood. One for anyone who still remembers the peculiar little world they created as a child.

For the armchair detective
One of the Girls, Lucy Clarke

Six women head to a Greek island for a hen weekend of sunshine, swimming and celebration. Naturally, something goes terribly wrong. Secrets emerge, friendships shift and the idyllic escape becomes the sort of holiday you will be very glad you did not book yourself.

For the deep thinker
Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman

For the reader who likes to return from lunch with a new theory about human behaviour. Kahneman explores the two systems behind the way we think, choose and make mistakes, making this a suitably substantial companion for a long autumn Sunday.

For the charming eccentric
My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell

Gerald Durrell’s wonderfully chaotic account of moving to Corfu with his family, assorted creatures and very little sense of order. Warm, funny and gloriously odd, it offers a little Mediterranean sunshine when the British weather has other ideas.