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Halloween is the perfect time of year for moody, atmospheric reading. The weather is on the turn, the nights are drawing in and the cold, frosty mornings either keep us tightly tucked up indoors or drive us to nature, seeking magic in the changing of the seasons. When we think of spooky, creeping stories for Halloween, we often leap to the classics- Stephen King, Clive Barker, Shirley Jackson, and MR James. In recent years though, there has been a resurgence in interest in the horror and ghost story genres. We just love to be scared, apparently! Historical fiction, spooky stories,...

Well, it feels as though life has been on fast-forward for the past month, September was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scenario, and so far October has been the same. However busy the month, there's always time to squeeze in a few minutes with a good book here and there. Here are some of the titles the Willoughby team have been reading recently.   Seven Steeples by Sara Baume I loved this book, and I don't really know how to describe it. It's thoughtful, transporting, meditative... strange. The story follows Bell and Sigh over seven years of their relationship, as they escape to...

If there is anything we love as much as reading in the Willoughby office, it’s listening to music. We’re always compiling playlists of our favourite songs and our individual tastes diverge as widely as our literary ones! It’s always a great day though when we discover a song with a literary reference, whether it be fleeting and obscure, or more obvious in its themes. A lot of bands and artists take inspiration from the books and poetry they consume, be it a classical reference, a nod to Gatsby, or even a Shakespeare play. Song lyrics can be very underrated as...

Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris I have enjoyed the previous books by Heather Morris so I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this new one as it’s not published until 28 September. Set in Singapore in 1942 and based on a real life events, it follows the story of British, Australian and Dutch women who were imprisoned in the war camps by the Japanese in WW2. When English musician Norah meets Australian nurse Nesta, they build up a friendship and find hope and strength during the everyday horrors they endure. This is a heartbreaking, emotional...