Now that the clocks have turned back (have you remembered, or are you a little out of sync while you read this?) long winter evenings and darkness beckon.
It’s the perfect time of year to curl up with a good book and a hot drink.
And Waterstones intu has a stack of fabulous page turners featured in its Buy Books For Syria campaign – a captivating range of bestsellers donated by publishers and authors to Waterstones.
100% of the retail price of books in the campaign will go directly to Oxfam’s Syria Crisis Appeal, with the Waterstones brand aiming to raise £1 million for those in need.
Participating authors include Ian Rankin, David Nicholls and Caitlin Moran, promising something for everyone to enjoy.
Ian Rankin's Fleshmarket Close could be your escape.
In his 15th Rebus novel an illegal immigrant is found murdered in an Edinburgh housing scheme. Rebus is drawn into the case, but has other problems: his old police station has closed for business, and his masters want him to retire. But Rebus is stubborn. As he investigates, he must visit an asylum seekers' detention centre, deal with the sleazy Edinburgh underworld, and maybe even fall in love...An absorbing read from the master of the detective genre.
“It's great to see Waterstones uniting with publishers and authors to raise money for Oxfam's work with Syrian refugees'” he said. “Buy a book, help save a life.”
Or maybe you'll choose One Day by David Nicholls?
Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? A deeply affecting portrait of a relationship that will move you to tears of joy and sadness.
“This is a wonderful initiative, turning our passion for the written word into practical help at a time of terrible crisis,” David said.
Caitlin Moran's How To Be A Woman will be coming home with Total MK.
It's a good time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven't been burnt as witches since 1727
However, a few nagging questions do remain...Why are we supposed to get Brazilians? Should we use Botox? Do men secretly hate us? And why does everyone ask you when you're going to have a baby? Part memoir, part rant, Caitlin (top) answers the questions that every modern woman is asking.
“This is the biggest refugee crisis in history - 60m people, world-wide, are displaced, half of them children - threatening both the stability of the Middle East and Europe, and our own sense of compassion, and the value we put on human life,” she says, speaking about her choice to be involved in the Buy Books for Syria Appeal.
“Whilst the governments of this world still fail to come up with a solution to this problem, I am proud to do as millions of others have, and say ‘We see you, we hear you, we will not let you suffer this alone. We promise - help is coming’."
Go on then, away with you to Waterstones to choose the winter getaway you can enjoy from the comfort of your sofa, while also making a real difference where it is needed.
For a full list of titles in the Buy Books For Syria campaign visit https://www.waterstones.com/blog/buy-books-for-syria
