The Year in Books: November

Good morning, and welcome to the week! It's time for another Year in Books post, and at this time of year I revel in devouring a few pages before bed each night in the cosiness of our cottage while the elements whirl wildly outside. If you read October's post, you'll have seen that last month I was making my way through The Dog Whisperer by Jan Fennell. Not only fascinating for dog owners, but also those interested in animals more generally, it made for an informative read and we've been using tips and advice for training Bella. The general idea is to praise the good and ignore the bad, and although this hasn't proved easy (after the clocks went back she decided 4.15am was a sensible time to wake up and seize the day), we have persevered and for only fifteen weeks old she isn't getting on too badly.

For the month ahead and into December I'm throwing myself wholeheartedly into the season and have selected a suitably wintery tale - Kate Mosse's The Winter Ghosts. I've never read a novel by Mosse before, despite her critical acclaim, and I'm looking forward to enjoying it curled up in front of the fire with a mug of hot chocolate. Have any of you read this one before?

On the topic of hot chocolate, I'm making it my mission this week to try out as many different recipes as I can fit in. We visited Bruges a few years ago and nothing has ever compared since (although the Whittard version pictured comes pretty close) so I'll be grating chocolate, adding spices and experimenting to find the most delicious accompaniment to my book. If you have any hot chocolate tips, please do let me know!

As always, for more recommendations or to take part in The Year in Books, head over to the link-up at Circle of Pine Trees and while you’re there, catch up on the other lovely posts written by Laura.