Ten quiet books for a rainy weekend

There is a particular kind of weekend that asks for a quiet book: rain on the window, tea going cold, nowhere to be. We asked our booksellers for the titles they reach for in exactly those hours.

Start slow

Begin with something short. A story collection lets you stop whenever the tea needs refilling and still feel you finished something. Our favourites are small, domestic and kind.

“A good rainy-day book never hurries you.”

If you want something longer, choose a novel set in one place over one season. You will know the street by the second chapter and the neighbours by the fifth.

Whatever you pick, keep it near the window and the kettle near the book.