Eight Novels Set in a Forest – to keep you cool in the heat

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026 / Claire Fuller / 1 Comment

If you’re in southern England at the moment or various other places in the world, you might be feeling the heat. It can be hard to escape the sun at the moment, but here’s where fiction can help. If you can’t get to an actual forest or wood, then reading a story set in one is the next best thing. Even better is taking your chosen forest-set novel and reading in the shade of the trees.

Here are eight novels that might help you feel a little cooler, including, ahem, my debut, Our Endless Numbered Days.

Click on any of these books to be taken to Bookshop.org in the UK to buy them.

And don’t forget to let me know which I’ve missed!

Happy reading!

Hunger and Thirst

My book tour for Hunger and Thirst has slowed somewhat, but you can still come and see me in few places over the summer and into the autumn. I’ll next be at The Little Green Bookshop in Herne Bay, Kent on Saturday 25th July. Hope to see you somewhere on my travels!

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Eight Novels Featuring Artists: A Book List

June 8, 2026June 8, 2026 / Claire Fuller / 1 Comment

A stack of books with the top book titled 'Hunger & Thirst' by Claire Fuller, placed in front of a wooden bookshelf filled with various other books.

A stack of books on a wooden table, with the book 'Hunger & Thirst' by Claire Fuller prominently displayed on top, surrounded by various other books and a background of bookshelves.

Hunger and Thirst is the first of my six novels to feature an artist, which surprises me, since I was one myself for many years.

Ursula is a reclusive and famous sculptor in her fifties, whose first job at sixteen is working in the post room of the art school where I studied sculpture. There’s a lot about art and wood carving in this novel, and these sections were wonderful to write – almost like making the pieces without (much of) the effort! In the book, Ursula examines and is critical about a sculpture of some ribs and intestines, which was in fact the first carving I ever did.

I thought it would be fun to look at some other novels that feature art and artists, including Take What You Need by Idra Novey that made my books of the year in 2025, The Italian Teacher that was a favourite in 2024, and Burntcoat by Sarah Hall in 2022. So maybe I do have a love for art in fiction.

Click on any of these books to be taken to Bookshop.org in the UK to buy them (and to the US for the American edition of Hunger and Thirst, above.)

And don’t forget to let me know which I’ve missed!

Happy reading!

A book titled 'Take What You Need' by Idra Novey displayed on a wooden shelf, surrounded by other books in the background. The book cover features a gas station image with promotional quotes.

Book cover of 'The Italian Teacher' by Tom Rachman, featuring colorful abstract artwork and quotes from reviewers. Placed on a wooden shelf with other books in the background.

My book tour has slowed somewhat, but you can still come and see me in few places over the summer and into the autumn. I’ll next be at Book Haus in Bristol on 17th June, talking about Hunger and Thirst, and my son, Henry Ayling will be playing some live music. Hope to see you somewhere on my travels!

A Playlist for Unsettled Ground

May 12, 2021 / Claire Fuller / 4 Comments

While I wrote Unsettled Ground, I listened to two pieces of music: Polly Vaughn (an old English folk song) sung by Tia Blake, and We Roamed Through the Garden, written by my son, Henry Ayling. Listening to only two songs for two years, it was probably inevitable that they were going to become part of the novel I was writing. But they had a bigger influence: Jeanie and Julius, the protagonists in Unsettled Ground became folk musicians.

I thought it might be interesting to create a playlist for Unsettled Ground, for those who are currently reading the novel or those who have read it already. I hope that this selection – which are all pieces of music I love – will help add to the atmosphere of the book.

Henry is an unsigned acoustic guitarist – teacher, performer, and composer – and therefore his song isn’t on Spotify. But you can listen to We Roamed Through the Garden, here: www.henryayling.com/music/ It is number five on this page.

The playlist below will allow you to hear a little of each song. Open it in Spotify to listen to all the songs in their entirety. And please do let me know which you might know already and if any particularly resonate. Happy listening!

Unsettled Ground will be published in the US on May 18 and I have lots of online events planned, where, from the comfort of my writing room in England, I’ll be talking about the book, my writing process, and what it feels like for Unsettled Ground to be shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. It would be lovely if any US or Canadian readers could join me on Zoom.

See my list of online events.

Buy Unsettled Ground in the UK.