Country Life has your October sorted, with two page-turners for you to curl up with as the weather warms up. One an autobiography and the other a gripping thriller, but only one winner can grab them both.
Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
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Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532.
London, 1837.
Boston, 2019.
Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots.
One grows high and one grows deep and one grows wild.
And all of them grow teeth.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab is published by Pan Publishing, RRP $34.99.
What Have I Done? by Ben Elton
What has Ben Elton done?
He's written the most eagerly anticipated showbusiness autobiography of the year. That’s what.
And prior to that? Well he’s pretty much done everything and worked with everybody and now he’s telling the whole story in one un-put-downable volume.
Sixty-five years in the making, this frank, forthright and hugely entertaining autobiography takes a deep dive into Ben’s life and times, both private and public.
He reveals the true stories behind iconic hits such as The Young Ones, Blackadder and We Will Rock You, his pioneering routines hosting Saturday Live, which birthed a revolution in stand-up comedy, and so much more.
Ben recounts his life and uniquely varied career from his Catford childhood and being the BBC’s youngest ever sit com writer at 21 right up to the present day, with yet another hit sit com, Upstart Crow; a surprise late-life BAFTA; and his most critically acclaimed stand-up comedy show to date.
Alongside unique insights into his ground-breaking work, Ben talks honestly and compellingly about his personal and professional relationships with two generations of brilliant friends, inspiring contemporaries, occasional foes, and the times in which they all lived.
And Ben’s life has been just as challenging, rewarding and funny off screen as it has been on.
He unpacks it all with wit, insight and complete honesty. And of course, there’s a ‘little bit of politics’.
For forty-five years Ben’s been making a lot of people laugh, a lot of people think and getting on quite a lot of people's wicks.
All of which means he has a lot of stories and he tells them unvarnished and uncensored — he’s sharing his truth as they say these days, and he’s up to his neck in it!
What Have I Done? by Ben Elton is published by Macmillan, RRP $36.99, and will be released on October 14, 2025.
GIVEAWAY
We have one copy of each book to give away to one lucky winner.For a chance to win,send your name, address, daytime phone number and the answer to this question: What event is happening in Elmore from October 7 to October 9 (Hint: see page 3.) Entries close on Friday, October 31, via post to: Country Life ‘October page-turners’ Competition, PO Box 8000, Shepparton, 3632; or email to: competition@countrynews.com.au — please include the words ‘October page-turners’ in the subject line.
WINNERS
The winners of our Spring Novels book giveaway are: First prize Elizabeth Woodyard from Mooroopna, second prize to J. Van De Braak from Tatura and third prize to Pam Morley from Echuca.Congratulations! Collect your prize from the Shepparton News office at 7940 Goulburn Valley Hwy, Shepparton.
