Happy fall, everyone! I’ve waited a whole year very impatiently for that annual greeting, so I’m treasuring it while I have it. 🙂
As the days grow shorter and the wind sweeps the leaves and brisk season in, I’ve definitely felt more in my element than I have in a while. This is simply the best season for all of my hobbies. Watching horror and cozy movies is an activity best enjoyed curled up with a blanket I’ve knitted, snacking on some nice cookies baked from scratch. (I’ve just followed a recipe for Mrs. Bean’s Nutmeg Ginger Apple Snaps from the film Fantastic Mr. Fox and enjoyed a few while watching it. Definitely my idea of a good time!) Most relevant to this blog, it gets me in the mood to read more than any other time of the year.
At the beginning of this year, I had made plans to read all of my unread books (this list hovers around fifty titles presently). I’ve only made a small chip in that goal thus far, but I’d like to take the opportunity now to catch up and share some of my list with you. My collection is quite the hodge-podge of books I’ve collected over the years. Of this list, I’m hoping there are at least a few titles that will pique your interest as they have mine.
FANTASY
The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1) by Melissa Albert
When I stumbled across this book at a thrift store, the gorgeous cover beckoned me to take a peek inside. Upon seeing the lovely endpapers of the hardback edition, I couldn’t say no. So far, this is the only book on this list that I’ve read, and while I had some mixed feelings about it, the setting and fairytale influence infused in the story make this a lovely autumnal pick.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I’ve heard mostly very good things about this novel and its lyrical prose (it’s a favorite of The Book Leo on YouTube who I always look for recommendations from), and I’ve meant for quite some time to finally read it. I picked up a copy of it at my local library’s annual book sale last October. Although I unfortunately didn’t get the chance to read it earlier, I’m making it a priority this fall.
CLASSICS
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
After seeing this novel featured on many lists of autumnal classics and gothic stories (as well as the inspiration for tolerate it, one of my favorite songs from Taylor Swift’s album, evermore), I added it to the running TBR list in my head. When I found a copy while dropping off some books I didn’t need anymore at a Little Free Libray, I traded it out and nestled it into my shelf. I’ve been saving it for the nice brisk season for quite some time now, and am looking forward to this gothic classic.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
After watching and loving Mike Flanagan’s limited series The Haunting of Bly Manor back in 2020, I couldn’t stop thinking of the story and its characters. When I heard it was based on this book, I kept my eyes peeled for this horror novella until I found it at a library book sale. While I’ve seen mostly mediocre or less than enthused reviews of the book itself, it’s been on my shelf long enough that I’d like to give it a read and see what I think of it myself.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I’ve picked up classics from thrift stores for as long as I can remember, saving them for a time when I have the mental energy to come at them. After reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde a few years back (an excellent read, especially for fall) and finding that classics aren’t always as inaccessible as I paint them in my mind, I set my sights on Frankenstein, a title I’ve shelved for years. From what I can tell, this novel fits right in with the theme of gothic reads for autumn, and it’s high on my intensive TBR.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
After years of seeing adaptations and references to Shakespeare’s numerous plays, I think it’s about time I’ve picked up a few. I’ve owned a beat-up paperback edition of Macbeth for years, but my dad recently thrifted a hardcover collection of Shakespeare’s complete works that he gifted to me, so I’ve since boosted all Shakespeare up my TBR a bit. I’m currently in the middle of reading this play and while it might take me some time to wrap my head around it, I’m enjoying it thus far (enjoying also the fact that I’ll better understand references to it in the future).
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Same as the last Shakespeare play listed, I thrifted a copy of Hamlet years ago in an attempt to get one step closer to the pretentious literature-reading individual I’ve always dreamt of being. I’ve yet to take the actual step, but I’ve braced myself for quite some time, and am ready to soon take it. It seems to fit well on this list because of it.
The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays by Oscar Wilde
I think this is a collection I’ve picked up most recently on this list (as I’ve been on a–loose, albeit–book-buying ban this year). After reading and loving The Picture of Dorian Gray (again, a phenomenal read and not listed here only because it’s no longer on my TBR), I’ve been on the lookout for any of Wilde’s other works since.
MYSTERY / THRILLER
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway during the spring of last year (last last spring?) and it, unfortunately, got tucked away on my shelf and unprioritized for far too long. Generally speaking, I read fewer mysteries and thrillers, but when I do pick them up, I tend to enjoy them more than I think. On top of that, I believe this is a book that has a book inside of a book (somewhat similar to the young adult fantasy, The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert, mentioned earlier) and sounds like an excellent read for this time of year.
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
If you noticed the similarity in titles between this novel and Henry James’ The Turn of the Key mentioned earlier, then hey! Me too! From what I can tell, this novel is inspired by (slash based on slash a retelling of? I’m not exactly certain) that story. Having registered the reference, I decided to pick up this book when I came across it and give it a shot. I started reading it a few years back but was probably amidst a reading slump because I didn’t end up finishing it then. Hopefully, I will get the chance to soon.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Although I have a general idea of how this story ends despite never having read it or seen the movie (nothing is sacred on the internet), I’ve still meant to read it for quite some time. Again, like most of the others on this list, I’ve been saving it for cooler weather when I can bundle up in a blanket and consume a nice thriller.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
I know I said The Hazel Wood is the only book on this list that I’ve read, but I must amend that that is the only book listed I’ve read this fall. A few years back, I consumed this novel in the chill of October. It filled my brain for days after finishing it, my mind flitting back relentlessly, my fingers flipping through the pages until I had to return my copy to the library. I kept my eye out for a copy at every book sale and thrift store I went to before cracking down and ordering one on Amazon last winter, saving it for a reread and annotating this fall. Also, as I’m reading Macbeth presently, perhaps I’ll feel a bit more like a character in this book with a little more knowledge of the Shakespeare sections they frequently quote.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
I know this title is so popular that it’s basic and a little trite to even bring it up anymore, but I put off getting a copy for so long, hoping for some divine intervention of stumbling across it and snatching it up at a thrift store or book sale or even for a discounted price on eBay. When it got to be a little ridiculous, I finally caved and bought it alongside my purchase of If We Were Villains (which I know is very often compared to The Secret History — the main reason I read If We Were Villains first is simply because my library had a copy of that and not The Secret History). I’d say that this is definitely my most anticipated read of the season.
CHILDREN’S
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
I picked this book up from a book sale last year purely on a whim. The copy I stumbled across was without a book jacket and was only a black hardcover with the white lettering of its title and author. A peak inside at the illustrations and a vague recollection of the title was all I needed to prod me to pick it up. I’ve loved children’s books since I was a kid (har de har), and it seemed like a good addition to my collection of beloved middle-grade stories. I’m not sure if it’s really an autumnal read, but I’ve been meaning to pick it up and there’s no time like the present.
HORROR
The Shining by Stephen King
For years I’ve put off watching The Shining because “I have to read the book first!” Especially considering how much Stephen King loathes Kubrick’s adaptation of his novel. I’d feel horrible if I watched the movie and loved it first, just to read the book and be disappointed by the base text (this, unfortunately, happened with Neil Gaiman’s Coraline — I’m as disappointed by that fact as anybody could be). That being said, this is one of the four Kings I picked up at a book sale last year (the other’s being Misery which I read last autumn, and the following and final two on this list).
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
I have very little familiarity with this novel and its storyline but it was in the Stephen King box at the library book sale, so I picked it up to expand my collection. In all honesty, King is not on my list of favorite authors, but I would like to have a broad understanding of his catalog regardless.
It by Stephen King
Although I’ve just said that I wouldn’t consider Stephen King a favorite author of mine, there are works of his that I have a lot of admiration for. I’ve read his memoir, On Writing, twice and loved it both times. I’ve read two of his pre-Carrie works (Rage and The Long Walk) and thought they were both good, particularly the latter one (truly, The Long Walk is excellent, and I don’t know how much people talk about it). Although I had qualms with Misery, he’s still a master at what he does, and I must commend him for that (as if he needs it).
That being said, I started reading It earlier this month, and although I’m only about a hundred pages in (which is nothing in this 1000+ page behemoth of a novel), I can definitely say that I understand the hype. His story-telling is excellent and his characters are vivid and tangible in all of their less desirable traits and otherwise. His written tension is palpable and draws the reader into the page with excellent effect. Other than The Secret History, It is the novel I’m most excited to consume this fall. (That being said, allow me to offer a massive trigger warning for some egregious homophobia in the first section of the novel. From what I can tell, it’s only in the beginning and is depicted as evil behavior, but is still alarming to read regardless.)
I’ve spent quite some time on this post, and I’m thinking that I need to indulge in a nice autumnal activity that doesn’t involve staring at a screen any longer.
I hope that you’re able to pull a title or two from this list that you’re interested in reading these next few months! To be honest, I hope the same for myself too. I’m guessing I’ll probably only get to two or three this season. Only time will tell.
What do you think of tailoring your reads to the season at hand? Do you have any autumnal favorites or anything you’ve been saving for the fall? Do you have any other favorite fall-time rituals? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Little Bit of All That 
[…] the books I ended up reading weren’t the ones I thought I’d go for (I had big plans for a very moody, autumnal few reading months) but I’m happy with what’s here nonetheless. I’ve been wanting to start reading […]
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[…] I wanted to pick up Gone Girl sometime during the fall but I didn’t properly prioritize it and it fell to the wayside. Now, I’m thinking maybe […]
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[…] the last two books on this list, The Night Circus was a book I started reading because of the autumnal season at hand a few months back. And, much like the others, I had put too much on my plate and couldn’t […]
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