If you’re a sweet treat lover, fall is probably your favorite time of the year. This season brings pastries and snacks flavored with pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and cloves that fill bakeries with their warm, inviting scent, instantly getting us all in the fall spirit. These cozy flavors make the season feel special and comforting. There’s nothing better than enjoying one while getting lost in a spooky book on a crisp fall day. We’ve paired your favorite fall treats with amazing books that you won’t be able to put down this season.
Apple Cider Donuts — The Secret History
Trigger Warning: This book contains triggering topics such as abuse, drug use, and violence. Please read the full list of TWs prior to purchasing.
Upon biting into an apple cider donut, you’re met with a sugary cinnamon coating that melts away into a tangy, spiced flavor. In The Secret History by Donna Tartt, secrets and madness unfold in that same gradual way that this donut reveals its deeper, richer flavor. The novel centers around a group of erudite misfits that, in their pursuit of transcendence, spiral into depravity. You won’t be able to put this dark, foreboding read — except if it’s to take another bite of an apple cider donut.
Coffee Cake — Wuthering Heights
Trigger Warning: This book contains triggering topics such as suicide, racism, and indentured servitude. Please read the full list of TWs prior to purchasing.
Coffee cake boasts the classic, flavorful taste of cinnamon, complemented by layers of sweet vanilla, cinnamon sugar, and crumbly streusel. I recommend the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë for its layered narrative and lasting influence, which have made it a classic. Wuthering Heights is an intense story about the passionate, all-consuming, and self-destructive love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. Dark, decadent, and complex, this book is the perfect read for coffee cake lovers.
Candy or Caramel Apples — Mooncakes
If you like to satisfy your sweet tooth with delicious coated apples, you most likely crave exciting books that give you the same rush of childlike joy as taking a bite into a candy or caramel apple. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and illustrated by Wendy Xu definitely fit this vibe. It follows magical childhood friends as they learn more about their powers and fight a dangerous force, all while navigating the budding feelings between them. Full of vibrant colors, lively adventure, and heart-warming queer romance, this graphic novel is perfect for readers looking for something as wholesome and saccharine as candy apples.
Pumpkin Pie — Dracula
When thinking of fall desserts, the first treat you probably think of is pumpkin pie. Whether you love it or not, its creamy texture and warm, spiced flavor have made it a classic dessert for the season. If you enjoy pumpkin pie, I recommend you read Dracula by Bram Stoker, as it is a classic not only in literature but also in the autumn season. This novel tells the story of Jonathan Harker as he discovers his client’s horrifying nature and the odd events occurring in Transylvania through a series of letters, articles, and diary entries. By reading Dracula and eating a slice of pumpkin pie, you’re indulging in two amazing fall staples that will set the mood for the rest of the season.
Cinnamon Rolls — The Spellshop
Trigger Warning: This book contains sensitive topics, including fire injury and grief. Please exercise personal care while reading.
With soft spiral layers, gooey cinnamon swirls, and sugary glaze, cinnamon rolls feel like a comforting hug in the shape of a pastry. Their fresh-out-of-the-oven warmth is reminiscent of the heartwarming feeling we get while reading a romance, making The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst a great match. In this book, a librarian flees to her childhood home on a small island in response to political unrest in her city. With the help of spellbooks she had saved, she decides to open a secret spellshop, and, much to her dismay, her handsome neighbor keeps dropping in to help. The dessert’s unraveling layers and fluffy texture mirror the way love slowly and softly reveals itself in The Spellshop.
Candy Corn — Anne of Green Gables
The festive look and saccharine taste of candy corn make it a unique treat we keep coming back to each fall. Anne of Green Gables pairs very nicely with this candy, as the main character is just as spirited and fun as candy corn. This novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery is about the adventures of Anne, a young orphan mistakenly sent to live on a farm. Both the book and the candy evoke a nostalgic and timeless feeling, making them a great match. I’m fairly certain Anne would have loved candy corn!
Pecan Pie — A House with Good Bones
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of triggering topics such as racism, body horror, and anxiety. Please read the full list of TWs before purchasing.
A slice of pecan pie makes for a wonderful dessert after a delicious autumnal meal. This iconic southern pie would go great with A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher. In this Southern Gothic, a woman returns home to find her home in an unrecognizable state and her mother acting odd. As abnormal things keep happening around the house, the woman must discover the dark truth. The balance between the smooth filling and crunchy nuts in a pecan pie perfectly parallels the blend of humor and horror in this novel. Fans of pecan pie will love digging into the complexity and strangeness of A House with Good Bones.
Ginger Snaps — At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities
The taste of freshly baked ginger snaps makes me want to cuddle up in a blanket, watch the leaves fall, and enjoy the biscuits with a steaming pumpkin spice latte. Ginger snaps and cozy fall reads are a match made in autumnal heaven. At the Coffee Shop of Curiosity by Heather Webber is a touching tale about new beginnings, found family, and magical bonds. So if you crave coziness with a hint of ginger and molasses, too, this is the combination for you!
Pumpkin Bread — Rebecca
Trigger Warning: This book contains triggering topics such as ableism, social anxiety, and drowning. Please read the full list of TWs prior to purchasing.
Pumpkin bread has a soft, dense texture and a pleasant balance of spicy and sweet. I recommend this pastry be paired with a slow domestic thriller that will certainly send chills down your spine by the end of it. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a gothic novel about a lady’s maid who marries a handsome, wealthy widower only to discover that his past is casting a looming threat on their relationship. A cup of tea, a slice of pumpkin bread, and a rainy day will enhance the mysterious vibes of this classic!
Apple Pie — The Saturday Night Ghost Club
Tart, sweet, and deliciously gooey, apple pie is an iconic dessert. Its warmth and subtle tartness evoke nostalgia and comfort with every bite. The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson provides those same emotions through the main character’s narrations of his childhood, particularly his participation in his uncle’s ghost club. A slice of apple pie paired with this novel will make you reminisce on your own childhood experiences and special, familiar bonds.
I hope you feel inspired to pick up your favorite seasonal sweet treat and indulge in one of these amazing books. It’ll certainly be the perfect activity for an autumn day. Happy reading!
Looking for books and movies perfect for the fall season? Check out this article!
Browse our Wickedly Good Witch Books More Enchanting Than Any Spell collection on Bookshop for witchy book recommendations fit for autumn!
