Autumn brings with it the absolute best cozy days and is the ultimate reading vibe. If you had to describe the feeling of autumn to someone, it would surely include dressing in a cozy sweater with a warm drink in one hand and a good book in the other. We must take advantage of these immaculate vibes while we can, which is why curating the perfect fall TBR list is so important. We’re here to help you with a book paired with all of your favorite fall feels. Keep reading for your guide to a fantastic literary fall.
A Book That Feels Like A New Beginning: Autumn by Ali Smith
For many, autumn acts as the start of a new year, with a new season after the long, hot summer months, and often a new school year beginning. It feels like the most tangible time of change any season has to offer. It is gradual. Unlike in spring, where you wake up one day and suddenly flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and the sun is shining, in autumn, you can feel the change looming long before you see it. The air grows crisp even while the sun is still warm, the leaves change subtly, then all at once. You can watch as the autumn months go on and see how the world prepares itself for winter.
For this time of year, you need a book that embraces the slow and subtle change and the season itself. There is no better book to pair with this slow, steady change than Autumn by Ali Smith. Autumn is the first book in Smith’s Seasonal Quartet series, proving that Smith agrees that autumn is a time for beginnings. The story follows Elisabeth, 32, and her elderly neighbor Daniel. They spend time together reflecting on art, history, and reality. No matter where you are, this book will help you slow down and take in the season’s changing.
A Book For Summer Fading to Winter: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Sometimes, fall can be a hard transition. When you watch your beautiful summer fade away, and suddenly life looks entirely different from what it was. If, for you, fall brings with it disillusionment from the loss of a beautiful summer into a dark, long, cold winter, then Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier will match your feelings perfectly.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is the story of a young woman who falls for Maxim de Winter while they are on holiday in Monte Carlo. She is taken by the handsome widower and the adventures he takes her on in the beautiful city. As a working woman, she can hardly believe that Maxim de Winter has fallen in love with her, even after he proposes and sweeps her away to his country estate; she has to continue to tell herself she is not dreaming. However, her happiness slowly fades when they leave Monte Carlo, and real life sets in. Her dream life turns more into a nightmare as she is haunted by the shadow of his late wife, whose shadow looms large in the estate even long after she has died.
A Book for that Back-to-School Feeling: Babel by R.F. Kuang
For so many young people, fall is the start of a new school season. This back-to-school season narrative is so strong in society that even long after you are out of school, you still may feel that back-to-school urge when August winds down. If that is true for you, then add R.F. Kuang’s Babel to your fall TBR.
Babel tells the magical story of Robin Swift as he trains for years with Professor Lovell to one day enroll in Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation, otherwise known as Babel. Babel sheds a magical light on 19th-century London, where the art of manifesting meanings lost in translation helps to serve the vast British Empire in more ways than one. This book is imbued with a magical world of higher education and the powerful pursuit of knowledge, as Robin must decide which institutions he wants to serve.
A Book to Embrace Your Inner Witch: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Autumn is filled with magic in a way that no other season is. It’s the season of the witch. A season for witchy women to charge their crystals, cast spells, and dance under the full moon. If you are ready to embrace your inner magic this autumn, here’s a book that’s a little witchy with a lot of nostalgia.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman teaches us not only about the powers of witches, but also the powers of sisterhood, which is really what witchcraft is all about. The Owens sisters come from a long line of witches, and they have always been blamed for anything that went wrong in their town. Raised by their aunts, who always encouraged a little witchcraft, they will both find different ways to escape their small town. Gillian and Sally will experience life, love, and loss, but the ties of their magic and of their sisterhood will always bring them back together again.
A Classic To Go With The Crisp Chilly Air: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Something about the crisp, crunchy chill of autumn makes it the perfect time to read that classic you have been putting off. The academia vibes of autumn, the reinvigorated desire to turn your brain on, make it the perfect time to travel into the past by reading classic literature. Everything about autumn and classic literature works together, and what better classic to read in the fall than the gothic perfection, Wuthering Heights?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë tells the drama-filled story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, who grew up together after the Earnshaw family took Heathcliff in when he was young. Catherine and Heathcliff form an intense bond; however, social class standing gets in the way. This is a story of love, revenge, social standing, and obsession that has become a classic for a reason.
A Book to Pair With Your Pumpkin Spice Latte: The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
We all know the minute those fall flavors hit your favorite coffee shop, it is all over. There is no shame in ordering a pumpkin-flavored treat for yourself every single day that you can. We agree that fall flavors are the absolute best. If this is your favorite fall activity, then you must add The Ex Hex to your fall TBR.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling is truly a book made of sugar and spice and everything nice. A fun-filled romantasy following young witch Vivienne Jones who places a curse on her ex, Rhys Penhallow. Nine years later, when Rhys returns to town, he seems to be followed everywhere by disaster after disaster. Vivi and Rhys, unfortunately, have to work together to save the town from disaster when the breakup curse starts to get out of hand.
A Book to Snuggle Up With: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Autumn is a season seeped in nostalgia; you can smell it in the fall-scented candles as the days grow darker and the air chillier. For those fall days when the ghosts decorating your neighbor’s lawn aren’t the only ones haunting you, snuggling up with a book that feels relatable is the only cure. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton is the perfect funny, relatable read that will feel like a friend on your loneliest days.
Ghosts is a very real story about life, diving into the complexities of relationships, finding romance in your thirties, the difficulty of adult friendships, and a family that just doesn’t seem to get it. All Nina Dean wants in her early thirties is to feel like she has done life right. A successful career, loving friends, a supportive family, and a romance to knock her off her feet. Instead, she watched friendships fade away, saw exes living happily ever after, and watched her family life become unstable. Until she meets Max and starts a new relationship, which makes her feel like maybe everything is going to plan, this book is incredibly real and will make you feel seen, so snuggle up and enjoy.
A Book For The Dark Academia Vibes of Autumn: The Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
Fall is the season of dark academia, and it is necessary to pair at least one book with roaming through the haunted hallways of a dark library by candlelight. Of course, there is no other book that could inspire our dark academia poets like The Dead Poets Society, a classic that will bring back all of the nostalgia of being young and inspired.
The Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum is a story that is sure to inspire. It follows Todd Anderson and his friends when their lives are changed by their English professor, John Keating. Somehow, Keating reinvigorates in them a passion for literature as they are encouraged to live wildly. They bring back the Dead Poets Society, a secret club where the boys are free to be young and passionate, away from societal expectations. It is a story of youth and the power of individuality against the pressures of society’s institutions and authority. It is sure to reinvigorate the young rebel in you and have you reading through the night by candlelight.
A Book As Sweet As Your Favorite Fall Treat: The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine by Kate Angell, Jennifer Dawson, and Sharla Lovelace
If you think the best thing about fall is the baked goods, you are far from alone. Cinnamon rolls, pumpkin pies, snickerdoodles, apple cider donuts, and caramel apples, the list goes on. The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine is the perfect book to pair with all of these delicious fall treats.
The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine is the first in the Moonbright, Maine series that follows the town of Moonbright, which is the very picture of autumn. The B&B cottage found on Pumpkin and Vine is where visitors come to enjoy all things fall, but it is also known to make certain wishes come true. This romance series is light-hearted, fun, and sweet, and will transport you into the magical town where, in autumn, anything is possible.
A Book To Prepare You For Winter Hibernation: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
For most of the natural world, fall is a time dedicated almost entirely to preparing for hibernation in the long, dreadful months of winter. Squirrels scavenge for nuts, bears bulk up, birds start their journey south for the winter, and the trees shed all their leaves. If it is your goal to have a winter of hibernation, just like the forest, to rest, reset, and recharge, then you need a long, deep book to sink into and that will keep you full through to winter.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is an epic tale spanning generations, with a deeply interesting and complex story that is sure to fuel your months-long hibernation. It takes place in Kerala, India, and spans more than 70 years, telling the story of three different generations of a family. This family cycle experiences the same trauma each generation–at least one person dies by drowning. Beautifully written, it is a story of growth and deep emotion as well as a testament to our unforgiving connection with nature.
A beautiful season filled with many different feelings and vibes. We hope that whatever you are in the mood for this fall, you’ve found our extensive fall TBR curation to help you through the changing of the season. We hope you enjoy every last leaf that falls and every last taste of pumpkin this fall!
Want to read more about curating the best fall vibes? Click here.
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