The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and I really just want to curl up in a big sweatshirt with a cup of tea and a good book. Not a textbook on statistics, not a trashy magazine, and not a Kindle. A real book with real pages bought from a real bookstore. In fact, the older the copy the better. I love knowing other people enjoyed a story before I found it myself. Take a few hours for yourself every week and enjoy a book from this perfect fall book list!
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Prepare to have your heart broken. But wait! A beautifully crafted story, Me Before You captures the essence of a unique love story. Louisa Clark has nothing in common with Will Traynor, and their unlikely friendship is all but easy. Wheel-chair ridden after an accident, Will wallows in his past life of adventures, refusing to look forward to the future. As his caretaker, Louisa learns about the true heart Will has and encourages him to see life with new happiness. An unexpected decision of Will’s leaves Louisa torn- what do you do if the one you love cannot love themselves? You will cry, laugh, cheer, hope, and recognize the true beauty of life in this wonderful novel.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
If you already have goose-bumps from the fall air, you might as well add this chilling thriller to your book list. Gillian Flynn shares both sides of the story in Nick and Amy Dunne’s marriage. Already having trouble when Nick is laid off from his job, the couple moves to his hometown in Missouri. On their fifth wedding anniversary Amy goes missing and leaving her husband as the prime suspect. Told alternatively in the past in Amy’s perspective and presently in Nick’s, the novel leaves you guessing from page to page, digging for more evidence. You will want to know who is telling the truth…or are they both lying?
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
This should be on everyone’s top ten reading list for the season. I found this novel a few years ago and discovered an absolute masterpiece. Hosseini’s description of the Middle East leads you through mountainous terrain, villages, Kabul, palaces, huts on the outskirts of civilization, all while sharing an incredible story of love, loss, and sacrifice. It follows the overlapping stories of Mariam and Laila. Generations apart bonded by sacrifices the women of Afghan culture must make, their unlikely friendship harbors secrets and trust to survive during a difficult time period in Afghanistan. This heartbreakingly beautiful story will have you fall in love with the meaning of true sacrifice.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The story is set in Nazi Germany and told through the perspective of Death. Yes, Death. But it is not as dark and depressing as that may sound. Death becomes intrigued with the life of a young girl, Liesel, it sees at multiple points throughout the story. Following her relationships with her mother, foster parents, young love, and a Jewish man her home hides, Zusak creates an untold side of World War II. The interesting relationship Death forms with Liesel is captivating and you won’t be able to put this novel down.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
For those of us who love a historical novel. Frazier’s detailed story follows wounded Confederate soldier W. P. Inman on his journey home to his love in the mountains of North Carolina. It does not shy from detailing the trials Inman faces in order to return to Ada who struggles with her own battles at home. Their time together was brief before the war, but Inman’s love drives his desire to share a life with Ada. Follow his journey through the hard south terrain with the dream to be with the one he left behind.