I’m the type of reader who likes to choose her books based on the seasons, whether it’s the season of life I’m experiencing or quite literally the season. Due to this strange and slightly obsessive habit, I’ve developed quite the selection of books that match the temperatures of both my moods and the winds outside my cozy bedroom library. And as the trees are slowly changing colors, I’ve provided my own list of the best autumn novels for you.
- ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt
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The Secret History has developed quite the controversy in the reading community because of pretentious and strikingly morally-flawed behaviors of the seemingly unrelatable characters. I’m here to say those reviews are wrong.
The Secret History follows a group of elitist classics students who become so influenced by their Greek philosophy professor that they start diving into ancient rituals. This results in horrors beyond their wildest imaginations. The book follows the group into descending madness as the world around them begins to chill and the leaves turn gold.
Donna Tartt creates characters that may be unrelatable, but their complexity and morally gray behaviors brings readers into a type of story I’ve never encountered in a book before. This is a spooky, academia-fueled story of madness that’s perfect after those long hours of grueling classes in the fall.
- ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley
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I hate to be this person, but I must. If this is a book you were assigned to read in an English class and thought was incredible, then great, move on to no. three. If not, or if you did read it and thought it was just another mediocre assigned reading, you have to pick it up again.
Mary Shelley accomplishes one of the greatest fear factors to ever exist: the fear of man. It’s terrifying, beautiful, and yes, a bit wordy, but nothing amounts to it. As a girl who’s read almost all of Stephen King’s oeuvre, this horror novel easily outshines all of them. It’s ideal for a good cozy read on a cold Halloween night. So pick it up again.I promise those English teachers were onto something, you just have to look for it.
- ‘The Pumpkin Spice Cafe’ by Laurie Gilmore
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Of course I had to include a good Autumn romance in the mix. All readers need a good palette cleanser between books like those of Shelley and Tart. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is similar to all the best romances; a woman moves into a small town in October to take over her grandmother’s cafe, meets a grumpy farmer, and falls in love. A classic.
Although that summary sounds like any other Hallmark plot line, I promise Gilmore’s writing ability and witty characters makes this book stand out. And the frequent appearances from a cat make things even better.
- ‘Salem’s Lot’ by Stephen King
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I’ve always been a sucker for a good Stephen King read, and he’s definitely my favorite during spooky season. Although choosing one amongst all his stories was a challenge, I think Salem’s Lot is too much of a classic to not add here.
The story follows a small town in New England that’s been overcome by vampires. Yup, you heard that right. But these vampires aren’t like Stephanie Meyer’s. Instead, they’re unforgiving monsters who enjoy a slow, painful kill and really detest being hunted. This is King’s first ever published novel, and it reads as though his heart and soul exists right there on the pages. With every paragraph and every jump scare, you can feel how badly King wanted it. If you decide to take on this scary read this Halloween, I promise you’ll be sleeping with the lights on.
- ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde
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This was my Halloween pick last year. In between trick-or-treaters, I’d sit on my couch flipping through the madness that was Oscar Wilde. If you don’t already know, The Picture of Dorian Gray was written in 1890 and follows a beautiful young man who makes a deal with the devil to remain handsome forever. He leaves his aging self in a portrait while his human body remains stagnant.
But as his friends and family age, Dorian begins submitting to life of sin. And as his soul in the painting grows old, Dorian’s mind starts to fade. This story, set in London’s colder months, is the perfect scary story and only 250 pages. Wilde creates a fast-paced horror story that’s one of those classics you have to read at least once in your life. It’s even better amongst the dark nights and dying trees.
Now that I’ve laid out a few of the best books for this season of life, I’m sure that most readers can relate to the very real challenge of picking favorites. So, although I provided five of my favorite books to read this fall, I also have a few honorable mentions for those who wish for a longer list:
- Babel by R.F. Kuang
- Fall into Temptation by Lucy Score
- The Green Mile by Stephen King
- The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The Dutch House by Anne Patchett
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I promise you won’t be disappointed with these fire-side novels. Happy reading!