Most people love being on campus, and I couldn’t agree more! It might be because of the cold mornings when you actually need a jacket or cardigan, or the pumpkin spice drinks we all pretend not to love. Either way, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good book, and if your For You page is filled with BookTok recommendations, you’re already ahead of the game. So, here’s how to build your very own fall TBR!
If you’re into dark academia
If dark academia sounds like your vibe and you have the blazer, the vintage-style bags and totes, and a candle that smells like old pages, I got the books just for you. The Secret History by Donna Tartt is essentially the book that started the whole vibe, about a group of classics students at an elite college whose obsession turns dark. M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains also brings Shakespearean drama to a conservatory where rivalries and secrets spiral out of control. If you’re after some thrill and fantasy, I got you. Check out Babel by R.F. Kuang, about a student at Oxford’s translation institute, where language is literally magic.
If you’re into cozy and cottagecore
If, for you, the ideal autumn afternoon includes flannel, baking cinnamon rolls, and a sunny window, here are some books to look at. Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes is about a retired orc warrior opening a coffee shop in a fantasy world. TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea is a heartwarming tale about a case worker sent to investigate an orphanage for magical children. Both are perfect for a fall vibe in the afternoon after a day full of activities on campus or being the literary equivalent of a warm blanket.
IF YOU’RE A ROM-COM ROMANTIC
I get it, we all want the butterflies and the jokes and the happy endings, here are some books to fall in love with. Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis is a fake-dating story among grad students and it’s as campus-relevant as it gets. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace is a slow-burn romance about a figure skater and a hockey captain who are forced to share ice time. If you want to escape campus, try Emily Henry’s Book Lovers, about a ruthless literary agent who retreats to a small town and keeps bumping into her rival.
IF YOU’RE INTO ROMANTASY
My favorite for sure! If your routine involves a day with dragons, magic, and enemies who end up falling in love. I GOT YOU. Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing puts a reluctant female protagonist into a harsh war college for dragon riders, it’s very difficult to put down. Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses is the fairy-tale retelling that started a devoted fanbase. If you’re looking for something more mythic, Madeline Miller presents the Greek sorceress as a strong and complex heroine in Circe, while The Song of Achilles, also written by Miller, is a beautiful and moving love story that lives up to the expectations (be sure to have some tissues at hand).
IF YOU’RE INTO GOTHIC VIBES
Now, if you believe that the best weather is overcast, then you should try these gloomy but very enjoyable books to get started with the Halloween vibes. Verity by Colleen Hoover is a psychological thriller in which a writer is employed to complete a bestselling author’s series, and it will make you doubt every decision you’ve made in your life. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia features a deteriorating mansion, eerie secrets, and a growing sense of dread, and it’s perfect for October.
