Summer is finally wrapping up, and the fall breeze is beginning to pick up! There is no better time to cozy up with a book and a pumpkin-flavored treat. Whether you are looking for something magically modern, hauntingly heartfelt, or sensationally spooky to get you into the fall mood, here are some promising and well-loved reads to add to your autumn TBR.
New Releases
1. The Academy: A Novel – Elin Hilderbrand
Nothing is more quintessentially autumnal than the beginning of a new school year. The Academy, another novel written by the summer-read staple, Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, follows the students of the up-and-coming Tiffin Academy as they start the fall semester. The Academy, known for its lively persona, may be taking a sinister turn as anonymous messages revealing shocking and scandalous information about students and staff begin to appear on a new gossip app. Who can these students trust, and who is behind these messages?
2. The Intruder – Frieda McFadden
Another McFadden thriller is hitting the market! Living in a cabin in the middle of the woods by herself, Casey is in for the fright of her life when she discovers a blood-covered, knife-wielding girl outside her window during a hurricane. She needs to find out where this girl came from, or, maybe more urgently, if both of them are now in danger. The Intruder is certain to hit the thriller mark that McFadden is known for.
3. Mate – Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood is taking another step into the fantasy world with Mate, second in her series Bride. As a half-human and half-werewolf abomination, Serene is running away after her attempt to bridge the gap between species goes awry. She soon realizes she must make a choice, and fast; she must attempt to survive on her own, or join a pack led by a very demanding and intimidating werewolf named Koen. This one is sure to be a good time.
Fall Vibes
1. In Memoriam – Alice Winn
This book ranks as one of my all-time favorites! Starting in the fall semester at an all-boys’ British academy with the growing tensions of the first World War, Gaunt and Ellwood must explore the complexities of friendship, duty, and identity in a country that is shipping young boys off to fight. The boys must learn how far friendship, or maybe something a little more, will travel.
2. The Kamogawa Food Detectives – Hisashi Kashiwai
The food descriptions in this novel will have your mouth watering for something home-cooked. Father and daughter duo Nagare and Koishi consider themselves food detectives. When someone comes in wanting to taste a food that reminds them of home one last time, the Kamogawa’s have no choice but to recreate the dish with as much accuracy and investigation as possible.
3. The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
I have always associated festivals, fairs, and circuses with the changing of summer into fall. Competing magician rivals who fall in love. A circus that only opens its doors in the dead of night. Something more is going on behind these otherworldly attractions. Celia and Marco are not fighting their own battle but rather that of their predecessors, one even they do not comprehend.
Spooky Reads
1. Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie
Anything Agatha Christie is an immediate autumn classic. On a long train ride, all the passengers settle into their rooms for the night. In the morning, everyone gets up. Except one. Good thing there is a detective on board to crack the case of who would want to kill the American businessman.
2. The Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater
If you are here more for the spooky vibes than actually being spooked, this book will be straight up your alley! Blue, the daughter of a psychic-of-sorts, stumbles upon Gansey, one in a group of ‘Raven Boys’ of Aglionby Academy. When Gansey invites Blue along on a strange and possibly dangerous quest involving ancient kings, she can not seem to shake him off.
3. Coraline – Niel Gaiman
You have watched this classic stop motion Halloween movie, but have you read the book? After moving into their new family home, Coraline discovers a secret locked door unlike others. On the other side is her life and her parents, but better. When she discovers other trapped souls in this sinister other realm, she realizes she may be in over her head.