Now that fall has arrived, it’s time to think about which books are perfect to read this season. With the weather getting colder and the rain never stopping, now is the perfect time to stay inand curl up with a good book. Here are the top ten books (and one bonus) that give off the autumn aesthetic, perfect for you to read this fall:
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Mystery)
The Inheritance Games is the perfect mystery book to get you in the mood for autumn and Halloween. The three books in the series follow a girl named Avery Graham who inherits about $48 billion dollars when an eccentric billionaire who she does not know passes away and leaves her most of his fortune. With this new fortune, Avery has to learn how to deal with this new life of hers while she gets tangled up with all of the secrets, codes, and deadly games of the Hawthorne family. This series is fast-paced and keeps you hooked from beginning to end.
My Rating: Book 1 ★★★★★ Book 2 ★★★★★ Book 3 ★★★★★
Goodreads: Book 1 ★★★★☆ (4.23) Book 2 ★★★★☆ (4.26) Book 3 ★★★★☆ (4.24)
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (Romance)
I would say this book is almost the personification of autumn. This book is a fun romance that will help you get out of your autumn blues. It’s about a ghostwriter named Florence Day who writes for a famous romance author, but runs into a problem where she no longer believes in love after a bad breakup. While struggling to finish a new book by the deadline her new editor refuses to extend for her, she gets a call that causes her to return home after the death of her father. At the funeral parlor, she finds a ghost standing by the door… who happens to be the new editor who refused to give her an extension. Romance is certainly dead, and so is her new editor.
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads: ★★★★☆ (4.10)
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris (Psychological Thriller)
This psychological thriller is perfect for getting you in the mood for Halloween. It’s a story about Jack and Grace, who appear to be the most perfect couple. But behind closed doors, they are far from perfect. Jack and Grace are inseparable in the eyes of the public, which is why no one knows anything about Grace. And no one can get in contact with Grace without Jack around. No one knows why Grace never answers the phone, or can never go get coffee even when she doesn’t have a job. Or why there are high-security metal shutters on all of the downstairs windows. You might wonder what really goes on after the dinner parties – what really goes on behind closed doors? This book will leave you terrified and will keep you turning page after page until the end.
My Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads: ★★★★☆ (3.98)
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller (Fantasy, Romance)
This is yet another book that’s perfect for Halloween. In it, Alessandra has a plan – she’s going to marry the Shadow King, then kill him and take his kingdom for herself. And nothing will stop her, not even the other attempts on his life. Alessandra finds herself growing closer to the Shadow King so she can help keep him alive for long enough to become his wife. No one knows the extent of the Shadow King’s power, but nothing will get in her way of marrying him and taking his kingdom, even when her feelings start to complicate things.
My Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads: ★★★★☆ (3.89)
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus (Mystery)
Nothing gets you more in the mood for Halloween than a good mystery book. Now a TV show streaming on Peacock, One of Us Is Lying is a murder mystery. Five students at Bayview High walk into detention, but only four of them leave detention alive. According to investigators, Simon’s death wasn’t an accident. He died on Monday, but on Tuesday he had planned to release juicy details about the lives of the other four students in detention with him. Who killed Simon? Was it Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, or Cooper? Or are the four of them just perfect patsies for the real killer?
My Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads: ★★★★☆ (3.99)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Fantasy, Romance, Magical Realism)
I have to be honest, The Night Circus is a book I simultaneously love and hate. However, I do think this book is one that every person should experience reading once in their life. The theme of magic and rain go hand-in-hand with the autumn aesthetic. The circus arrives without warning – Le Cirque des Rêves. No announcements precede it, it just simply arrives, and it is only open at night. Behind the scenes of the circus, there is a competition between two magicians who have been trained for this since childhood. Their names are Celia and Marco. Unknown to them, but this competition can only end with one of them left standing. Unfortunately for them, they tumble headfirst into falling in love. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fate of the entire circus depends on them.
My Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads: ★★★★☆ (4.03)
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (Romance, Retelling)
This two-book series is a retelling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It takes place in Shanghai in 1926, where there is a blood feud between two gangs, the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers. Juliette Cai is the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang, while Roma Montagov is the heir of the White Flowers. They are each other’s first love and first betrayal. When a contagion, a madness, starts to plague Shanghai, Juliette and Roma must put their differences aside to work together, and maybe fall back in love along the way. This magical fantasy filled with romance and tragedy is perfect for those in the mood for a heart-wrenching story. These two books are incredible, and something about the darkness of the story just fits the autumn aesthetic perfectly, especially the monster who is just in time for Halloween.
My Rating: Book 1 ★★★★★ Book 2 ★★★★★
Goodreads: Book 1 ★★★★☆ (3.96) Book 2 ★★★★☆ (4.43)
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (Romance, Fantasy)
Nothing says Halloween more than this book. Nine years ago, Vivienne dealt with her broken heart by putting a curse on her ex-boyfriend. When that ex-boyfriend comes back into town, a quick trip to the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. Vivienne realizes that her curse has had lasting consequences. And now, with the town being under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat, the two of them must break the curse. What can be more Halloween than that?
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads: ★★★★☆ (3.55)
Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Drama, Play)
This play by William Shakespeare is a classic for Halloween. Between the three witches and the ruthlessly ambitious Lady Macbeth, this play is about the tragic rise and fall of the King of Scotland. With the prophecy from the three witches, the story is filled with blood, paranoia, tyranny, madness, and murder. Be careful what power you seek, and what lengths you will do to get it.
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads: ★★★★☆ (3.90)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (Horror, Thriller)
This book is another great one to get you into the Halloween spirit. It’s a gothic tale that follows Merricat, who lives with her sick uncle and her agoraphobic sister, Constance. Six years prior, these three family members were the only ones to survive when a tragedy killed the rest of their family. This left Constance on trial for murder. Now, they live secluded in an isolated house to protect Constance from the rest of the town. When their cousin Charles visits, their lives begin to spiral out of control again. This book is creepy and will make you in the mood for Halloween. Fun fact, there is a movie based on this book that stars Alexandra Daddario as Constance and Sebastian Stan as Charles.
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Goodreads: ★★★★☆ (3.96)
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts (Romance)
This book is just a bonus book I think everyone should read this fall, seeing as the My Policeman movie will be released in select theaters on October 21st, and will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video on November 4th. The story follows a policeman named Tom, his wife Marion, and a museum curator named Patrick. In 1950s Brighton, Marion meets Tom and falls in love with him. A few years later, in Brighton Museum, Tom meets Patrick, and the two of them fall in love. Marion and Patrick must share Tom, and he is their policeman, until they break. The movie stars Harry Styles (Don’t Worry Darling) as young Tom, Emma Corrin (The Crown) as young Marion, and David Dawson (Peaky Blinders) as young Patrick. The time to read the book is now, before it is released for viewing!
My Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads: ★★★★☆