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It’s finally October. The trees are putting on their best autumnal colours, the wind is chilly enough to make your cheeks pink, and Starbucks is cranking out pumpkin spice lattes—it’s time to get back in touch with your pleasure reading list. There is no better season to pick out a cozy chair and curl up with a tea or coffee, a fuzzy blanket or pet, and most importantly, a good book. If you have way too many textbooks on your shelf and are in dire need to be transported into a different world for an hour, here are my top picks for your fall reading list:
If you’re in the mood for something kind of spooky but not so scary you have to sleep with the lights on, and also maybe romantic…
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Listen, you need to read a gothic novel. Rebecca is a gothic style novel that follows the unnamed narrator to her new husband’s country estate in the south of England during the early 1900s. It has all the good gothic stuff: a huge, spooky house with a resident phantom, a mysterious love interest, and a gripping storyline with a plot twist that will keep you glued to the page.
If you’re in the mood for an authentic gothic, Jane Eyre has enough wind-rattled windows in ancient mansions, vast and chilly moors in Northern England, and a 1700s governess to keep you satisfied. The language is a little elevated, but you won’t be able to tear yourself away from Jane’s surprising frankness and a very tall, dark and mysterious love interest.
If you want all of the romance and none of the spookiness…
One Day by David Nicholls or The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
You may have seen the move adaptation of One Day with Anne Hathaway on Netflix, but the book is so much better. Following two Oxford graduates, the book offers snippets of their lives for the next twenty years during the same day—July 15. Tracking the development of their lives and their relationship, this book will make you cry, and I suggest you read it immediately.
The Time Traveler’s Wife also has a movie adaptation, but it’s yet another example of “the book is better than the movie.” Clare meets her future husband, a time traveler, when she is just six years old, but he meets her for the very first time when she is twenty. Chronicling their dizzying but incredibly original love story, The Time Traveler’s Wife offers insight not into what it’s like to be married to a time traveler, but into the power of love that transcends time. It will also make you cry, however.
If you’re into that vintage 1900s dark academia campus vibe…
A Separate Peace by John Knowles or The Secret History by Donna Tartt
In America at the brink of WWII, A Separate Peace tackles themes of friendship, loyalty, and innocence at a boys’ prep school. At its core, this is an incredibly moving coming of age novel, but it’s an added plus that it has the gorgeous backdrop of a New England campus. Additionally, John Knowles’ prose is swift-moving yet poetic, which results in a well-rounded, beautiful read.
The Secret History also takes place in New England at a stunning liberal arts college in the mountains. It follows a small group of Classics students who push the bounds of exploring ancient Greek morality and might even dip its toes into the thriller genre. However, it’s dark academia in a book, so you’ll definitely want to add it to your Pinterest board.
If you’re in the mood for just a really good story…
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Book Thief may be a familiar title for a lot of readers, but it’s one that’s worth returning to. Set in 1939 Nazi Germany, The Book Thief follows a young girl named Liesel whose family hides a Jewish man in their basement. Narrated by Death, this is a masterfully created story that both inspires and educates.
Flowers for Algernon follows a disabled young man as he takes a “cure” that slowly turns him into the smartest man in America. It’s technically science fiction, but it’s a powerful and emotionally moving read. Beyond being a good story, Flowers for Algernon teaches some really important lessons concerning disability, and I think reading it has made me a better person.
If you’re feeling some magical realism just in time for Halloween…
Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King or Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire
Green Grass, Running Water concerns four indigenous individuals on their way to the Blackfoot reservation for the Sun Dance. The trickster, Coyote, runs throughout the narratives of all four characters, creating a touching story with plenty of twists, turns, and alternate perspectives.
Egg & Spoon takes place in Tsarist Russia, turning Russian folklore on its head to create a rollicking storyline. When the lives of two girls collide—one rich, one poor—they must navigate all kinds of magical scenarios against the backdrop of a stunning Russia in winter.
Whatever your reading vibe this fall, I hope you find the time to take a break from course readings and explore something new. Autumn only comes around once a year, so make sure you celebrate the fall coziness as much as you can!