Fall is here. And while we get to experience the cool weather and colorful scenery for at least a few months before the never-ending winter, it’s a perfect excuse to go outside, sit back, and enjoy the comfort of a good book. It is true that every story has a season, and what better way to celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving with a few heartfelt, and sometimes frightening, stories to share. Here are just a few of my favorite novels for fall that I’m certain you all would love!
Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart
Who says girls can’t solve mysteries? It’s Post World War I, and fiery Constance Kopp has different plans for her future instead of trying to snag a husband and keep house. Constance and her sisters are soon tangled into the world of bullets and bimbos after a small accident unlocks family secrets and mystery. This novel, based on true events, gives us a glimpse of the Nation’s first female crime fighters, proving that girls are truly unstoppable. This book is great if you enjoy history and mystery!
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (Series) by Kerry Greenwood
Rich, beautiful, and dangerously opinionated, not much else can be used to describe amateur detective, The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher. Set in Melbourne, Australia in the glorious 1920’s, this series of novels follows Miss Fisher, her loyal companion, Dot, the handsome and aloof detective inspector, Jack Robinson, and his faithful constable, Hugh Collins, as they all ramble to solve murders that will be sure to leave you laughing!
P.S: There is a great T.V show of this series I would highly recommend; all three seasons are currently streaming on Netflix!
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
Think You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle combined and you’ve just about got Attachments! It’s 1999; e-mail, The Spice Girls, and “the end of the world” were all the rage. 27-year-old Lincoln O’Neil accepts a job as “internet security officer” for a local newspaper, The Courier. In reality his new job enlists in reading others peoples email to make certain they don’t talk over personal matters.
Meet Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder: Two employees for The Courier who emails are constantly being flagged. While Lincoln knows he should report them, he soon finds himself immersed in these girls’ hilarious and heartfelt conversations, and before he knows it finds himself forming an attachment to Beth.
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
I’m usually not the first person to snag a science fiction book off the shelf, but something about Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things struck me. I confess some of this book’s appeal to me was the gorgeous cover art, but I was pleasantly surprised by this novel as it combines the science fiction elements of space and aliens and raises questions of the issues of faith, marriage, and the unknown.
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
I still remember the day of the Royal Wedding: I woke up at 4 a.m. on a Friday Morning ready to DVR the news coverage wearing my “Marry Me Harry” sweater to school. To say I’m an anglophile is a little bit of an understatement, but hey, I’m pretty sure every girl wanted to be Kate Middleton that day. The Royal We will just about fulfill any fantasy you’ve had about your very own Cinderella story.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women is one of my favorite novels as it has been for decades among women and men. In the midst of the Civil War, sisters Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth face hardships, love, and the enduring bonds of sisterhood shaping them into the little women they could become. This classic is rich in detail about the beautiful, blistery Massachusetts in the 1860’s and how women even then challenged society norms, perhaps making this one of the most celebrated novels in American Literature and even relevant in today’s society.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
No one can do mystery quite like the queen, Agatha Christie. Her stories transcended mystery, murder and mischief in a comedic way that makes this book in particular a page-turner. After the elderly Emily Ingelthorp is found murdered, an eccentric detective, Hercule Poirot is hired to investigate along with friends Inspector Japp and Captain Hastings to find discover exactly who murdered this wealthy woman. Was it her young, newlywed husband? The answer may not be so obvious to the eye!
Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
With Halloween quickly creeping up, it’s a perfect time to pick up a classic mystery novel. Unlike The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Lady Audley’s Secret is the perfect psychological thriller to leave you with chills. Published in 1862 by Victorian author Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret delves into the complicated word of assumption, arson, and murder. After the recently married Miss Lucy Graham becomes Lady to Audley manor a series of lies and secrets are unfolded, and the thin lines between sanity and insanity come to question.
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Almost imagine Tom Riddle (x 2) goes to college and it would perfectly describe Victor and Eli. Lonely, arrogant and brilliant boys turned college roommates; they discover a fascination with near-death experiences that ends in tragedy. Now, ten years later, Victor and Eli meet again as foes determined to destroy one another.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Laura Jean is different from most girls. She keeps love letters she’s written to all the boys she’s loved before in an old hatbox, five in all. She writes them for when she wants to fall out of love and keeps them as a reminder to move on one day. However, her letters accidently get sent out, and Laura Jean is left to fix the mess and confront her feelings.
This adorable contemporary is perfect escape for anyone who needs a cute, quick, and sweet story of love and acceptance.
(The sequel P.S. I Still Love You is out now!)