The Big Fall Reading Guide 🍂📖🍁

21 book recommendations for each mood of autumn, 12 books on my own autumn TBR, and printable bookmarks for the season.

Happy first week of autumn! It’s that time of year to lean into comfort— to enjoy crisp weather and soft sweaters, to sip apple and pumpkin flavored beverages, and bask in the vibrant colors of the season. It’s time to light all the fragrant candles, wear the fuzzy socks, and spend dark evenings nestled up with a good book.

In the autumn, my mood reading tendencies take on various forms— in September I crave fall and campus books, in October I seek thrills and chills, and in November I’m eager for thoughtful stories about family and the comforts of food. This fall, I’m packaging book recommendations in the same way— something to read each month of the season based on that month's theme. Today I’m sharing my top picks in each category based on books I have read and enjoyed. I’m also sharing a few books on my own autumn TBR (to be read).

And of course, reading is an experience to be enjoyed! Scroll to the end for ways to fully indulge in the joys of reading this season, as well as a fresh set of bookmarks to print and share.

Let’s set the scene and dive in! Choose your setting, hit play (on your computer, phone, iPad, TV, or smart home device), and enjoy:

• 🍂 fall jazz at a cozy outdoor cafe

• 🎃 harvest vineyard farmhouse

• 🌲 cozy autumn reading nook with fireplace & rainy forest view

• 🛋️ in a cozy reading chair by the fire

• 🪟 beside a scenic autumn window

• 🍁 throwback autumn afternoon in the 1950s with soft oldies

• 🌧️ evening at the bookshop with soft piano and the sounds of rain

  

• Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato— Set at a small liberal arts college in Vermont, an intimate look at a mother-daughter relationship across continents that will take you right back to campus life.

• The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel— A warm-hearted story of an unlikely cast of characters linked together in a crowded brownstone in Greenwich Village, set in the fall.

• If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia— A single dad meets a big city gal in small-town Vermont with peak fall vibes and in the 90s, perfection!

• The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller— Venture to small-town Vermont with a baker who moves there from Boston for a change of scenery and a quirky group of characters.

• Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout— It’s March 2020, and Lucy leaves her life in New York City behind for a slower and quieter life on the coast of Maine.

• A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss— When life needs a reset, why not move to the English seaside to run the local small town coffee shop on the beach?

• Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa— Experiencing a quarter-life crisis, Takako moves into the apartment above her uncle’s bookshop, a book lover’s dream.

• Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young— I hear amazing things about this book and The Unmaking of June Farrow. I’d love to read both this autumn, if I can.

• Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout— Continuing with my Strout obsession, I’ve saved (what I assume will be) her most autumnal/cozy books for this very moment!

• The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham— I was craving a juicy campus novel and picked this up at my local bookstore this weekend. One chapter in and I am already sucked into Hilderbrand’s descriptive storytelling.

  

• Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman— 1600s origin story of the magical history of the Owens’ women of Practical Magic.

• So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison— Two friends go away for a weekend and experience a life-changing interaction with vampires…

• Daisy Darker by Alice Feeny— An Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery set at a remote location on Halloween, of course.

• The September House by Carissa Orlando— A haunted house that is so obnoxiously haunted it’s almost comical… although this book is the reason I still can’t go into my basement alone at night.

• The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling— Set in a small town, in autumn, this witchy romance is a perfect October read.

• Coraline by Neil Gaiman— A little girl moves into a new apartment and makes an eerie discovery that leaves her longing for her ordinary life again.

• The Broken Girls by Simone St. James— A paranormal dual-timeline thriller set at a boarding school in Vermont.

• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson— I loved The Haunting of Hill House adaptation— based on Jackson’s novel— and when I learned this one is set in Vermont, it was a quick and easy sell.

• Home Before Dark by Riley Sager— Sager’s more recent novels haven’t been my favorite, but I’m excited to turn back to one of his older books, set at a haunted house in (you guessed it!) Vermont.

• We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliwer— I understand this is a top-tier haunted house book, and I found a copy available at my local library, so we’re doin’ it!

• Cackle by Rachel Harrison— I loved Harrison’s book So Thirsty last year, and I’m excited to read the book that put her on the map. It’s supposed to be peak autumn vibes.

  

• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett— Multi-generational family drama that will make your Thanksgiving table feel normal (err..hopefully!).

• The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai— The Kamogawa Food Detectives know how food links us to memories and familial bonds, and they will help you reconnect with lost loved ones through the comforts of food.

• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson— A layered family story packed with historical insights and centered around a traditional Caribbean cake.

• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer— If you haven’t read this stunning collection of essays that celebrate the natural world, then there is no better time than in November.

• Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum— Like walking into a cozy bookshop and feeling right at home.

• Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten— Full of rich stories from Ina’s past and plenty of delicious food inspiration from The Barefoot Contessa herself.

• Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin— Essays on food, cooking, and the joys of gathering over a meal.

  

• Wreck by Catherine Newman— Out on October 28th, this follow-up story to one of my favorite books ever, Sandwich, is an automatic YES.

• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell— I absolutely LOVED The Marriage Portrait by O’Farrell, and with the adaptation of Hamnet releasing November 27th, it’s time I pick it up!

• Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova— This book about grief sounds like the perfect read for digging into those deeper crevices of the human heart as we head into the final weeks of the year.

• North Woods by Daniel Mason— Set in the same house in the woods of New England, and told over multiple centuries, this book about place is begging me to read it this autumn.

If you are craving even more recommendations for the season to consider, last year’s fall round-up, which includes 48 recommendations in a wide range of categories. And if a more minimalist list is more your cup of cider, then check out my top 9 book recommendations for autumn in my fall composition book.

Also, here’s a list of perfectly autumnal graphic novels and why I love reading them as an adult. I also have a list of my husband’s favorite books, along with 15 tips to help you read more.

bookmarks for fall and Halloween made with love for you, by me!

Reading is as much about the book as it is the experience of enjoying it. So this autumn, romanticize your reading life. Here are a few ways to indulge in the joys of curling up with a book in hand:

• make a new bookmark for you and a friend— print off fall or Halloween bookmarks from the paid subscriber printables hub!

• pick out a book of poetry to dip in and out of all season long

• initiate a weekly “early in bed” night where you get into bed earlier than typical and read until you fall asleep

• read a backlist fall book

• bring your book with you everywhere, fall’s most chic accessory is a book under the arm

• sip warm apple cider while you read

• take a trip to your local library and leisurely peruse the shelves, check out a stack of books that catch your eye

• read by candlelight

• watch an adaptation of a book you have read with a big bowl of popcorn

• buddy read a book with someone and meet up for coffee to chat about it

• put on a fall ambiance video while you read

• listen to an atmospheric audiobook

• gather for a reading night where everyone cozies up with a book of choice, enjoy cinnamon rolls, tea, or soup as you do

• go to the bookstore to pick up a new fall release you’re excited about

• bake warm chocolate chip cookies and nibble on them while you read

  

  What other books would you recommend for September, October, and November? Please share in the comments!