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63 Reading Recommendations for Every Fall Reading Vibe
For reasons that are hard to rationally explain, autumn remains the best season for serious book reading. It’s a vibe thing. There’s just something about the fall season that makes you want to curl up with a big book.
In honor of this annual phenomenon, we’ve scoured the stacks to compile this list of 63 book recommendations for autumn reading vibes. It’s largely an intuitive process. Some books just feel autumnal—spooky classics like Practical Magic or The Haunting of Hill House. Some pivot off the back-to-the-school setting, like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. And some just possess a kind of ambient October Gothic energy—think Daphne du Maurier’s immortal classic, Rebecca.
To further facilitate the vibe sorting, we’ve divided this collection into different reading moods: Witchy & Magic, Cozy Fantasies, Dark & Moody, Autumnal Academia, Uncanny & Strange, and Ghosts Galore. The books selected are a mix of older and newer titles, and feel free to make any additional recommendations in the comments section.
You can also use the Want to Read button beneath each cover image to save space on your own digital shelf. Have at it, Goodreaders.
Witchy & Magic
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Cozy Fantasies
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Dark & Moody
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Autumnal Academia
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Uncanny & Strange
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Cozy Capers
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Ghosts Galore
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OK, your turn! Give us your best picks for fall reading vibes in the comments below.
Comments Showing 1-50 of 195 (195 new)
message 1:
by
Jessica
(last edited Sep 16, 2024 01:19AM)
(new)
Sep 16, 2024 12:38AM
Ohhh there's a lot of books here that I think I'm gonna take with me on my autumn holiday!
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The Night Circus is NOT cozy. I had to stop reading it because I couldn't deal with the child abuse ("onscreen" as it were) in the beginning of the book. That book requires a trigger warning!
The Night Circus and Rebecca are so good for Autumn.
Emma wrote: "The Night Circus is NOT cozy. I had to stop reading it because I couldn't deal with the child abuse ("onscreen" as it were) in the beginning of the book. That book requires a trigger warning!"Same here! I gave up on it. The writing was awful too!
I've read three books on this list. Weyward was too depressing to be enjoyable. Babel was okay, but The Night Circus was somewhat enjoyable other than the abuse scenes. Can you recommend me a book to read from this list? It's spring where I live.
OMG i'm totally going to read some classics this fall:)
Apple wrote: "I really wanna read the night circus but there are so many mixed reviews I don't know what to do"You want to read it, so just read it?
The Night Circus and Cemetery Boys are NOT cozy reads! I don't know who chose those books for that category - there are so many amazing cozy fantasies out there that should be on that list.
Apple wrote: "I really wanna read the night circus but there are so many mixed reviews I don't know what to do"It's slow. Almost nothing major happens for half the book. I almost ditched it at 50%, but carried on because I wanted to see how it ended. In the end I liked the book. Borrow the book from the library or a friend, so you don't waste money on it. If it ends up not being your thing, you can also DNF.
These book sounds really good for September
The Night Circus was a book of the year for me. Several books on the list are new to me, and look very interesting. Can'twait!
I know it's not on the list but The Shady Hollow series was my favorite cozy autumn read, I absolutely devoured them.
Emma wrote: "The Night Circus is NOT cozy. I had to stop reading it because I couldn't deal with the child abuse ("onscreen" as it were) in the beginning of the book. That book requires a trigger warning!"I agree, I was surprised to see it labeled as cozy...
I love The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. One of my favorite books of all time. However anyone looking to read it should approach with caution. There's a lot of violence in that book as it takes place during the Sri Lankan civil war in the 1980s.
I want to read Weyward, Mexican Gothic, Babel and Ninth House, they're all on my TBR list!
The Cinnamon Bun Store isn't "cosy". "Cosy" books do not have intimate scenes on page.
THE MESMERIST is so good! One of my favorite books of all time.
message 19:
by
✞♡𝐿𝓊𝓃𝒶𝒷𝑒𝓁𝓁𝑒♡✞
(new)
AN ACADEMY FOR LIARS COMES OUT TOMORROW!!! im so pumped i might just have to read the entire book when it comes in the mail!!!
I liked The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, If We Were Villains, Encyclopaedia of Faeries and of course The Shining, but I read that a long time ago.Piranesi and The Night Circus were ok. Both are kind of slow.
I have others as want-to-read and added a few today.
I read Rebecca for the first time this year (and two reimaginings: The Hacienda and The Fiction Writer), didn't really care for any of them.
Piranesi and The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida were absolute delights!
Rebecca is the best book on this list! Perfect for fall, too.
I’ve read a lot of books from this list (witchy, gothic, and cozy fantasy are my jam) but my favorites were: Weyward, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Mexican Gothic, & Rebecca. I’m reading The Unmaking of June Farrow right now.Some more Fall/Spooky books I’d recommend:
Starling House
The Hacienda
House of Salt and Sorrows (Young Adult)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (middle grade, but CREEPY)
Through the Woods (beautiful & spooky graphic novel)
I know this is SO obvious, but Dracula and Frankenstein are great books, too!
I loved Weyward and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! Both great books --fall or not!
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott is a PERFECT fall read! Just enough spook, just enough familial longing, and some magical realism to keep things quirky and interesting. Highlllly recommend!
So many good books in the cozy reads section that I haven’t hear of! Straight to my TBR for October!!!
Mohi wrote: "OMG i'm totally going to read some classics this fall:)"you gotta read it :) I love the book
To kick off fall and Hispanic Heritage Month, just finished reading The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas. Solid 3.75 with just enough spooky to kick off the season. Up next I am thinking Boo by Rene Gutteridge Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. I'm still building my fall list but these have been staring at me for a minute.
For my friends looking for spring reads: Chicks Mules and Two Old Fools by Victoria Tweed (my fav)
The Secrets of Ormdal Series by Christina Baeher
Something in the Heir by Suzanne Enoch
Rebecca seems more spring to me (Rhododendrons) iykyk
Miss perigrines house for peculiar children is a great halloween. It may be considered a childrens book but it Has a great plot
Law wrote: "I've read three books on this list. Weyward was too depressing to be enjoyable. Babel was okay but The Night Circus was somewhat enjoyable other than the abuse scenes. Can you recommend me a book t..."Rebecca is honestly a masterpiece and timeless, regardless of the time of year. cannot speak highly enough of this original ghost story and its romance and prose.
Cassidy wrote: "Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott is a PERFECT fall read! Just enough spook, just enough familial longing, and some magical realism to keep things quirky and interesting. Highlllly recommend!"omg the same GennaRose Nethercott who works on the Lore podcast? gotta give it a look
My mother says Mexican Gothic is slow and boring. She DNFed it. Just a heads up. LOL
So many books to add to my list! I’m loving this!!!!
Roger Zelazny's "Night in the Lonesome October" is the perfect seasonal book. Each chapter is a day in the month, and the book is full of witches, vampires and werewolves. It's a very fun read.
Tresa wrote: "Emma wrote: "The Night Circus is NOT cozy. I had to stop reading it because I couldn't deal with the child abuse ("onscreen" as it were) in the beginning of the book. That book requires a trigger w..."I couldn't stand this book! i kept pushing through but it was so dull! just didnt get the hype at all!!!
I loved Tress, but I don't see how it's autumnal at all? I guess sea voyages are more of a summer thing for me.As for everybody complaining or otherwise on the fence about The Night Circus: it's a very dreamy, atmospheric, non-traditional book. If you read it expecting strong characters or plot, you're probably going to have a bad time. On the other hand, if you've ever woken up from a fantastically imaginative dream and wished you could remember it even as it fades forever, then this is the book for you. The same, to a somewhat lesser extent (in that the plot and characters are better-defined in the end, but you'll have to subsist for a while on vibes), for Piranesi. Both fantastic books that I enjoyed very much and would absolutely consider cozy, but different strokes for different folks!
Law wrote: "I've read three books on this list. Weyward was too depressing to be enjoyable. Babel was okay but The Night Circus was somewhat enjoyable other than the abuse scenes. Can you recommend me a book t..."Tresa wrote: "Emma wrote: "The Night Circus is NOT cozy. I had to stop reading it because I couldn't deal with the child abuse ("onscreen" as it were) in the beginning of the book. That book requires a trigger w..."
The Sentence is great!
So happy to see Idlewild make a list! It’s such a phenomenal book.
A few of these seem really interesting, and they are not any that would've necessarily been on my radar otherwise. Excited to tap into some fall reads :)
Apple wrote: "I really wanna read the night circus but there are so many mixed reviews I don't know what to do"Listen to the audio narrated by Jim Dale.
Lisa wrote: "Roger Zelazny's "Night in the Lonesome October" is the perfect seasonal book. Each chapter is a day in the month, and the book is full of witches, vampires and werewolves. It's a very fun read."What a great concept! I think I will give it a try in October.
Loved Weyward! Also, not on this list is In the Pines by Mariah Stillbrook. A great witchy read.
I am really in the mood for anything cozy, witchy/magical realism, major fall vibes. I will be looking up all of the books mentioned in previous comments that seem to fit the bill. Any others you read and liked? Please and thank you for your recs! :)
I've read 12 of these (love!) and remembered I had 2 more of them in my TBR. Also going to reread Frankenstein. Making up my October stack now!
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and If We Were Villains were all phenomenal reads!!
