Autumn is the time of year when reading becomes an immersive experience. A cold day, a comfy sweater, hot beverage, and good book can turn your regular reading session into a mood altogether. The season is ideal for starting anew. No matter what you fancy, be it romance, mysteries, fantasy, dark academia, or complete haunted house madness, there is a book for every mood. These six books are perfect to add for making your autumn reading list unique.
Begin with The Pumpkin Spice Café, written by Laurie Gilmore. In this book, Jeanie, bored with her life at the office, quits her job after her aunt gives her a cafe in Dream Harbor. She falls in love with Logan, a shy farmer in her community. He dislikes drama and favors routine work. The book offers a grumpy-and-sunny love story combined with coffee and a small town environment that can make anyone wish to visit the café.
For those who love dark academia, a great book choice would be The Secret History by Donna Tartt. In it, we follow a small group of students attending classes about ancient Greek at their university in Vermont under the tutelage of a peculiar professor. It’s all fun until things get out of hand and result in murder. The book gives a sense of depth and immersion to the reader. This is not a light and fluffy campus book, however, and its gloomy scenery makes it the perfect read for an overcast day.
For something that’s magical but comfortable at the same time, pick up The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. Mika Moon has been suppressing her witch powers and distancing herself from other witches throughout her life. All of that changes when she is asked to mentor three teen witches who share a strange abode. It combines magic, love, and even found family while remaining light enough not to be terrifying. It won’t give you nightmares, just magical coziness.
Erin Sterling’s The Ex Hex is also another fun read with witches and magic, although with a twist of humor in this case. Once Vivienne Jones casts a spell on her ex-boyfriend out of anger, she thinks that everything will turn out fine. However, years later, when her ex comes back into town, things start getting weird and Vivienne has to cooperate with him in order to deal with it all.
If you are interested in mysteries, then I suggest that you read The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Four friends who live in a quiet retirement community decide to solve some mystery cases each week for leisure. But when they find out that there was a murder near their place, they get a golden opportunity to put their skills into practice. You will not be able to resist those detectives because they are adorable. The book will keep you entertained with its suspense and lightness.
Those who have the courage to swap comfort for creepiness can opt for The September House by Carissa Orlando. Let me give you a fair warning here. Margaret is dead set on staying in her dream Victorian house despite some scary stuff happening every September. Her problems only compound when her husband vanishes, and she gets visited by her daughter. There’s something frightening about the haunted house concept, but the secrets in the family make this book an emotional journey too.
Fall book list doesn’t have to be limited to a certain genre. There will be days when you will prefer a nice romance novel, and there will be days that require a challenging mystery or haunting story of an old haunted house. Such an approach helps to make reading more enjoyable and not just yet another homework task. So, find yourself a cozy blanket and read away!
