Fall Reading List

There has been an eruption of book content on the internet. YouTubers who traditionally make vlogs and lifestyle content are now making videos dedicated to reading. #BookTok is bringing Gen-Z back to their local Barnes and Nobles’ and reading is suddenly trendy. How odd that the digital age has recently made traditional media more appealing.

Typically, I am an avid reader. Growing up my mother used to give me five dollars for every full length novel I read. This was more of an incentive for my brother who preferred the screen to a page but I took advantage of the policy. “The one thing I will always buy you is books,” she used to tell me. While unnecessary at this point in my life, she still holds to it if asked. It was a great parenting strategy, as my chosen profession is now writing. Tangent aside: I was on a reading hiatus from January to May of this year but I have fallen back in love with the activity. I want to explore different genres and sink into the cozy feeling of a story during the coziest season of the year. I love dark academia and fantasy but I want to try a few thrillers, memoirs, and maybe a classic or two.

Here is what is on my fall TBR and some books I reccommend:

To Be Read

Im Thinking Of Ending Things by Ian Reid (Horror/Thriller)

I am going to be completely honest. I got halfway through this last year and didn’t finish it because I am a baby. I am not good with scary. A booktuber I watch frequently said that she was constantly looking over her shoulder and her favorite author is Stephen King. I haven’t dared to even watch the trailer for the Netflix movie.

This short novel is about a young woman who is doubting her relationship but takes a road trip to meet her boyfriends parents. Somewhere this novel takes a really dark twist. Wish me luck.

TW: body horror, gore, suicide

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Memoir)

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado has been on my radar for over a year. During my creative nonfiction course in college, we had to read excerpts from this memoir and I have been anxious to give it a full read since. She details her time in an abusive same-sex relationship through vignettes that she narrates in a myriad of different styles. It is incredibly inventive. I am about 40 pages in and I am itching to finish.

TW: body-shaming, domestic abuse/violence, emotional abuse, sexual assault, sexual abuse and adult-minor relationship, suicidal ideation

A Gathering Of Shadows by VE Schwab (Fantasy)

This is the second in the Darker Shade of Magic series. So I obviously recommend reading that first if you have not yet. This has a magical London backdrop which I think is so cozy for the fall. I won’t reveal too much about the plot so I don’t spoil the first book.

Synopsis of the first book: there are four Londons. There is one where magic thrives, one where magic tears society apart, one where magic does not exist and one that has been long lost. There is a man that can travel between the Londons, a girl that longs for a sense of adventure and family and danger lurking at every corner.

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt (Mystery)

Another book that has been sitting on my shelf is The Little Friend by Donna Tartt. Tartts’s more well-known novels are The Goldfinch and The Secret History. She is a phenomenal writer. Warning: some may find her writing a bit slow but I think it’s gorgeous.

We discover that one Mother’s Day, a little boy was found hanging from a tree in his yard. Fast forward twelve years, the boys little sister sets out to find his killer. There is supposedly discussion of race and loss. I am very excited to finally pick this up.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Classic/Romance)

I have never read Austen nor have I read many classics but I want to expand my lineup with her arguably most popular work. I will be honest, I do not know what this novel is about and I don’t care to know. I want to simply start reading. I often find that is best with classics, go in with no expectation and be either blown away or disappointed with the outcome. Just because it is considered a classic doesn’t mean you have to like it or that disliking it means you aren’t as intelligent. Remember that.

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell (Graphic Novel)

This is a reread and one that I think I will read every year. This graphic novel follow two best friends who work at a pumpkin patch. Is that not the most precious thing? It is totally doable in one sitting. It is so incredibly heartwarming, has amazing representation and I can never recommend this graphic novel enough.

It is YA so it is also super accessible!