“Books, moonlight, melodrama.”
Are you a seasonal reader? Having a book that matches the feel of the weather around you can be one of the best ways of truly immersing yourself in a story, and the autumn months are certainly some of the most popular for this. As the temperature dips and the leaves fall from the trees, there’s nothing quite like curling up under a blanket with a warm drink and losing yourself in an intimately dark or spooky read. Join us today at What We Reading as we get cosy with the best collection of books for fall that are either set during autumn or that effortlessly match its vibe.
Still Life – Louise Penny
Kicking off our list of the best books for fall is Louise Penny’s crime thriller, Still Life. The discovery of Jane Neal’s body in the woods on Thanksgiving weekend brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team to the idyllic setting of Three Pines. A place so free of crime it doesn’t even have its police force, Gamache cannot fathom why anyone in this sleepy town would want to harm the much-loved artist.
But there is plenty of evil lurking behind the white-picket fences of Three Pines, with secrets ready to be exposed. Someone has painted a picture-perfect murder, but can Gamache dig out enough from the past to work out who?
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A Goodreads Choice Award winner for Best Horror, Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic is the perfect book for fall for anyone looking to snuggle up with a dark and chilling atmosphere tale. After receiving a strange letter from her newlywed cousin pleading for help against a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada travels to High Place, an isolated estate in the Mexican countryside.
Both the family inside its walls and the building itself house bizarre and bloody histories and, before long, Noemí finds herself in the thrall of terrifying yet seductive allure of High Place.
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The Shadow Of The Wind (El Cementerio De Los Libros Olvidados #1) – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Shadow of the Wind still stands as one of the most beautiful mystery books of all time, and its gothic historical setting makes it a stellar autumnal read. Set in Barcelona in 1945, readers follow Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who whilst reeling from the loss of his mother finds solace in the book, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julian Carax.
But, when he attempts to find more of the author’s work, he is shocked to discover someone has systematically been destroying every other copy of every other book Carax has ever written. Before long, Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest soon descends into a dive into Catalonia’s darkest secrets in a tale that features madness, murder and doomed love.
The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
One of the best young adult books for fall from the bestselling creator of Coraline and Good Omens, Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is a witty, funny and lighthearted ghost story. Nobody Owens, known as ‘Bod’ to his friends, lives in a graveyard and is being raised and educated by the ghosts of those who are buried there.
There are many adventures and dangers for Bod in the graveyard, but it is in the land of living where the risks are at their fullest. Among the living is Jack, the man who has already killed Bod’s family.
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
Filled with an omniscient POV, travelling circuses, and dreamlike environments against an autumnal backdrop, The Night Circus makes for the perfect fantasy book for fall. Arriving without warning, Le Cirque des Rêves only opens at night and its black-and-white striped canvas tents offer an unmissable experience filled with breathtaking amazements.
However, behind the scenes, two magicians are duelling in a competition of unimaginable intelligence and skill. For Celia and Marco, only one of them can be left standing at the end. The pair soon fall in love, their connection enough to warm rooms and cause lights to flicker. But, their competition must play out, with the fates of everyone from their fellow performers to the patrons lining outside to see them at stake.
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The Secret History – Donna Tartt
Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is one of the best autumn books for your fall reading list if you’re looking for more of a dark academia aesthetic. At an elite New England college, a group of isolated students fall under the thrall of their enigmatic professor. This band of clever and eccentric misfits are taught a new way of thinking and existing that represents much more than the lives of those around them.
But, before long, their morality slips from neutral to obsession to corruption to betrayal and, finally, pure evil. One of the classic mystery books from the 1990s, Tartt’s work is profound, creepy and just the sort of masterful tale for the fall months!
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Sweetbitter – Stephanie Danler
Stephanie Danler captures the vibe of fall in New York beautifully in Sweetbitter. Arriving as a back waiter for a revered downtown Manhattan restaurant, twenty-two-year-old Tess is thrown head-first into a world of champagne and cocaine, dive bars and fine dining havens, love and lust and all the other means of navigating the demanding chaos of her new life. All while also being pulled into a dark and alluring love triangle.
One of the best coming-of-age tales, Danler perfectly captures the high-adrenaline energy of foodie culture, as well as the ineffable beauty of New York City and the infinite possibilities that come with being young.
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A Great And Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1) – Libba Bray
Libba Bray’s debut gothic novel features mysterious visions, dark family secrets and life at an all-girls boarding school. It should be no surprise that we’ve picked it out as one of our best books for fall! Set in 1895, the book follows sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle. Following the deaths of her parents, Gemma is sent from India to Spence, a proper boarding school for girls in England.
Isolated, lonely and guilt-ridden, Gemma has been granted mysterious visions of the future that alarmingly turn out to be prophetic. What’s more, a strange Indian man begins to follow her around the school. As she struggles to work out what her fate is meant to be, the girls of Spence soon begin to become entangled in the spiritual world, to potentially deadly consequences.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
