A fun fact about me is I drive two hours daily to and from my student teaching placement. I also love holidays and celebrating seasons. I’m huge on seasonal drinks, activities and yes, books.
These two fun facts don’t seem to coincide, but the only perk of driving so much is I have plenty of time to listen to audiobooks. I’ve self-imposed the requirement that my audiobooks must match the seasonal vibe.
The leaves are turning, my sweaters are moving from the back of my closet to the front and the percentage of pumpkin or apple flavoring in my morning coffee has increased greatly. This means cozy fall reads are a must.
I love a good autumn horror or thriller, but I’m driving to and from a second-grade classroom. Stephen King doesn’t exactly set the tone well, so these recommendations are on the cozier side.
You can expect a happy ending and a warm fuzzy feeling from every one of these stories. Isn’t that just what we need sometimes? Let these cute stories transport you to a happy, cozy place.
- “the very secret society of irregular witches” by Sangu mandanna
-
This book is the epitome of a cozy “-ber months” read.
It follows the story of Mika Moon, a witch who has spent her whole life isolating herself to hide her magic. After a lifetime of practicing her magic in secret, she is shocked by a mysterious invitation to the hidden Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their own magic.
The found-family element of this story is incredibly charming. I love the slow-burn romance between Mika and Jamie and the bonds between everyone in the household.
There’s an adorable golden retriever, three hilarious little girls and magic. Where can you go wrong? If you’re looking for cozy and heartwarming with a touch of magic, this book is for you.
I thought the narrator, Samara MacLaren, did a wonderful job for anyone interested in the audiobook version. I genuinely enjoyed listening to it. I typically listen to audiobooks out of necessity because I can’t physically read and drive, but the different accents MacLaren adds make it interesting.
- “The dead romantics” by ashley poston
-
I cannot say enough about this book. It is another perfect example of a cozy fall romance.
At first I thought it was going to be a simple workplace romance: a ghostwriter for a famous romance author moves on from her horrible ex with her new editor, learning to believe in love again so she can write another perfect love story.
But then she gets an unexpected phone call forcing her to rush back home where she hasn’t been in over a decade. We meet her eccentric, incredible family, we’re introduced to the family business (a funeral parlor) and we find out Florence, our female main character, has the unique talent of talking to ghosts.
And now she’s falling in love with one of them.
Every single character in this story is incredible. The romance is perfect, but so is the dynamic between Florence and the rest of her family.
Poston is a master of writing quirky but lovable characters and tying together a classic romance plot with some supernatural twist in a believable manner.
This book is perfect for any time of year, but the ghost element is especially fun for autumn.
- “Divine rivals” and “ruthless vows” by Rebecca ross
-
The dark academia vibes in this romantasy were simply perfect for a cozy, rainy autumn evening curled up by a window. What’s more fall-coded than a magical typewriter connecting two rival journalists?
Also, what’s more romantic than thinking you’re falling in love with two people — your mystery pen-pal and your office rival — only to find out they’re the same person?
BookTok loved this one, and so do I.
- “emily wilde’s encyclopaedia of faeries” and “emily wilde’s map of the otherlands” by heather fawcett
-
These books are cozy and charming, and I think they are highly underrated.
Both stories follow Cambridge professor and dryadologist Emily Wilde, her gigantic dog Shadow and her co-worker Wendell Bambleby as they travel to remote European villages to conduct academic research on local faeries. This leads to chaos, trouble and fun for readers to enjoy through the lens of Emily’s journal.
These stories have the perfect combination of academia, fantasy and slow-burn romance. I was also a big fan of the female main character as the curmudgeon, while the male main character is all sunshine and optimism.
Book three comes out this February, and I highly recommend adding the first two to your TBR list in preparation for its release.
- “The unfortunate side effects of heartbreak and magic” by Breanne Randall
-
Full disclosure: I have NOT finished this one yet, so I apologize if it takes a terrible turn halfway through. However, this is my current cozy fall read and I love it so far.
If I were to summarize the first half of “The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic” in a few words they would be a magical bakery, second-chance romance, cute animals and very cozy.
- “a good girl’s guide to murder” by holly jackson
-
This book has its fair share of absolutely gut-wrenching moments, so it’s not all cozy and heartwarming. It’s a young adult thriller, so it has a lot of suspenseful twists and turns but also a consistent security net of supportive family and friends and a sweet budding romance.
I loved Pip’s character, intelligence and determination throughout this story. All three books in this series are fast reads that hooked me from the start.
This was a rare mystery where I couldn’t guess who did it, and the twists caught me by surprise. I highly recommend it even though the writing feels targeted to a younger audience.
- “the inheritance games” by jennifer lynn barnes
-
This whole story had the vibes of “Knives Out,” but instead of Chris Evans’ sweater stealing the spotlight, it’s four brothers and a highly intelligent young girl named Avery being thrust into a life she never envisioned for herself.
This book begins with the death of famous billionaire Tobias Hawthorne. Everyone expects him to leave his inheritance to his children or his four grandsons, but he gives the fortune to Avery instead.
The big twist? She’s never met or heard of him.
Tobias Hawthorne loved to play games and still does from beyond the grave. He’s left behind an intricate, seemingly impossible puzzle for Avery and the grandsons to solve the billion-dollar question: why her?
She has a great mind for game strategy and sets to work solving the mystery while navigating her life as a billionaire. Oh, and she has to live in a mansion with four strangers who all want the money she just received.
I love the romance throughout this book and its sequels. This is one series where I think the second and third are so much better than the first, but the original “The Inheritance Games” has great fall vibes and you need it to understand the next two.
Put on your headphones, listen to a “dark academia” or “autumn rain” classical music playlist on YouTube and let yourself escape into a world where poor young girls are randomly gifted billions of dollars (a girl can dream, right?).
I know fall is a busy time for many of us, but I hope you can make time to curl up with a good book, even if it’s just for a few minutes each night. Happy reading, and happy “-ber” months!