Fall is just around the corner and it doesn’t feel like fall without some good books. Here are some that I think you need to add to your fall reading list.
- “The Secret history” by donna tartt
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“The Secret History” follows a group of college students during the 1980s who attend an elite college in New England. During their time there, one of their friends is killed.
Throughout the book you follow the group of friends leading up to the death and how the aftermath unravels.
This book is hugely classified as a “dark academia” book. Dark academia is an internet aesthetic that surrounds higher education, the arts, literature and/or the idealized version of them.
This aesthetic has been largely associated with the fall season, making this the perfect book to get you in the mood.
- “Harry Potter” By J.k. rowling
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The “Harry Potter” series is a staple for fall.
Most people probably know what “Harry Potter” is, but if not, the first book of the series begins with the main character named Harry Potter. Orphaned when he was a baby, he lives with his mean aunt, uncle and cousin. Weird things happen around Potter, but he pushes them aside saying they were flukes or he was imagining them.
Soon, he starts getting mail from a place called Hogwarts. Before he can read these letters, his aunt and uncle destroy them.
When Potter turns 11, a man named Hagrid comes and tells him that he’s a wizard.
The rest of the books in the series continue to illustrate Potter’s life as he learns how to use his new powers while trying to defeat the villain of the story, Voldemort.
All of the books in the series give a fall vibe because the setting in each book is usually in the fall or winter (because it’s during the school year) and Hogwarts itself is a dark castle.
- “Frankenstein” by mary shelley
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“Frankenstein” is a common choice for fall readers. The many movie adaptations show the crave and love for this book.
The book follows a gifted scientist named Victor Frankenstein who gives life to a being that he has created. However, the being doesn’t turn out the way Victor wants and he decides to reject it.
The creature then decides to seek revenge through murdering and terrorizing the town.
This book gives the otherworldly and horror aspect that most seek during the fall season.
- “The ex hex” by erin sterling
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If you are more of a rom-com person, “The Ex Hex” is perfect for you. The novel is a spicy rom-com that follows a heartbroken witch named Vivienne (Vivi).
After getting her heart broken by Rhys Penhallow she decides to put a curse on him. However, she isn’t worried that her curse will come to fruition because she isn’t using the proper materials to create a strong curse.
However, when Penhallow comes home to recharge the town’s ley lines and attend the annual fall festival, things start to go haywire. Vivi starts to see that her curse isn’t so harmless after all.
With their town under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed-off ghost and a talking cat, Vivi and Penhallow have to work together to break the curse all while trying to fight their feelings for each other.
I read this book last fall and it was a short quick read that got me into the spooky season. It will have you laughing from the banter and kicking and screaming from the romance.
- “One dark window” by rachel gillig
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The book “One Dark Window,” is about Elspeth Spindle who is a woman trapped in the eerie kingdom of Blunder. To escape she needs a monster and luckily for her, she has one.
Nightmare is the ancient spirit trapped in Spindle’s brain. Nightmare protects her and keeps her secrets, but nothing comes for free in Blunder.
Spindle ends up meeting a mysterious man on the forest road who encourages her to join a dangerous quest to cure Blunder of the dark magic that’s infecting it. The man turns out to be the King’s nephew, captain of the most dangerous group of men in Blunder and guilty of high treason.
Ravyn and Spindle have to gather 12 Providence Cards, which serve as the keys to cure Blunder.
As the risks and attraction for each other heighten, Spindle is left to face her darkest secret: Nightmare is taking over her brain and she might not be able to stop him.
This has recently been a very popular book and I’ve heard a lot of great things. Its dark aesthetic is bound to ensure a perfect fall vibe.
- “‘salem’s Lot” by stephen kinG
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The novel is about Ben Mears who travels home to ‘Salem’s Lot to write a book about a house that has haunted him for years.
When Mears returns home, he finds his town to be infested with vampires. As the vampires claim more and more people, Mears decides to do something about it.
He gathers a small group to fight against the dead and take back control of his home.
Stephen King, famous for his spooky novels, once again delivers a perfect story for the fall season. This book delivers horror, paranormal, vampires and so much more.
- “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer
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This would not be a complete fall book list if I didn’t include “Twilight.” I don’t know what it is about this book, but it screams fall.
For those of you who don’t know, “Twilight” follows a high school student, Bella Swan, who has just moved to gloomy Forks, Washington to live with her dad.
She meets Edward Cullen but there’s something off about him and she can’t seem to figure out what. Nevertheless, she feels a pull towards him and struggles to stay away.
She soon figures out that he is a vampire and confronts him. He tells her to stay away, but they both find that they can’t stay apart.
The book follows them while they figure out how to have a relationship while outside elements try to pull them apart.
This is a must-have for your fall reading list.
- “Dracula” By Bram Stoker
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“Dracula” is not only a classic, but reflective of the spooky fall season.
The novel follows a lawyer named Johnathan Harker who goes to Transylvania and plans to help a man named Count Dracula finalize a property transaction.
Weird things happen while Johnathan is there: an unmanned shipwreck, a woman discovers a strange bite mark on her neck and an inmate at an asylum talks about the arrival of the “Master.”
Johnathan is soon swept into a world of vampires and vampire hunters.
Bram Stoker creates a dark, sophisticated atmosphere for the reader. This book doesn’t only give you the paranormal, but also a gothic feel.
- “The dead romantics” by ashley poston
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“The Dead Romantics” is about a romance ghostwriter named Florence Day. After a breakup, she no longer believes in romance and therefore has no interest in writing about it.
Her handsome new editor refuses to give her an extension, leading Day to believe she’ll lose her job. But, she receives a call about the death of her dad, forcing her to head home to help her family bury him.
Once home, Day struggles to connect with her hometown after running from it for years. While at the funeral parlor’s door, she finds a ghost, who happens to be her new editor.
Both of them are confused as to why he’s shown up where she is, but his unfinished business has the answers and it’s something Day won’t see coming.
This contemporary romance is for those who want a more serious book for the spooky season. It hits on those serious topics while also sprinkling in some paranormal activity.
- “The Halloween Tree” BY Ray Bradbury
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This fast-paced short story by Ray Bradbury is bound to get you in the autumn mood. The story is set on Halloween night and follows eight boys on their way to a haunted house to meet their friend, Pipkin.
Pipkin is also trying to get to his friends and on his way he gets taken by a dark Something.
With the help of a man named Mr. Moundshroud, the boys travel through time and space to the past to find their friend along with the meaning of Halloween.
This book is only 145 pages, so it is a quick and easy read if you are busy this fall.
I hope these books will help you get in the mood for fall.
Happy reading!