The time of cozy sweaters is near. The harvest is coming in quickly now. All over friends share their gardens bounty with each other. People speak of harvest and canning, preserving food for the winter months. It is a time for gathering in and taking stock of what we have. The summer is winding to a close, and long cozy evenings are in our future.
Here are some autumn reads that to me, hold the essence of this season within their pages. Feel free to add or subtract from this list.
‘The Scorpio Races’ by Maggie Stiefvater
This was the first book that came to mind when I was thinking of this list. After all, the first line reads, ‘It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.’ The whole story is set in late autumn, as the cold is settling in to stay. It is not the cozy autumn of apple cider and sweaters, but the autumn of the far north, heralded by storms and cold winds.
The story is about a girl, Puck Connolly, who decides to enter the Scorpio races in a desperate attempt to keep her brother from leaving the island. The thing is, only men have raced since it began, and the horses they ride will eat you if given half a chance. Peopled by a cast of characters who both help and hinder Puck, it is one of my favorite stories and definitely worth reading in the autumn.
‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte
A classic autumn story that is probably on everybody’s list. Mostly, for its gothic vibes. Two young people grow up near each other as best friends, and eventually fall in love. But their personalities and desires in life drive each other apart just as much as they pull them together. Their relationship with each other, and with the people around them, is what drives the plot forward. The book is deeply atmospheric, the weather and land are almost as much drivers of the plot as the people themselves. If you are looking for a slightly more gothic, very autumn read, this is for you.
‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte
Yet another Bronte! I have it on my list because when I remember the book, I remember it raining. The story starts in rain, and rain occurs more often than sunshine in the book. In my memory anyway… Occasionally the sun comes out, just as occasionally there is a truly happy time in the characters life. Otherwise, it is gloomy all around. The book follow Jane Eyre, who becomes a governess at a huge manor. As she develops a relationship with the owner of the manor, she realizes there are secrets within its walls, secrets that might destroy them both. Let me just say, autumn is the perfect time for stories with secrets, when the mist hides part of the world from view, and the nights are longer.
Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes
Speaking of secrets, I think autumn is the perfect time to read mysteries. Something about the puzzle of the crime is very autumn to me. I like Agatha Christie’s mysteries for their cozy aspect and interesting detectives. Everything gets wrapped up so well at the end, leaving me feeling even cozier as I read under a blanket and with a hot cup of tea. Sherlock Holmes are the intellectual puzzles I can think through and never quite solve before the famous detective does, all during a cozy evening at home. All in all, autumn is the season of mysteries.
‘The Broken Girls’ by Simone St. James
Speaking of mysteries, this book is part mystery, part suspense, part ghost story all set in an east coast autumn. Fog seems to be the natural hideout of ghosts, and I am glad I live in an area that has no fog. This book is a little scarier than the others (read the first chapter in daylight, you should be good after that). I enjoyed the mystery, it kept me turning pages because I wanted to know what was going on! A journalist is trying to solve the cold case of her sisters murder, and in doing so, comes across the thread of another mystery left unsolved, and stories of a ghost haunting the whole narrative.
‘Spells for Forgetting’ by Adrienne Young
I feel like I need to confess I never actually read these books in their intended season. Most of the above books were read in summer, in the blazing heat and glaring sunlight. Which might be a good thing, because it helped cool me down a little bit.
Such a one is this book. I read it over the summer, and it is quintessentially autumn. Complete with vibrant trees, apple orchards ready to harvest, cold evenings, and lots of sweaters. There is also magic, tied to the land and the seasons. In the story, an outcast comes back to the island and sets off a chain of events which threaten to rip the entire community apart. I loved getting to know the cast of characters on the island and learning about their past. There is a mystery aspect to this book as well, everyone has something to hide, and no one trusts their neighbor. I was kept guessing all the way to the very end, when the last thread is finally unraveled.
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I hope you pick up and enjoy some of the books on this list. Or break all the rules and go read a beach book while the leaves are changing colors. Up to you.
Have a wonderful beginning of the season.
Shaina Merrick
The Beauty of a Story 