Fall Reading Season

Grab your afghan, light a candle, and make yourself a cup of tea. We are going to talk about books to read this fall. There is nothing like the change of seasons to make me want to read a book that is in keeping with it. This fall I am going to try something really different, and I thought I'd see if you'd like to follow along with me. An Instagrammer named Kelly Hook did something called "The Battle of the Back Burners". She picked 8 books that had been sitting on her shelves for a while and did a kind of play-off with them. She would read two books and pick which she liked best. Then she would read two more books and pick the one she liked best. Then she would pick which was her favorite between the two winners etc. The idea is to come up with the best of the best in the end.

I decided that would be a fun way to work my way through some of the multitudes of books on my "To Be Read" shelf. I did a sort-through and selected 12 books (because I am so extra) and made a list of books that seemed atmospheric for fall. When I finish the 12 of them over the next couple of months, we will see which ones came out on top. I reserve the right to DNF (did not finish) some of these books, which will bring my total down from 12. If I am not enjoying something, I stop wasting time on it. 

Do you think this would be a fun thing to do? You surely do not have to read 12 books. Pick 8, 6, or 4! So, here is my list of books to be read this fall. Have you read any of them? 

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. A poor young tarot card reader gets involved in a mystery, an inheritance, and a family she didn't know she had.

At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier (author of The Girl with the Pearl Earring). I was drawn to the description of this book, about a pioneer family who grows apples, and the son who emigrates to the Gold Country of California, where I live.

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. This author never fails to turn out a spooky thriller. A young woman returns to her summer camp to uncover a 15-year-old tragedy.

Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon. A suspenseful page-turner, in the style of Shirley Jackson and Mary Shelley. A new take on "Frankenstein".

Cackle by Rachel Harrison. "Darkly funny". After being dumped, Annie learns how to take back what she deserves from a witch who may be too good to be true.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten. "Relentlessly creepy" and "impossible to put down". Documentary filmmaker returns to her hometown, where every single resident disappeared in 1959.

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. A supernatural thriller about a young nanny caring for a young boy with dark and disturbing secrets.

The Whisper Man by Alex North. An unsettling thriller about a man and his son who get caught up in the hunt for a serial killer.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. A reimagining of the character Hester Prynne (from Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter) and the New England witch trials. 

The House in the Orchard by Elizabeth Brooks. I adore this author (The Orphan of Salt Winds). A twisty, creepy, gothic tale where innocence collides with an antiquated world of manners and class. "Like wandering a dark hallway with a candle flickering in a ghostly breeze". Ok, I'm in.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Yup, seen the movie, but never got around to reading the book. "A delicious fantasy of witchcraft and love in a world where gardens smell of lemon verbena and happy endings are possible".

In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey. Described as a contemporary fantasy about a grieving man slipping into the supernatural studies of his dead wife.

So that's my list. Do you see anything on it that interests you? I can't wait to dive into some of them, especially Hester, The House in the Orchard, and Cackle.

Hope you all had a good weekend. If you have been affected by Hurricane Ian, my thoughts are with you.