AUTUMN READING RECOMMENDATIONS.
I started planning this blog post at the start of September and then the other day I asked on my Instagram which kind of blog posts you all were interested in seeing and lots of you said Autumn Reading Recommendations— so obviously great minds think alike!
Reading is something I love to do every day, every week & every month of the year but I do think there is something about the colder months when you can get snuggled up under a duvet or a blanket with a hot drink of coffee or tea, light some candles, watch the rain from inside and get lost in a really good book. And although I'd recommend these books no matter what time of year it is, I think these are just a few that I think would be perfect for the next few months.
To be honest I found this quite hard to narrow down to my top five because I feel like most of the things I read work as autumn recommendations and I tried to include something from lots of different genres so three out of five of these are fantasy, there's one dystopian and one contemporary (I tried!) Keep reading to see which books I would really recommend as autumn reads...
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
If you know me even a little bit then I'm sure you're not surprised to see this book at the top of my list of recommendations!! It's my favourite book in the world and I would say that a lot of that is down to the autumnal atmosphere that completely encompasses this story.
The Night Circus is the story of dreamers, a unique circus that is only open at night and a duel between two young magicians. A lot of the story takes place during the autumn and the writing is just beautiful and so descriptive— it really makes you feel as if you're there on a cold night in October, next to smokey bonfire, sipping hot chocolate and eating something covered in caramel.
If you want to pick up just one of these books, I'd recommend picking up this one especially if you like fantasy or historical fiction & descriptive writing!
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
This is definitely one of those books I can for sure say will stay with me forever. As with The Night Circus it's atmospheric and beautifully written and has an almost haunting quality to it. Plus it's set in Vermont at a college mostly during the autumn and winter months and because it's so atmospheric I think it'd be perfect to read on a rainy afternoon when you're snuggled in a blanket.
The Secret History tells the story of a group of clever, eccentric students at a New England college who are honestly kind of bad people, throw in some murder and some mystery and that is kind of a vague synopsis for this book but honestly it's hard to say what this book is really about. It's one of those books that I think is better going into it without knowing a lot about it and it's one that I always recommend that people read without knowing why except that it's SO GOOD.
If you like something a bit more contemporary with a psychological thriller vibe to it then pick this one up!
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The book on this list that I've read most recently, after finishing it I immediately wanted to pick it up again so in fact I'm actually rereading it now! I've never done that with a book before so that's a sign for me that it's one of my favourites.
It's a post apocalyptic story which takes place in North America following the years before and after a flu has wiped out 99% of the worlds population. It's a slower paced story that creeps up on you and instead of being action packed is packed with atmosphere (I'm noticing a theme here 🙌🏼), it's dark and eerie at times so obviously it's a perfect read for a moody autumn day. But as well as being pretty bleak in places it's also a book filled with hope and gives you a feeling like you suddenly appreciate all of those little things that you take for granted.
Station Eleven is perfect if you like post apocalyptic/dystopian stories and if you're looking for something a little dark and haunting but beautiful and hopeful all at once then pick this book up now!!
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
If you're looking for a high fantasy to curl up with in the autumn then I'd definitely recommend The Name of the Wind, it's up there with my favourite fantasy stories! It's slightly longer than the others on this list but if you like big books that are beautifully written then this might be the autumn read for you!
The Name of the Wind is the first book in a trilogy (although as I'm writing this currently only the first the books are published) and follows Kvothe as he tells the story of his childhood and his adventures. It's a lot more action packed than the other books on this list being a high fantasy but it's still really atmospheric and the writing is beautiful. I mean autumn leaves are even mentioned within the first few sentences! And honestly I always think the autumn and winter time is the perfect time for picking up a fantasy.
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
When this blog post goes up this book isn't actually released yet— An Enchantment of Ravens releases on the 26th of September— I had to include it on this list because I feel like it's such a perfect book to read over the autumn. For a start look at that cover!!! It just looks like autumn!
An Enchantment of Ravens is another fantasy read so again perfect for cosy night in plus there's an autumn prince and place called the Autumnlands which obviously could not be more perfect. This another book with a lot of adventure, gorgeous lyrical writing and a whole lot of autumn aesthetic. When I was reading this I felt like I was in the story, the imagery is amazing, I could have definitely read another couple of hundred pages of this story! I don't want to say too much about this book as I think its nice to go into it not knowing too much about it but it follows Isobel— a portrait artist with an interesting set of clients— the fair folk who dream of human craft. One day Isobel paints something she shouldn't and the autumn prince spirits her away to the Autumnlands.
If you're looking for a fantasy which is slightly shorter than some of the larger fantasy books with a lot of autumnal atmosphere and a fairy tale vibe then without a doubt get your hands on this book when its released next week— 26th September!
I hope you guys have enjoyed this list of autumn reading recommendations, please let me know your favourite books to read in the autumn time or if you've read any of these books let me know what you thought of them!
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you're having a lovely day!
X