There’s just something special about Autumn. The world tends to feel quieter, the air a little crisper, and the days just right for slowing down. It’s the cozy season of warm drinks, soft blankets, flickering candles—and the perfect time to get lost in a good book.
These are just a small sampling of books and authors that I have really enjoyed. These books touch on a bit of those fall feelings, whether it’s a small town, a bit of mystery, or a touch of magic blended into the story. I hope you find a recommendation or two that you’ll want to dive into this Autumn season.
Adrienne Young
This author is a great start for this list, her tales tend to feel mysterious, magic elements wrapped up with dark toned settings. A few that I have read and enjoyed.
The Unmaking of June Farrow
This book set in a small town where a young lady, June, comes from a line of women who suffer from madness. June begins to hear and see things that may or may not be there. Follow this strong-willed woman on a journey that included time travel, romance and some mystery.
Spells for Forgetting
This one has the perfect eerie backdrop in this remote island location. The story of August who had left town years earlier after being accused of the murder of his girlfriend’s best friend. He is now returning after his mother’s death. Follow this story with August and his old flame,Emery, unraveling the mystery of their old friend’s death. A great fall mystery book to add to your list.
A Sea of Unspoken Things
Another dark setting in a secluded town surrounded by woods sets the tone for this book. This story unfolds the mysterious death of a man named Johnny. This story brings his twin sister James home after years away. Throw in an old romance and the uncanny bond of twins, this is a slow build mystery book with a bit of a twist ending.
The Unmaking of June Farrow: https://amzn.to/43sQkVi
Spells for Forgetting: https://amzn.to/3Jj1ZPO
A Sea of Unspoken Things: https://amzn.to/47oTsCL
Sarah Addison Allen
I really enjoy this author. Her books have a good element of magical realism built into them. Some memorable characters and unique storylines make for some engaging books.
Garden Spells
This is an excellent book to start from this author. Garden Spells introduces the Waverley sisters Claire and her estranged sister Sydney, who has just returned back to town with her young daughter, Bay. Incorporate an enchanted tree, some gifted baking skills along with confronting the past. This is a great story filled with magical elements and showcasing the importance of family.
The Girl Who Chased the Moon
One more magical realism book recommendation by Sarah Addison Allen (although all are lovely), The Girl Who Chased the Moon. We follow Emery and Julia’s stories in a small town. Emery is a teenager returning to her mother’s hometown after her death. Staying with her grandfather in her mother’s old bedroom with puzzling, changing wallpaper. Julia, with plans to only stay for a short period, who has a gift for baking and an old flame in town. Join in as these ladies discover some secrets and maybe unravel the source of the inexplicable whisps of light.
Garden Spells: https://amzn.to/4huS2uZ
The Girl Who Chased the Moon: https://amzn.to/47vWfu4
Heather Webber
This author has amazing, whimsical tales. Many of her books are built around family ties and with doses of wonderful magical scattered in.
A Certain Kind of Starlight
In the town of Starlight, Alabama Aunt Bean calls on her two very different granddaughters to come home due to an illness. Aunt Bean is about to open a new, larger bakery location and needs their help. With a family legacy to protect a star created crater on their land, can these ladies come together to protect this mystical element of their hometown. A sweet story about family, some life inspiration and fun baking tips mixed in.
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe
A wonderful tale of a young woman named Anna Kate who returns to a small town in Alabama after the death of her grandmother. She intends to only stay for a few days to settle the estate and soon learns about her grandmother’s stipulation to run her cafe for 2 months before being able to sell it. Add in some mysterious blackbirds, a few more newcomers Natalie and her daughter Ollie, and the magic in the blackbird pies to this fun story.
A Certain Kind of Starlight: https://amzn.to/43zW3bV
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe: https://amzn.to/4hu9Dn5
Ashley Poston
This book by Ashley Poston is a wonderful pick for a Fall book, with some whimsical elements and a fun story line to follow.
The Seven Year Slip
The Seven Year Slip is a great choice for a book with some magical realism built in. Clementine inherits her deceased Aunt’s apartment in New York. She has heard stories her whole life of the magic of this space and one day finds a strange man in this apartment. Follow her along with this charming, southern man named Iwan piece together the mystery of this magical apartment.
The Seven Year Slip: https://amzn.to/47Jh6v2
Kate Morton
I can’t wrap up a fall recommendation post without including one of my favorite authors, Kate Morton. She has a brilliant way of weaving together a mysterious story throughout different time periods and the book below is no exception.
Homecoming
Kate Morton’s book Homecoming is a tale alternating between the years of 1959 and 2018. This story dives into a tragic event known as the “Turner Tragedy” where a woman names Isabel Turner was found dead with her children while they were on a picnic. Fast forward to 2018, a young journalist, Jess Turner returns home to her grandmother Nora Turner to discover the tale of the Turner Tragedy. Come along with Jess as she unravels the mystery of this tale. A haunting story, just right for this time of year.
Homecoming: https://amzn.to/3JvIKT2
I hope you get to enjoy one of these, or maybe something new for a perfect autumn read. I would love to hear some of your favorite books or authors to read this time of year.
Fabulous I am looking for some new books to read this autumn and winter
So glad, hope you like some of these ones!