Five Fall Book Recommendations

Fall is coming to a close, but there’s still time to enjoy a perfectly autumnal-themed book. Drifting out of the season alongside your favorite characters is a must, and these are five of my favorite books to help you do just that.

1. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

It’s a necessary read for anyone who loves classics or delights in experiencing the ways literature has evolved throughout the decades, Frankenstein does not disappoint. Everyone knows Frankenstein the film, but the original version written in 1814 surpasses any movie adaptation by leaps and bounds. The philosophical concepts Shelley implicitly weaves into the novel, the supreme character development and plot within a plot, and the scorching dialogue between two irreconcilable characters all turn this book into an intellectually stimulating and interesting experience. Meshing science, horror, the gothic, and drama, Frankenstein truly is a necessity to bring on the fall spirit and revamp literary curiosity.

2. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt

Albeit not an intentionally fall-themed book, memoirs always put me into the fall spirit, and, furthermore, I don’t know how one wouldn’t feel the cold, rainy vibes of fall by stepping into McCourt’s dreary, rain-soaked childhood in Ireland. Telling the tale of his impoverished and disease-ridden upbringing and his ultimate ascent to a less-than-favorable adulthood, McCourt reveals the sequence of his early life while exploring the concepts of poverty, loneliness, guilt, and growing up. Often hailed a classic and must-read in the world of memoirs, this book is a truly thought-provoking experience that I find myself constantly coming back to.

3. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen

Although Northanger Abbey is a difficult read, as is any book written in the 18^th century, the story surely encompasses the spirit of fall, following Catherine Morland, an unremarkable seventeen-year-old girl who suddenly gets whisked away into something that she hopes will be beyond remarkable—she is invited to visit a popular town and finds herself entangled in many different romances and dramatic love stories going on between different folks. Following Catherine as she ventures through dreary life in England, you experience the mindset of this unrestrained dreamer and see whether her dreams of excitement and drama are either fulfilled or thwarted.

4. The Midnight Library, Matt Haig

I don’t have too much to say about this one since I’m not the biggest contemporary fiction fan, but The Midnight Library certainly was an interesting, thought provoking, and easy read that helped to bring on the fall vibes.

This novel follows the life of Nora Seed who lives an exceedingly boring life and finds herself drowning in feelings of inadequacy and unwantedness. Upon committing suicide, she finds herself able to experience each different life that could have been, had one decision been followed and not the other. The Midnight Library shadows her exploration of each different life, and the ultimate decision she must make, all while philosophizing upon the meaning of life and its inherent value that should not be taken for granted.

5. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Who can pass up a good dystopian during the season of all things scary? I’m always shocked to hear that many 1914 fanatics have never read Brave New World, its twin, rival, and inspirer.

Brave New World envisions the World State, a perverted society that lives for productivity and science, perfection and efficiency. Class distinctions are created in the womb by scientists who provide different amounts of necessary chemicals to produce the desired distinctive effects that are further enforced through a childhood of indoctrination. Conditioning begins immediately after the cloned babies are born, shaping the minds of children to ultimately conduct themselves in society in the desired orthodox manner—where nearly every desire is immediately indulged and lasting relationships don’t exist because “everyone belongs to everyone else.” But when The Savage, a man from a distant land who grew up without indoctrination by the World State, is introduced into this new shocking society, he not only questions it but denies it. Through this he summons the unfortunate consequence.

Those are some of my favorite books to read during fall. These are some of my favorite books to read during fall. Thanksgiving break is rounding the corner, and it’s the perfect opportunity to have fun spending time with family and curling up with a great book! I hope these suggestions help you make good use of your extra time, allowing you to bid autumn farewell and say hello to winter alongside some wonderful novels.