Fully Booked | Fall Book Recommendations

We’ve finally reached the time of year when the weather is cooling down and the leaves are starting to fall. If you’re like me, you love it when you have a book that matches the feeling of the season. 

Honestly, I don’t know what makes most people consider a book to be a “fall book,” but for me, any book set in fall or winter with some mysterious or scary elements fits the bill. Now that we’re halfway through the semester, everyone is pretty busy, but I think we all deserve some de-stressing time, so I’ve made a list of some books that I think are perfect for the fall season.

“The Secret History” by Donna Tartt

Set at the fictional elite Hampden College in Vermont, this psychological/mystery thriller follows Richard Papen as he becomes friends with fellow students in an exclusive classics program. After starting the semester feeling like an outsider among the five other students in the program, his classmates start inviting him to hang out with them, and he joins them on trips to the country house of fellow student Francis. 

As he spends more and more time with his classmates, Richard starts to see the problems occurring within the group but is already too invested to leave. When one of the students, Bunny, begins to suspect that his friends — excluding Richard — have killed someone, the rest of the group decides they have to kill Bunny before he can say anything to anyone else. At 544 pages, this is a longer read, but as someone who isn’t a very fast reader, I finished it in a week the first time I read it because Tartt’s suspenseful writing in this book made me incapable of putting it down.

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë

You’ve likely heard of “Jane Eyre” at least once, but if you’ve never read it, this fall is a great time to give it a shot. In this classic novel, a young orphan named Jane Eyre leaves her aunt’s house, where she was raised, to attend the Lowood School. Upon her arrival at Lowood, Jane meets Mr. Brocklehurst — the abusive headmaster of the school — who makes much of her first year there miserable until he is finally fired. 

After spending eight years at Lowood — six as a student and two teaching — Jane leaves to work as a governess at the manor of Thornfield, teaching a girl named Adèle. Gradually, Jane falls in love with a man named Rochester, her employer at Thornfield. Jane struggles to navigate her feelings for Rochester — whom she learns is still in a complicated marriage — and has to decide whether or not she will stay to work at Thornfield. 

This book is also filled with ghosts and unexpected characters that give in a haunted feeling, making it perfect for this time of year. Even if you haven’t enjoyed reading classics in the past, I think this one could surprise you.

“If We Were Villains” by M.L. Rio

This mystery novel takes place at the fictional Dellecher Conservatory, where the main character, Oliver Marks, studied acting alongside six close friends. The book opens with Oliver in prison after serving a 10-year sentence for supposedly killing his classmate Richard. When a detective asks Oliver more about what really happened when he was at Dellecher, Oliver tells the story of his final year of school, and most importantly, what happened the night Richard died. 

After their opening night performance of “Julius Caesar,” Oliver and his friends are celebrating when Richard is found dead in a lake, leading to questioning and suspicions among the remaining students. The story then follows what happens after Richard’s death and why Oliver was eventually arrested months later. 

If you’ve already read “The Secret History” and enjoyed it, I’m sure you’ll also enjoy this book because it has some similar elements, but in a new setting and with very different characters.

“Carmilla” by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

If you thought Bram Stoker’s Dracula was the first vampire book, you’d be wrong, because this story by Le Fanu was published 25 years earlier. “Carmilla” is the story of a girl named Laura living with her father and governesses in an Austrian manor. After spending years feeling lonely without any friends her own age, a girl named Carmilla comes to live with Laura’s family when Laura’s father finds her and her mother in a carriage crash. 

Eventually, Laura realizes that she recognizes Carmilla from a dream she had years earlier, but Carmilla is very secretive and doesn’t tell Laura much about her life. This leads to a lot of confusion for Laura until later on, when she learns that Carmilla is actually a vampire. If you’re looking for a quick read, this book is a great fast-paced option at only 108 pages.

Even as the semester gets busier and busier, it’s still important to take time for yourself. Reading for even less than an hour each day is one of my favorite de-stressing methods. These books all have a great fall vibe, so while the weather is cool and cloudy, grab one of them and spend some time getting lost in their story. I’m starting ”The Secret History” once again this week, and I hope you’ll also give one of the books on this list a chance.