The (many, many) books on my autumnal to-be-read list
No one has more utter faith in themselves than I do when a new season rolls around and it’s time to compile my to-be-read (TBR) stack for the next three months. The amount of books I believe I can physically read over the course of 90 days, whilst still having a regular job and social life (ish), is nothing short of deluded. But if I have to compromise somewhere, I just won’t sleep. Solved!
This list is especially delulu in length, because there is no better, no more appropriate, no more kismet time to read than autumn. Fall is for the indoor girls, wrapped in our quilts and armed with a cuppa and a thick ass tome. This list is heavy on fantasy/magical realism/witch-core vibes, as these are the peak genres to read when the air starts getting crisp. (P.S. I have also created a shelf on my Goodreads with this list, which was mostly for myself but also convenient for you!)
A Curse for True Love, Stephanie Garber
I WILL NOT KNOW PEACE until I have a copy of this book in my hands. This series is utter perfection. An exquisitely rendered fairytale — there's such a sweetness in it that I can feel my inner child healing as I read.
ETA: There was no way this was going to live up to my sky high expectations, but I still really loved it. 4/5.
Big Little Spells, Hazel Beck
I heard "romance with a magical tutor" and I RAN. I RAN SO FAST.
ETA: I had to DNF this because there was simply not enough dialogue — like give us more dialogue!! Especially in a romance!! An enemies to lovers without the banter is a crime.
A House with Good Bones, T. Kingfisher
"Haunting Southern Gothic" is the exact genre I want to ease into the fall vibes. Feels like the perfect entryway to read when you want to sip on a pumpkin cold brew and read something a lil spooky, but it's also still like 80 degrees out.
A River Enchanted, Rebecca Ross
I, like everyone else on Booktok, read "Divine Rivals" this summer and was utterly enchanted. I adore Ross's writing style, which feels like a no-fuss fairytale for adults. Deeply magical in a kind of woven-into-everyday sort of way that just itches something in my brain to read. Immediately added her entire backlist to my TBR, starting with this duet.
Open water, Caleb Azumah Nelson
Several of my most trusted Booktokers swore by this novel — sometimes exactly what I want to read is a love story that I just know is going to make me sob uncontrollably.
Bring Me Your Midnight, Rachel Griffin
This is giving me ACOTAR but with sea witches and you know what, I'm in.
ETA: It did not give ACOTAR lol. I had to DNF because the writing style was simply driving me bonkers.
Better Hate Than Never, Chloe Liese
I will read anything Chloe Liese writes, especially when it's enemies to lovers (my personal kryptonite). I love the way Liese writes men with no unnecessary macho-alpha vibes (which honestly make no sense in a contemporary romance, like sir plz).
Stranger Things Happen, Kelly Link
I am a hoe for a short story collection, especially if it's unsettlingly, whimsically spooky.
Glaciers, Alexis M. Smith
I saw this at Barnes & Noble the other day and fell hard for the cover. I have a soft spot for books about librarians (she's an introvert!) and I love the idea of a novella that takes place over a single day.
ETA: Loved it — what a little jewel of a book. Like something you would roll up and stick in the back pocket of your jeans. 4/5.
Rouge, Mona Awad
I read "All's Well" a few weeks ago and had an excellent time (sharp and witty, unexpectedly touching). I love how Awad wove magical realism into the story in an almost trippy, unreliable narrator kind of way. I can't wait to see how she tackles it in "Rogue" (the premise of which is a cult-y spa?! YES.)
You, Again, Kate Goldbeck
Everyone has been comparing this to "When Harry Met Sally" at which point I was summoned like Beetlejuice. Also this cover?! They knew what they were doing with that and I applaud them.
A Study in Drowning, Ava Reid
Another Booktok darling. I was going to read absolutely anything that was marketed as "rival scholars trapped in a magical house try to solve a mystery and maybe they fall in love ;)" and the fact that it's an Ava Reid book? Huge bonus. I adore their writing style — incredibly absorbing, intricate, and lush.
Cackle, Rachel Harrison
I'll quote a Goodreads review here, if I may: "It’s freaking weird, eerie, disturbing!" And that was all I needed to hear.
The Pumpkin Spice Café, Laurie Gilmore
For when you need a creepy-thriller-palette-cleanser. This sounds utterly sweet in the best way.
Good Omens, Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
The "Good Omens" TV series is in my top five series of all time (it is perfect and no, I won't be taking questions at this time), so it feels fitting that I should return to the source material. Have recently discovered the audiobook version that is read by David Tennant and Michael Sheen, which made me scream out loud with joy.
Do Your Worst, Rosie Danan
Speaking of David Tennant... does this cover remind you of anyone?? It's giving spicy Doctor Who fanfic set at a Scottish castle which is the most niche cross section of my interests that has ever happened.
ETA: Another DNF, striking out left and right!!
The Harpy, Megan Hunter
More magical realism! A girl's got themes. This sounds so twisted in a very slow burn sort of way, which is my favorite kind of thriller. A moment of silence for the cover, which is perfect.
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
I re-read "Ella Enchanted" every single autumn and it never gets old. There are not words to do justice to how much I love this book, or how much reading it when I was small informed so much about my personality. Ella is brave and funny and complicated, which is everything I could ask for in a heroine. The love story in this is utterly perfect, and I respect Levine so much for understanding the idea of a strong female character and the desire for romance are not mutally exclusive. I dare you to finish this book without the silliest smile on your face.
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic, Breanne Randall
They said "Practical Magic" meets "Gilmore Girls" and here I am.
The Unmaking of june Farrow, Adrienne Young
One of my favorite highly specific niche genres is books about flowers — i.e., florists, flower farms, the language of flowers, all that jazz. There's something inherently whimsical and romantic about them. This one also has a curse and a small town, so of course, I'm in.
ETA: This was overall really lovely! I gave it 3/5
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna
This already feels like a hug and I haven't even started reading it yet.
Lavender House, Lev A.C. Rosen
As you can probably tell by this list, I frickin' love a book with a spooky house.
A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft
One of my favorite booktokers to follow, @kaliereads, is an avid Allison Saft stan, and I've been meaning to pick up one of her novels for ages. Set during a mythical hunt, this feels like the perfect all-day-Saturday type of read where you just fall in and never want to climb back out.
ETA: So atmospheric and quietly romantic. 4/5
Homecoming, Kate Morton
I can't remember how I came across this book, but it's been on my TBR pile for ages and it finally feels like time. I have a love-hate relationship with novels that span decades; sometimes flashbacks can't hold my interest or I just feel all jumbled up in the storyline, but on the inverse, some of my favorite novels of all time span generations. So what can you do but dive in head first?
Hey, Kelly here. Welcome to The Landline. Dial in for gentle deep dives into anything and everything I'm obsessing over at the moment (mostly sane, always silly). Grab your Diet Coke, wind that phone cord around your finger, and let's get to it.