As the leaves change colors and temperatures begin to drop, it’s the perfect time to cozy up with some hot apple cider, a warm blanket, and most importantly, the perfect book. We’ve chosen our favorite stories to get us into the fall spirit, and whether you’re looking forward to the season or dreading the cold, these are sure to make the fall just a little bit warmer.
Our list spans different genres, lengths and settings—no matter what you’re looking for, you can walk away from this article with at least one new book you’re excited to read this autumn. Hoping for a detective mystery? Some literary fiction? Fantasy? Nonfiction, even? We got it. Explore the early Victorian era, the Interwar period, or the 2010s. Visit northern England, traverse Europe, or journey between South Vietnam and Hartford, Conn. We hope you enjoy your autumn with these cozy reads, and we’ll be back with more recommendations for winter!
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot, second only to Sherlock Holmes, takes on the case of a puzzling murder: a man stabbed 12 times in the night—on the very train Poirot is sleeping in! When the train is snowed in, the passengers are trapped. The murderer is still aboard, and Poirot will stop at nothing to find them. But clues hint that this victim might not be a victim at all…. An enthralling mystery that explores the nuances between legal ethics and revenge, the novel is for fans of locked-room mysteries and “And Then There Were None,” also by Agatha Christie. We enjoyed how the mystery aspect didn’t have the highest stakes but still kept us riveted, allowing the novel to be both exciting and oddly comforting.
At The Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell
Don’t pass up on this book just because it’s nonfiction. Insightful and captivating, the book explores the history of philosophical existentialism through biographies of the movement’s major thinkers (Sartre, Beauvoir, Husserl, Heidegger and others). The story of the existentialists intertwines with that of 20th-century France and Germany, and reminds readers that ideas about freedom in the 1930s are still very relevant today. Political and introspective, the book explores personal questions of what it means to be human, to be free and to be authentic. What is anxiety, and what is being? The cafe’s patrons enjoy apricot cocktails, but cozying up with a cup of tea will do just fine. We enjoyed learning from the book, while also getting to know the existentialists’ personalities at an almost personal level. Perfect for fans of Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” and Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Nausea.”
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Perfect for any season: “Jane Eyre” is Suyon’s favorite book! Follow the titular character as she goes through life as an abused orphan, a boarding school student and eventually the governess of the mysterious Thornfield Hall. Jane’s life grows more complicated when she starts to grow fond of Mr. Rochester, the reserved master of the estate. But how does he truly feel about Jane? And what is going on in the attic? Brontë investigates how it feels to be a child (and even more so, a girl), the choice between personal values and love and even critiques the consequences of the class structure. We loved accompanying Jane—a well-developed, passionate and radical protagonist—through her life, sharing in her sadness and cheering for her joy. Packaged up in beautifully flowery writing, this book will be great for fans of the bildungsroman and Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.”
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Though perhaps a bit oximoronic—this novel takes the form of a letter from Little Dog to his illiterate mother—Vuong’s character makes sense of the world through his heartfelt, poetic writing. Little Dog was raised in Connecticut by his mother and grandmother, and now navigates life as a Vietnamese immigrant and battles intergenerational trauma. Vuong explores themes of identity, addiction, sexuality, and race in a way that’s both devastating and consoling. Maybe cozy’s not quite the right word, but readers are sure to find a piece of themself reflected in “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.” We teared up at some parts, laughed at others, and were overall incredibly moved. This novel’s nostalgic mood and reflective tone are perfect for fans of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky and “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Is there a cozier place than the library? Nora, a young woman full of regret and what-ifs, is given a second chance at life in this fantastical and contemplative novel. Haig perfectly captures human reflection and a search for meaning in one’s life. What if we could start over? What if we knew how our lives would play out? We found Haig’s approach to these questions very insightful, inspiring, and moving. Though at times predictable, Nora’s story feels almost like a heartbreaking, heartwarming fairy tale, and the reader finds comfort in the meticulously executed simplicity. A must-read for anyone who enjoyed Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” or Sally Rooney’s “Normal People.”
