I’ve made no secret of the fact that autumn is my favorite time of year. After a rough summer of 100+ degree heat, the cooler weather and pretty-colored trees in my neighborhood are a welcome relief. While we’re not quite in autumn yet in Southern Nevada, even 89 degrees Fahrenheit feels cooler after such hot days. The trees won’t turn until October, but when they do, they bring a little New England splendor to the Las Vegas valley.

There’s something magical about autumn that makes it the perfect season for reading. To be fair, I probably say that about every season. The crisper air and cozy blankets are wonderful excuses to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea. 

Whether you’re drawn to classic tales, eerie mysteries, or beautifully written literary fiction, autumn invites us to slow down and get lost in a story. Here’s my ultimate autumn reading list, a mix of comfort, mystery, nostalgia, and a touch of the uncanny. 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

There’s no way I would begin any autumn reading list without naming one of my all-time favorites. 

I wrote here and here about how much I love the Dark Academia genre. This Dark Academia classic is practically the patron saint of autumn reads, especially since it begins with a new school term in autumn. Set on a picturesque New England college campus, The Secret History is about a group of Classics students who murder and then have to deal with the repercussions in a way that plays out like the Greek tragedies they study. 

That’s not a spoiler, by the way. This book is an inverse murder because we begin by learning who was murdered and who murdered him. The suspense comes from seeing how it all played out. 

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables is one of my all-time favorites and I reread it every autumn. Of course, one of my all-time favorite autumn quotes– “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”–is from this book. Few characters embrace the changing seasons with as much passion as Anne Shirley, and her love for autumn is downright contagious. Her story has darker moments, which is why her gratitude for the small things is such an important lesson. Anne’s appreciation for everything that is beautiful in life is a good reminder to savor the little things. 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I read Rebecca for the first time last year and I was completely engrossed by this Gothic suspense story. Rebecca has one of the most famous first lines in English literature–“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” Enter Manderley if you dare. Manderley, an English country house, is thick with secrets and the second Mrs. de Winter can’t escape the ghost of the wife who came before her.

One aspect of Rebecca I particularly loved is how the second Mrs. deWinter creates a whole story in her head about the events around her, but the reality is very different. That’s how things happen in real life, isn’t it? We project our own feelings onto what we see and often interpret things incorrectly. Or maybe that’s just me. 

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Of course, I have to have my witchy reading in the autumn. For those craving witchy vibes and sisterhood, this novel is a modern classic. With generations of Owens women and a hint of spellcraft, it’s an enchanting companion for the season of long shadows and falling leaves. I reread this one every few years as Halloween approaches. The movie is good too. 

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Austen’s playful take on Gothic tropes is a delight. Northanger Abbey is witty, charming, and full of subtle satire with Austen’s commentary on the excesses of Gothic fiction. Catherine Morland is our main character, and her overactive imagination is fueled by sensational novels and the shadowy corridors of Northanger Abbey. A cozy coming-of-age story as well as a literary spoof, Northanger Abbey is an invitation to indulge in autumn’s darker mood while laughing at its more melodramatic extremes. But then I love anything by Jane Austen. 

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Often called the first English detective novel, The Moonstone offers everything I love about reading mysteries in autumn. The story includes a cursed jewel, a country estate, unreliable narrators, and secrets waiting to be uncovered. 

This is the first Wilkie Collins novel I’ve read. I knew that Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins were friends, but I was surprised at the similarity in their narrative styles. Collins, like Dickens, is laugh out loud funny. His portrayal of the various narrators is wonderful, and my favorite is the butler Betteredge. Some of the things Betteredge says are outrageous by today’s standards but he’s so funny I forgive him. I’ll forgive you almost anything if you can make me laugh. The characters attempt to discover what became of the Moonstone, an extremely valuable gem stolen by a British soldier while he was in India. I was impressed that, though it may not have been his intention, Collins makes a strong point about colonization and the stealing of treasures from other cultures. I haven’t yet read Collins’ The Woman in White, which is also a mystery, but I recently bought a copy from Barnes and Noble and I’ll be reading it soon. 

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Autumn, especially around Halloween, is the ideal time to explore themes of duality, morality, and the shadows that dwell within us all. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dives into the darkness of the human psyche. Its foggy London setting and eerie transformation scenes make it a classic Gothic horror tale that feels particularly resonant this time of year. I’ve just read Jekyll and Hyde for the first time, and I’m sorry I waited so long to read it. It really is a fascinating tale. 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

For me, there is no novel more synonymous with autumnal bleakness than Wuthering Heights. With its wild moorland setting, tempestuous love, and themes of revenge, Brontë’s novel practically howls with the wind. The characters are as untamed as the landscape, and the story feels deeply rooted in the decaying beauty of autumn. 

I’m going to be 100% honest and admit that I hated Wuthering Heights the first time I read it and I had to push myself to finish it. While I understood Healthcliff’s anger, his extraordinary need for revenge was too harsh for me, so whatever sympathy I might have had for him was gone. I had read that Wuthering Heights is the ultimate love story, and as I was reading I thought, well, if this is what people think love looks like then no wonder there are so many broken marriages. 

When I read it a second time, while I still had no love for Cathy or Heathcliff, I was able to appreciate Brontë’s descriptive prose and the wind-swept setting of the moors. I’ll never love this book, but I appreciate it, and it’s perfect for autumn. 

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Autumn can also be a time of turning inward and examining life’s larger questions. Middlemarch is a novel of sweeping ambition set in an 1830s English provincial town that looks deeply into the inner lives of its inhabitants. I was spellbound by Eliot’s story and I felt as if I were visiting the town of Middlemarch myself. I was particularly fond of Dorothea Brooke, who wants to be of some use to the world, something that wasn’t easy for women of her time. 

Reading Middlemarch is the literary equivalent of taking a long walk through fallen leaves and realizing how much everything is changing. It’s a slow paced novel, but that’s okay for long autumn evenings when curling up with a good book is the best thing to do. The BBC adaptation of Middlemarch is wonderful. It’s available in the US on Britbox. 

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I love this nod to stories and libraries. Zafon’s books have a distinctly Gothic vibe that make them perfect for autumn. Zafon is at his best when he describes the sense of gloom and mystery that pervades post-war Barcelona. Images of damp cobblestones, narrow alleys, and a persistent fog hanging over the city add to the Gothic charm. I also loved Zafon’s Marina. Some of his books are more young adult than others, but both of these are great choices for adults.

Hallowe’en Town by Agatha Christie

Really, anything by Christie is great for autumn. Who doesn’t love to curl up with a great detective novel as the cooler weather sets in? In this Poirot novel, the scene is set with cobblestone streets, crooked fences, and looming trees, all perfectly autumn. The Halloween party where our victim is murdered alone is worth the read.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Have I said how much I love this book? The Night Circus is a 10-star book for me.

Beginning with the circus itself, with its color scheme of black, white, and gray, there are a number of rich sensory details that feel quite autumn. The scent of caramel popcorn and bonfires, the crunch of gravel underfoot, and the feel of the cool night air all help to bring the story to life. Exploring the hidden tents and discovering their magical secrets makes this book a perfect way to get lost by a fire on a dark evening.

Edgar Allan Poe

Pretty much anything from Poe is wonderful this time of year. He is the master of suspense and Gothic settings, after all.  

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” is one of the creepiest stories I’ve read. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve only just started reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle so I can’t rate it yet. I can say that already on the first page the dark, Gothic atmosphere is set. I like what I’ve read enough that I’ve already bought Jackson’s Haunting at Hill House.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

If you only know Frankenstein by the green, square-faced monster from the 1930s film, then you’re in for a treat. No one does a better job at setting a dark, mysterious, haunting mood than Shelley. Dr. Frankenstein becomes obsessed with bringing the dead back to life, but he gets more than he bargained for when his creature does indeed begin living. The story makes us consider who is more human–the doctor or his creature? I’ve taught Frankenstein to 15-year-olds, and every year many of them tell me that it’s their favorite book that they’ve ever read. Need I say more?

Dracula by Bram Stoker

If you love vampire stories, then reading this most famous one is a must. If you like classic vampires, you might also check out Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, about a young woman caught in the snare of a vampire who appears to be herself a young woman. I read Carmilla earlier this year and I liked it. It’s short, the pace moves briskly, and it’s a good example of how vampires lure humans into their traps. I recently downloaded The Vampyre by John William Polidori. The story grew out of the same ghost story contest that prompted Shelley to write Frankenstein. I haven’t read The Vampyre yet; I’m saving it for October.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I waxed poetic about this book in my guide to Dark Academia. It’s a long, sink-your-teeth-into story about magicians in early 19th-century England, but it’s so much more than that. It’s an entire world unto itself. It’s long at about 900 pages, but it’s worth every one of those 280,000 words to tell this brilliant, dark, and still funny story. This is another 10-star book for me.

Reading in autumn can be a seasonal aesthetic where we choose books that help us to enjoy the season even more. Sometimes I’m drawn to eerie transformations. Sometimes I’m drawn to brooding romances or puzzling mysteries. Sometimes I just want a good story with characters I’ll follow anywhere. I love pulling on my warmest sweater, turning on my electric fireplace, lighting a candle, and losing myself in a story that suits my favorite season.

Categories: Book Recommendations, Book Reviews, Books, Reading, Reading InspirationTags: autumn reads, books about witches, cozy fall books, fall reading list, fall reading list ideas, Reading Inspiration, reading recommendations, what to read this autumn