Fall is, hands down, my favorite time of year. The changing leaves, the crispy cool days, the nights that are finally, finally cold enough for a wood fire and a hot drink. October rolls around, pumpkins appear, sweaters and boots come back into style, and apple cider starts to sound like a very good idea.
October, for me, means stacking wood, starting fires in my wood stove at night to heat my little cabin, and setting out dried corn and a salt lick for the turkeys, squirrels, and deer around my home. It means books by the fire, hot chocolate, misty days, rain, and cozy blankets. My days off, when I have them, are days for reading, and some of my favorites for cold, rainy days (or warm sunny ones) are:
Sherlock Holmes.
Are there any better companions for a rainy evening than Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes? These stories are perfect to curl up with beside a roaring fire, with rain pattering on the windows outside, and a mug of tea at your side. They are fascinating, believable, and just scary enough to make the rain outside sound ominous. I couldn’t think of a better choice when you have a stormy evening all to yourself!
“Come, Watson, come!” he cried. “The game is afoot!”
Anne of Green Gables.
This book is perfect for all weathers, but for a bright, sunny day in October? It’s the ideal choice. Maybe on a park bench with the trees turning colors around you, or walking down a country lane, shuffling through leaf piles while you read. (Or am I the only one who reads on a walk?) Anne fits perfectly with the cry of geese overhead and falling leaves, and her opinion of Octobers perfectly mirrors mine!
I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.
Frankenstein.
With October comes Halloween, and what is Halloween without a few scary stories mixed in? If you’re looking for a spine-chilling story this Halloween this year and haven’t read this one, pick it up! It’s dark, chilling, and absolutely brilliant. The story will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and is the perfect choice for a cold night wrapped up in cozy blankets. Turn the lights down low and enjoy!
Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.
The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Another one for your spine-chilling to-be-read pile! In this book, Robert Louis Stevenson delves into the psychology of good and evil, and the heart and mind of man. Whether you agree with his findings or not, this is a must read for those of you looking for books to read this Halloween. If you’ve got the stomach for it, read it through in an evening and enjoy! (I read it in broad daylight in just a few hours. Not a long book, but a terrifying one! I didn’t have the courage for a night read.)
You must suffer me to go my own dark way.
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children.
Oh, this book. I loved this book. It was a strange mix of horror, adventure, romance, intrigue, lies, and hope. I don’t read many creepy stories, and I had to read this one slowly, (as in, in a week instead of two days) but it was well worth it! The characters were some of the most interesting, vivid people that I had met in YA novel in a long time, and the world they navigated was endlessly fascinating. (And horrifying.) This is a rainy, misty day kind of book, when you have nothing else to do, no plans to make, no people to see. Chunk up your fire, make some tea, and prepare yourself.
We cling to our fairy tales until the price for believing in them becomes too high.
A Wrinkle in Time.
This is a book of rainy, windy nights, of fall leaves, of pumpkin patches, and hot cocoa. I always think of fall and cooling weather when I see it, but the adventure inside its pages is so much more interesting—and dangerous—than simply fall weather. Meg Murry (even the name makes me think of fall) has been one of my closest companions since I was very young, and this book will always be one of my favorites. It’s a windy day kind of book, when leaves are blowing, the wind howls outside your window, and just stepping outside feels miserable. The first few chapters (before the adventure really begins) will make you feel so cozy you won’t mind the wind!
“Wild nights are my glory,” Mrs Whatsit said. “I just got caught in a down draft and blown off course.”
There you are, my fall recommendations! What are your favorite books for this time of year?
Ramblings of an Obsessive Bookworm 