Reading Picks to Read Next to a Fire

Fall in Ohio usually has a slow slide into craptitude. The temperatures begin to dip in early October forcing us inside more and more. But this year, we stayed warm and bright and sunny through most of the month. I was able to read outside on the porch or in the adirondack chairs on my front lawn. I even braved early morning journaling sessions on the back patio in the dark. Evenings still held the sounds of summer with crickets singing their evening songs.

But November hit. And with it came a sudden drop in temperatures. Rain. And more rain. And even more rain. My kids didn’t want to believe it and trying to get them out of shorts and into long pants, nevermind the winter coats they should be wearing was a challenge. The mornings grew darker for longer and the evenings began to push against the afternoons.

Fall in Ohio usually has a slow slide into craptitude.

I am not one for the dark, cold months ahead. I thrive in warm temperatures and sunshine. My favorite months are any that I can sit outside with a book, walk the dog without gloves, hats and scarves, and get into the car without having to scrape off snow.

Although, fall and winter are not my favorite months, I do love to cozy up in a chair with tea or coffee, next to the fire or a window and read. It may be dreary, but I can go about anywhere else when I am reading. And since the weather prohibits me from doing much outside, it’s the perfect excuse to read.

All of the books I mention are available in bookstores and online sellers. The reviews and picks are all my own. I am not paid to review them. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so if you click on the pictures it takes you to Amazon, where if you make a purchase I receive a portion of the sale.

My Top Ten Fall Picks

 

Suspense/Mystery

There is something about fall that makes me want to read suspense. It seems counterintuitive. Dark days, shouldn’t I want lighter reading? But, the ominous clouds and the tapping of rain against the windows sets the perfect mood for suspense.

 

When her adult daughter disappears, the mother realizes she didn’t really know her at all. Kubica is masterful at leading the reader to believe she knows what will happen and then pulling out a surprise she never saw coming.

 

 

Okay, so this one isn’t really suspense but it is about a boy in the afterlife who tries to find his murderer along with another boy from his school. It is at parts sweet and heartbreaking and others nail-biting and page turning. It is a perfect mixture of humor and depth I always look for in books.

 

This book had me skipping my daily writing and housework. It was a quick, intense read that resolved the story but left many more questions. If you enjoyed Gone Girl or the Luckiest Girl Alive, this is for you.

 

 

This book contained the elements I love in a suspense book. An unreliable narrator and a basic who dunnit Agatha Christie style.
Ware creates the perfect setting, characters where their dark side doesn’t hide and a plausible motive for each person to be considered the suspect.
It kept me guessing until the end.

 

 

Bookhangover

I know, where are the books about sun, fun, fuzzy feel-good books. When it is cold and dark, I just want to read something that makes me feel better about my life 🙂

 

A beautiful look at family, guilt and forgiveness. Sisters Lily and Rose were inseparable growing up. Lily though found herself unable to handle her niece and leaves the family farm. After years of not speaking Lily returns home to help with her niece as her sister’s health declines. I loved The magical realism woven through the book. It is reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen.

 

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes conversationally, beautifully and with such truth. She wrote for true love but against the traditional view that we can only have one such love in our life. I think she was spot on how people change in relationships. If you are looking for a book that you can devour in a day but also leave you thinking, this is the book for you.

 

Although you know in the first line that Lydia is dead, it isn’t until the end of the book that you find out how and why. This is more than a book about her death. It is about families and secrets. Hopes deferred and dreams that never come to fruition. It is about racism in its subtlest and not so subtle form. So much packed into this book. It is a book you want to clear an afternoon for.

 

No one writes yearning like Beatriz Williams. Her books are interconnected but don’t have to be read in any certain order. They are often pretty hefty page wise, but you will find yourself picking it up as much as possible through the cold dreary days.

 

 

Historical Fiction

My first reading love was historical fiction. I wanted to know more about places and times I could only visit in books.

 

A fictional account of the life of Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton Agent. Although the relationships are fictionalized , Macallister weaves a fabulous story of a woman who seeks a life outside the traditional female roles of the time. A fascinating read about a time and place in history where women were waking up to the strength and power they had all along.

 

 

I love historical fiction and I doubly love reading about cultural stories I am not familiar with. The book is rich with Chinese myth and politics and family drama. It was intriguing learning about women’s place in the court and the politicking that must have gone on to jockey into a better position. This is the first book in a trilogy and the rest are on my TBR list.

 

 

Add to the list!

What are your favorite books to cozy up to in fall? Comment at the end of the post and help share some book love.

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