The best fall books are oh, so cozy to read during cozy sweater weather. This list for adults includes my favorite autumnal fiction in various genres covering fall themes such as football, elections, haunted houses, witches, and family drama. After all, as writer F. Scott Fitzgerald said in one of the best Fall quotes of all time:
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall.”
You’ll find something to suit your unique autumnal reading mood here. Start your autumn self-care below.
List of the Best Fall Books for Adults
TOP 3 PICKS
The best book to read in autumn is The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Its dark, intellectual, and thrilling plot blends with an atmospheric New England college setting and pairs well with the crisp fall weather.
September: The Secret History for thrilling dark academia vibes
October: The Practical Magic series for generational Massachusetts witch vibes
November: The Dutch House: for Thanksgiving family drama
Classics
- The Crucible by Arthur Miller
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe
Contemporary Fiction
- Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza
- The Good House by Ann Leary
- There There by Tommy Orange
Family Drama
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
- Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Non Fiction
- The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
- Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
- The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan
- October Sky by Homer Hickam
- The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
Romance
- The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
- The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
- Layla by Colleen Hoover
- November 9 by Colleen Hoover
Thriller/Mystery
- How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
- The Only One Left by Riley Sager
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Reviews of My Favorite Cozy Fall Books To Read
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
The Art of Gathering is about “how we meet and why it matters.” November is the perfect time to read it, just as Thanksgiving and more holiday festivities arrive.
Parker uses her expertise as a facilitator of high-powered gatherings worldwide to offer practical, real-world advice for gatherings at home, at work, and beyond.
She really makes you dig deeper into the planning of your gatherings, from who’s next to whom to how they should end.
Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza
Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win is about a successful woman in Silicon Valley who moves with her husband and three daughters to her small hometown outside Scranton, Pennsylvania, to run for the Senate and “make a difference.”
Charlotte’s campaign is quite the ride! Her secrets become more challenging to keep as the media spotlight shines on her, especially since she’s an upper-class woman and her opponent plays “dirty.” Her marriage is in turmoil, and she wonders whether it’s all worth it.
I’ve met Piazza, and she’s whipsmart. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win thoughtfully navigates political ambition, marriage, class, and gender amidst November’s Election Day.
The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living is one of the best fall books similar to Gilmore Girls.
Protagonist Livvy leaves behind a fancy pastry chef job in Boston and visits her friend in a quaint Vermont town.
She takes a job at a local inn, starts befriending the townsfolk, and falls for a local who comes home to care for his ailing father. This small-town romance novel has a Harvest dinner, an apple pie contest, and everything you would expect from a cozy fall romance.
It’s a must-read for Gilmore Girls fans, and it’s popular with readers of The Literary Lifestyle.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Crucible is a classic play about the Salem witch trials based on a true story. A parable, its purpose is to convey the harms that violence sanctioned by society can cause.
It’s a quick and easy book on the Gilmore Girls reading list for fans of the classics or those who want to learn more about this time in history, and the movie adaptation breathes new life into it.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
The Dead Romantics is a truly unique and satisfying ghostly love story that’s nowhere near as dark as it sounds.
Florence is a big-city ghostwriter who gave up her belief in love. When her editor won’t extend a deadline for her and her father dies, she returns home to her Southern family’s funeral parlor.
There, she finds the ghost of her editor, and he’s ready to challenge everything she believes about love. I loved the non-spooky ghost vibes in this one! Poston has a knack for magical realism.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Dutch House is one of my all-time favorite family drama books. Two siblings grow up on their own and occasionally return to reminisce at their childhood home, most often around Thanksgiving.
It may sound simple, but the incomparable Ann Patchett has beautifully written their story with all the nostalgic feelings of the season.
Reading Tip: The audiobook is narrated exceptionally by actor Tom Hanks.
Related Posts: Review of The Dutch House | Book Club Questions for The Dutch House
First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
Waverley has started a healing candy company that’s destroying all of her work-life balance. Meanwhile, her sister, Sydney Waverley, longs for a baby, and Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has fallen in unrequited love.
When a mysterious stranger arrives, they must make choices as they await the apple tree’s blossoming during the fall season’s First Frost.
It’s an enchanting fall love story of romance, loss, and starting all over again. And, when I say enchanting, I mean enchanting. It has all the magical feels of fall and some light family drama.
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
Friday Night Lights is the original true story of a Texas high school football team whose season is central to its small town.
The Permian Panthers were the winningest high school football team in Texas history. While their town is united by football, each September through December, it’s divided by race, class, and other societal issues.
Bissinger is an outsider observer of the cultural phenomenon that is Texas football. The result is an unforgettable narrative of one town and one team reaching for a championship. It’s a perfect pairing for fans of the movie or TV show!
The Good House by Ann Leary
Set in New England, The Good House is about a middle-aged alcoholic who has psychic abilities and a lineage dating back to the Salem witch trials.
A new family that moves to her small Massachusetts town sets off a chain of events that causes a tailspin amongst the townspeople and ends in one very dramatic fashion.
It’s both light and heavy at the same time, and it even offers some thrills. It also has one of the best Thanksgiving dinner scenes I’ve read, filled to the brim with the many emotions this family holiday can elicit, from joy to tension. It’s a great choice for fans of Elin Hilderbrand’s books. She’s the one who recommended it!
The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan
The Gratitude Diaries is one of the best books to read in the abundant month of November. One New Year’s Eve, the author, a former Parade Editor-in-Chief, promised to have a year of gratitude and look on the bright side. Along her journey, she gets advice from psychologists, academics, doctors, philosophers, and celebrities.
It’s a compilation of personal experiences and data-driven research exploring how gratitude can transform one’s life. It really grounds you during a season of thankfulness.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Every September 1st, “Harry Potter season” begins anew. Each of these dark academia novels begins at the start of a new school year in the fall.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the first book in the Harry Potter book series, which centers on a powerful orphan boy who attends wizard school and fights evil.
Reading Tip: Learn where to get free Harry Potter books.
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
How to Sell a Haunted House is a great choice for fans of Stephen King’s books. At its core, it’s about demonic puppets, trauma, and grief—yes, you read that right.
After their parents tragically die, Louise and Mark reunite in Charleston to sell the family home. Complicating things, however, is a possessed puppet named Pumpkin, who has been part of the family for many years.
This book mixes horror with family drama in all the right ways, making it so special and beloved by readers.
Layla by Colleen Hoover
Popular author Colleen Hoover seems to have written just about every type of love story, and Layla is her “ghost love story.”
In this fall thriller, Leeds wants to spend his life with Layla, but he’s torn because she was left a different woman as the result of a violent attack. When they retreat to a “bed and breakfast,” Layla’s behavior becomes downright bizarre.
That’s not the only odd thing happening in this place! When Leeds meets a “guest” named Willow, he starts falling for her in an eerily passionate affair. This ultimately leads to him learning the truth about what happened to Layla and the eerie occurrences that threaten their second chance at love.
It’s strange and paranormal, yet, just as satisfying as all Hoover’s books.
Related Posts: Summary of Layla | Layla Trigger Warnings
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Macbeth is an exceptional work of art about the tragic rise and fall of the King of Scotland. Its powerful language has inspired other famous works over many generations.
Most notable is that of the three witches, who make predictions with their chants and manipulate Macbeth’s behavior with their famous spooky lines like:
“Double, double toil and trouble: Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”
It’s such a marvelous, timeless read for fans of the classics.
Reading Tip: Read a “No Fear” edition of this Shakespearean play for a more modern translation, watch the adaptation, and/or search for a reading guide to help you along. It’s worth it!
Related Posts: Macbeth Quotes | Macbeth Quotes by Lady Macbeth | Macbeth Quotes by the Witches
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
In the fall-set book November 9, Fallon is a young woman wishing to escape from a past that left physical and emotional scars. The day before her big move across the country to start a new life, she encounters an aspiring novelist Ben, who offers her a fake relationship in a sticky situation.
Their time together that day may seem like the makings of a one-night stand, but after Fallon and Ben go in separate directions, they continue to meet every November 9. The one-of-a-kind Fallon becomes Ben’s unexpected muse.
However, as Fallon deals with deeply rooted personal issues, she also questions Ben’s true motives and wonders how their lives and his novel will end.
This is one of my absolute favorite Hoover novels! Its emotional twist makes it a must-read for her biggest fans.
October Sky by Homer Hickam
October Sky (also known as Rocket Boys) is a heartwarming memoir with a great film adaptation.
In 1957, Sputnick flew across the Appalachian October sky, inspiring young Sonny Hickham to build a rocket and work in the space business as his small town was slowly crumbling.
Besides the autumnal title, it’s one of the best fall books because it explores themes like the pursuit of education. It was required reading for me during high school, and my class loved it!
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
The Only One Left is a chilling 1980s Gothic tale about a tarnished caregiver named Kit. She must work for a woman named Lenora, accused of a gruesome family massacre in 1929, in her spooky cliffside estate called “Hope’s End.” Lenora, the fear-inducing “Lizzie Borden” of her Maine town, has been rendered mute by a stroke but wishes to tell her side of the story over a typewriter.
It’s eerie and ominous, and it takes twists and turns the reader can never expect, which always makes for a great thriller. My jaw actually DROPPED several times.
Given its spooky and atmospheric vibes, it would be a great book to read when it gets colder and darker at night and Halloween approaches.
Related Posts: Riley Sager Books Ranked | Riley Sager Books in Order
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 by Garrett M. Graff
The Only Plane in the Sky was one of the most breathtaking books I have ever read. It’s the type of book everyone should read and is one of the best books of the 21st century.
It’s a September 11th book that offers a minute-by-minute breakdown of the day told completely through the dialogue of five hundred people, from children in distant parts of the United States to the acting President of the United States, George W. Bush. It’s got to be the most thoroughly researched book I have ever read.
It’s fascinating. It’s emotional. It’s raw. And it’s real.
Reading Tip: The award-winning audio version is told by a massive cast of narrators. It includes many real audio clips from 9/11, so it feels more like a documentary or a podcast than a book.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Practical Magic is the first book in a bewitching series of cozy romance books about the Owens sisters, long cursed in love. They live with their elderly aunts in Massachusetts, where they are taunted for living in a musty house with mysterious potions and black cats.
As adults, they escape, but when the men in their lives die, they are brought back together and deal with their family drama, leading them back to their aunts.
Practical Magic is a long-beloved and exquisitely crafted character-driven novel that will make you want to binge the Practical Magic book series this spooky season.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Secret History is one of the all-time best dark academia books set at college.
It’s about an outcast from California who is desperate to fit in at a preppy college in Vermont during one autumn of the 1980s. He becomes friends with his fellow Greek classmates, and their obsession with Greek has deadly consequences. The crew spirals downward as they process the gravity of their actions.
This book has some of the best dialogue I’ve read, and the ending makes your heart pound in suspense. This modern classic is a must-read for literature lovers. It transports you to the time and place and makes the characters feel real.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a classic book filled with fall imagery and magic. It’s about two young boys’ obsessions with the night carnival that comes to their town during Halloween week.
Strange things start happening, and it becomes clear darker forces are at work. It’s a unique coming-of-age story that also deals with aging, identity, and death.
The Disney movie adaptation makes for a good fall pairing too!
Fun Fact: The title is a line from another of the best fall books, Macbeth.
There There by Tommy Orange
“… so much development had happened there, that the there of her childhood, the there there, was gone, there was no there there anymore.”
– Tommy Orange
There’s no better time than November to read books about Native Americans, and There There is one of the best.
It tells the unique, often overlooked plight of modern, urban Native Americans in Oakland, California, through the lens of over a dozen characters dealing with issues like identity, addiction, and grief.
Their lives interconnect and ultimately converge in an epic and powerful finale at a pow-wow that will leave you compulsively turning the pages.
Reading Tip: Since there are so many characters, I recommend reading a print or digital copy and/or taking notes.
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe
Fall is undoubtedly the best time to read the classic works of Poe, and The Tell-Tale Heart is the most spooky of his stories to read.
Just try not to let its mysterious beating heart make you as paranoid as the narrator!
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a truly disturbing book. Just look at that creepy book cover!
Teenager Merricat lives with her ill uncle and agoraphobic sister, Constance, in an isolated New England home.
Six years earlier, the three survived a tragedy. But this one left Constance on trial for murder. To protect Constance from the judgmental eyes of the town, she now practices magic.
When their cousin Charles visits, they sense danger, and their lives, once again spiral out of control. It’s truly a masterful thriller of family secrets you won’t soon forget — trust me!
More Fall Books on My List to Read
FALL BOOKS
Recap
TOP 3 BEST FALL BOOKS
Get started making for the most cozy fall lifestyle with these top picks:
- September: The Secret History for thrilling dark academia vibes
- October: The Practical Magic series for generational Massachusetts witch vibes
- November: The Dutch House: for Thanksgiving family drama
This list is everything I’ve been searching for! Thanks for the rec’s!
You’re welcome! It’s definitely one of my favorites 🙂
Great post! Thank you for putting this together!
You’re welcome! I love Fall and seasonal reading, so it was the perfect project for me. 🙂