As the leaves begin to change, and the rain begins to fall almost daily, the urge to curl up in bed with an artificial pumpkin candle’s scent filling my room, nursing some jasmine tea and a good book overwhelms me.
First of all, this wouldn’t be a fall book review without the “Harry Potter” series. Written by J.K Rowling, spanning from 1997 to 2007, the series follows the trials and tribulations of orphaned wizard Harry Potter at his new school, Hogwarts for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Other than the obvious magical aspect of the book, there is something nostalgic about Harry’s annual return to school that brings me back to the series every fall.
The “Twilight” saga is another one of my fall staples. An alternative mysterious series, the “Twilight” saga follows the story of Bella Swan as she moves to a small, soggy town called Forks, Washington and meets the dreamy, mopey vampire boyfriend of her dreams, Edward Cullen, as narrated by Stephanie Meyers. Though this series is undoubtedly cheesy, Bella’s romanticized description of fall Washington weather makes me actually like the constant down pour (sometimes). And after all, Edward Cullen is pretty dreamy.
“Practical Magic” is one of my favorite fall movies, so when I saw that the prequel to the book version had been recently released, I immediately grabbed it. “The Rules of Magic”, authored by Alice Hoffman, follows the three magical siblings, Franny, Jet, and Vincent as they develop their supernatural abilities while coming of age, all while trying to escape the family curse that has plagued their family for generations. This book is fast paced, and kept me immersed in the magical universe of these siblings the entire time.
One of the main aspects of fall for kids is the return to school. Though going back to school can be exciting, the dread of being burnt out and weighed down by homework can be overwhelming. “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, perfectly describes this feeling. Though this book’s topic is extremely somber, there is something comforting about the way the main character describes her sadness.
Another novel that invokes the familiar feeling of existential dread that arrives annually with the return of school is “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. The story is told throughout a format of confessional letters from the main character, Charlie to an unknown individual, narrating his freshman year high school experience. It was really uncanny to watch Charlie’s mental health decline throughout the book from his perspective and it was an extremely fascinating point of view to experience.
When I want to feel sophisticated and scholarly, but not actually trudge through some boring classic that might as well be written in Latin, I always reach for “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte. A tragic, gothic romance following the story of Heathcliff and Catherine, this is one of the few classic novels that I truly enjoy and the eeriness of the story makes it perfect for fall.
Last but definitely not least, “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt is a mystery and psychological novel that follows Richard and his six friends trying to solve the murder of their friend, Bunny Corcoran. This is one of the most prominent novels in the dark academia genre, and rightfully so.
