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Autumn Equinox: The Enchantment of Mabon by Ellen Dugan This is my favourite book for autumn. Dugan has a magical way of making a book that could be very dry come alive. I've read plenty of books with similar information - correspondences, recipes, spells, etc. - but Dugan presents it in a way that readers can immediately relate to. Autumn Equinox: The Enchantment of Mabon is an essential book for witchy folk. |
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling We all love Harry Potter, right? Before you settle down for a Harry Potter movie marathon this fall, why not revisit the book series? You should at least read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It combines the excitement of back-to-school with the witchiness of the season to create the perfect fall read. |
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The Vampire Diaries or The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith I read at least one of these two every fall - often both. LJ was my favourite author growing up and these are still two of my favourite series. The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle are both distinctly YA reads, which will make you feel like a kid again. Take my advice, though: walk away from Vampire Diaries after book 3 and don't expect it to be anything like the TV show. |
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M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman Autumn always makes me think of things that go bump in the night because it's a time of growing darkness. M is for Magic is here for its supernatural element. As you're reading about trolls, ghosts, aliens, whatever, you just accept them as a reality because Gaiman MAKES them real. In his stories there's always a sense of whimsy closely twined with a feeling of deep melancholy - which is probably what attracts me to his writing! |
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Slasher Girls & Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke (ed.) With the nights getting longer and daylight getting shorter, autumn is the perfect time to get your freaked out on. Slasher Girls & Monster Boys is a dark collection of creepy, nasty, humorous short fiction. Unlike M is for Magic, Slasher Girls & Monster Boys is an anthology with many different authors, which means something fresh with each story. This one'll get you in the mood for nights of snuggling under a blanket, watching horror movies. |
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The Cider House Rules by John Irving You've probably seen the movie adaptation of The Cider House Rules and that's okay. You liked the movie, right? Read the book; it's better. While the movie has all that gorgeous imagery, the book is deeper, richer, and more intense. It isn't exactly a warm, squishy read, though. It deals with some pretty serious issues and will probably piss you off at some point or another. |
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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte This is one of my favourite novels of all time. I had a teacher once who described Jane Eyre as "the closest thing we'd ever read to a romance" in her class. She didn't tell us we were about to be introduced to one of the greatest love stories of all time. There are a million and one reasons to love Jane Eyre - not the least of which being that the "plain Jane" stays plain while the hunky love interest gets taken down a peg - but, really, it's on my list for the sheer snuggly goodness. |
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The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins Okay, let's get this out of the way now: I don't like crime novels. Mysteries and thrillers are barely acceptable. It takes a lot to get me to read anything that doesn't have, you know, fangs. But, since this was required reading, I didn't have much choice in the matter. And I'm so glad it happened that way because I love The Woman in White. One of the reasons is that it doesn't feel like a crime thriller; it's more like a ghost story. It's dark, creepy, and thoroughly engaging. |
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The Crucible or The Scarlet Letterby Arthur miller/by Nathaniel Hawthorne Autumn is a great time to re-visit the classics. Especially classics like The Crucible or The Scarlet Letter, which both invoke a New-England-in-the-fall kind of feeling. They'll get you thinking about pilgrims and the early days of America, which leads us brilliantly right up to Thanksgiving. It's impossible for me to chose between these two. The Crucible is good for the witchiness, while The Scarlet Letter is just terrifying. |
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Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury The ability Bradbury had of making a story into a metaphor (Or is that making a metaphor into a story?) never ceases to astonish me. Farewell Summer isn't my favourite Bradbury book but it's still intensely powerful. It deals with death and life (in that order) and tries to make sense of it all. I felt older and wiser after reading this. |
What do you think of my list? Do you approve? Do you have suggestions for books I should be reading? Leave me a comment below!
