Fall is my favorite.
I know that everyone says that these days, with their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Apple Orchard runs, but I have loved fall since grade school. The crisp air and changing colors have always captivated me. I love watching the leaves fall away, encouraging us to focus on what is left behind: the shape of a bare tree, the lines of a field laid to rest for the winter.
It’s no surprise, then, that I love books that make me think of this season, ones that encourage cozy evenings and campfires and seeing the world with new eyes. Here are the books and movies that I crave every fall:
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Because OF COURSE. Who doesn’t want to read a book that has lines like “I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
Most of you have probably read Anne, but if you haven’t, you really should give at least book one a try – the characters are endearing and hilarious and kind-hearted and will make your heart swell and weep all in the span of a couple of chapters.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
This book just feels cozy, like autumn layers and warm apple cider.
It’s also a book that starts in the fall, as a new school year begins, and there is something so magical about new places and new beginnings – even if the main character doesn’t think so herself. Cather is a first-year college student and an introvert dealing with an assigned roommate. She is also obsessed with the children’s book character Simon Snow, a fictionalized version of Harry Potter. Cather writes fan fiction under a pseudonym, which doesn’t leave her much time for making friends and seeing what college has to offer.
The book has great characters, a lovely plot, and even fake fall-themed Starbucks concoctions like a “Pumpkin Mocha Breve”. It’s 100% worth a read – even if you don’t get to it before the snow flies.
Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist
Here’s my nonfiction pick on the list, and for good reason. Fall always invites me to slow down as summer ends and we approach winter with a little less on the agenda. This books invites that, too.
It’s a combination of story and recipe, and I remember reading it one winter when I really needed to hear it’s message of rest and community – and now every year when the weather starts to crisp I feel the need to pull it off the shelf and dive in again for a good reminder for the soul that rest is okay – and necessary.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This is literary post-apocalyptic fiction, guys. It’s SO BEAUTIFUL. And sad and lovely and everything you could want. Stunning is really the only word to describe it.
The story follows a few characters whose stories are woven together very loosely, but in a way that doesn’t leave you frustrated. There’s Shakespeare and a global pandemic and museums of found things… everything unexpected and perfect. I’d set aside a weekend to tear through this one: you’re going to want to.
You’ve Got Mail (This is actually a movie, but it COUNTS)
This one is also an OF COURSE. “Bouquets of sharpened pencils” is just one of the lines in this movie that make my heart flutter a bit.
If you’ve not seen it, grab a copy from the library and pour a glass of red wine (or water, if you are pregnant like me and not allowed) and settle onto the couch wrapped in a blanket with a handful of snacks nearby, preferably chocolate. I’m actually a little jealous that you might get to watch Joe and Kathleen meet for the first time, and see The Shop Around the Corner all decorated for fall. It’s a move I watch over and over again, but sometimes there’s nothing like that first.
What are the books and movies you crave this time of year? If you read or watch any of these for the first time, let me know! I’d love to hear what you think.
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