Happy Fall, sundrops! We’ve most definitely still got summer-like weather here, but that’s true until about the end of October. While the weather may not feel like Fall, it officially is, so I thought it would be fun to share my Fall TBR with you!
For my Fall TBR these will be books that I want to get to in the next 2.5 months. This list has a bit of a mix of everything. There’s some romance, mystery/thriller, fantasy, historical fiction…all sorts of things because we all know first and foremost that I’m a mood reader.
If you want to know what books I’m hoping to read this Fall, keep reading!
Smile and Be a Villain by Yves Donlon
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark… and that ‘something’ is magic.
HELSINGØR, 1536.
Ophelia is a disgraced handmaid to the queen, the cast-off lover of Prince Hamlet.
She is also a witch, and a good one at that. And she can see that Denmark is rotting from the inside out, afflicted by dark magic.
WITTENBERG, 1536.
Hamlet is a useless son, a failed heir. He is the prince of a nation about to fight a war they won’t win.
He doesn’t know about magic, but if he did he would use it to destroy their enemies—no matter the consequences.
As Hamlet and Ophelia find themselves increasingly torn apart, they must decide: how much are they willing to sacrifice in order to save Denmark?
And, by the end of it all, will they be beyond saving?
Honestly, I added this one to my TBR after the sentence “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark… and that ‘something’ is magic” I truly don’t need to know any more than that to get me to read something.
I got the gorgeous Fox and Wit version of this and oh man, I can’t wait to sit and read this one. It sounds so interesting and it really sounds like something that I will just adore. I mean Ophelia as a witch? Yes girl, get it! Hamlet being described as “a useless son, a failed heir”? He’s gonna be a mess. We all know that fantasy is not my go-to genre, but this one really sounds like it was made for me and I am BUZZING with excitement about it. I think it’ll be a great Fall read.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
I love a good summer camp setting for a mystery/thriller, so obviously when I heard about The God of the Woods I had to add it to my TBR. I personally really like dual timeline mysteries, which…I think this one is? I think I’ve heard people saying that, I don’t totally remember to be honest. I just remember hearing that it’s set at a summer camp, a boy went missing and then like a decade later that boy’s younger sister goes missing from the same camp. I don’t really need to know more than that. It sounds like something I’ll enjoy and I really hope I do!
A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd
Knives Out meets Bridgerton in Fair Verona, as New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd kicks off a frothy, irreverent, witty new series with an irresistible premise—Romeo and Juliet’s daughter as a clever, rebellious, fiercely independent young woman in fair Verona—told from the delightfully engaging point of view of the captivating Rosie Montague herself…
“A sharp, determined heroine, a clever historical mystery, sparkling wit, a unique setting, family drama and a dash of romance.”– Amanda Quick, New York Times bestselling author of The Lady Has a Past
Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended ( badly). Only here’s the That’s not how it ended at all.
Romeo and Juliet are alive and well and the parents of seven kids. I’m the oldest, with the emphasis on ‘old’—a certified spinster at twenty, and happy to stay that way. It’s not easy to keep your taste for romance with parents like mine. Picture it—constant monologues, passionate declarations, fighting, making up, making out . . . it’s exhausting.
Each time they’ve presented me with a betrothal, I’ve set out to find the groom-to-be a more suitable bride. After all, someone sensible needs to stay home and manage this household. But their latest match, Duke Stephano, isn’t so easy to palm off on anyone else. The debaucher has had three previous wives—all of whom met unfortunate ends. Conscience forbids me from consigning another woman to that fate. As it turns out, I don’t have to . . .
At our betrothal ball—where, quite by accident, I meet a beautiful young man who makes me wonder if perhaps there is something to love at first sight—I stumble upon Duke Stephano with a dagger in his chest. But who killed him? His late wives’ families, his relatives, his mistress, his servants—half of Verona had motive. And when everyone around the Duke begins dying, disappearing, or descending into madness, I know I must uncover the killer . . . before death lies on me like an untimely frost.
Oh look, more Shakespeare related things on my TBR, you’re shocked! This one sounds so fun. Knives Out meets Bridgerton and Romeo and Juliet…again, it sounds like it’s made for me. You all know I’ll read anything that’s Shakespeare/Romeo and Juliet related, and really, I love that this imagines that Romeo and Juliet lived and it centers around their daughter. I can’t think of a reimagining/retelling that has had that premise before, and that makes me extra excited.
Someone I know read this and said that they thought of me and that it’s a campy fun time, so I’m hoping that I have a great time with this one!
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
A spicy small-town romance and TikTok phenomenon, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Stephanie Archer.
When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.
Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.
Will Jeanie’s happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won’t fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…
The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!
I’m gonna be 100% honest, I don’t actually know if this one will be a hit for me. However, I have been curious about it since it was all over the place last year and I finally managed to get my hands on a copy, so I figured I should try it out.
It’s not that it doesn’t sound like a sweet and cozy read, it totally does, I just don’t know if it’s really for me. The fact that it has some kind of mystery in it makes me a little hopeful, as well as the fact that it is recommended for fans of Gilmore Girls. Honestly, I just want to read a book that makes me feel like I’m in Stars Hollow…maybe this one will be it?
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.
For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.
Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.
Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?
When this book first came out and everyone started talking about it, I was like “Oh, no, that’s probably not for me” but the more I’ve seen it the more curious about it I’ve become. I actually really love most things country western so the setting definitely appeals to me, and it sounds like a Hallmark movie. Really, it ticks a lot of boxes of things I enjoy. I also have had to stop myself from buying a physical copy the last 3 times I’ve gone to a bookstore, so I think that says something! I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, so I’m sure I’ll get to it soon.
Make Me a Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford
A guarded punk-rocker-turned-barista meets a big-hearted sound tech who charms his way into her life and helps her revisit her musical past in this truly charming, cozy fall romance.
Allie Andrews gave up on the music world ten years ago. No wild tours, no late nights, no career-ending inter-band blowouts. Just day after comfortable day of working in her aunt’s café in Brooklyn and recording ’80s cover songs in her tiny apartment. The last thing she wants, or expects, is to be recognized as former punk rocker Allie Jetski. But a last-minute coffee delivery lands her face to face with the big, charming, handsome (and quite possibly number one fan of the Jetskis) Ryan Abernathy.
Ryan isn’t about to forget meeting the lead singer of one of his favorite bands. Undeterred by her prickly demeanor, he sets his mind to helping Allie find her way back to the Jetskis—so she can come to terms with what happened all those years ago. Allie finds Ryan hard to resist, and her quiet life is turned upside down as she is swept up in a whirlwind hunt for her old bandmates.
But when Aunt Mindy announces that she’s decided to sell the café, Allie is faced with a life-altering choice: play it safe and take over the business, or risk opening herself up to a future in music . . . and maybe even love.
I received this as a gift from Doubleday Canada, which is a Penguin Random House imprint and I think it sounds so fun! I won’t lie, books about musicians can be a bit hit or miss for me, but I really like the sound of this one. It sounds really sweet and cozy and like the perfect book to curl up with on a chill autumn afternoon!
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she’s stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep.
Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.
But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.
Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artifacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community.
I read Firekeeper’s Daughter at the beginning of the summer and was absolutely blown away by Boulley’s writing and characters. When I saw that she released another book set in the same universe last year I basically ran to get a copy and I’m so so excited to read it!
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
A sharp-tongued folklorist must pair up with her academic rival to solve their mentor’s murder in this lush and enthralling sapphic fantasy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic.
Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.
The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.
But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.
As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.
A book about academic rivals trying to solve their mentor’s murder sounds like the perfect fall read! Allison Saft’s books are always heavy on the atmosphere and vibes which makes them ideal to read this time of year. I’ve really been looking forward to her adult debut novel, a bunch of my friends have loved it, and after going to the book launch event on the 17th I’m even more excited to read this one!
I tried to keep this list pretty small since I’m such a mood reader and it did keep growing…but I do think that within the next 2 or so months I can get these books read in addition to ARCs and whatever else tickles my fancy. I’ll have a whole separate October/Halloween themed TBR that I’m really excited about and I’ll be sharing that next weekend.
Let me know in the comments what books you’re planning to read this fall!
Until next time 💜
