Reading Recommendations: Autumn Tales
A new month means another batch of reading recommendations! September’s theme is Autumn Reads! the books featured on this list make great cozy reads for the season. I hope you enjoy these picks!
Lauryn Harper Falls Apart
Lauryn Harper had a plan. A high achieving, perfectly constructed, five-year plan. But after a (totally blown out of proportion) mishap at work that plan is put to the test.
As punishment for her mistake she is transferred to the Ryser Charity Department, a branch of her corporation that just so happens to be located in the hometown she abandoned long ago – the same hometown that her powerful corporation is responsible for running into the ground. Horrified at the thought of returning and facing those she left behind (one in particular keeps coming to mind), Lauryn quickly comes up with a new impress her boss enough that she’s briskly whisked back to her big city life.
However, it soon becomes clear that sticking to plans isn’t that simple, especially when her ex-best friend enters the charity department demanding they help revitalize the town by throwing the famous Greenstead Fall Festival. Confronted by her past wrongs, Lauryn immediately agrees to host the festival on Ryser’s dime, but soon enough Lauryn is swept away in town hijinks, chaotic planning committees, and a second chance at a childhood friend that shows her why home isn’t necessarily a place she has to run from.
Lauryn Harper Falls Apart is the Autumnal novel any seasonal reader will gravitate to this season. It captures the many changes of the season physically and mentally as each of the characters turn over a new leaf in their own lives. It’s a heartwarming story that feels like a hug from a cozy warm sweater. It reminded me why Autumn is such a special time of year in nature, but also for beginnings while entering into a new season. It’s a humorous story filled with small-town charm, friendship, and second chances.
Most Valuable Player
Cameron Morelli is hot sh*t. Worse, he knows it. With a godlike physique and a position as his varsity football team’s star quarterback, there’s nobody he can’t charm. So one might imagine his mortification when he’s rejected by Mason Gray, the team’s snarky water boy. To make matters worse, this disgrace is followed by Cam’s coach benching him until he can get his grades up. Luckily, a reliable tutor steps forward to help Cam reclaim his dignity—the boy who just humiliated him.
For Mason, tutoring an airheaded jock is nothing but a distraction from a past he can’t escape. What he doesn’t expect is to find something worthwhile in their conversations—something softening in the ice between them. Nor does Cam expect that Mason’s calm smile hides a harrowing story. As they slowly nudge through each other’s steel gates, the dangerous realities beyond high school threaten their deepening bond.
Most Valuable Player can be read anytime of the year, but Woody’s attention to detail in its Fall setting makes it perfect for an Autumnal read. The story and descriptions immerse the reader in the season of change. The novel follows two very different teen boys who share one thing in common (on the surface) football. This is the second Woody novel that I read and I love their writing style that creates realistic characters that the reader can connect to. I loved the quieter, tender moments of romance in this novel that were heartwarming to read. This is a touching story that will make you smile, laugh, and cry through its narrative.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.
But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.
As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for….
This cozy novel blends fantasy and romance within its story. The story reads as a coming-of-age story as Mika’s isolation and limited worldview opens up when she becomes a tutor to three young and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family and realize that there’s more out there for her to explore. I loved how soothing this novel is and the themes of finding magical (literally) moments in the mundane makes for a cozy autumn read. The characters have such vibrant personalities and the themes of found family in the story are heartwarming.
Little Monsters
Meg March and her three sisters are monsters. No, really. Meg has teeth that are a little too sharp. Jo gets furry under the full moon. Beth goes night flying on wings that are impossible to hide under her sweaters. And Amy? Well, don’t let her near a body of water or she’ll start sprouting her mermaid’s tail.
Meg is sure their foster mom, Marmee, wouldn’t like any of this if she knew. And Jo’s best friend Laurie, the nice boy next door, would run screaming. To make matters worse, Meg’s small town outside of Salem is on edge. A vicious beast has been spotted in the forest, and Farmer Bhaer believes it’s responsible for his missing chickens. Meg is sure to be blamed if anyone realizes she’s a monster in disguise. And the closer it gets to Halloween, the surer the town is that something evil is hiding in the forest.
Meg doesn’t always remember what she gets up to at night, and sometimes, she wakes alone in a mossy part of the forest and has to find her way back. With John Brooke determined to find out just what Meg is hiding and locals working to uncover the monsters in their midst, Meg must find the culprit herself—or risk losing the little home she’s found with her sisters.
This novel has the right amount of spookiness that is not too scary, but still creates an eerie atmosphere. Because our main characters are the monsters themselves, the creepy aspects of the story are the unknown creatures that lie in hidden sight. I enjoyed that Meg along with her own journey of learning more about herself becomes an amateur sleuth of sorts. She has to juggle her own mysteries along with protecting her family from harm. Though her path is full of obstacles she works to overcome her fears (which is no easy feat) and realizes that this is where she belongs. Roche makes novel such a fun fast-paced read that is very heartwarming and also is relatable.
Soul Searching
Collins Cartwright does not want to go home. Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, was supposed to be in her rearview mirror, but when she finds out a developer is trying to buy her parents’ antiques shop out from under them, she doesn’t have a choice—at least, that’s what she tells her family. They don’t need to know she’s lost her job and is out of money. Or that the ghosts who have always been her companions have recently gone silent.
But just because she’s returned home doesn’t mean she has to stay with her parents or crash on her twin sister’s couch. Lucky for her, the new-to-town upholsterer has a room for rent above his store. Unluckily, it is absolutely crawling with more ghosts who are freezing her out. And Collins hates being ignored.
Brady Cooper is absolutely and totally fine. Seriously, there’s no secret reason why he decided to uproot his life and suddenly move to Sweetwater Peak. He just needed a change of pace. At least that’s what he tells himself. And everyone else.
When he agrees to let the elusive Collins Cartwright stay in his spare room, he doesn’t know that she’s absolutely bonkers—constantly talking to herself and having conversations with no one—or that she looked like that. But as they begin to get closer, the lines between them start to blur, leaving both of them—and the ghosts who have been pushing them together—wondering whether their temporary arrangement could be something more permanent.
Sweetwater Peak feels like part small-town mixed with elements of a ghost town as well. I love that the paranormal aspects of this story feel cozy rather than spooky. Some of the ghosts appearances are eerie yes, but nothing too scary for readers who want a read that is spooky. Seeing the town through Collins and Brady’s eyes showcase the town’s charms in too different ways. It may be small, but their spirit is resilient. Readers see how the town is tested by mother nature and poaching realtors.
Spoops: The Little Spirits of Halloween
In this story, young Holly Hollowell loves Halloween more than anything, but her dentist parents are totally against any event that promotes tooth-rotting sweets. While other kids trick-or-treat, Holly watches sadly from her window…until the Spoops arrive to turn things around! With their magical help, Holly can finally show her parents the true spirit of Halloween: not the candy, but the joy of expressing yourself, unleashing your imagination, and letting your spooky side soar!
Spoops is not all spooky and in fact, focuses more on the light-hearted, playful side of the holiday. I love how Conley uses a monochromatic color scheme throughout the story with pops of orange throughout. Each scene is incredibly detailed which makes for an immersive reading experience even with the limited color palette. The spoops themselves are too cute for words and I loved how they created mischief and joy for Holly, the main character. This is a great, comfy spooktastic read that I highly recommend!
That concludes my reading recommendations for Autumn Reads! What books do you recommend or what are your favorites? Comment below!
