Many of us love the idea of sitting by the fireplace wrapped in a warm blanket and enjoying the peaceful mid-transitional period as summer cools, morphing into the holiday season. Fall often evokes a sense of change due to not only the seasons, but the start of the school year with new routines, classes, and friends. These changes can also create conflicts. Transitional periods often heightened stress especially closer to the beginning of fall, while closer to winter, holidays such as thanksgiving can be taxing and drama filled. Despite all this, many of us aspire to conform to a certain aesthetic, popularized and often seen on social media which includes neutral colors with brown, red and orange highlights, warm drinks such as coffee or tea, pumpkin flavored delicacies, and academic symbols such as writing or reading. With these ideas in mind, here are some books that not only encompass the aesthetic that fall presents, but also discuss many themes that are often noticed within the fall season.
The first book that many recommend to read during the fall is The Dutch House. This novel by Ann Patchett, an award-winning author of contemporary fiction, tells the story of siblings Danny and Maeve Conroe who cannot overcome their past. Set over 5 decades, this novel uses a fierce sibling bond and the Dutch House, a mansion built outside of Philadelphia in the 1920s, to convey themes of dysfunctional families, pride, forgiveness, nostalgia, and letting go of the past. This novel has a melancholic undertone and ocasiónalos takes place during the fall, specifically thanksgiving, making it the perfect book to read during the late fall season. Additionally, the themes it presents are perfect for the start of the holiday season.
Another classic book that is perfect for the fall season is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Charlotte Brontë captures the feeling of autumn especially with a groundbreaking moody and romantic gothic tale of transformation during a season inundated with a plethora of change. The book itself is very protofeminist, following an orphan girl named Jane who, after having a difficult upbringing, becomes a governess of the Thornfield Hall on a journey to learn more about the world. Here she meets Mr. Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall, and they develop a strange relationship all while spooky and mysterious things are occurring at Thornfield Hall. There are many important themes including classism, marriage, gender roles, power dynamics, and abuse which can be applied to our current society.
If you miss the spookiness that Halloween brings, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is perfect to satisfy your needs. This chilling novel is set in mid-1950s Mexico and follows the journey of Noemí Taboada, a young socialite, who commences an eerie journey to rescue her cousin from a mysterious and sinister mansion known as High Place. This horror/thriller takes inspiration from the colonization of Mexico as well as modern-day colonialism. Other themes are present such as sexism, power, life, death and rebirth are also strategically presented throughout the storyline.
In conclusion, what makes many of these books particularly perfect for the fall season is their general fall settings and themes of transition which sparks feelings of connection and self reflection within the reader. As winter approaches, take some time, sit by the fireplace, and cozy up with an enlightening autumn book.
