What is it about fall that makes a person want to cozy up with a mug of hot apple cider and a juicy book?

Can you relate? If you can, this list is for you!

There’s something for everybody here – witchy fiction, suspenseful mystery, witty nonfiction, wilderness philosophy, self-help, and even a couple of books with illustrations.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about my “to-be-read” list!!

With that being said, I won’t keep you reading some long rambling intro. Here’s what I’m reading this fall! Enjoy!

P.S. I tried to make this easy for you by linking each book. If any of these strike your fancy, click on the book photo to be routed to Amazon for a summary and purchase. Or check out your library! Libraries for the win!

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#1 Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Let’s get the classic “autumnal read” out of the way first thing!

This year (for me) it’s Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I don’t know how I’ve made it twenty-seven years without reading this “bewitching novel” but October seems like a good month to get the job done.

A couple years ago, I read The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman, which is related to this storyline. I would highly recommend The Rules of Magic if you’re looking for a witchy book with lovable characters.

A delicious fantasy of witchcraft and love in a world where gardens smell of lemon verbena and happy endings are possible.

Cosmo

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#2 The Nature Fix by Florence Williams

I’m sorry, I’ve already started reading this one! I’m about twenty pages in and all I can say is, “WOW!” I can tell this will be a book I annotate the crap out of and return to again and again.

I’ve read books and essays about why nature makes us happier and healthier people but I find them to be somewhat tough to get through just because they have a textbookish quality. Snore!

Florence presents some shocking findings from her research yet does it through storytelling in a casual, friendly, sometimes comedic tone! Her book, The Nature Fix, is so easy to read and, as I said, I’m only twenty pages in. 10/10 would recommend!

A lively exploration of what modern research has to say about the myriad health benefits of the great outdoors.

Wall Street Journal

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#3 Slow by Brooke McAlary

The title says it all – simple living for a frantic world.

Author, Brooke McAlary, is a blogger (Slow Your Home) and podcast host (Slow Home Podcast). I had no idea who Brooke was until I stumbled upon her book one drizzly afternoon at Barnes & Noble.

I sat cross-legged on the floor between two rows of books as I flipped through the book, obsessed with each chapter. Naturally, I forked over the Barnes & Noble price to bring it home with me.

If you want to learn more about what it means to live “slow” and see a blueprint of how to do it, this is the book for you!

P.S. Coming soon – there will be a few blog posts from me on the topic of slow and simple living! If that’s ok with you?

After reading this book, you’ll have an amazing list of ingredients that can help you create a meaningful life.

The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus

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#4 In The Woods by Tana French

Have you read anything by Tana French?

She’s a brilliant Irish mystery novelist. In The Woods is the first of five in the Dublin Murder Squad series.

I will say, her books are not for the phaint of heart. After all, they are murder mysteries.

As creepily imaginative as it gets

USA Today

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#5 The Years of the Forest by Helen Hoover

In my last book recommendation post, I mentioned Helen’s book A Place in the Woods, which details her first year living in a cabin on Gunflint Lake in Northern Minnesota.

The Years of the Forest is about what happens in the sixteen years after her first turbulent year. It is an account of what daily life is like in a remote cabin…sound familiar? If you’re reading my blog then you should read The Years of the Forest! I’m taking notes as I read it!

A wistful, appealing and very personal account of paradise lost

The New York Times

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#6 The Finnish Way

I flipped open this book to a chapter titled “Soul of the Sauna” and was instantly curious.

Then I read the first sentence of the book: “Large fluffy white snowflakes are falling from the night sky as three young men wearing terry-cloth bathrobes run down a Helsinki street on a dark November evening.”

At that point, I was hooked. I had to either sit in Barnes & Noble until they kicked me out or buy the book and take it home.

The Finnish Way is all about the power of Sisu and how it can help us find courage, wellness, and happiness. Do you know what Sisu is?

Me either. But I’m about to find out.

It sounds like the lesser-known cousin of Hygge but I’m not sure yet.

Well, evidently it takes a whole book to define, but in essence [Sisu] revolves around walking, cycling, and swimming in nature in all weathers, getting naked with strangers in the sauna (a great leveler, she points out), eating things like homemade cloudberry jam, washing your own windows, and generally not being a consumerist lunatic. 

EVE MACSWEENEY, Vogue

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#7 Once Upon a Wilderness by Calvin Rutstrum

Calvin Rutstrum was a friend of the family. The floors of my cabin are from another cabin he built in Northern Minnesota. So, you can see why I enjoy reading his books.

Once Upon a Wilderness is one I haven’t yet read. I found it tucked away on my grandma’s bookshelf and figured it was about time to check it off my list of books to read.

This one is described as:

Part memoir, part guidebook, and part environmental treatise, Once upon a Wilderness is a treasury of wilderness wisdom.

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#8 Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

In a nutshell, Big Magic is a book about our relationship with creativity.

I can’t recommend this book enough! This will be my third time reading it, which means it must be full of good advice because I NEVER reread books. My copy is highlighted and underlined and dogeared to the max!

Here’s my favorite quote from the book:

Be brave. Without bravery you will never know the world as richly as it longs to be known. Without bravery, your life will remain far smaller than you probably wanted your life to be.

Elizabeth Gilbert

If there’s anything remotely creative or personal you want to do in your life, this book will give you the pep talk and inspiration to go do it!

“Big Magic” is a manual with universal aspirations that feels narrowly personal, a crash course in the mental habits of the highly effective person named Elizabeth Gilbert.

New York Times

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What are you reading this fall?

I would love to hear what you’ve got your sights set on or what you’re already reading! Drop some suggestions in the comments below.

Note: The one genre ( I love) not included in my list is the young adult (YA) genre. Typically, YA books are my “fun books” that break up my more serious reads. If you’ve read any really good YA lately I would love to hear about it!

Happy Trails,