September is quickly coming to an end (can you believe it?!). The leaves are turning beautiful shades of red and orange, children everywhere are eyeballs deep in homework, the nights are downright cold. Summer is going, going, gone.
Luckily, Autumn is my (and so many other’s) favorite time of year. Although I may not have any pencils to sharpen or notebooks to ready for classes, I do have a list of books that I can’t wait to dive into. The dark, chilly evenings are a great excuse to curl up with something inspiring, thought provoking or downright scary. Here’s what I’m reading this fall.
1. Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
You may be familiar with Rubin’s last book, “The Happiness Project” (it only sold about a bajillion copies). Her newest one is all about making your home a happier place. In it, Rubin explores posessions, marriage, parenthood and time in relation to the home. Although Rubin can be a tad too methodical in her quest for happiness, she manages to hit on some important revelations when it comes to being a more contented (I like that better than “happier”) human being. As she rightly notes, “It’s enormously helpful, and surprisingly difficult, to grasp the obvious.” That it is, Gretchen. That it is.
2. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
I read the last piece in this book–“Goodbye to all That”–a few years ago in a writing class and it remains one of my very favorite personal essays. Ever. I picked up the entire collection a couple of weeks ago and can’t wait to dive into the laser sharp, pitch perfect world of Didion’s words, curled up with a cup of coffee and a healthy does of envy. Serious writing crush material right here, folks.
3. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Aspirations and intentions are all good and well. But it’s the procession of our tiny daily activities that really count when it comes to success. Habits shape our lives and determine who and what we will become, so it makes sense that we should play an active role in choosing them. In his book, Duhigg explores what habits are, why they exist and how we can modify them. He dissects the patterns of Michael Phelps and Martin Luther King Jr., drawing a definitive link between daily habits and greatness. The takeaway: “Habits aren’t destiny.” We can change them. And we should.
4. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
There are, oh, only several million of us waiting with bated breath for J.K. Rowling’s first foray into adult literature. Are you one of them? Only six more days until we get a look at the non-wizarding town of Pagford and its warring inhabitants. One thing’s for sure: her timing is brilliant. Harry Potter-philes are all grown up and ripe for something mature.
5. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
My husband loved this book and it’s been on my must-read list for over a year. Now that a fantastic looking movie version is on its way (check out the trailer here), I need to get cracking, pronto. Described by many as a puzzle in book form, “Cloud Atlas” weaves together six stories from varying time periods and genres, ultimately uniting them in a universal theme.
6. Watership Down by Richard Adams
I’ve never read this classic tale about a band of rabbits fleeing the destruction of their home. I have to admit, I’m mostly reading it out of curiosity. Talking rabbits? How can that be anything but silly? The many five star ratings on Good Reads say otherwise so, okay bunnies, I’ll bite.
7. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
October deserves a spooky book. I’m opting for this classic 19th century detective story about, you guessed it, a woman in white. Other spooky ingredients, according to Amazon: “secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain.” Did I mention it’s considered one of the greatest mysteries of all time? Sounds good to me!
What’s on your fall reading list? Any new releases you’re anxiously awaiting or good old classics you’re planning to give a go? I’d love to hear your picks.
And stay tuned. I’ve got a cool giveaway coming up next week. Check back on Monday for details!
Love, love, love Slouching Towards Bethlehem. You’ll love it too. Didion is a genius!
She is, I adore her writing! Glad to hear we have that in common, Emily :)
I loved The Power of Habit. It spoke quite nicely to how we live and how our brains remember everything, even if our consciousness doesn’t.
Cool, glad you enjoyed it–makes me want to read it even more.
Great list Rian! I’m looking forward to tucking into the latest Ken Follett novel, Winter of the World, this weekend. It is the second installment of his Century Trilogy, following a wide range of characters from the start of WWI through the next hundred years. I couldn’t put the first one down!
Sounds cool, I don’t know about those books–I’ll check them out! Hope you got some good reading time in this weekend, Jess. xx
Oh, I hope you enjoy Cloud Atlas (it seems like people either LOVE the book or are confused & irritated by it). My advice would be to push on into it if at first it doesn’t make sense, by page 100 or something it starts to fit together.
If the Wilkie Collins goes well then I’d also recommend Dracula (Bram Stoker) and The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova) which are in a similar thriller genre and twenty times better than a Robert Ludlum!
And finally, I recall Watership Down was quite a serious book – the rabbits were quite human-like in their emotions and personalities. The story certainly felt realistic…
Happy reading!
What sort of thriller exactly was “The Historian”? Can you give me a little detail? I’ve heard people praise Elizabeth Kostova before, and I’ve never read her. I have read “Dracula.” Is “The Historian” more vampire or werewolf stuff, or something else? If you don’t have a lot of time to respond, you could just type “more vampire or werewolf stuff” or “something else.” I like to get just a little bit of a spoiler, but not of the end of the book.
“The Historian” is Dracula type vampire, not Twilight type. It’s a great book. Her other book “The Swan Thieves” is a psychological thriller about an artist’s obsession with a certain painting and is AMAZING!
Thanks for the tip–yes, “Dracula” type vampire is more my sort than nubile young male “Twilight” vampires; I’m a little too old, perhaps, for the latter. “The Swan Thieves” also sounds like something I’d find interesting.
The Historian is basically a modern adaption of Dracula. The heroine’s father disappears and she unearths documents of his relating to a search for the real-life Dracula inspiration. I guess it’s a literary thriller combined with an Eastern European travelogue: well-paced and far more than just a rip-off of the original.
I haven’t read any of those books (which is troubling to me for a whole dazzling array of reasons) but it looks like a fantastic list! I wouldn’t know which one to read first!
Ha, I feel like that all of the time. There are just too many books and not enough time!
Great list! I am aching to get my hands on The Casual Vacancy…
Ahh, me too! Almost time :)
Oh good list! So excited about the new J.K. Rowling book. I just saw a production of Women In White in Chicago, so I’m also interested in that.
I’m currently reading The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker (it’s about human nature and psychological development). For a little fiction, I plan on reading To Kill A Mockingbird, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and Oryx and Crake by Margret Atwood.
Nice choices, Denise! Is this your first time reading To Kill a Mockingbird? If so, I’m jealous–such a great book. How was that show?–sounds like it would be creepy and fun!
It IS the first time I’m reading it! I’m excited to get to discuss it next month. The show was really cool. It was actually funnier than I would have thought after hearing the premise. The development of Count Fosco brought a lot of humor where there probably normally isn’t any. It added a nice touch though. Would love to talk about it when you’re done!
I’m reading Richard Bausch’s novel “Peace” about soldiers in wartime and his book of short stories called “There’s Something Out There.” Also, “An Unofficial Rose” by Iris Murdoch, “Selected Tales” by de Maupassant, Kafka’s “The Castle,” and whatever else I manage to cram into my schedule. Too often, I have long reading lists culled from other readers and bloggers, and no time to read it all in. But I’m making my best effort, anyway.
Wow, Victoria, that’s an impressive reading list! I hope you find the time to fit them all in :)
Well I see some interesting tittles I will add to my “to read” list. I think I might start with “The woman in white” ’cause I’ve never really read any mystery books
If you do read it, let me know what you think! I’m saving it for late October, when things get spooky :)
I will probably be doing a couple re-reads such as “Shadow of Night” by Deborah Harkness and “The Swan Thieves” by Elizabeth Kostova. Right at this moment I’m reading “A Brief History of The Tudor Age” by Jasper Ridley.
I read The Woman in White in my undergrad. It was one of my favourites!
Ooh, I’m glad to hear that, L! Looking forward to a good mystery.
Yikes! I didn’t know Rowling had a new book coming out!
It comes out on Thursday!
I have not read “Watership Down” in its entirety, but what I did read was good; I was not there then, perhaps later. However, I did read “Maia” by the same author and was spellbound for over 1000 pages. You might want to look into that one, too. It is about a young woman who is sold into prostitution and her rise to fame and fortune because of her ability to make friends and love life. It takes place on another world, but that is nearly transparent except for the names and such. Reminded me a lot of ancient Egypt and such. Adored it!
Scott
Cool, thanks for the suggestion, Scott. I’ll put it on my list!
Well, great. Let me know what you think if you read it.
I read Watership Down in High School – might have to read it again. Love to check out J.K. Rowling’s new read too. Thanks for sharing! Happy Friday:)
Awesome list you have here, Rian! I’m definitely going to check out “The Casual Vacancy” and “Watership Down.” I just started a novel called “The Opposite of Me” by Sarah Pekkanen about twin sisters who couldn’t be more different. I also have “Emma” patiently waiting on my Kindle as well.
How was the transition to the Kindle, Jessica? I still can’t do it but I know it’s inevitable. Do you read exclusively on it or do you switch between the Kindle and paper books? I also have your lovely giveaway gift of Anna Karenina on my list! So many books–I better get cracking!
The transition was not as bad as I thought it would be. I was one of those people dead-set against the Kindle when it first came out, but my mom decided to get me one anyway and I absolutely love it! It’s so convenient to finish one book and be able to immediately download another one without having to go to the book store. It’s super great for traveling and fits perfectly into my purse–I never leave home without it. The last time I went to Europe, I lugged three books with me and ended up having to buy another one at Heathrow because I finished them all. With my Kindle, I don’t have to worry about books taking up packing space and because I have the 3G/Wi-Fi model, I can always connect to Amazon.com for new reads.
I still read paper books every now and again (especially if they’re not available on the Kindle or are cheaper in a physical form–I’ll never get over that), but it’s very seldom.
Get one! You will absolutely love it.
I am reading “The Life of Pi” which I hear they are making a movie of??!! I’ve heard it is an excellent book, but I average about 1 book per 6 months, so I’m not that far on it yet. I’m excited, though. Looks like you have some great reads lined up!
Life of Pi is excellent. I avoided it for years because I thought it was a religious book, and now that I’ve read it, I’m sorry I did. You’ll enjoy it.
Hey, thanks! I’m glad to hear it. For me, it’s just making time to get into a book. Once I’m into it, I usually cruise through :)
It’s supposed to be awesome, Tobi. I know the basic premise but haven’t read it yet. I did read one of his other books, “Beatrice and Virgil”–very dark and interesting. I hope you enjoy it!
Cloud Atlas is maybe my favourite book ever! I bow to David Mitchell’s brilliant imagination and his creative command of the English language. Everyone should read this book! The movie, no matter how great, will not do justice to the man’s writing.
Favorite book ever–that’s saying something! I look forward to reading it. I’ve never seen a movie that really lived up to a good book. Such different mediums, and movies leave so many things out.
Oh, I love, love, love Watership Down. :) And I have The Woman In White on my bookshelf, too (just waiting to be read).
Glad for your stamp of approval–I’m excited to read it!
How do you find these books? You always seem to be reading the most interesting things! Unfortunately, I am one of those children who are already eyeballs deep in homework. I miss the days of reading for sheer pleasure. I had a summer reading list but didn’t even make it half way through the first book! Just goes to show you how fast time slips by. I look forward to hearing more about these books as you dive into them though. Keep us posted on any recommendations! Happy Autumn…it’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Reading for pleasure takes a backseat in University, doesn’t it? Luckily, you have many years ahead of you to tackle all of those books ;) Sounds like you had a wonderful (and busy) summer at camp, Amber–and you launched a new blog! So at least you used your time wisely ;) I’ll let you know what I think & maybe you can put one or two on your rainy day reading list. Happy Autumn to you!
I am currently reading a collection of Jonathan Carroll’s short stories. It’s called The Woman Who Marrised a Cloud. I am also reading (trying to finish since I started months ago) The Discover of Heaven by Harry Mulisch.
I love your lists, Rian :-)
Funny 2 books from your list are also on my own list right now: Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The Power of Habit.
I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice that I got from Jessica’s lovely giveaway and absolutely adored it. It’s always hard to start a new book right after reading something amazing…
I’ll definitely check out the other items from your list.
Have a great, dynamic (Go Spartan run!) weekend :-)
Cool, we’ll have to trade notes! My Defining Wonderland book is Anna Karenina– a very long book that I plan to tackle this winter. I’m happy to report I survived the race in one piece! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Last week was crazy busy–I look forward to catching up on your blog tomorrow! xx
I’m so glad you liked Pride and Prejudice, Cécile! I knew you would. It’s been one of my absolute favorite since high school.
Other than blogs (!) I’m reading Gordon Woods’ “The Creation of the American Republic” — to try to figure out where we went wrong! After that I will probably go back and read some Kawabata,one of my favorite Japanese writers.
Definitely want to read the new J.K. Rowling and the Gretchen Rubin book. Have you read “Gone Girl”? It was one of the “it” summer books but I just finished it. Such a page-turner.
I haven’t–thanks for the suggestion! I’ll check it out.
I read Watership Down a few years ago – it’s surprisingly dark for a book about rabbits! Did you ever see the animated film when you were a kid? Scared me half to death! Also, sooooo looking forward to JK Rowling’s new one *bounces in excitement*
I’m currently reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre, and I’m hoping to get through the other two books in the series this autumn, as well as Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller wihich, to my shame, I’ve never actually tried.
Can NOT wait for Casual Vacancy either. I am one of those fans who are old enough and ready for something mature! Oh my goooooosh 3 more days to go!
Great post and thanks for the recommendations, I will definitely be checking some of these out!
I have Cloud Atlas on my shelf, waiting to be opened and just bought the St. Aubyn trilogy and Amor Towles’ Rues of Civility. I rarely read fiction, so I hope they are worth it. A MUST read is Mitchell’s The Ten Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.
I would hope you can cram in my book! The first two chapters are on-line free to see if it’s something you’d enjoy.