Books to Read This Autumn

2 Oct 2020 United Kingdom

*This post contains affiliate links + Advanced Readers Copies. No obligation to post and all thoughts are my own* 

I am really trying to manifest the sweater weather and cosy nights with my Autumn posts right now! Last week I shared 30 Things you can do this Autumn to have the cosiest, fun and most autumny autumn you've ever had! After you seemed to love my Summer book recommendations a few months ago, I thought I'd share a few autumn book recommendations of some of my favourites as well as some books I will be picking up myself over the next few months! 


Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider 

- For the YA fans

Lane is sent to a boarding school for sick teens where he meets Sadie and her friends - a group of troublemakers that show Lane that his sickness doesn't define him. This is a great story of friendship and second chances with a perfect autumnal backdrop to enjoy as it gets colder. I read this book many years ago and remember enjoying how easy it was to read and the friends that developed throughout the book. One to enjoy with a chai latte in hand wrapped up in a blanket for sure. 

The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman & Jason Kristoff

- A super sci-fi pick

Autumn always sees me reading more dystopian and sci-fi books and while I read the first book in the series in the peak of summer, there's no better time than now to pick it up if you haven't already. It's a multi-media book involving two mega corporations at war over a planet - a little speck at the edge of the universe. The first book follows Kady and Ezra - teens who have recently broken up but, with a hostile warship in pursuit and a deadly virus breaking out, this is the least of their problems as they try to survive. 

This is a super fun fast-paced book to throw yourself into this autumn. I will definitely be picking up the second book in the series, Gemina, very soon! 

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

- An autumn release to give a go! 

I received an ARC of Dolly Alderton's debut novel and definitely want to make sure I have some time to read it this season. It follows Nina - in her early thirties, a food writer with a perfect family, new home and neighbourhood. She goes on a date with Max, a true romantic who says from the start he's meant to marry her. As the romance blossoms, it reminds her of her past failed relationship, broken friendships and family problems that lie below the surface. 

This sounds like a great concept that I'm ready to read! 

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

- Educate yourself this fall

With all that is going on in the world, this seems my natural next stop in educating myself more about the struggles of black people. Black feminism was touched on very briefly when I did sociology at college but it was merely dismissed as a "different form of feminism" and didn't teach us much more than that. It's a topic I've dipped in and out of but I think this book will be the perfect read for me to really understand the perspective more. 

Day of The Triffids

- Get ready for Halloween with this spookier read

I am definitely not on for horror films, spooky reads or anything remotely related to Halloween. However, this year I'm thinking why the hell not?! I've been wanting to read day of the triffids for years and after finding a dusty copy at the back of my shelf, I think October will be the perfect time to dust it off and give it a read! 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 

- You dystopian fix for Autumn 

While many like to read more spooky, scary reads in autumn, I can’t bring myself to even watch a slightly scary movie so, instead, Dystopian is where I go and Station Eleven was one I read this time last year and loved it. It’s been out for 5 years now but if you still haven’t heard of it, I definitely recommend it. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic earth but it’s unlike the usual perspective. It’s almost more /real/ in the narrative as to how the world as we know could actually end and how we would actually cope. This was a really great read! 

The Wall by John Lanchester

- Needing some more dystopian by chance? 

So if you’ve already read Station Eleven but still want your Dystopian fix, The Wall is a quick read. I’d say, straight off, that this probably won’t be for everyone as it’s quite ambiguous. But, I also think that might be something some will love about this book. The premise is that there is a wall separating land and sea after “The Change” and you have to serve your time on the wall (remind you of a big hit HBO series by chance?!). It follows Joseph Kavanagh, a new defender on the Wall which aims to keep the Others out. We see how he adjusts to life on the wall and how what happens when the Others attack the Wall. I loved the tone of the book and how the writer managed to build up this world in a fairly short book. I loved trying to come up with my own thoughts on what the wall was and who the others were if this was to actually be what happened in the future. 

What books do you plan on reading this autumn? 
Hope you're doing great,
Sarah x


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