What Are The Best Books For Fall?
These books are recent favorites over the past couple of years. I loved all of these choices! Check out my list of Best Books For Fall!
Note: They are in no particular order, just from my book journal and Libby timeline.
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Best books for Fall!
My favorite thing is reading! In the fall, give me a cozy blanket, a mug of hot tea, and a great book to read, and that’s my recipe for happiness!
Best Books for Fall: Fiction
The Tobacco Wives -by Myers
Maddie is dumped by her mother at her great-aunt’s home in Bright Leaf, North Carolina in 1946. The war is over, but there is another one simmering beneath the surface of this small southern town. Tobacco is the industry behind the wealth in the town that supports her Aunt Etta’s dress-making business. When her aunt gets sick, Maddie goes to live with one of the “tobacco wives”, and she learns a secret that affects not only someone she lives with, but maybe society at large. Such a great story!
The Keeper of Hidden Books -Martin
Zofia and Janine are best friends who work together at a local library in Warsaw during WW2. Janine is Jewish and is eventually put into the ghetto by the Nazis. Sophia works hard to save books from bombs, fire, and looting. She also helps her friend Janine under the worst of circumstances. This book was based on true events.
Mad Mabel – by Hepworth
The protagonist is Elsie, an 81-year-old curmudgeon with a very colorful past. Accused of several murders, the reader has to decide which, if any, she committed. She is a total hoot, and I loved her so much!
These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Turner
This one was so good! Based on an actual journal, Sarah is a wonderful journaler in this story. You are right there with her as she narrates her journey. I loved the far-from-perfect narration about the hardships and joys along her days. She does not mince words and will share her opinions about boys, horses, family, and more as she travels through life. The journal is from Sarah’s life from 17-37, and there is so much life lived in those years!
*I just found out that this book is one of three in a series. Book 2 is Sarah’s Quilt, and book 3 is The Star Garden. There is also another book, Light Changes Everything which is not part of the series, but is about Sarah’s niece, Mary Pearl.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot -by Cronin
Together, Lenni and Margot have lived 100 years. They are currently living in a terminal ward of a hospital, but they are not finished living yet. I love how these two get up to so many high jinks together. Neither is ready to die yet, and they are hilarious together. This one has stayed with me since I read it a couple of years ago -such a wonderful story of life, love, and friendship.
Remarkably Bright Creatures -by Van Pelt
I recently watched the movie of this book, and they did a wonderful job, and who doesn’t love Sally Fields?!
The book is about the unique friendship between Tova, who cleans the local aquarium, and Marcellus, an octopus who lives there. I hesitated to read this one at first, because I’m not a huge fan of fantasy, but I am so glad I gave this one a try!
The snarky thoughts of Marcellus combined with the sweet character of Tova, weave together a story of loss, love, and future possibilities. Several other characters enrich this story further.
I listened to this one, and the voice of Marcellus is genius!
Mary Jane – by Blau
This one is set in the 1970s and brought back so many memories for me! Mary Jane is a sheltered 14-year-old girl who enters her new job of nannying Dr. Cone’s 5-year-old daughter, Izzie. Through this job, Mary Jane is thrown into a life much different than her own. Until now, she only knows what her parents want her to know, and she is ready for more, even if she doesn’t know it yet.
As Mary Jane comes into contact with the Cones family and their summer guests, she learns a lot about herself and what she wants in the process. I loved this coming-of-age book so much!
When We Had Wings -by Lawhon, McMorris, and Meissner
This is another WW2 story, but it is set in the Philippines. Three nurses from completely different backgrounds think they’ve hit the jackpot with their job assignment. Oh, how wrong they were!
They end up serving in what became combat situations, and ultimately captivity, and they make a difference in the lives of those they come across through their jobs. They help each other in untold ways, and keep themselves and many others alive in dire circumstances.
Big Lies In A Small Town -by Chamberlain
Two timelines. Two women. Two completely different circumstances. Morgan is a wrongfully convicted criminal in 2018, and Anna was an artist in 1940. They are both trying to prove something in entirely different ways.
What is the connection? Why did Anna disappear, and where is she now?
The Scent Keeper -by Bauermeister
This book was very intriguing to me. It reads almost like a fairy tale, but it is really just a great story. A little girl and her father have lived on a remote island alone. When circumstances change, and the girl, now a little older, is suddenly back in the real world, she has her sense of small to help her learn new things and remember her past. There is love, mystery, family, and friendship all wrapped up in this great story.
Best Books for Fall: Non-fiction
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Lansing
This book is the most amazing story of Earnest Shakelton and 27 of his men as they trek through the worst winter conditions for 850 miles to safety. I could not put this down! It was such a great book of survival and kinship through the worst of times!
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Fraser
This is a biography put together from several actual physical resources by Fraser―the editor of the Library of America edition of the Little House series. She weaves together facts she found in her research to tell the “real” story of Laura, her nuclear family, her life, her marriage, and finally her relationship with her daughter. I don’t read many biographies, but I loved the Little House books as a child, and I actually now use them in my classroom as a teacher.
This book ties together LIW’s life in a way that tells a story, albeit a fairly harsh tale. As an author, Wilder smoothed out several of her storylines, but this book tells the truth, and I learned a lot! If you enjoyed her books as a child, you should read this!
Between Two Kingdoms by Jaouad
This book is a memoir written by someone who had big dreams and plans, only to be slapped down by a terrible diagnosis and not given much time to live.
As I read this one, I remember being in awe of Suleika as she navigates horrible circumstances. I am not sure I could have been so brave myself. This is a story of survival, and then figuring out what is next! Fun fact: she is married to Jon Batiste! They put together a music documentary about a difficult year they had in 2023.
The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Katz
This was so interesting! Three important men, and their very interesting daughters met in Yalta in 1945, For those who have forgotten their history, the Yalta Conference was a gathering of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin to decide how to win WW2. Another main player was Averell Harriman, the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union.
Churchill, Roosevelt, and Harriman each brought a grown daughter with them. These young women were “each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days.“
This book was so interesting, and I learned so much about an event I had never heard of. We can thank these men and their daughters for the winning of WW2!
I read this one right after The Daughters of Yalta. And, it was the perfect follow-up.
Roosevelt died two months after Yalta, and Truman was vice president. So, he was literally, suddenly, put into a leadership role for which he was so underprepared. Roosevelt had shared nothing with him! Obviously, Truman knew that there was a war raging all over the world, but he had no specific knowledge of anything. Vice presidents were not included in much at this point in history.
This book only covers the first 120 days of Truman’s presidency, and he did so many amazing things in this time frame. Starting with being told he was suddenly going to be president and them trying to get him sworn in (it’s a whole story), to ending the war in both Europe and the Pacific, it’s a crazy ride! I had no idea so much happened in those days! “No other president had ever faced so much in such a short period.” of time.
Best Books for Fall
I hope at least one of these books finds its way into your hands!
There are so many best books for fall!
Related posts for best books for fall
Best Books Set In Winter To Enjoy
9 Best Gadgets for the Midlife Reader
30+ Christmas Books to Enjoy in Midlife
25 Days of a Cozy Christmas In Midlife
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