Although I generally fail when it comes to TBRs, I enjoy the thrill of selecting books and curating a list of books that sound interesting or have been recommended to me. For my 20 books of summer project I read a total of 10 books from the selected 20, but instead of beating myself for it, I’ve decided to start afresh. Recently I’ve come across bloggers and vloggers making seasonal TBRs that cover several months instead of making set lists of books that they try to complete in 30 days. Inspired by this, I’ve compiled my own list of ten books that I’m excited about and that I believe will be perfect for the upcoming autumn months. Autumn is the time when I usually get back into classics and pick up heavier books, both in size as well as subject matter. Hence my autumn picks are divided into three genres:
- Classics
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – I’ve owned my copy now for over 2 years, and have been putting the book on my TBRs for approximately a year. I shall read this. It is decided.
- Anna Karenina – My big book for the summer that I, unfortunately, had to put down. But since I got to the half way point during summer, there’s still hope that I’ll finish this by the end of the year. I just need to commit to it.
- Stoner – It’s a bit odd to call this a ‘classic’ seeing that it surged in popularity only recently. However, based on what I’ve read so far, this seems like the perfect autumn read.
- Crime
- Career of Evil – Sadly, there were no beaches for me this summer, so my beach read of the summer will have to become a late-night-with-tea-and-quilts read.
- In the Woods – I bought this just recently, and I want to delve into Tana French’s writing. I’ve heard great things, and if I enjoy it, I’ll have five more books to go in this Dublin Murder Squad series.
- The Secret History – I won’t be returning to uni this autumn, so I’ll need my fix of university literature.
- Contemporary fiction
- The Vegetarian – I have it. I want to read it. QED.
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – I love me some Tim Burton, and seeing that the film adaptation of this book is coming out soon, I want to know what to expect.
- Oneiron – Oneiron was one of the first books I purchased in the beginning of the year and, like A Little Life, one that I had been waiting to get my hands on for some time. It was the winner of last year’s Finlandia prize and in general one of the most hyped, loved and criticised book of the year. Now that the hype is gone, it should be the perfect time to read this.
- Uprooted / Remains of the Day / Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow / The Trial – Okay, so I have too many books that I want to read and cannot decided which one to add as my tenth pick. I’m hoping to get to at least one of these, better yet maybe two or three. Uprooted has peaked my interest with its Polish setting and interesting heroine, Ishiguro is on my 2016 TBR, Miss Smilla a book that I’ve owned almost since the beginning of my studies in university and The Trial a book in German that I’ve been meaning to get to (plus its short and a classic).
What are you planning on reading this autumn? Do your tastes change with the seasons or am I the only one affected by this? I’d love to hear about you’re reading in the comments! x
My God! I thought I was dreaming: you finally posted something 😛
I remember before I started reading books seriously, when I was considering which classics I should start with, I was really interested in Anne Bronte’s novel. I don’t know if it will feel quaint, but it sure appeals to me more than her sisters’ works.
The Vegetarian definitely is high on my list of books I want to finish before the year ends.
Once I’m done with Tender is the Night – which is absolutely beautiful – I will start Remains of the Day. Everybody keeps raving about this book. It won the Booker Prize after all!
The Trial and Anna Karenina though completely different from each other are very memorable reads!
Haha! Yes, the blog ain’t dead yet.
Based on what I’ve heard from other bloggers, Anne is the least known Brontë sister and I hope I’ll enjoy her novel more than Wuthering Heights. I remember you giving high praise to Anna Karenina, so I want to give the novel another try – this time with more dedication and focus. Now that I’m already familiar with most of the characters, it should be easier for me to sink into the story!
A good selection of topics and styles. Remains of the Day is wonderful – very understated writing and a superb example of an unreliable narrator
I don’t currently own a copy of The Remains of the Day, but I will try to hunt one down as soon as I can, so that I can experience the Ishiguro magic.
I’m also planning to read Anna Karenina….soon. Actually I’ve been planning it all year, but I just can’t bring myself to commit, and also I keep finding other books I want to read right away.
I read Uprooted early this year. It’s a light, enjoyable read. Remains of the Day is a great book, but its tone is a bit subdued.
Good luck with your reading!
Anna Karenina is the only “Russian” book I’ve managed to get through, and then more than once! I find the others have too many characters, all with too many names (War and Peace was a nightmare and got abandoned about half way through!), AK is the best one to read, especially if you’ve never (succeeded in) read the Russians!
Thanks, that’s very encouraging!
Thank you! And yes, Anna Karenina is on my 2016 reading list too. I thought I’d have time and energy for it during the summer months, but alas no. I guess one of the reasons I eventually put the book down was because my hard cover edition was too heavy to carry with me on my travels.
I hope to enjoy Uprooted – I’m not expecting greatness per se, just a good story. Something to break up the long list of classics 🙂
Fortunately my AK copy is a paperback 😁. I’m taking a trip soon which will include plane rides and long waits in airports and I’m wondering if it would be a good book to bring….?
Yes, if you don’t expect too much from Uprooted, you’ll enjoy it. It’s kind of a YA fiction, I think or, though not entirely, it’s borderline YA. Looking forward to your review of it. 😊
Definitely! If you want to sink yourself into the story and feel like you’re moving in among the 19th century Russian upper-classes, then I’d recommend it as a travel book. (But just in case, pack also another one.)
I never specifically choose which book I’m going to read next – it feels like homework if I do and I instantly hate the book, which I would probably have enjoyed otherwise!
I know what you mean. I enjoy challenging myself with the “homework reading lists”, but if I also realise that sometimes it’s best to just let fate guide me to my next read.
These all look great! I agree that it’s helpful to break down the massive TBR into achievable goals – I have done this recently myself. The Secret History is one of my absolute favourite books so of course I highly recommend it and really hope you enjoy it!
Thanks! I know many people who name The Secret History as one of their favourite books, so I need to get on that. Thank you for your recommendation 🙂
I saw the trailer for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and that it had Eva Green!! I freaking love Eva! (Or at least she was just stunning in Penny Dreadful!! What a great show!! Am I getting sidetracked or what o.O …) So I had a hmm burning desire to read the book! I’m a sucker for fantasy and YA but I really enjoyed Rigg’s writing…very peculiar.
I like reading something darker during summers and during festivities 😀 Dark and sad books keep me happy.
My autumn TBR: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (really looking forward to it!), Red Rising, Six of Crows. Nonfiction: The Gene by Siddartha Mukherjee & Einstein’s Cosmos by Michio Kaku. At least. Hoping to find Murakami’s Underground from some library but sees like I’ll have to buy it. Also have a bunch of classics…East of Eden, Call of the Wild, The Painted Veil to read but I think those will have to wait until next year.
Haha! I look forward to seeing what’s so peculiar about the writing 😀
I find it funny that so many readers are drawn to crime and suspense novels in the summer, but I guess I also do kinda understand why. However, I did read Gone Girl over Christmas couple of years ago, so I guess that counts!
I enjoyed Throne of Glass, but I haven’t yet got the urge to continue on with the series. Oh, and The Painted Veil – love the film and especially the cinematography, so I should also make an effort to read the book.
Well 😀 maybe not the writing, but definitely his imagination is peculiar. Yeah summers are just depressing otherwise… I haven’t seen the film either! But I’ve heard ab lot of good about both film and the book.
Ooooo, you have such a great TBR for fall! I read The Remains of the Day earlier this year and thought the writing was fantastic, it’s also pretty short. I may need to make a fall TBR as well after reading this post 🙂
Thanks! Everyone seems to be loving The Remains of the Day, which is making me even more excited to read it! I look forward to reading about your TBR, if you do make one 🙂
Great Selection, my personal favorites are The Vegetarian, In the Woods, and The Remains of the Day. So good, but if you want heavy, you got it with those. I also recently finished Anna Karenina, and it took me about a month and half, and I’m happy to report that it is well worth the read. Enjoy your books 🙂
Thanks! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the ones you mentioned, and I now look even more toward exploring them 🙂
So many good books on here- hope you enjoy/enjoyed anna karenina, remains of the day and peculiar children!
Great list! Thanks for sharing!