FIELD NOTES
Ah, first day of fall. I don't know about you, but fall is when my reading list starts getting a little out of hand.
I blame the weather. The minute the mornings get cooler and the evenings arrive a little earlier, I start thinking I have plenty of time to read everything I've been meaning to read. This is, of course, completely unrealistic. But it doesn't stop me from making another list.
So I put together a fall reading list with a little bit of everything: classics, contemporary fiction, mystery, poetry, a few books I've been meaning to get to, and one that happens to be my own.
I'm starting with what I'm most excited about: Threshing Day, Rebecca Yarros's new collection of thirteen stories from the Empyrean world. It comes out September 29, and I'm counting the days. I don't know what to expect from the stories within the book, but I was hooked on this series from the start with Fourth Wing.
Anne of Green Gables—it has imagination, comfort, and enough autumnal charm to make you want to find a porch and a cardigan.
I also included The Secret Garden, which feels particularly suited to the season. Its attention to nature, change, and new beginnings makes it an easy choice for a fall reading list. And yes, I realize I'm putting two books about young girls and the outdoors on the same list. I think it works.
Something you may have already caught on Netflix, Remarkably Bright Creatures is worth reading. It brings together unlikely friendships and second chances, with an octopus playing a surprisingly important role. I appreciate a book that takes the unexpected route.
The Thursday Murder Club is here for anyone who prefers their cozy fall reading with a little murder. Friendship, wit, and a mystery make a pretty good combination for an evening when the sun disappears at what feels like four o'clock.
I couldn't leave poetry out, so Devotions, Mary Oliver's selected poems, made the list as well. Her work has a wonderful ability to turn your attention toward the ordinary—the outdoors, a walk, a particular moment—and make you look at it again.
A few of the other selections take things in different directions.
Small Things Like These is spare and quietly powerful. The Midnight Library considers the lives we might have lived and the choices that shape the one we ended up with. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is about books, second chances, and the people who change us along the way. And Interpreter of Maladies brings together stories about connection, distance, loss, and belonging.
Then, toward the end of the list, I snuck in Unwelcome Company: A Collection of Strange Stories.
Yes, it's mine.
I promise I know how this looks.
But I've been working toward this collection for a long time, and it seemed only fair to give it a spot on my own fall shelf. Its six stories explore unsettling encounters, unexpected consequences, old loves, strange neighbors, and the occasional company you really would rather not have at your door.
And how could I forget Peculiar Stars another one by Rebecca Yarros, expected in November? A forced-proximity romance on a deserted island? A military man? Sign me up. This is when being a bookseller has its perks. First dibs. 😉
So that's the list.
A little comfort. A little mystery. Some poetry. Some difficult questions. A few second chances. An octopus. And, naturally, one book about unwelcome visitors.
Which is to say, I think we've covered fall.
What are you reading this season?
—Carolyn
Curious about these titles? They’re gathered into one convenient list at bookshop.org.
(Purchases made through Bookshop.org support independent bookstores, and Poplar & Prose may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
0 comments