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Fall Book Recommendations

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In Five Years

By Rebecca Serle

A New York Times Best Seller, this enthralling novel by Rebecca Serle is a must-read to add to your reading list this fall. 

This book follows the life of Dannie Kohan — a young, determined corporate lawyer living in the heart of Manhattan, who has everything planned out. The novel’s intro follows Dannie as she interviews for the job of her dreams, nails the interview and then gets proposed to by her long-time boyfriend, Ben. As she falls asleep that night in her NYC high-rise apartment, with a new ring on her finger and a new job on the horizon, she feels as though everything is falling into place according to her strategically thought out five-year plan...but when she wakes up she’s in an entirely different apartment, with an entirely different man. Five years later. 

This novel has such a unique storyline and is bound to keep you on edge from start to finish. Despite it being almost 300 pages, I read this book in only a few short hours because I just couldn’t put it down. This is the perfect book for a cozy fall day of reading. Grab a blanket, a snack or a hot cup of coffee and indulge in this story about relationships, the complexity of life and how things don’t always go according to plan — no matter how hard we try to sort out all of the details. 

This book can be purchased at your local book shop, any large book retailer, Target or Amazon. 

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The Guest List

By Lucy Foley

Next up: another New York Times Best Seller to add to your reading list. This thriller novel is a murder mystery that’s perfect for a gloomy fall day. 

The story is set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, where guests gather to celebrate the wedding of a rising TV star and a magazine publisher. The whole event seems a little too perfect, until someone is found dead. 

I can’t go into too much detail about this novel for the risk of giving everything away, but just know that it’s an easy, fast-paced read that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. It's the perfect guessing game type of novel that I’d recommend to anyone who loves a good game of “Who done it?” 

This book can be purchased at your local book shop, any large book retailer, Target or Amazon. 

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Normal People

By Sally Rooney

This novel by Sally Rooney will break your heart...in the best way possible. 

This book, set in Ireland, follows the lives of Connell and Marianne — two students who pretend to not know each other at school, but have an intense, intimate and secret physical and emotional connection outside of school grounds. A year later, they’re attending the same college in Dublin and their circles continue to cross. Even when they drift away from another, they always seem to find their way back. 

While that synopsis may sound somewhat cliché, it certainly doesn’t do this book justice. I thought about and contemplated every aspect of this novel for days after finishing it. It’s simultaneously heart wrenching and miserable, but I think that’s why it’s so good. 

If you’re looking for a love story that explores both how beautiful and painful relationships can be, I highly recommend this book (or anything else written by Sally Rooney). 

This book can be purchased at your local book shop, any large book retailer, Target or Amazon. 

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It

By Stephen King

You can’t have a fall reading list without a little bit of horror, right? If you’re into spine chilling horror novels, anything by Stephen King is a great option. “It” is an oldie, but a goodie.

Originally published in 1986 and since made into a film series, this book follows the experiences of a group of children from Derry, Maine, who were terrorized by an antagonist portrayed as Pennywise the Clown — an entity that can shape shift, manipulate reality and is only able to be seen by children. 

This book is creepy, terrifying and suspenseful. It’s extremely long and full of vivid descriptions, which makes this story more of a slow read. While this isn’t my favorite book in the world, it’s an honorable mention for those who want something petrifying to get them in the spooky, fall spirit. 

This book can be purchased at your local book shop, any large book retailer, Target or Amazon. 

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The Murder House

By James Patterson

For those who love thrillers or murder mysteries, this book is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing for every turn of the page. This is the only book I’ve ever read by James Patterson, and I’m definitely invested now and want to read more of his work. 

The story follows detective Jenna Murphy, a former NYC cop, who returns to the small beach town of Southampton to work for the police force under the supervision of her uncle and Chief of Police, Langdon James. Murphy hadn’t been back since her childhood, but her memories come back piece by piece throughout the course of the novel to reveal a twisted reality.

The book is set around an abandoned, multi-million dollar gothic estate along the beach known as 7 Ocean Drive. The mansion is infamous for many gruesome and unsolved slayings that Murphy is determined to solve.

The chapters in “The Murder House” switch back and forth between the perspective of Detective Murphy and other characters in the book, including the unknown killer, who refers to himself as Holden, who still walks the streets of Southampton. This aspect of Patterson’s writing immediately invested me in the storyline because I was able to get into the head of the deranged individual and see things from their point of view. The chapters are also very short, which made the book a super quick and easy read, despite it being around 450 pages.

This novel was everything I wanted it to be — mysterious, suspenseful, twisted and a definite page-turner. I was pretty much hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t put it down. 

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a thrilling fall read who loves suspenseful novels, murder mysteries, true crime or just an overall captivating plot line. 

This book can be purchased at your local book shop, any large book retailer, Target or Amazon. 

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(The Whole) Harry Potter Series

By J.K. Rowling

For some reason, re-reading old favorites is something I tend to do occasionally at the start of a new season. The series of Harry Potter novels is a childhood favorite that I cling onto and have the urge to go back to every so often, just because of the warm feeling of nostalgia it brings me. I associate Harry Potter with the fall season because, growing up, I would read them on fall breaks from school and then have movie marathons of all the films while at home with my siblings — with popcorn and blanket forts, of course.  

This series needs no synopsis, but I highly recommend reading the Harry Potter series if you haven’t already, or re-reading and indulging in one of your old favorite novels or series that you haven’t read in awhile. The sweet sense of nostalgia that comes with it is somewhat comforting and a great way to spend a restful fall day. 

This series can be purchased at your local book shop, any large book retailer, Target or Amazon. 

There’s nothing like a good book to cozy up with and revel in on a fall day. Check out the books above if you’re looking for some must-reads that you won’t be able to put down.