Autumn Reading Wrap-Up!
every book I read from September - November
As someone with a closet full of maple sweaters and cozy cardigans, Autumn is easily my favorite season of the year. It’s cold enough to dress in fashionable layers and every cafe starts selling apple or pumpkin-flavored goodies. There’s Halloween, the turning of leaves, and suddenly I feel like I’m in a rom-com.
I recently started working at a bookstore. I spend my days surrounded by books, talking about books, shelving and organizing books, and recommending books. This helped me go from reading 1-2 books a month to reading 3-4. I never thought I would be someone who reads 30 books a year, given that I barely read one in my first two years of college, but I’m proud of myself.
So without further ado, here is every book/novella I read from September through November! I’ve already written full post-length reviews for some, and I’ll link them below. :)
A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek
read 8/29 - 9/3
☆☆☆☆
Read if you like: sapphic romance, fantasy settings, feminist retellings, gothic atmosphere
A lesbian retelling of Swan Lake where Odile and Odette fall in love—with added gothic horror. I enjoyed it so much that I requested we order and sell it at my bookstore! It’s a YA romance/mystery, and the author’s second novel. I can’t recommend it enough! Also, can we talk about this gorgeous cover??
Read my full review for this book here!
Mistborn: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
read 8/26 - 9/25
☆☆☆☆☆
Read if you like: unique world-building, high fantasy, female protagonists, romance, mystery
This is the second installment of Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy (and I still haven’t read the third, so no spoilers please!) and I love love LOVED it! It definitely takes a different tone than the first, and some of the lovable characters are sidelined for new villains and plots, but I read through the final act with my jaw on the floor. If you’re new to the fantasy genre, I can’t recommend Mistborn enough. It’s also perfect for seasoned fantasy fans who want something unique and are craving some air-punching hero stories.
TW: graphic violence, genocide/slavery
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L Peck
read 9/19 - 9/22
☆☆☆☆☆
Read if you like: religious horror, nightmare scenarios, survival horror, existential dread, labryinths.
A Mormon dies and descends to a Hell for a religion he’s never heard of. Trapped in an endless, labyrinthine library, he must find one specific book or spend forever in its halls.
This is hands-down one of the best books I’ve ever read and has snaked its way into my top-5-books-of-all-time, all while being a little over 100 pages! I’m thinking of writing a post just about this novella. Having grown up deeply religious before turning atheist, I find religion fascinating, especially religious horror. My only complaint is that I wish it were longer! (I would read a 400-page version, please Steven L. Peck, I’m begging you).
TWs: mentions of sexual assault, graphic violence
Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti
read 8/12 - 9/19
☆☆☆☆
Read if you like: sapphic romance, historical settings, gothic architecture, rivals to lovers
Two Gothic authors uncover each other’s identities and realize their mutual childhood crushes may get in the way of their literary rivalry.
This was a cute and steamy lesbian historical romance that had me smiling the whole way through, but I wasn’t in love with the story or characters as much as I’d thought I’d be.
If you want to know why, read my full review here!
The Extra by Annie Neugebauer
read 9/27
☆☆☆☆
Read if you like: suspense, mysteries, science fiction, short reads
10 people go on a backpacking trip, but when they wake up, they count 11 people present. Everyone can remember someone. Who is the extra?
I finished this novella in one sitting. It was a very stressful read (in a good way!) and was my staff pick at the bookstore for a month. The author is coming out with a sequel—though I’m not sure if it’s a direct continuation or just in the same universe—and I’m very excited to read more! I would have given it five stars, but I wasn’t a fan of the cliffhanger ending.
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
read 9/22 - 10/11
☆☆☆
Read if you like: body horror, queer-coded characters, fantasy settings, bizarre fiction
Three strange outsiders arrive at a castle under siege, bringing food of even stranger origin. Phosyne, the castle’s ‘madwoman,’ teams up with other unlikely heroes to try and figure out who these strangers are and how they took control of the castle.
The Starving Saints really nails its horror, but beware of the purple prose. There were MANY occasions that I couldn’t tell if something really happened or if it was a metaphor, and with a plot this convoluted and scenery so specific, it took me out of the scenes.
TWs: gore
The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas
read 10/4 - 10/24
☆☆☆☆
Read if you like: historical fiction, romance, supernatural horror, forbidden love
An absolutely enthralling historical horror about a woman who enters a mine and leaves possessed by something dark and ancient. It was my first Isabel Cañas read, and I can’t wait to read more from her! It’s a horror novel, yes, but it’s also a romance, a drama, and a metaphor for bodily autonomy and identity. The characters were multifaceted, the setting was perfect, and the romance had me kicking my feet in glee. It would have been a 5-star read, but I thought the ending was a little drawn out—still, I absolutely recommend it!
Root Rot by Saskia Nislow
read 10/24 - 10/27
☆☆☆☆☆
Read if you like: fungal horror, bizarre fiction, queer characters, literary fiction
Nine children visit their grandfather’s isolated house and fall one by one to the supernatural forces at work. Told from the perspective of “we,” Root Rot was an absolute rollercoaster, and I loved every second of it. It was haunting, gross, eerie, and every word served a purpose. It’s one of those books where you reread the first chapter and notice so many new details! It’s definitely on the literary end, and if you’re not interested in a novel that you really have to focus on, it may not be for you. But if you like fungal horror and similarly unique concepts, you’ll love this book.
TWs: child death
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
read 10/27 - 11/5
☆☆☆☆
Read if you like: thrillers & mysteries, unreliable narrators, true crime
A happily married woman shoots her husband in the face and then goes radio silent, never speaking again. A criminal psychotherapist takes an interest in the case and starts to obsess over the woman.
This book is insanely popular, and I’m very lucky to have received it as a gift. Though it was written pretty recently, the portrayal of mental health felt very 2009—words like psycho, crazy, etc.—and the final twist felt like a cheat, but otherwise, I really enjoyed the read. It kept me on my toes, but I don’t know if I’ll go back to the author.
The Forest of Missing Girls by Nichelle Giraldes
read 10/13 - 11/9
☆☆☆.5
Read if you like: body horror, mystery, female protagonists
Frankenstein meets folk horror: a young woman returns to her small hometown after a breakup and learns her mother may know more about the local missing girls than she lets on. It’s an entertaining read with body horror, family trauma, and a unique POV switch that I really enjoyed, but I wasn’t totally satisfied with this read.
I wrote a full review for this book. Read my full review here!
That’s all for autumn! I’ve officially reached 29/30 books this year, which I never thought I could do. I’m currently working on my last read, Never Whistle at Night, and am sneaking some chapters of The Midnight Vault in, too. I’ll be back next month with “The Best Books I Read in 2025!”
