My 2018 Fall Reading Picks!

It's no secret that I love to read, especially during the fall and winter!  There is just something so joyous about snuggling up with a good book while the air outside is cool and crisp.  What better way to celebrate the changing seasons with a super atmospheric book to give you all the fall and winter vibes?  As I do every year I put together five books that I think would be great to read alongside the sipping of your pumpkin spice latte!

1. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

This is a book that I will recommend ANY time of the year because I love it that much.  It is easily my favorite book I have read all year if not my favorite book of all time.

Till We Have Faces retells the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche and ultimately translates into allegory concerning the one True God and His relationship with man.  Although, personally I think that readers can come to many different interpretations involving all Divine Persons of the Trinity.

The retelling starts with the love between two sisters.  The older and uglier sister, Orual demonstrates a pure yet possessive love for her beautiful younger sister, Psyche.  Because of her great beauty Psyche is chosen to be a sacrifice to a monster known as the Shadowbrute.  Heartbroken, Orual is determined to give her sister a proper burial and so after the sacrifice she sets out to find her body but instead she finds a still living Psyche who tells Orual that the Shadowbrute is not a monster but a loving god who has taken her as his bride.  Orual is filled both with anger and jealousy as she becomes convinced that her sister was stolen from her.  Thus Orual sets out on a path that brings both destruction and redemption.

Guys, this book WRECKED me, in the best possible way!  C.S. Lewis is such a gorgeous storyteller and compels you to think deeply in ways you never thought possible.  I sobbed the entire last half and plan to reread it many more times throughout my coming years.  I cannot recommend it enough!

"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer.  You are yourself the answer.  Before your face questions die away.  What other answer would suffice?  Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words." 

-C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces

2. Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin

I don't think there is anything more perfect for fall than a classic fairytale retelling and Snow & Rose is just that.  This is a retelling of Snow White and Red Rose and tells the story of two sisters who's father one day disappears into the enchanted woods just beyond their home.  While the two sisters try to navigate their broken hearts and their mother's sorrow they find themselves thrown into the mysteries of the enchanted wood and it's binding spells within.  Will they find a way to break it's curses?

This book is so incredibly charming and immersive especially because it contains illustrations.  The illustrations are beautiful and totally swoon worthy.  I promise you will not be disappointed!

"Snow and Rose didn't know they were living in a fairy tale-- people never do." 

-Emily Winfield Martin, Snow & Rose  

3. The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero

I don't find myself picking up a whole lot of WWII fiction but in my opinion the best time to read it is during the fall and winter because it can be so atmospheric.  This book follows a doll named Karolina who lives in the land of the dolls.  One day her world is taken over by war and she is whisked away to another world experiencing it's own war, Krakow, Poland.  In Poland she befriends the man responsible for creating her, the Dollmaker.  Together, Karolina and the Dollmaker who posses magical abilities join together to help hide Jewish families being threatened by Nazi control.

This book is so heartbreaking and yet it's told with such magic and whimsy that you can't help but feel hope the entire time you are reading and in the end it is most definitely a story about hope!

"You can destroy a person, Karolina, but destroying their story is far more difficult.  No one is ever really lost as long as their story still exists." 

-R.M. Romero, The Dollmaker of Krakow 

4. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

The last two books on my list are two that I have never read before but am looking forward to reading this season!  The first one is The Hazel Wood.  It follows a girl named Alice and one day after the death of her grandmother, a famous fairytale author her mother too goes missing.  Alice learns that her mother has been taken by a mysterious figure who claims to come from the fictional land found in her late grandmothers tales.  Alice teams up with her classmate Ellery and together they dive straight into the mysteries left behind by her grandmother in order to rescue her mother.

I love the idea of this book for fall because of the dark fairytale aspect.  I also love reading books about books or books about mysterious authors.  I'm thinking this one will be a lot of fun!

"Look until the leaves turn red, sew the worlds up with thread.  If your journey's left undone, fear the rising of the sun." 

-Melissa Albert, The Hazel Wood 

5. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Uprooted centers on a quiet village set in a valley surrounded by a dark and dangerous forest.  The village has secured protection from the forest by a wizard known as the Dragon.  However, the Dragon demands payment for his services every ten years.  Each decade the Dragon approaches the village and choses one young maiden to serve him.

No one knows the motives behind each choice the Dragon makes in choosing his servant but Angieszka was never suspected to be chosen.  However, this choosing, Angieska seems to be the target.

I have heard SO many great things about this book!  It just seems so adventurous and I am so excited to pick this one up!

"There was a song in this forest, too, but it was a savage song, whispering of madness and tearing and rage." 

-Naomi Novik, Uprooted 


Well those are my top five reading picks for fall I hope I have inspired you to pick up one or two of them.  Let me know if you have already read any of these!  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Wishing you the best fall reading season, see you next time!