Take Ten: Emma
Emma is a North Carolina native who got her BFA in Creative Writing from UNCW and plans to get her master’s degree someday, hopefully before she dies. She is an avid reader and sometimes-writer and loves all things spooky and/or classic. Emma is best known for being the tallest QRB employee (with purple hair) and always talking about her fat cat. At any given time, she is reading four books at once and has at least seventeen books on standby. Her October Take Ten is her favorite fall reads!
I love a good historical read for the fall, and The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell exceeds all expectations. Prepare to be sucked into 1500s Renaissance Italy and obsessed with Lucrezia's story. An intimate portrait of a young woman who has to fight both to live and survive.
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom is the witchy cold weather read. It's spooky and atmospheric, and the epitome of a Good For Her book. There is no better read to kick off the fall season.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern might just be the loveliest book I've ever read. There is no book quite so effervescent or immersive as this one, and I would love nothing more than to live in its pages forever.
I have a favorite Jane Austen book for every season, and there is no fitter pick for fall than Persuasion. It's nostalgic, bittersweet, melancholic, and always read best with a warm mug and soft blanket.
If you're going to read one scary book this October, let it be Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I don't scare very easily as an avid horror reader, but this one really kept me up at night, and made me highly suspicious of my cat for weeks after.
Monogamy by Sue Miller is the depressing fall read you've been longing for. It deals with death, infidelity, love, family, all with grace, humor and heart-breaking honesty. Proof that ghosts aren't always people - they can be guilt and grief and possibilities.
League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton is the blueprint for witchy romances. With the additions of pirate rivalries and heavy-handed Jane Austen references, this is my absolute dream book.
Half-Baked Harvest Every Day: Recipes for Balanced, Feel-Good Meals by Tieghan Gerard might just be the most decadent, easy-to-use cookbook that exists, and filled to the brim with spiced pastries and autumnal soups. A necessary buy to prepare for cold weather comfort food.
Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith is the spookiest, most out-of-my-comfort-zone book I've read in a while. I love a good multi-generational Vietnamese ghost story, and this one is the best of the best. It's heady, gothic, and absolutely terrifying.
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin is a must-read for any season, but something about end of the world sci-fi/fantasy just screams autumn to me. It's confusing and complex and so utterly unique - if you haven't read N K Jemisin, you're cheating yourself out of the best time.
