For our fall book club, we're leaning hard on the idea that books have magical powers to take us new places.
Particularly places where leaves change colors, chilly breezes blow, and temperatures don't remain in the 90s when we wish autumn could just march in already.
We can dream, right?
Our next round of reads will be far more casual than our Summer Reading Challenge for Grown-Ups, which if you missed, is still worth checking out. Lots of great Tucson-inspired titles there.
For a new season of reading, we recruited several Tucson book people to recommend 10 titles with fall vibes. Because we are pretty done with 100-degree days.
Read one or read them all β and then share your own "feels-like-fall" books in the Facebook group, #ThisIsTucson Book Club. Post your mini-reviews and recommendations in the group as you go. We're in this together, people.
So grab a book, sip that PSL (thanks, Starbucks) and maybe, just maybe, we can all pretend it's actually autumn.
Rebecca
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Author: Daphne du Maurier
Who recommended it: Morgan Miller, Antigone Books owner
Why she recommended it: "It has a fall feel because it takes place in a old mansion on the English coast that's haunted by the memory of its devious and beautiful former mistress, Rebecca de Winter. It's a chilling and an extremely entertaining, horror / mystery classic that will engross a reader in any season, but is especially perfect for fall. (Our Feminist Book Group happens to be reading this title for their Oct. 27th meeting, and anyone is welcome to join)."
Goodreads rating: 4.21 stars
Find it here.
A Wind in the Door
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Who recommended it: Morgan Miller, Antigone Books owner
Why she recommended it: "I just started reading 'A Wind in the Door,' by Madeleine L'Engle, which is the book in the Time Quintet immediately following 'A Wrinkle in Time.' I'm only a quarter of the way through, but it is definitely giving me a fall feeling. The Murry children are back-to-school after their initial adventures through time and space. The story begins with mysterious visitors in the vegetable garden and a dragon-like creature that can disguise itself in broad daylight as a flame, or as a gust of wind through a doorway..."
Goodreads rating: 4.05 stars
Find it here.
When the Lights Go Out
When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica
Author: Mary Kubica
Who recommended it: Jillian Cantor, Tucson author
Why she recommended it: "I love curling up under a blanket with a good psychological thriller, and Mary Kubica's are among my favorites. I love her newest book 'When Lights Go Out,' about a woman trying to uncover the mystery of her past after her mother's death, while also plagued with relentless insomnia. Plus, the Chicago and Egg Harbor settings make me think of a chill in the air!"
Goodreads rating: 3.5 stars
Find it here.
The Secret History
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Author: Donna Tartt
Who recommended it: Adrienne Celt, Tucson author
Why she recommended it: "When I think about fall, I can't help thinking about school: The cycle of a new academic year beginning just as the seasons are winding down toward winter. 'The Secret History' is a modern classic, ticking all the autumnal boxes: Cool weather, changing foliage, college classes, and, in this case, murder. (Maybe 'murder' isn't exactly autumnal, but it does make for a good read.) Now that I no longer have an academic calendar to mark time by, I have to find those thrills and chills in books."
Goodreads rating: 4.09 stars
Find more info here.
Class Mom
Class Mom by Laurie Gelman
Author: Laurie Gelman
Who recommended it: Karen Greene, Pima County librarian
Why she recommended it: "Very snarky take on what life is like for the class mom and trying to rein all of the parents in."
Goodreads rating: 3.70 stars
Find it here.
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen
Author: Maya Van Wagenen
Who recommended it: Karen Greene, Pima County librarian
Why she recommended it: "This young woman has it together β I wish I could have been this cool of a nerd when I was her age."
Goodreads rating: 4.03 stars
Find it here.
The Name of the Wind
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Who recommended it: Karen Greene, Pima County librarian
Why she recommended it: "He is just a great storyteller. It feels like you are sitting around a campfire and the tale just goes on and on. I definitely think of campfires and camping when chilly."
Goodreads rating: 4.55 stars
Find it here.
The Boy Who Drew Monsters
The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue
Author: Keith Donohue
Who recommended it: Karen Greene, Pima County librarian
Why she recommended it: "This is just a creepy story. So creepy that I could only read it during lunch with the lights on. And it just felt like a desolate, cold story, like you feel when fall hits and leaves fall off trees and the water is freezing and you just want to be warm inside. But there is no warm inside with this story."
Goodreads rating: 3.48 stars
Find it here.
A River Runs Through It
A River Runs Through It by Norma Maclean
Author: Norman Maclean
Who recommended it: Laura Fitzgerald, Tucson author
Why she recommended it: "Even though the novella takes place in summer, it's the perfect book to enjoy while sipping hot apple cider. It's a story you experience more than read. I feel an ache in my heart the whole way through because the writing is so beautiful and the story is so sad. It captures a time and place and the love one can have for one's imperfect, ill-fated family. Whether or not you've seen the movie, treat yourself to this glorious novella. There is a wisdom and grace in this story that I have rarely found in other books."
Goodreads rating: 4.17 stars
Find it here.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Author: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Who recommended it: This Is Tucson staff
Why we recommended it: "The Guernsey Book" as we've taken to calling it, is kind of cycling through our staff right now. If you're sick of 90-degree temps, this book will transport you to a small island in the English Channel just after World War II. The characters are charming and the small town is dreamy β a perfect formula for the warm fuzzies we long for in the fall. Plus, there's a Netflix adaptation. Bonus.
Goodreads rating: 4.14 stars
Find it here.
