With the fall season comes the desire to curl up beside the fire with a cat and nice cup of coffee. But then it begs the question: What literary adventure will you embark on these treacherous months? Fear not, for I have you covered with the best books for you to read this fall.
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- A secret history by Donna Tartt
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The Secret History centers around the main character, Richard, as he joins a new Ancient Greek class lead by his new charismatic professor, and gets swept into a group of wealthy, affluent students as their obsession with Greek tragedies grow more and more real.
Largely a satirical book commenting on the ridiculousness of the super- rich and their customs. The Secret History is definitely a book worth checking out.
Now the Secret History is not exactly a new or short book, god forbid Donna Tartt write a book shorter than 500 pages. But the steady, visual writing style and dark academia aesthetic makes this book a must- read if you want to feel like you’re running through the walls of Oxford University in the wee hours of the morning. Isn’t that what fall is all about, anyways?
Rating: 9/10
Writing style: 10/10
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- Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
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If you have TikTok then you have most definitely heard of this book. It’s been translated from Japanese into a short and sweet read that will leave you feeling warm and satisfied. It centers around a cafe in Japan that allows people to travel back into the past should they sit at a specific table. The catch: They can only stay there while their coffee is still warm, hence the name, and cannot get up from their seat.
Before the coffee gets cold has a slow and steady pacing with incredibly loveable characters and moments. You will not regret reading this book.
Rating: 7/10
Writing: 7/10
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- The miracles of the Namiya General Store
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Another Japanese translated text (are you sensing a pattern here?) with a beautiful message and a time travel element. The Namiya General store focuses on a group of thieves taking shelter in the store where they realise they have the ability to communicate with people from the past through the letters sent through mail flap. It tells the tale of small butterfly effects from the past and touches on the idea that everybody has a purpose in this life and if you haven’t found it, maybe you haven’t been looking hard enough.
Now, unlike Before the coffee gets cold, the translated version was very well- written. It was incredibly engaging and comforting read. While you may get confused at times due to the time travel aspect, it’s definitely a book worth checking out if you’re into books that deal with the psyche of human emotion and life.
Rating: 9/10
Writing: 8/10
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- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
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The Atlas Six is a story about six people with various magical powers or affinities that are chosen to compete to be part of a select group that have access and protect the famous Library of Alexandria. However, this selection process will only accept five of them, with the one eliminated being killed.
While I have my apprehensions when recommending the Atlas Six on account of me incredibly frustrated with the characters throughout, the element of fantasy and knowledge was introduced in a very creative way and the personas were entertaining throughout. The Atlas Six has the same energy as the Secret History where its dark and unnerving in its execution.
Rating: 7/10
Writing: 7/10
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- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
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My favourite book in this whole list will most definitely be the Night Circus. It tells the story of two people, with magic, who have been selected as children to compete. In what? You’ll never really know. You’ll follow them as they travel with the magical Night Circus all over the world.
I will never get over how beautiful this book was. Every page was a mystery and a gift. Reading the summary above you might expect this book to be cliche and expected but it was filled with so many twists and turns that you will never get tired of it. The writing style fits the energy of this book so well.
Rating: 10/10
Writing: 10/10