Hello fellow bookworms πΒ It’s finally fall so I’m currently thriving, as I love this season with all my heart! Starting with this post I have a Series of fall-themed posts prepared and I’m so excited for all of them and I hope you will like them too π As I’m really getting into the fall mood I’m starting with a post about what things I like to do in Fall every yearΒ because I always write myelf a lisr with what I would like to do. I love to have bucket lists for winter and fall so I actually take time for myself and relax. However, I also wanted to recommend a few books while I’m at it, that would be the perfect seasonal reads!
Take a hot bath π
I have become such a bath person this year, which is so surprising as I used to not take baths at all and only shower for a majority of the time. However, ever since I saw Zoe’s 24 Hours Reading Vlogs she has convinced me to become a bath reader! Obviously I couldn’t take a hot bath in Summer, because TOO WARM, but now that it’s finally fall it’s time for my weekly bath π I find taking a bath to be excellent for winding down and taking care of myself, I usually have some bath salt or something else to put into the water & I also light some candles to create a relaxing atmosphere! I can only highly recommend it, if you have a bathtub that is, especially as there are no distractions, which is why I get so much reading done!
Reading Buddy for the Tub π
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πΒ Laybrinth Lost (Zoraida Cordova) Whar I like most about this book is that it’s very immersiveΒ and easy to get through, which makes for a relaxing reading time in the bath. Plus there are witches (or brujas like they are called here) in the book, that created a really spooky and eerie atmosphere, which I loved!
πΒ FangirlΒ (Rainbow Rowell) I love Fangirl a lot and I reread it every fall season right before school/university starts again. Even years later I really relate to Cath and her story will always have a special place in my heart, so this book never fails to calm me down and make me feel better.
Cozy up with a blanket & hot drink π΅
I love to get cozy! Just give me some blankets and pillows and I will bury myself under them like a content cat π I also feel like fall is generally very good for self-care for me, as I can make myself feel all cozy and safe, that’s definitely easing my anxiety. I just feel very at peace this season in a way that I never feel in summer. I LOVE rainy days, when it’s dark outside and you can wrap yourself in a blanket and just forget about the world. I also drink A LOT of tea and hot chocolate, even more than usually! This weather is also perfect for reading and the picture above is truly my aesthetics when it comes to that! This is basically my idea of a perfect afternoon!
Books to cozy up with π΅
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π΅ Harry Potter Books (J.K. Rowling) Rereading a childhood favorite Series is a good way to get all cozy and I definitely have to do so sometime soon. It has been way to long since I picked up a Harry Potter book and I very much love them (despite JK Rowling being a hot mess all the time now). Something about them always makes me feel better!
π΅ The Problem with Forever (Jennifer L. Armentrout) I loved this book when I read it last year and it’s definitely one that you can binge-read in one sitting. I like this author in general and this is one of her best books, because it has such a likable protagonist and a really pure and lovable romance!
Get spooky for Halloween π»
I love Halloween, so I’m always trying o get in the spirit when October nears! As some day is not a lot to get all spooky, I usually ger myself into the mood the week or so before by watching some spooky movies (nothing scary like horror movies, I cannot watch them at all without getting anxious), decorating my room and baking something for Halloween! My favorite thing to bake is the Brownie Graveyard, it’s SO delicious, you have to check out the recipe! I also like to come up with creative ideas for spooky food. I go all the way when it comes to Halloween! That means investing in some spooky clothing (I have a really cool bat sweater), as it always makes me happy. What can I say, Halloween is one of my favorite things in October!
A creepy read to get you in the mood π»
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π»Β Scythe (Neal Shusterman) This author generally likes to write books that are terrifying (just look at Unwind) and Scythe was not exception. It might seem like a utopia at first (with death being “conquered”), but it’s not and there are very bad things happening. You can expect secrets, betrayal and lots of murder – this book is a wild ride!
π»Β My Plain JaneΒ (Ashton, Hand, Meadows) This isn’t a very scary book, but it deals with ghosts, so its perfect for Halloween. I loved the setting and the eerie atmosphere it carried, which was perfect for the amount of secretsΒ that were kept. I definitely love the ghostbusters meets historical fiction vibes that I got from this book!
Decorate for Fall (Collect leaves and chestnuts) π
My absolute favorite thing to do in fall is to go outside into the crisp autumn air and take a walk. There are several chestnut trees in the village that I live, so I usually visit them and collect the chestnuts and sometimes a few walnuts as well. I’ll also pick up the prettiest fall leaves on the way.Β At home I’ll then decorate a lot with them and other decorations that I have in general (my favorite way to spend money is on decorations). There is nothing better than makingΒ my room look like fall ha finally arrived and improve its coziness. That’s why I love fall so much: everything is cozy and warm if you are inside! I can make myself feel safe and also have some great colorful decorations to improve my mood, I always feel better in fall than in summer.
Aesthetic Fall Cover π
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π An Enchantment of Ravens (Margaret Rogerson) Not only does this book have a fairy who is the literal prince of the autumn court, but the cover’s colors are so perfectly fall that I cannot look away. The cover is absolutely stunning and the story in general gives me great fall vibes.
πΒ Windwitch (Susan Dennard) This is the ultimate fall cover, as it has everything rig there: several leaves floating in the air, a thunderstorm and all the autumn colors. Nothing has ever been such a fall aesthetic. Windwitch is the sequel to Truthwitch and a really great book too, so you should definitely check it out!
Carve a pumpkin & bake a treat π
I always carve a pumpkin this time of the year (directly before Halloween to be specific) and I love it, even though I’m not too advanced with my carving skills. I go for the basics and then put it outside on our balcony at night and light a candle in it, so it can shine and look pretty! It honestly calms me so much and I love to see that I successfully made something! I also always bake (the Brownie Graveyard that I mentioned above) something spooky for Halloween, as I love baking and eating delicious treats! I love Dan and Phil’s baking videos (mainly because I’ve been subscribed to them for a long time and as they are also not baking pros), they have a few for Halloween that you can check out! I hope to bake again this year, which is a bit difficult as I don’t have an oven in my flat π§
Enjoy a snack with this book π
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π Sightwitch (Susan Dennard) I just realized that I have two Witchlands books in this post now, oh well π I think Sightwitch is also the perfect read for enjoy with a cupcake or brownie, because it’s written in such a unique format. It has lots of cool illustrations and offers insight into the world of the books! Always great to munch on something while you figure out all the theories this introduces too!
π Cinder (Marissa Meyer) It’s perfect because of the pumpkin, you know? π In general I like Cinder because it’s such a quick read and an introduction to one of my favorite Series! It’s a very creative retelling and the rest of the Series is even better (it has lots of humor and banter), so you should definitely give it a try!
Light candles & put on the fairylights π―
I love candles A LOT and no other season is more perfect toΒ light them than fall. I usually have a lot of candles in stock, but I love buying those that have the fall scents, because I specially love scented candles! Yankee candles are the best, but they are also very expensive so I ten d to go for a cheaper brand that the supermarket has! I also use a lot of tealights and of course fairy lights. I know a lot of people use them all year, but I tend to only bring outΒ my fairy lights in winter and fall for some reason, mostly because it adds to the general coziness. I burn through quite a lot of candles each fall but it’s totally worth it!
Book to light up your day π―
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π― My Lady Jane (Ashton, Hand, Meadows) This is one of the funniest books I have read this year and it definitely lit up my world when I read it. I couldn’t stop reading and so this became an unexpected favorite of mine! This offers a humorous perspective into the life of Lady Jane Grey and therefoe reinvents some of the history in a way that is super fun and cool!
π― I Was Born for ThisΒ (Ashton, Hand, Meadows) After everyone recommended this book to me, I had to read it and ended up really loving it! I read this in a day and it was so relatable that it warmed my heart, even though it also deals with a lot of serious topics. The book definitely gets it what it’s like to be young and is very relevant, especially when it comes to fandom!
What do you like to do in Fall? Are you a seasonal reader? If so, what books do you like to read this season?Β π
GAHHHHH this is such a fun post Caro!! I just love all the fall things you do… This month I decided to do instagram more intensely to see if I would continue or shut my account… so I went to the hobby story for decorations…. GAHHHHHHHHH so many perfect things!! And many of them don’t work so I had to resist… I just love that you decorate and go all out… And that brownie video was too cute! I need to try that recipe… β€
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Thank you so much, Dani!! β€π Decorations are surely a lot of fun to make, even though I have never been good at that, so I usually just buy them π I also have to restrain myself so I don’t buy to many things at the store π I love Dan and Phil’s baking videos, they are always a lot of fun and I hope you try out the recipe, it’s delicious ππ
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This is such a brilliant post Caro, I love how you’ve paired fall activities with the perfect books to read for the occasion! π I don’t think I could ever read while relaxing in the tub (both because I prefer showers and because I’d be too worried about dropping my book in the bath), but building a blanket fort of sorts with plenty of pillows and duvets and just staying all warm and cosy while it’s cold outside is the idea of a perfect afternoon for me, and well I haven’t read The Problem with Forever so maybe that could be a good book to pick up one afternoon. π
Again great post, and great recs too. π β€
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Thank you so much! β€ I had a lot of fun coming up with the fall activities and the books I wanted to recommend π I have to admit that I’m a bit worried about accidentally dropping the book in the bath, but luckily it hasn’t happened yet *fingers crossed* π Blankets are definitely the safer option and feeling cozy with the book is the absolute best thing about fall for me π I highly recommend it, it’s such a great contemporary and the romance is so slow burning and swoon-worthy π
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That’s all right. π Well fingers crossed that never happens. I feel like that would kind of ruin whatever book it happened to (some of mine have had a little water damage but nothing as bad as a drop in the tub).
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I so love this post Caro!!!! Brilliant and I love the books. You made me swoon with your bathing owl. Things I like to do in fall….surl up under the blankie with a good book and some chai π
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Thank you so much!! π I had a lot of fun writing it π It took me a while to find the bathing owl gif, but it was worth it, because the owl is soo cute π That’s the way to go!! I really need to try out more chai, I think I would like it! π
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Love this post!
That picture with the blanket + hot drink… that is literally just the perfect nest, including the rain outside π
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Thank you so much! π It really is the perfect nest, sooo cozy π
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Yes to all these things! I also love how you paired each activity with book suggestions π
I love this time of year and couldn’t agree more about Halloween β€ I've been watching scary movies (but not too scary because, like you, I cannot stand horror) and reading creepy books since the beginning of the month and I can't wait to start decorating my house!
I think nature's the best place to get everything too ^^ Great post, hon!
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Thank you!! ππ
Halloween is sadly over now, but I really did enjoy watching a few lowkey spoky shows and watching a spooky movie on Halloween itself – I had lots of candy and ghost shaped fries, it was amazing! I hope you had a great Halloween as well π
Nature can be soo relaxing! Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! π
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I love how into fall you are! I feel like I always skip fall and jump straight from the summer mentality to the winter one once the weather gets cold, but I really should appreciate fall more, especially with all the holidays I have coming up in the next few months π An Enchantment of Ravens really does have a beautiful cover perfect for fall! Is the story as beautiful as the cover, though?
I enjoyed reading through all your fall plans and book recommendations! π
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I’m really living for the colder seasons – fall and winter – every year π I have to admit that fall is usually busy though, with university starting again and having to give up relaxing, to get in the work π I really liked An Enchantment of Ravens, it’s such an atmospheric book and the main characters & their romance really warmed my heart π
Thank you! ππ
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I recently read The Problem with Forever and thoroughly enjoyed it! I listened to the audiobook and it was fantastic. I’m also listening to the audio for Winter right now, and The Lunar Chronicles is easily one of my favorites this year.
I adored the cover for An Enchantment of Ravens, but the story was meh for me. I felt like they walked through the woods a lot without much happening.
Harry Potter is something I try to re-read every fall, and this year I’m reading them to my son! It’s been a blast, and we watch the corresponding movie after each book.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?
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I had no expectations going into the book, but it turned out to be such an addictive read! I also loove all the Lunar Chronicles books, they are among my favorites for this year as well! π
Oh no, that’s unfortunate, the book is very polarizing, but it does give off the strong autumn vibes π
Oh that’s amazing!!! π I really have to reread the books as I somehow never did that and the last book I think I’ve only read once π±
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Ahh, this is such a lovely post, Caro π I wish we had something like fall here too. Though technically the season is Autumn the condition are totally different from you guys. It is raining a lot here and we don’t get to see the autumn vibes with all the brown landscapes.
We don’t celebrate Halloween either so that’s a totally different thing for us.
Fangirl is on my TBR for so long and I don’t know why I don’t pick it up. But hopefully I’ll pick it up soon π
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Thank you so much! π Oh no π± I’m glad that I’m getting all the autumn vibes, even though this year has been very dry and hot, so it was soo warm in October and our river is really dried out too π I hope you enjoy Fangirl! I reread it serval times now and it always warms my heart π
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Great recommendations for both the activities and the books!! I love Fall too β€ My favorite of these has to be getting cozy with a blanket and warm drink β€
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Thank you, fall is just the absolute best season! ππ I loove getting cozy so much, especially with a hot drink π
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Okay, wow. It’s taking me way too long to finally comment on this post, I’m sorry! You already know that I really loved it as I told you all of that on Twitter so I won’t repeat myself there. xD But yeah, I really enjoyed this post and you have some fantastic ideas for the fall season – for sure! I’ll also quickly glance over the bath section – we’ve discussed that so many times already. xD
Cozying up is one of the best things one can do, for sure! And the second you add a hot beverage (coffee, always) to it, it gets even better! Do you get so much more reading done when you’re all nice and cozy too? I can spend HOURS reading and not even realize that much time has passed because I’m all nice and cozy. π
See, I’m more of a Christmas person. I don’t really do anything for any of the other seasons and/or holidays – at least at the moment. Who knows if that’ll change once I get more decorations for the other seasons too. I DID get a bit of Streudeko though and made a little display which adds a nice bit of autumn inside my apartment. π I’ll have to look at into decorating with natural materials from outside because that sounds like a ton of fun and doesn’t cost any money! π
I’m already worried about all the baking I’ll do come Christmas. xD I think it’s no secret that I’ve been doing it a lot recently and it’s not even BAKING SEASON yet. I’ve never heard of the recipe you shared but now I’m curious! I’ll have to check it out for sure – I’ve never had brownies either.
Oh, fairy lights! I have mine out year round (or like, two of them) but I don’t ever actually turn them on. They just sit in their little vases until Christmas comes around and I go all out with fairy lights. xD As I said, Christmas is the season that makes me the happiest. Everything you said about autumn, is how I feel about Christmas!
Again, amazing post and i can’t wait to read your other posts in this series!
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Donβt feel sorry, it took me very long to answer too π Thank you so much, Iβm very glad that you ended up liking the post so much!π Haha yes, I live for the bath reading now that it’s finally cold enough to take a hot bath π
I can definitely get a lot of reading done when I’m super cozy as well! I often need to be relaxed to get my best reading done (it totally doesn’t work when I’m agitated or nervous for some readin), so blankets and hot drinks are my best friend π
I’m 500% a Christmas person, IT’S GETTING FESTIVE ALREADY SWETLANA ππ Seriously though, my town is already assembling the Christmas decorations! I do like usuing natural materials a lot though, as I don’t have as many decorations for fall as I have for Christmas π
I think I’ll have too many PlΓ€tzchen for Christmas … I don’t even have to bake them as my grandmother goes into a baking frenzy each year and bakes enough to feed us for months π You’ve never had brownies?? π± These ones are definitely a great way to start, they are the best π
I have a lot of fairy lights and now that the evenings get darker, I put a lot of them on, they just make everything so cozy! Christmas is my favorite season as well! I adore fall, but Christmas will always be my absolute favorite, it just makes me feel so good as well ππ
Thank you so much!! (I’m lowkey already thinking about what to post for Winter/Christmas Season π±)
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I love this post! It put me in such an autumnal mood π I took your recommendation to re-read Harry Potter and it’s super cozy!
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Thank you so much, I’m glad I could put you into the autumnal mood! π I definitely have to reread Harry Potter as well, it’s the ultimate comfort read π
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