Your Fall Reading TBR Has Arrived

Mysteries, romances, and cozy escapes to curl up with this season.

Sep 17, 2025

Midweek Musings is a cozy mix of book recs, library lists, and reading reflections. Thoughtful updates I’d share at a playdate or while browsing the shelves with a friend.

There’s a particular kind of magic to fall reading, isn’t there? The days get shorter. The sweaters get softer. Suddenly you’re craving stories that feel like comfort food. A little mysterious, a little romantic, always cozy.

Maybe you're curled up on the couch with a blanket, your go-to candle flickering nearby, and the sound of wind tapping at the window. Or maybe you're sneaking a few pages between school drop-off and soccer practice. However you're finding your reading time lately, I hope this list gives you something to look forward to.

Here are books to build your perfect fall TBR. Sorted by vibe, because we love a mood-based rec system around here.

Cozy Witchy Reads for Fall

If you love books filled with spells, witches, and magic, cozy up with one of these under the autumn moonlight.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna – A grieving witch inherits a quirky magical inn and finds healing, enchantment, and chosen family. Cozy, heartwarming, and full of charm.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - Cozy fantasy at its finest. A burned-out librarian opens a spell shop in a seaside town. Found family, magical herbs, and bookish charm. Feels like if Legends & Lattes had a coastal witch cousin.
Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck
A bookshop owner discovers she’s part of a hidden magical lineage in her charming Southern town. Think Gilmore Girls with spells and sassy dialogue. Pure fall comfort.
The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling – A witchy rom-com with enemies-to-lovers tension, small-town charm, and plenty of autumn magic.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston – A ghostwriter who can see ghosts (literally). Part paranormal, part romance, all heart.

Books with Small-Town & Cottagecore Vibes

Want the small-town feel of baked goods, flannel shirts, and slow living? These books are basically fall in paperback form.

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller – Apple pie, Vermont foliage, and new beginnings.
A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss – A seaside inn, second chances at love, and all the cozy British coastal village vibes.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett – A mother shares the story of her former life and love while harvesting apples with her daughters.
The Late Bloomers’ Club by Louise Miller
Small-town New England, baking, a local mystery, and fall fairs. Like Gilmore Girls meets a Hallmark movie—but more grounded.
Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy – A quiet, tender look at the woman who raised Anne.
Autumn by Ali Smith – More of a feeling than a plot, but a poetic tribute to the season.

Cozy Mysteries with a Fall Feel

Murder, secrets, and a little mischief—these are your “just one more chapter” kind of reads.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – Snowbound friends with secrets...and one of them ends up dead.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
A lovable, meddling tea shop owner finds a dead body in her shop and decides to investigate herself. Warm, funny, and full of heart—think The Maid with even more charm.
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
A retired group of elite female assassins are targeted by their own organization and must outsmart everyone to survive. Witty, fast-paced, and full of clever twists (with the same smart-fun tone).
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala – A culinary cozy with family drama, snarky humor, and just enough autumn coziness to balance the murder.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Lush, unsettling, and gothic in all the right ways.

Dark Academia, But Make It Autumn

Give me moody libraries, secret societies, and morally gray characters in cable-knit sweaters. These dark academia picks are perfect for a chilly fall night.

The Cloisters by Katy Hays – A secretive museum, an eerie tarot deck, and the slow unraveling of ambition. Gilded autumn light, creeping tension, and plenty of mystery.
The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl – Fairytale-inspired boarding school mystery with sapphic romance, gothic charm, and autumn atmosphere.

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee – Gothic dorm rooms, witchy lore, and a haunting mystery set at an all-girls boarding school. Dark, atmospheric, and quietly queer.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo – Secret societies at Yale, ghosts that lurk in the shadows, and a fierce heroine determined to survive it all. Dark, atmospheric, and haunting in the best way.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead – Six college friends reunite for their reunion… and someone is ready to unearth the secrets behind an unsolved murder. Sharp, twisty, and full of dark academia tension.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio – Shakespeare-obsessed theater students and a tragedy that slowly unfolds. Lush, haunting, and full of autumn melancholy.

Your weekend challenge

Pick one book from this list, just one, and actually block out time to read it. Not because you “should,” but because it feels good to let yourself get lost in a story again. Put your phone down. Light the candle. Reheat the coffee. It doesn’t have to be a 24-book sprint. It can be one chapter that reminds you who you are.

Let me know which one you’re choosing. I’ll be over here with a warm bevvy and The Spellshop, waiting for the leaves to change.

The Second Act is an entirely reader-supported publication written and created by Danielle Wraith. Click here to subscribe or gift a friend a subscription here (if a friend sent you this —tell them thanks!). Anything you want covered? Questions? Reply with a comment below! You can also find me on Instagram. Please come say hi!