Books for Fall

Once again we find ourselves at the turning of the seasons.  Kids have headed back to school, the days are getting shorter, and the temperatures are beginning to fall.  For many readers, this all means changes for the type of books we read.  Many of us put away our "beach reads" and instead reach for stories that evoke the cooling weather, the changing leaves, and the darkening nights that are approaching.

Over at the Melville House Blog, they have created a list of seven books that they think best suit this time of year.  They include the Gothic nonfiction Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, the American classic Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, the enduring Macbeth by William Shakespeare, and the cozy and mysterious Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.

My own reading list has been set for the rest of the year, and it also reflects the changing seasons.  Here is what I will be reading through the rest of 2013:

• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.  This early sensation novel was incredibly popular when it was first published in 1860 and it continues to be well loved among modern readers as well.  On a moonlit London Rd., Walter Hartright encounters a mysterious young woman dressed completely in white.  Little does he know that this chance meeting in the dark will entangle him mystery that will change his life forever.
• Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini.  From the author of the classic swashbuckler Captain Blood, this novel tells the story of Andre-Louis Moreau.  Raised by the French nobility, a tragedy drives him to join a band of actor and speak out against the power of the French Government.  
• The Professor by Charlotte Bronte.  Fall is Bronte time in my reading life.  After this one, I will have read every novel written by the Bronte sisters.  In Charlotte's first novel William Crimsworth (the professor) must make his own way in a world obsessed by money and manners.
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.  Capote recreates the investigation, the trial, and the execution of one of America's most famous and bloody crimes.  In 1959, four members of a Kansas family were brutally murdered in their home for no apparent reason. In what is possibly one of his most famous works, Capote explores their story and gives insight into the nature of American violence.

How is your fall reading shaping up?  Do you have any favorite books that scream "autumn" to you?  Share them with us!