Cosy books that’ll make you feel autumnal
If you’re like me, then September is a sign that autumn is officially coming. I love autumn. From woodland walks with crunchy leaves underfoot to homemade hot chocolate by an outdoor fire to sitting beside the window with your favourite book and the pitter-patter of the rain. Autumn feels like coming home.
Round about now, I pick out my Autumn TBR (to be read) pile and start reading cosy books that’ll get me in the autumn mood – alongside some episodes of Gilmore Girls, of course.
I am posting about some of my favourite autumnal books. So here they are!
1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
“Here today, up and off to somewhere else tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you, and a horizon that’s always changing!”
Wind in the Willows
I love books set in nature, so it’s no wonder I love Wind in the Willows. For over a century, The Wind in the Willows and its fall-in-loveable characters, Mole, Water Rat, Badger, and Toad, have accompanied readers on adventure after adventure. Hailed as one of the most enduringly popular works of the twentieth century, this story is a classic of magical fancy and enchanting wit. If you want to feel cosy and for an adventure in the woods, this book is for you.
2. Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
“He aches to think she has lived before him, that she exists apart from him.”
Circus of Wonders
A historical fiction fantasy with a little bit of cosy romance, what more do you need? It’s 1866. In an English coastal village, our main character, Nell, picks violets for a living. An outcast of the community because of the speckled birthmarks across her body until the Circus of Wonders arrives in her village.
I enjoyed reading this book, cosied on the sofa under a blanket with candles and a hot drink. There’s something about circus settings that gives me all the autumnal vibes.
3. October, October by Katya Balen
“We can stretch our sounds so that they reach the very tops of our tallest trees and down to the secret-filled earth and so that they tangle in the brambles and skim across the pond because this world is ours and we are alone.”
October, October
October October is a hug in a book. It’s one of my favourite books of all time. I have to read this every year. Not only does it have an autumnal month in the title, but the illustrations by Angela Harding and the cosy writings of Katya Balen will have you falling in love with autumn all over again.
Here’s the blurb, as I simply could not do the book justice:
October and her dad live in the woods. They sleep in the house Dad built for them and eat the food they grow in the vegetable patches. They know the trees and the rocks and the lake and stars like best friends. They read the books they buy in town again and again until the pages are soft and yellow – until next year’s town visit. They live in the woods, and they are wild. And that’s the way it is.
Until it isn’t.
4. Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
“Bees blew like cake-crumbs through the golden air, white butterflies like sugared wafers, and when it wasn’t raining a diamond dust took over which veiled and yet magnified all things”
Cider With Rosie
I’m cheating a little here, as I haven’t finished this book, and I’m about halfway through at the moment. Cider with Rosie is a charming memoir of Laurie Lee’s childhood. Laurie grew up in a remote Cotswold village with his single mum. The book follows the story of the two, navigating the every day during the Great War. We meet some interesting characters along the way in this tight-knit community, and I’m here for all the food descriptions and beautifully written prose.
5. Sheets by Brenna Thummler
“Grownups are skilled in making terrible things seem great.”
Sheets
For the first graphic novel on the list, I had to include Sheets by Brenna Thummler. The pages are pieces of artwork after artwork with beautiful illustrations in purple and blue tones that you’ll want to dive right into.
Sheets is set in a laundry house, and we follow two main characters: Marjorie, who feels like a ghost, and Wendell, who is a ghost, a ghost wearing a sheet. These two become beautiful friends battling their own disasters but bringing a little light to each other along the way.
I fell in love with the two characters and was captivated by page 1. Wendell is my favourite ghost, who isn’t just here for Halloween.
6. Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James
“Some people see a bookshop as an archive, or a shrine, or even a time machine. But I think a bookshop is like a map of the world. There are infinite paths you can take through it and none of them are right or wrong. Here in a bookshop we give readers landmarks to help them find their way, but every reader has to learn to set their own compass.”
Tilly and the Bookwanderers
Ever wondered what it would be like to meet some of your favourite bookish characters? Alice from Wonderland or Anne of Green Gables? Well, Tilly does just this with a spot of book-wandering. This book will make you want to curl up on the sofa, and you’ll probably forget about that hot drink you made as you won’t be able to put this down, not even for one sip.
Eleven-year-old Tilly has lived above her grandparents’ bookshop ever since her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Like the rest of her family and us readers, Tilly loves nothing more than to escape into the pages of her favourite stories.
7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Remember when I told you I love books set at the circus? Well here is another one. Except, this is my favourite circus book of all time, and actually, one of my favourite ever books of all time.
“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.”
The Night Circus
The Night Circus is like stepping out into the bitingly cold air of an autumnal evening, wrapped up in your favourite scarf and thickest fluffy socks. Your cheeks are pink from the wind, but you’re on your way to toast marshmallows by the fire with some of your favourite friends. The Night Circus is utterly mesmerising.
Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves and is only open at night. This book is your pass to see the magical circus and perhaps even join it…
8. The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
“Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.”
The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
A fantasy for readers of all ages looking for a magical ride that’s unforgettable, mystical, brave, and so very cosy.
We follow Twelve-year-old September, who was used to her ordinary life until her father went to war and her mother went to work. Not so long after, September is greeted by a Green Wind, who invites her on an adventure to Fairyland to help save its people. I recommend joining this whimsical ride of a lifetime; it won’t disappoint.
9. Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of my favourite Studio Ghibli films, so naturally I HAD to read the book that inspired the movie.
“I’ve come to believe that everyone has some type of magic inside them. If a person can find their magic and lovingly cultivate it, they’ll truly feel alive every day. There is magic inside each and every one of you, too— I believe that.”
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Half-witch Kiki never hides from a challenge. On her thirteenth birthday, Kiki sets off on an adventure to find her new home for the year, a witch’s tradition. Alongside her witty but dedicated black cat, Jiji, they leave on a broomstick to the seaside village of Koriko. With a bakery for a home and new townsfolk to help, Kiki makes new friends and learns things about the world and herself in the process.
This book makes your heart feel warm, your belly grumbles for the sweet treats, and the illustrations are incredibly cosy. And with a witch and a black cat to prepare you for Halloween, what’s stopping you from picking this delightful read-up? Now, I need to give this book another read and the film another watch.
10. Chew by John Layman
Sometimes, in the course of this job, you’re going to eat terrible things, all in the name of justice.”
Chew, Vol 1
Probably the weirdest one on my list, Chew (illustrated by Rob Guillory), was one of the first graphic novels I ever read, and I fell in love with the series instantly. The book is slightly insane, but I’m not complaining. It’s incredibly moorish, much like apple pie, but you’re not quite sure why, as it’s also a little disturbing – in a good way.
Our main character, Tony Chu, is Cibopathic. Not heard of this before? Me neither. It means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he’s a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn’t mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit and why. You’ll chew this book up in one sitting and go to your nearest bookstore to purchase the second volume, then the third.
So why is it cosy, Rose? Honestly, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s the mystery you want to solve alongside Tony Chu or the insane journey the book takes you on. Still, either way, you’ll want to dig out your comfiest jumper and find your favourite autumn snack to munch on as you constantly exclaim, “what the hell?” as you turn one page at a time.
And that’s just a few of my favourite books to get you feeling cosy for autumn. Honestly, I could have written about hundreds, but I’m not sure you’d want to read a list of 101 books to prepare you for autumn.
I’d love to hear about your favourite books for autumn, as I’m constantly looking for new recommendations. Please let me know in the comments, and I’ll be sure to check them out.
Remember to check out my TikTok, where I often post curated lists of themed books.
I hope you have a lovely autumn when it arrives, with some cosy books and tasty reading snacks.
