I’ve been living that autumn life for almost a month now, with the kids back to school, but the calendar recently announced the official start to the season. Now I can drink my Pumpkin Spice Latte without reservation. #basiciknow

This week’s prompt for Top 5 Tuesday, hosted by Shanah @ Bionic Bookworm, is cozy fall reads. I’m digging deep into my reading archives today with five great book recommendations that are perfect for curling up under a blanket with a hot cup of the cozy autumn beverage of your choice.

Circling the Sun by Paula McClain | This is a bit of historical fiction about the life of Beryl Markham, who moves from England to Kenya as a child. Beryl lead such a fascinating life, almost like several lives in one, and this book covers a lot of time. You’ll get to experience her childhood in Kenya, her teenage and young adult years, love and loss, a lot of moves and major life changes. Pair it with Karen Dinesen’s Out of Africa (she features prominently in the story) and Markham’s own memoir, West With the Night.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie | Fall is a great time to curl up with a mystery and Agatha Christie pretty much reigns supreme in the world of Mystery Books. This one is a doozy that will keep you guessing until the end. It centers around a group of ten people who all find themselves whisked off to a private island for their own various reasons to meet with the eccentric millionaire host who is… no where to be found. It quickly turns into a murder mystery with a constantly changing list of suspects and victims.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan | I think most of Colgan’s books would be a fitting read for the fall, but this one continues to be my favorite. This falls more in line with a sweet love story than a serious piece of literature. This one is for when your brain is so full of fall To Do lists and busy schedules that you need something to relax into. Curl up with this one and enjoy a sweet love story, wanderlust for days, a little character growth and a lot of bookish references and bookworm scenarios we can all relate to.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer | I’m seeing this book pop up with regularity again after the release of the Netflix movie based on the book. I read this with my book club a million years ago and was blown away by it. We all pretty much wanted to hop a plane to Guernsey after reading this. It’s a love letter to books and a sweeping story that shows the lingering effects of war and how it changes the lives of people in so many ways. I sobbed my way through the Netflix movie recently and loved that as well – it’s been just long enough since reading the book that it almost felt like experiencing it for the first time all over again.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery | I think the fall is a great time to turn to classics and there are a lot of great ones to choose from, but Anne of Green Gables seems particularly well suited to autumn as she has such an appreciation for the seasons. Montgomery paints some beautiful visuals through the eyes of Anne Shirley. If you haven’t read the series yet, it’s definitely not too late to start. I read these books for the first time as an adult and I have increasing appreciation for them as my daughter gets older and I see the stories through the eyes of a mother as well as a girl. This one has also been adapted by Netflix and while I love the adaptation, I do have to stress that it’s almost more ‘loosely based on’ – there are a lot of new and changed elements that Anne purists could likely take issue with.

What kinds of books do you like to read in the fall?