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Hello Hello! How are you?
Today I am back on the blog with a really exciting post and one I haven’t done in ages… a book TAG I used to love writing these soo when I saw that Jenny from JenJen Reviews had done a really fun one with an autumnal theme, I knew I needed to do it as well!
I’ve had a search and neither Jenny nor myself can find the original creator of this book tag, so if you happen to know who it is, please let me know in the comments so I can credit them!
Now without further ado, keep on reading for my take on the It’s Finally Fall book tag, which was really fun to write and took me down memory lane for a few of these books.
In fall, the air is crisp and clear | Name a book with a vivid setting!
The Haunting of Aveline Jones (#1) by Phil Hickes
I read this book in August and one of the things I remember the most was the creepy and cold atmosphere and the multitude of feelings I got throughout this story. It is definitely the perfect spooky read for a chilly autumn night and the setting by the sea just made it so much more vivid. I really liked this book and the author did a great job of conveying the spookiness through the atmosphere and setting!
Nature is beautiful… but also dying | Name a book that is beautifully written, but also deals with a heavy topic like loss or grief.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
I read this book a few years ago and it has stayed on my favourites list since then. This was a stunning book that really gripped me and even if the actual event leading to the themes of grief and loss only happened at the end, there was a constant feeling of impending doom and sadness that made the book really unique. At its core, it is a beautiful story for children and adults alike about losing a loved one but finding yourself as well, and I just adored everything about it. I think it is time for a read!
Fall is back to school season | Share a non-fiction book that taught you something new.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
If you know me, you know I have a slight (read very big) obsession with true crime and anything to do with the process of catching a criminal. I read this nonfiction true crime story last year I believe and while it was very intense at times, leading me to have to put it down and breathe for a while, it taught me so much about the legal world, how police catch killers and other criminals through DNA and lots of other scientific and technical methods. This was a chilling tale, but I took away a lot of knowledge about the justice system, so I’m very glad I read it, I definitely recommend it if you’re into true crime too and don’t mind vivid descriptions of crimes.
In order to keep warm, it’s good to spend time with the people we love | Name a fictional family/household/friend group that you’d like to be a part of.
The Ex Hex (#1) by Erin Sterling
I’m still only halfway through this book (it was on my October TBR and I didn’t manage to finish it in time), but I am loving the dynamics and relationship between the main character, her cousin and her aunt. These are all women witches, they are sassy, they are determined and passionate and they love each other a lot, even if they don’t always show it. I love the female dynamics and all the witchy vibes I’m getting from this family, so I would adore being part of this group!
The colourful leaves are piling up on the ground | Show us a pile of fall-coloured spines!
Here is a small pile of some books, half of which I have read and the other half has been gathering dust on my shelves! I did my best with what I had at my disposal, but this reminded me I still have a lot of books on my TBR, so I should get reading them!
Fall is the perfect time for some storytelling by the fireside | Share a book wherein somebody is telling a story.
The Name of the Wind (#1) by Patrick Rothfuss
This is the only book on this tag that I haven’t read yet, but I’ve heard time and time again that it is about an old man retelling his life, and that fits the bill for this question/prompt. I love the premise of this book and have been meaning to read it ever since I was gifted it at Christmas a year ago (or maybe the year before, YIKES!) I’m going to put it at the top of my 2023 TBR because I need to know more about this story!
The nights are getting darker | Share a dark, creepy read.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Another book from my 2021 reads and this one was AMAZING! However, it chilled me to the bone and made me jump and hide my eyes a lot of times (lol, I was a bit of a wimp during this book). This is definitely dark, it is definitely creepy, spooky, atmospheric, and a really good horror/mystery for the autumn months. I hadn’t read any books by this author before, but this one made me want to pick up all their backlist and new releases as soon as possible. If you like spooky books with unexplainable events that make the tiny hairs on your arms rise up and if you don’t mind feeling like you’re being watched when you read it, then jump right in, it was so good!
The days are getting colder | Name a short, heartwarming read that could warm up somebody’s cold and rainy day.
Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior
I’m pretty sure I read this book back in 2020 and I have very fond memories of it. It is a very unusual kind of read for me, as it is a contemporary sort of women’s fiction with an adventure and penguins and death and grief at the end that made me sob my heart out. It is, despite the sadness at the end, a really heartwarming read that made me feel all fuzzy and warm and when I look at it on my bookshelf I can’t help but smile. It was beautiful and if you’re not afaid to cry like a baby while reading this, then I highly recommend it.
Fall returns every year | Name an old favourite that you’d like to return to soon.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you’ll know that one of my absolute favourite books of all time is Les Misérables by Victor Hugo – and yes, the UNabridged version. I read this for the first time when I was about 13/14 and it has stayed with me ever since. I’m due a reread soon, so this was the perfect tag to remind me that my old friend awaits me on my bookcase, and I should listen to my head when it keeps screaming “READ IT” even though I don’t have much time!
Fall is the perfect time for cosy reading nights | Share your favourite cosy reading accessories!
Ooooh, this is a great question/prompt! Autumn is my favourite season of the year because it means I can get out all my snuggly pyjamas and socks, throw a blanket over my legs, sit in front of the fire with a good book and a cup of Apple and Cinnamon Tea or a lovely hot chocolate. Other great accessories I’ve been enjoying lately have been a little scented candle or an incense stick burning near me, as I love how the very light scents make the room feel cosy. I also really like using my diffuser with essential oils. And of course, if you know me, you know I can’t possibly forget a few little people… a.k.a my two cats and my two dogs. They are the final elements to a perfect cosy reading evening in my house.
I tag:
Candyce from The Book Dutchesses
Kimberly from Roaming the Pages
That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading this post and please feel free to do this tag yourself even if you’re not tagged and link back to this post so I can read your answers!
See you soon, stay safe,
Ellie xx
This is such a fun tag! I have complicated feelings about a lot of true crime media (some of it just feels incredibly exploitative without regard for victims and families tbh) but I am very interested in various fields of forensic science, which is definitely true crime adjacent! I read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark this summer and really liked it, less because of any details about the crimes and more so because I found it fascinating to meet all the people involved in crime writing and solving and what drives someone like Michelle into an obsession with it. It’s definitely a true crime classic and I’m very glad I read it! Within the same more true crime-y space, I also highly recommend A Killer by Design by Ann Wolbert Burgess, she’s a forensic nurse and was heavily involved in establishing the FBIs original Behavioral Science Unit and profiling as a tool! Her book is a super interesting look at FBI history, how profiling actually works and also some of the cases she worked on, so maybe that’s something you’d enjoy as well!
I completely agree, sometimes true crime can feel really yucky and really wrong, but I loved I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, it felt so different! Thank you so so much for the recommendation, I’ll add it to my TBR! It sounds fascinating!
Ohhh, this is such a fun tag and so appropriate (the weather is finally going full autumn now after a week of warm out of season warmth). Love your answers and love seeing Aveline Jones and Home Before Dark on there, those were such fun/amazing books. Currently waiting for Amazon to send me my pre-order of book 3 of Aveline Jones (hurry up Amazon XD).
Yes!!! It was such a fun post to write.Thank you, I really loved all these books, I need to continue the Aveline Jones series soon! 🙂