Although fall has technically been here for about a month, it definitely hasn’t felt like it with the heat that October has been giving me. But as I sit here, with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, I can finally say that Autumn weather is here! It has actually been cold recently, I have even pulled out a couple of sweaters. We even had a real thunderstorm last week! Amazing! All of this means that it is finally time to participate in the Finally Fall Book Tag.
I completed this book tag on my blog almost two years ago, which you can read here. But I don’t recommend it, because I was very cringe back then. Let’s be honest, I still am, but by now, I am confident in my cringe. I can’t wait until I look back on these posts a few years down the line and say the exact same thing.
Anyway, I have always loved the prompts from the Finally Fall Book Tag, and I also love the huge amount of people who complete it every year, either on blogs or youtube. Feels like it brings people from the bookish community together. I remember searching for the creator of this book tag the last time I did it, and I was unsuccessful. So, please let me know if you know who the original creator of this tag is!
Also, if you like the Finally Fall Book Tag, maybe try another fun Halloween-themed book tag like my Halloweentown Book Tag! It’s a lot of fun if I don’t say so myself!
But anyway, let’s get into the questions!
In the fall, the air is crisp and clear: Name a book with a vivid setting
When I was reading The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, I could have easily thought that the world on the pages was right outside my window. This book had incredible world-building, probably the best I have ever read. With stories involving a lot of travel, and different geographical locations, it is super easy for me to get lost. I had no problem when it came to The Poppy War, however. Instead of hindering my reading, the setting enhanced the experience.
Check out my review of The Poppy War here!
Nature is beautiful, but also dying: Name a book that is beautifully written but also deals with a heavy topic like loss or grief
I was not expecting to love We Are Okay by Nina Lacour as much as I did. There was something so haunting and beautiful about the way Lacour wrote the grief in this story. Over the course of this short novel, the reader becomes deeply involved in the main character’s life and begins to care about her relationship with her former best friend. I absolutely adored this book, it quickly became one of my favorites. Also, ever since I read this book, I have been wanting to buy myself a peperomia plant.
Fall is the back-to-school season: Name a non-fiction novel that has taught you something
Unfortunately, I have not read a single non-fiction book in over two years, and before the only ones I read were for university, which I didn’t really read, I skimmed. So, I don’t actually have an answer to this question…
Got any recommendations for me?
In order to keep warm, it is good to spend time with people you love: Name a fictional family or household that you wish to be a part of
Okay, here me out. This book doesn’t exactly fit into this prompt because there is no real or found family I would be joining, but while I was reading The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, something inside me really wanted to move into the mansion with Darlington. I don’t know what it is, my attraction to dark characters with trauma, or my obsession with the dark academia aesthetic. But Let’s pretend I just wanted to move into the beautiful and large mansion, shall we?
Fall is the perfect time for storytelling by the fireplace: Share a book where somebody is telling a story
At the beginning of A Song of Wrath and Ruin by Roseanna A. Brown, a storyteller is telling a group of people an old tale. This small interaction frames this entire story, beautifully. This was a wonderful and immersive book, and as I listened to the audiobook, I felt like I was right there in the story, listening to a storyteller grace me with this epic while sitting my the fire.
Nights are getting darker: Name a dark and creepy read
I have not found a Riley Sager book that I haven’t enjoyed. Home Before Dark is a perfectly creepy and spooky read for October. I have always loved a good haunted house story, and this one was full of so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I am definitely planning on reading more Sager novels this fall, especially as we get closer to Halloween.
The days are getting colder: Name a short, heartwarming read that could warm up somebody’s cold and rainy day
The relationship that developers in The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa has to be one of my favorites. There is something so heartwarming about the small, found family that is created with the professor, the housekeeper, and the housekeeper’s son. This book made me feel all warm and cozy inside, and also a little melancholy.
Fall luckily returns every year: Name an old favorite that you’d like to return to soon
I will always read anything that Erin Morgenstern publishes for the rest of my life, no matter what it’s about. I would read their grocery list. This is why I was so excited a couple of years ago when they released The Starless Sea. This soon became a favorite book of mine, right next to The Night Circus.
Fall is the perfect time for cozy reading nights: share your favorite cozy reading accessories
- Cozy, fuzzy socks
- Pumpkin vanilla Creme candle from Bath and Body Works
- Warm cup of Tea
- Snack, preferably candy corn or cookies
- My dogs, do they count as accessories?
- All my Halloween Squishmallows
Feels good to feel the cool breeze coming in through my window as I do the Finally Fall Book Tag. I love completing tags multiple times over the years because I am always so interested in seeing how my answers change. I read more books and I find new favorites. It’s like a bookish time capsule.
Thanks for reading!
