I had a lovely summer reading anything and everything I fancied, but one day last week I sat in a cosy cafe sipping a chai and had a hankering to plan some proper Autumn reading.

Autumn reading lists can be very popular: Pinterest always has a few hanging around (hopefully this will join then, eventually!) and picking up a book, old or new, that can set you into a proper Autumn frame of mind is always a good idea. Especially in warmer climes, when the prospect of washing your woollen scarf, brushing down the fleece for morning walks or making quick flasks of chai to sip at the park instead of ice-laiden water seems a lot like that first glimpse of sea on a beach-side visit: you know it’s there, you can almost smell it, but it is still so enticingly far off you cannot just accept it!

This year’s reading list is a specifically chosen mix of books I’ve had in my stacks and that have lain unread, books I know will give me the La Rentree feel I demand in an Autumn novel and new (to me) books that may/may not be added to my long term, permanent Autumn reading list.

I did cheat, and start on the list in the first week of August: I was in Durham, surrounded by the susurration of fast-drying leaves on the trees and beginning to anticipate re-entry into real life. I’ll need a decent book to replace the social media that I (hope to) keep to a minimum. I’m re-reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt and wondering how on earth no one has made it into a mini series yet. It’s excellent: as good as I remembered it from twenty years ago. But I’m getting ahead of myself….

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: A group of classics students with a desire to experience a Bacchanalian feast cross the line between acceptable and absolutely not. It reminds me a little bit of Brideshead Revisited, possibly for the close-confined college atmosphere, or the attitudes of some of the characters. Whatever. It’s very good, in a gothic, Nietzschean nightmare sort of way.

The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan. This has been in my stacks for a few years, I bought it back in December 2019 and yet seem never to have read it. Gratitude is always important to me, and I think I will be keeping it front and centre of my life this year because in a world going to pot it behoves me to be grateful for every little thing I have.

Autumn Light by Pico Iyer. Subtitled ‘Japan’s Season of Fires and Farewells’, this one was a mystery pick based solely on the fact that the book fell across my path at some point and the blurb, as well as the simplest of covers, intrigued me. I love Katherine May’s Wintering and I think I’m hoping for a similar capture of the emotions and effects of a season in this one.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: This one was listed on a couple of the Autumn Reading lists I was scrolling through in search of inspiration but truly it intrigued me when I looked it up as well. I’ve never read any of her books, but this 1950s gothic, deeply creepy, pulsating write ups on Amazon persuaded me it might be worth a read. I’m saving this one for October evenings, when the darkness has shifted and the candles in the living room dance to the breeze through the curtain gaps.

The Good House by Ann Leary: There are truly too many good books in the world and it is easy to get so caught up in reading the latest one that you miss so many in the publishing maelstroms of past years. This book dates from 2013, intrigued me, had a good write up on Amazon and has (apparently) had a film made of it. I think in 2013 I was busy working and we were setting up a business, so I don’t feel too bad about missing it. The cracking thing nowadays is that books seem eternally in print so eternally available.

Autumn in Sycamore Park by C P Ward: Every list needs light relief, and I’m hoping this chick-lit (choc-lit) book will provide that. It’s one of a series of books all set in Autumn, which seems to be the season most ignored by romance writers. You can have gothic fantasies and horrors as much as you like, but not many leaf-kicking, scarf-wearing romances.

And finally… Go To Dinners by Ina Garten. Every change of season demands a change of menu. I like to open up a new, or new-to-me cookbook and give a few of the recipes a try. I’ve actually had this book since 2022, but never read it deeply or used it. I’ll dip in an out of it, making the autumnal dishes and marking possible dishes for other seasons. Hopefully later in October I’ll get the last (*last*) Hairy Biker’s recipe book, Our Family Favourites, but until then I’ll work my way through Ina’s advice.

Have you got any books on your Autumn book list? Have you read any of these? What must-read novels, mysteries, romances, gothic horrors would you recommend?

How to Hygge the British Way is my gift to the world. I don’t get paid for writing it, I’m not in it for the kudos, financial rewards, to become an influencer, work with brands or otherwise make any money from the blog. That’s why there are no ads, and any products I mention and recommend have either been gifted to me or bought by me with my everyday wages or donations from supporters. Every book I review has been bought and read by me, unless stated otherwise.

I do get a couple of pennies each time someone buys from the Amazon links on my page, as an Amazon Affiliate, but otherwise if you’d like to support me, I like to give something back in return. That’s why I write books. It always feels good if you get a book back in return for some money. You can find a full list of my books at my Author’s Page on Amazon, but especially recommended for this time of year are:

Cosy Happy Hygge: Setting up a rhythm to life and rituals to enjoy it to make for a more balanced life that handles waves and storms better. Lent is a season of rituals and resets. The book has small and easy ways to make your life flow with grace and happiness, which lead to more hygge.

Happier: Probably my most personal book, it’s the story of how I used hygge and the little things in life to help boost my happiness. I still go back and reread to remind myself what I need to do to be a happy human. And it’s always the little things.

Is it too early to think ahead? My Christmas books are always available: Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas is a good place to start, on how to make the season cosier, happier. Celebrating a Contagious Christmas was written during covid year, but has useful advice on celebrating when times are hard anyway and Enjoying a Self-Care Christmas is a short e-book on keeping Christmas simpler, easier and better for you, your waistline and your budget. It even includes 25+ suggestions for self-care activities over Christmas, as simple as sipping tea, keeping a list journal or lighting a candle. Bigger is not always better for Christmas.

I’m currently working on two book projects: I have a hankering to rewrite 50 Ways to Hygge the British Way, so it’s not available at the moment, but even dearer to my heart and my next stated aim is to finish and publish my next book, Simple Plus Cosy = Hygge. It will be about homemaking and how the home we create shapes the hygge we have. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of summer 2025.

If you’d like to support me, but don’t want to buy a book, I have a Paypal.Me account as Hygge Jem. Every little helps, so even a few pence goes towards the books, goods and courses I use and recommend on the site. I’m grateful for every little bit that brings me closer to my dream of full-time writing, and I know I couldn’t still be writing if it weren’t for the support of many readers and friends out there. Thank you all for every little bit of support, emotional, physical and financial, you give me.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it or save it so others can enjoy reading, thinking about and living hygge as well.

The photo between post and promotions is by Laurentiu Iordache on Unsplash. Summer brings poppies, and a glorious sun that eventually has to set.