My Fall Reading List (2019)

3 min readSep 19, 2019

Because Aren’t Monthly TBR Piles Are A Little Overwhelming?

Okay, so I used to do TBR Lists for each month, but that got way too tiring and unrealistic for me. So I’m going to do kind of a seasonal feel. Here’s my fall reading list (for 2019).

STEPHEN KING

I can’t get into fall without the master of horror. It’s just self-explanatory. I might want to either continue reading his Dark Tower Series (I’m on book III right now and it’s SO GOOD) or a shorter fright book like Joyland. Maybe I’ll go all in and just read Gerald’s Game. A collection of short stories perhaps? The possibilities are endless.

SHIRLEY JACKSON

I started reading We Have Always Lived In The Castle and I’m hoping to finish it before this weekend so I can watch the movie on Netflix. Jackson is basically the Horror Lit Mom of Stephen King, hands down.

She was also a real eccentric human being, declaring herself a young practicing witch in her early years. I think she just really liked to screw with all the pompous anti-semites in her little town of Bennington, Vermont. At least, that’s how I like to imagine her. In reality she was a neurotic mess and it shows in the genius that is her work.

Castle is about two girls who live with their uncle in their family’s house. Everyone else in their family is dead and they’re ostracized by the community. Jackson’s main running theme throughout her stories is the concept of towns (and townspeople) who seem to keep up appearances on the outside, but are actually full of secrets and horrifying traditions (such as annually stoning someone to death via a lottery system — The Lottery).

JO NESBO

Jo Nesbo is a Norwegian mystery writer responsible for the Detective Harry Hole series. I hear The Snowman is really frickin scary and I’m tempted to just download it to my e-library, post up on my couch, and read as much as I can in one sitting. I was recommended this book when taking a survey of scary books that have haunted my followers.

GILLIAN FLYNN

So I’d venture to say Flynn, King, and Jackson are the holy trinity of fright writers in my view. I have yet to read Gone Girl, but I think I might start with Sharp Objects because it’s her shortest book. Besides, I want to watch the HBO show so badly and have completely missed the train on that.