Top 10 Tuesdays: Books on My Fall TBR

I always love making my seasonal TBRs, but I always feel like they come a little late. I know that today is officially the first day of fall, but in my mind, fall starts right at the beginning of September. At least it does when it comes to my reading, since I tend to start reading my “fall” books around the start of the month. This is probably one of the years where I’ve been most strongly attached to seasonal themes, and it’s actually in some ways been more of a hindrance than a help. In the past, the only “seasonal” theme I tend to have is to read creepy books in October in honour of Halloween, and then by the time it’s November, it doesn’t quite feel like fall to me anymore. Through September, I’ve been starting to get into my more fall-themed books, with some books that focus heavily on school and especially dark academia. I’ve also really been starting to pick up more thrillers, or at least planning to read several before the end of the month. When it came to choosing books to be on this fall TBR list, I mostly focused on the books that I was planning to read in October, and especially the ones that I felt like I hadn’t already mentioned as much. I’m really looking forward to reading all of these and hope I can fit them all in before the end of the year, even if it’s not specifically in the fall.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

1) Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

This book cover just screams fall to me! Rory Power is also one of the authors on my priority list and I haven’t tried either of her books yet, so I’d love to get to this one soon. This book is about a girl named Margot who finds a photograph that points her to a town called Phalene, where she hopes to finally find the answers to her questions about her family’s past. Margot soon learns that her mother left this town for a reason, and now that she is there, she might not be able to leave. I love books about family secrets, and this sounds so good! Even the cover gives me very strong fall vibes because it reminds me of a corn maize, and I’m very curious to see how that fits in. I meant to read Wilder Girls over the summer but haven’t got to that one yet either, and there’s a good chance I’ll actually end up reading Burn Our Bodies Down First. That might actually work in my favour though, since I’m more interested in this one than Wilder Girls, mostly due to the body horror that I heard was in that one. I’m definitely planning to pick this one up very soon, and it will likely be one of the first books that I read in October.

2) His & Hers by Alice Feeney

I actually had both this book and Burn Our Bodies Down in a post last year about books that have autumn vibes, so it’s no surprise that they are both on my fall TBR now. This book is about a TV presenter named Anna who has been asked to cover a murder that took place in her hometown. She reluctantly goes back there and soon learns that the victim was her childhood friend. DCI Jack Harper is the detective on the case who has decided not to tell anyone that he knew the victim too, until he realizes that he is becoming a suspect in his own investigation. This book alternates between the perspectives of these two characters as the case unfolds, and it sounds so interesting! I tend to love thrillers that involve characters returning to their hometown and uncovering secrets, so this one seems right up my alley. I’ve only read Sometimes I Lie by this author so far and I really enjoyed it, so I’m hoping that I’ll like this one too! I’ve been really looking forward to giving this one a try, especially now that I know that I like the author’s writing style in general.

3) Bring Her Home by David Bell

I’m including this one on my list as an attempt to hold myself accountable to finally reading something by David Bell! He was one of the main reasons I started making a priority authors list in the first place, since I keep adding his books to my TBR and even buying them from Book Outlet without ever reading them. I chose this one specifically because the cover gave the strongest fall vibes, but I’d be happy to read any of his books this fall. This one specifically is about a father named Bill whose 15-year-old daughter Summer disappeared along with her best friend, Haley. Just a few days later, the girls are found at the park. Haley is dead while Summer has been beaten beyond recognition and barely clings to life. However, the more time Bill spends sitting with her at the hospital, the more he wonders what happens to her and even begins to question whether the injured girl is his daughter at all. I keep adding David Bell’s books to my list because they all sound so good, and this one is no exception! It’s completely ridiculous at this point that I haven’t tried at least one, so I’m hoping by including it on the list it will give me that extra push to finally pick it up.

4) The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

I was so happy to finally find a hardcover copy of this book recently on Book Outlet! I’d been just about to grab a paperback instead since the hardcover didn’t seem to exist anymore, so it was very lucky that it came up with just a few copies when I happened to be on the site. This is easily one of my most anticipated books to read this year, even though it’s been out for more than a year already. This book is about two women, Viv and her niece Carly, who both work the night shift at a creepy motel 30 years apart. Viv disappeared while working there back in the 1980s, and Carly is determined to find out what happened to her. I absolutely loved The Broken Girls when I read it a couple of years ago and I’ve been really looking forward to trying more books by this author. I loved her writing style and the way it drew me right into the story and especially the way she built such a creepy atmosphere. This seems like the perfect book to read around Halloween or possibly a little earlier in October if I can’t wait that long! I’m so excited to finally have a copy, and I’ve purposely been waiting to read it in the fall.

5) The Shadows by Alex North

I’m planning to read both of Alex North’s thrillers this fall, but this is the one that I don’t think I have mentioned quite as much. This book is about a man named Paul whose friend was victims to a murderer known as Charlie Crabtree 25 years ago — and the murderer was also one of Paul’s friends. Ever since then, Paul has been trying to put his life back together, but when his elderly and senile mother needs him, he decides he must return home. Not long after he returns, he learns that a copycat killer has struck, and his mother is insisting that there’s something in their house and Paul also notices that someone seems to be following him. Charlie Crabtree was never seen again after the murder, leaving open the possibility that this “copycat” may have been the real thing. This kind of thriller seems so creepy, and I’ve been really looking forward to trying both of this author’s books! I meant to read The Whisper Man last October near Halloween, but somehow didn’t get to it in time. I’m not even sure why I didn’t just pick it up a bit later in the year instead, but at least now this fall I have two of his books to try. Both of them seem like great, spooky fall reads and I’m very excited to try them.

6) Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

This another book that I was very to find on Book Outlet! I had been holding out for a hardcover copy, and happened to see just 1 available while browsing one day and grabbed it immediately. This book is about a woman named Jules who takes a job as an apartment sitter at a high-profile building in Manhattan. As Jules gets to know the residents and the staff there, she finds herself drawn to another apartment sitter named Ingrid, who reminds her of the sister she lost 8 years ago. When Ingrid tells her that the building is not what it seems and has a dark history, Jules is quick to brush it off as a ghost story until Ingrid suddenly disappears, forcing Jules to start digging deeper into the history of the apartment building and find out what happened to her friend as well as the other sitters who have gone missing before her. I’ve read and loved three of Riley Sager’s books so far, and I’m also hoping to read Survive the Night very soon too! I was so happy to see this one come up on Book Outlet because I’d been waiting so long to find the hardcover version and I can’t wait to read it.

7) The Wicker King by K Ancrum

I don’t know if there is necessarily anything specifically “fall” about this book, but for some reason it gives me fall vibes anyway. This one is about a boy named August who learns that his best friend Jack is showing signs of a degenerative hallucinatory disorder, and decides that the best way to help him is to accept the hallucinations as reality, even when that means following Jack on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy. To be honest, it’s only really been within he past year or so that I’ve decided that I wanted to try this book, especially after hearing Kayla on BooksAndLala mentioning the author so often. I’ve had this book on my TBR since 2018 but knew very little about it. The more I looked into it, the more I noticed a ton of rave reviews and it really started to spark my interest. I’m especially intrigued by the way the book’s physical design is meant to mirror the downward spiral in the boys’ mental health. I’m now very interested in trying this one and for some reason, it seemed like fall was the best time. For some reason, I think I had this book mixed up a bit with The Hazel Wood, which is another one I’m hoping to read sometime in the fall. I’m not entirely sure why I got them confused, but either way, I’m really looking forward to giving this one a chance.

8) The Project by Courtney Summers

Again, this book isn’t necessarily specifically connected to fall, but it gave me fall/October vibes because it seemed so dark. I’m actually surprised I waited this long to read it since it was easily one of my most anticipated books of the year! It is about a teenage girl named Lo whose sister Bea joined a community called The Unity Project after the death of their parents in a car accident, leaving Lo on her own. Lo has spent the past six years trying to reconnect with her sister but has been met with no response, until she finds an opportunity to gain access to The Project. As Lo begins to delve deeper into it, she soon realizes that The Project is a lot more dangerous than it seems, and decides that she will do whatever it takes to save her sister from it. I love books that deal with cults, and this one definitely seems to be a fit for that. I also absolutely loved Sadie by this author, although I was a little less impressed with the other book, All the Rage, that I tried last year. I have seen some fairly mixed reviews for this one, but it’s a book that I’ve been highly anticipating and I’m hoping I’ll love it as much as I loved Sadie.

9) Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

This book seemed like such a fun one to read around Halloween, and probably a good break from all the darker thrillers. It is about a teenage girl named Mila, whose best friend died under suspicious circumstances along with two of the school’s mean girls. Mila refuses to believe that the girls died in a suicide pact, and decides to resurrect them to find out the truth. Unfortunately, she soon finds out that none of the girls can remember what happened, but all three have unfinished business, with just one week to complete it all before the spell wears off. I was only mildly interested in this one when I first added it to my TBR all the way back in 2018, but the more I think about it, the more fun it seems! It reminds me quite strongly of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode where Xander has to chauffeur around a bunch of dead students from their high school for a night. It also seems to be along similar lines to Cemetery Boys, which is also very high on my list to pick up this fall! The more I’ve seen about this book, the higher it’s jumped up on my list and I’m now very excited to finally give it a try. It sounds like it will be so much fun.

10) The Babysitter’s Coven by Kate Williams

This is another one that has been on my TBR for a long time, and I’ve finally decided that it’s about time I pick it up. I added this one to my list originally because it reminded me of The Babysitter’s Club, which was a huge childhood favourite of mine! This book is about a 17-year-old girl named Esme who has started a babysitters club to earn some extra money. She soon meets a girl named Cassandra who seems to be willing to do anything to get involved with this club due to a mysterious note from her mother that instructed her to “find the babysitters.” I’m especially intrigued to try this one since two more books have been added to the series and I’ve also seen it compared to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series seems pretty silly but I think it could be a lot of fun to read and another great break from thrillers and ghost stories this fall. I bought a copy of the first book from Book Outlet quite a while ago, and I’d definitely consider picking up the rest of the series too if I like this one. I’m a little on the fence about whether I’ll really enjoy it, but I’m hoping it’s as fun as I think it will be!