There's no better feeling than getting all snuggled up with a good book, which makes October the perfect month of the year to get back into reading. The leaves are changing, the weather is chilly, and the air is crisp. It's such a wonderful atmosphere in which to read a good book. Here is a list of the best novels for you to read this fall. From autobiography to science fiction, there’s something for everyone.

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Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Written in 1818, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein gave birth to a whole new genre of literary fiction now known as Sci-Fi. It tells the story of a young doctor Victor Frankenstein who, in an attempt to cheat death, ends up creating a monster through a failed science experiment where he attaches different body parts together to bring to life a being. As the story continues it follows the consequences of his creation through Victor’s perspective. The novel has multiple movie adaptations and is regarded incredibly highly as an iconic story perfect for Halloween.

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Dracula - Bram Stocker

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Did someone say Halloween? If you aren’t looking for monsters like Frankenstein, maybe vampires will pique your interest. Also written in the 19th century, Dracula is one of the most well-known vampire stories as the novel popularized vampiric folklore into mainstream literature. The story takes place beginning in Transylvania where we first encounter Count Dracula through the perspective of a prisoner of his named Jonathan Harker. The count then travels to England where the rest of the story procedes. It’s a fascinating story and such an important piece of gothic literature.

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Twilight - Stephanie Meyer

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Speaking of vampires, it wouldn’t be fall without my annual re-read of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. As ridiculous and cringy as it is, it’s also an incredible series of young adult novels that can actually be really fun to read if you let go of the cringiness and embrace it. The story follows a teenage Bella Swan who moves to the town of Forks to live with her dad. When she arrives, she reconnects with her childhood friend Jacob and sparks fly. But wait, it wouldn’t be a romance novel without a love triangle. At school she meets a boy named Edward. Bella now has to decide between the two. Her decision changes multiple times through the series engaging readers and keeping them on their toes. There’s a slight twist though, as Bella spends more time with the both of them she realizes the both of them have a secret about who (or rather what) they really are. Whether you’re team Edward or team Jacob (a.k.a the right team), Twilight is such a fun fall read that's so easy to come back to year after year.

Just Kids - Patti Smith

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Let’s take a shift in genre and talk about Patti Smith’s award winning autobiography, Just Kids. This is my current read and I've been loving it so far. It tells the story of her move to New York, meeting Robbert Mapplethorpe and her journey with poetry, music, art, etc. Although there isn’t anything innately “fall" about an autobiography, the themes of literature and art give a sort of “fall” feeling to the book. Now while I am only just over 150 pages in, I can confidently say this novel is one of the best I've read. Her story speaks to me in a way I can't describe as anything other than inspirational, and I hope it speaks to you as well.

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Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery

Ending this list on a high note, Anne of Green Gables is a must read for fall. The story follows young Anne, an orphan who is sent to a farm in Prince Edward Island to go live with the sibling farm owners, Matthew and Marilla. However, there was a bit of a mix up, and she wasn’t meant to be sent to the farm. Matthew and Marilla wanted a boy that could work on the farm. Anne then has to convince them to keep her and prove herself as more than capable of working on the farm. The novel is regarded very highly in the children's stories world, as well as in other literary spaces. The setting being on a farm makes it such a good fall read as it transports you to the world of Anne.

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