10 immersive books to devour this fall

What to read when you want to get lost for a hot minute.

Dead leaves decorate the pavement. The morning air is crisp. You take your softest blanket out of the closet.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

I’m a mood reader, and fall is when I crave books you should take your time with. The kind that slowly but surely pull you in, to the point where you forget about the outside world.

You may be skeptical at first. By the time you reach the end, however, you’re furiously turning pages. You’re committed. You want to finish the book, but you don’t want it to end.

As far as I’m concerned, these titles fit that description. Maybe you’ll like them, too.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

When I first started The Secret History, I rolled my eyes, thinking it was pretentious literature people only claim to enjoy for the sake of appearing intellectual. It took a while for the story to grab me, and the characters to bulldoze their way into my heart.

Now, it’s one of my favorite books. I love the prose, the atmosphere, the pompousness. I read it in 2017, and I’ve missed the characters every day since. I basically lived inside the pages of this exquisite novel and was unceremoniously kicked out once I was done. Uncool.

Each year, come fall, I plan to reread it. I haven’t yet, because I’m afraid I won’t get as high as I did the first time around. Who needs drugs when you’ve got a bunch of insufferable yet endearing assholes for company?

Plot-wise, you follow a group of “eccentric misfits” at an elite college. They spend their time discussing life’s biggest issues, as well as chasing beauty and pleasure and meaning. Whether or not they’re deluding themselves, that’s for you to find out.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Night Film is dark magic, seductive and dangerous. Reading it felt like falling for the guy I knew would mess up my life, but was unable to resist. For the brief time we were entangled, the pleasure was too intense to think about what might come next.

The story revolves around the suicide of Ashley Cordova, the daughter of a reclusive horror film director. A journalist suspects there’s more to the death than meets the eye and decides to investigate. Soon, he gets sucked into Cordova’s eerie universe. You follow in his footsteps, confused in the best possible way.

Sometimes I’m reluctant to recommend Night Film because it’s the kind of read that’s more about the journey than the destination. A lot is going on, including masterfully done mixed media sections. But if you’re looking for immersive, you’ll get even more than you bargained for.

The Secret Place by Tana French

Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series is the crown jewel of crime fiction, at least for me. The Secret Place is book five, but you can read them as standalones. They’re only loosely connected¹.

The plot involves a girls’ school, a murder that went cold, and two cliques. Tying everything together is a detective who can’t imagine that one of the teen girls is responsible for such a crime. As you dive deeper into the narrative, you stop questioning how the act could have happened. You understand it was inevitable.

That’s what I appreciate about French’s books. She nails the psychological aspect. You get to know the characters intimately. I also love to read about complex female friendships, and there’s something particularly all-consuming about the bonds you forge in your teens. Feeling like you belong at that age is intoxicating. Just like this book is.

Stoner by John Williams

Stoner is a novel about an unremarkable man who has an unremarkable life. You know the famous Henry David Thoreau quote about men living a life of quiet desperation? That’s what I initially associated the book with. The more I read, though, the more I discovered the beauty in the mundane, the disappointment, the resilience.

Jack Edwards recently wrote about Stoner and called it “a tale of stoic perseverance, of living for the hope of it all (or, in spite of it all).” I can’t describe it better myself. It’s about a man in the 19th century who falls in love with literature and becomes a professor. Unfortunately, things don’t go great for him. His marriage isn’t successful. His career drags. He loses people. He doesn’t seem to have that drive to fight for himself.

Sometimes he’s happy, but the best word to describe his existence – and this book – is bittersweet. While the prose is exact and efficient, Williams occasionally hits you with a quote you want to tattoo on your brain. It’s the kind of read that makes you think about your purpose and consider the mark you leave upon the world. Both depressing and hopeful, it’s perfect for fall.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I wouldn’t quite call Schwab’s Villains series dark academia, but Vicious, book one, is as close as it gets. It’s about two college roommates, Eli and Victor, consumed by the idea of developing extraordinary abilities. Fast-forward ten years, and they’ve become enemies, embarking on a collision path that might destroy them both.

Vicious is a supernatural book, brimming with individuals with superpowers. That said, what fuels it are the relationships between the characters. The former friends, now antagonists, as well as the strays they pick up along the way. Themes of obsession, jealousy, genius, morality, and darkness mingle as the writing pulls you deeper into the story.

While I don’t read comic books, going through Vicious felt like a similar experience. It’s compulsively readable and flows so smoothly you almost forget you’re reading words on a page. Also, if loving Victor Vale is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

(Book two, Vengeful, is just as addictive. Schwab is currently editing book three. I can’t wait.)

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

The Goodreads blurb describes The Final Revival of Opal & Nev as electrifying. It’s very fitting.

The book is told in interview format, as an oral history of an interracial rock duo that made waves in the ‘70s. We learn more about how they came together and why their collab had an abrupt end.

To address the elephant in the room, this is very similar to Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid as far as the premise and format go. But between Daisy and Opal, I have to admit I like Opal more. She’s downright iconic.

On top of that, the book is rich in atmosphere and successful in transporting you back through time. It also touches on themes like systemic racism and freedom of expression. If you love music, you’ll eat this up.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders gives you a book within a book, which takes some getting used to. Still, it should be required reading for any whodunnit lover looking for their next fix.

The main story centers on Susan, a book editor who receives the manuscript for the latest novel from her firm’s bestselling crime writer. She realizes that a few chapters are missing and becomes embroiled in a mystery. Not only that, but the manuscript might hide clues to solving the present-day case.

On one hand, you have Susan trying to get to the bottom of a crime. On the other, you have the manuscript, which follows a Hercule Poirot-type of detective investigating a death in a sleepy English village. Add commentary about the state of publishing into the mix, and Magpie Murders veers into irresistible territory. It’s equal parts cozy and suspenseful.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

Confession: I bought this book solely for the title. Lucky, as I ended up loving every word.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a post-apocalyptic story about Griz, who lives with his parents and dogs on a remote island. It’s set in a future where humanity has nearly died out, and dogs are viewed as part of the family (as they should). When a charming thief steals one, Griz goes after them into the unknown, hoping to reunite with his four-legged buddy.

The book world is full of dangers, both natural and human. Even so, the story is slow and immersive, almost a meditation on what it means to be alive. As you travel alongside Griz, you can’t help but ponder the importance of friendship, loyalty, and the stories we carry with us and pass along. In other words, the stuff that really matters, regardless of time period.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Described as narrative nonfiction, In Cold Blood reconstructs the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Kansas. It follows the events leading up to and following the brutal crime, with Capote blending reportage with novelistic detail in a seamless fashion.

I find classics intimidating, so I was reluctant to pick this up; the amount of detail felt overwhelming. By the time I finished, I understood the high praise. More than a true crime story, it’s an exploration of morality and violence, one that’s likely to give you chills.

I was gripped by the story, and I cared about the victims. You also get to know the perpetrators and their motives fairly well. As for the writing, it’s impressive, with the author effectively building suspense. While you may know how the story wraps up, you’ll still want to race through each page to get there.

Look Closer by David Ellis

I read Look Closer last year and still occasionally think about it. Many thrillers prioritize twists and forgo the psychological part of it all. Not this one.

The plot follows a seemingly stable but unexciting couple. When a wealthy woman is found dead, the investigation turns their lives upside down. I won’t say more, except to warn you that it will be tricky to figure out who can be trusted. If you’re like me, you’ll navigate viewpoints and timelines carefully, questioning each line.

At its core, Look Closer is a well-plotted tale of obsession and revenge. I don’t know if it resonated so much because I never let anything go, but I was enthralled from start to finish. It’s on the longer side for the genre, and some of the events take place around Halloween. What better season to dive in?

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On my fall TBR:

• These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

• Dracula by Bram Stoker

• Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Is there a book you’re particularly excited to read this season? Spill.

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Book covers from Goodreads and Amazon

1. My personal fave is book two, The Likeness. It’s very similar to The Secret History, so I included The Secret Place for the sake of diversity.