Books for an Autumn mood
from gothic to whimsical to meetcute
Hello, friends, and welcome, new subscribers! My ADHD brain is a bit scattered and prone to change things last minute, but here in The Purple Vale you can count on reflections on folklore, fairy tales, and the seasons from my little corner of East Tennessee.
Halloween is today, but in my opinion, fall moods are forever. In honor of autumn, I want to share a list of indie published books with distinct autumn moods. I have read almost all of them, and there’s definitely a book for every taste!
A Song Beyond Walls by Stephanie Escobar– ghostly, romantic, sweetly gothic
A paranormal love story between a Victorian ghost and the Edwardian young man who moves into her house.
You may remember Stephanie Escobar as one of the contributing authors to The Wistful Wild. ASBW is the perfect Halloween read, especially if you love haunted houses and music.
Solita by Vivien Rainn–dark, gothic, romantic
A young woman named Sadie awakens a demon sleeping beneath her family’s hacienda. Silas, whose own past haunts him, challenges Sadie to face her tragic history. This book is so incredibly atmospheric that reading it feels like living in a movie.
I adore a post-colonial gothic story with all my heart, and this book set in the Philippines takes all the dark twists and turns. I’m currently reading the sequel, Silencia, which features adult romance and delves even further into the past.
Faodlah by Brandi Gann – fantasy, romance, sweet
A gentle fantasy romance between a wounded werewolf rescued by a young woman facing much scarier things.
This book has the perfect cottage core vibes. The author also just released Scared Kitty, a fun, contemporary YA meet cute that starts in a scare house. I haven’t read it yet but it’s on my TBR!
The Drum Symbol by Alexi–Lebanese, Irish, historical, romantic
The story of Kalila, a young Lebanese woman who travels to Ireland in search of her father and encounters found family and love.
This is a sweet story, and I thoroughly enjoyed the merging of cultures. The settings are so vibrant. The beginning sees the MC going through some difficult events, but overall this a cozy and heartwarming tale.
Candles in the Dark by Louise Bates– small town, historical mystery, cozy
Reporter Pauline Gray investigates a series of poison pen letters in 1930’s Canton, New York, while writing her novel in secret.
If you grew up on Miss Marple and Poirot (raises hand) and are looking for a mystery that isn’t graphic or violent, this is for you.
Farm Girl by Corrine Cunningham – small town, atmospheric, found family
Travel photographer Beatrix Hampton finds herself in the quiet town of Cumberland, Massachusetts and must decide if this is the place where she can finally put down roots.
This one has been on my TBR for far too long. Reviews call it “Empowering” “captivating” “Lovely and nostalgic”.
A Land of Light and Shadow – fantasy, coming of age, Middle Grade
A young princess discovers an old book that tells a forgotten side of her country’s past and goes on adventure to bring back the magic lost long ago.
I decided to include my first book since it is set in autumn. Note: Now’s a good time to say that I named one of the minor characters Loc. Yep. As in hair. And my main characters are Black! Not intentional, but definitely not great. So last month I went, “hm, let’s do better”, and decided to change Loc’s name. The updated ebook will hopefully be available by the time you’re reading this, but unfortunately, for some reason the formatting in the paperback file is way, way off and it’s taken longer than I hoped to fix. I’ll get there eventually. Slow and steady.
The Secret Heart of Maeve MacGowan–fantasy, women’s lit, Irish folklore
A lonely young girl on the cusp of adulthood discovers that all is not as it seems in her isolated village, finding first love, magic, and danger in this Irish history-inspired story.
Meet you over the orchard wall, friends.* I hope October has treated you kindly, and that you find a good book to escape into.
*One of my wonderful early readers for The Secret Heart of Maeve MacGowan started signing her emails like this. I like it.
What a lovely collection! Thank you for including Farm Girl!