This post may include Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
In the midst of a fall dominated by books I haven’t loved, it’s so tempting to look back to times when that was not the case. Today the ladies at The Broke and the Bookish have given us a Top Ten Tuesday theme of fall book covers/themes. As usual, I’m going to tweak that just a little and revisit some of my favorite fall released books from yesteryear. I hope you might find one or two you may have missed.
2016
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
Publisher: Harper (9/13/16)
Length: 336 pages
Why it worked: Patchett delivered on all fronts with her very dysfunctional family saga. In it the destinies of two families and everyone in both, were forever entwined when a near stranger crashed a christening party. (My Review)
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Publisher: Riverhead Books (10/13/16)
Length: 288 pages
Why it worked: The Mothers was touted as the debut of last fall and it definitely lived up to its hype. Bennett tells the story of Nadia, set adrift following her mother’s suicide and making choices over one fateful summer that reverberate throughout her lifetime. (My Review)
2015
Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press (9/1/15)
Length: 304 pages
Why it worked: Above all this book worked because of Clegg’s amazing writing. He beautifully told a story of grief and solace after a horrific explosion left three dead and an entire community stricken. A sad theme, but it couldn’t have been better.
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Publisher: Riverhead Books (9/15/15)
Length: 400 pages
Why it worked: This critical darling was polarizing for many. I fell in the loving it camp. I definitely didn’t really like either of the main characters, Lotto or Mathilde, but the sum of their lives, none-the-less, made for a stunning story.
2014
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Publisher: Knopf (9/9/14)
Length: 352 pages
Why it worked: On the surface this might not seem like the book for me: a dystopian tale of life after a virus wipes out most of the planet’s population. But, that would be so wrong. Station Eleven was a book I couldn’t stop talking about and one I still recommend all the time!
How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran
Publisher: Harper (9/23/14)
Length: 352 pages
Why it worked: I tend to go for coming-of-age stories and this one was so unusual, so out there that it easily made me a fan. British writer Moran delivers the humorous story of Johanna, reinventing herself as Dolly, a girl with the experience and cool factor that Johanna longs for.
2013
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett
Publisher: Scribner (9/10/13)
Length: 384 pages
Why it worked: Amanda Lindhout’s memoir of being held captive in Somalia for 460 days read almost like fiction. The players are real and vividly drawn and her growing terror was palpable. Time and again, Lindhout thought she’d be saved, only to be disappointed.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (10/22/13)
Length: 775 page
Why it worked: I’d long been waiting for a Donna Tartt book I could love as much as her debut, The Secret History, and The Goldfinch proved to be almost its equal for me. On top of that, this mammoth book helped to put an end my to personal Pulitzer Prize curse!
2012
Hmmm…2012 was another slumpy fall for me!
2011
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Publisher: Doubleday (9/13/11)
Length: 400 pages
Why it worked: The Night Circus worked so beautifully for me because it was a complete departure from what I usually read. A romantic tale of a two young magicians in a circus that is anything but normal made Morgenstern’s debut a breath of fresh air.
11/23/63 by Stephan King
Publisher: Scribner (11/8/11)
Length: 849 pages
Why it worked: I have a love/hate relationship with Stephen King books, but 11/23/63 I only had love for. A wildly imaginative story of a man who travels through time in an effort to thwart Kennedy’s assassination, this book is Stephen King at the very top of his game!
What have been some of your yesteryear fall favorites?
Disclaimer: There are Amazon Associate links contained in this post.
2011 was a good year! I loved both those books, particularly The Night Circus – I really want to reread it soon.
It was a good year! Thanks for stopping by.
Love your twist on this week! SO many good ones here. I still want to get to Fates & Furies and Commonweath.
Thanks, Grace. In this slumpy fall it was nice to think back to some past gems.
Such a clever twist on this week’s theme! I also read and loved The Mothers and Commonwealth this year, and Station Eleven and The Night Circus are two past favorites as well.
My TTT: https://dwellinpossibilityblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/10/top-ten-tuesday-fall-covers-and-themes/#more-13811
Thanks so much for stopping by, Jessie.
I loved 11/22/63 and The Night Circus so much… 🙂
Lauren @ Always Me
Sooo many of these are in my TBR! Great choices, Susie!
Those darn TBR lists just never seem to get any shorter!
I love The Night Circus! I love your twist on the list.
Ashley @ Caught Reading Redheaded
Thank you!
We have so many fav reads in common…I loved 11/22/63 and Did You Ever Have a Family so much! I’m glad you reminded me to check out Fates and Furies and Donna Tarte, I’ve never read her books but I own The Goldfinch. I also like the sound of A House in the Sky
I think you would absolutely love The Secret History. It’s one of my all time favorite books!
Man – this really puts this year into perspective! Over 50% of this list are some of my all-time favorites and made it onto my shelves 🙂
Right? This fall has been the worst!
I still need to read STation Eleven, I hope to do it soon!
I promise, you would love it!
Fun twist on the topic! I loved STATION ELEVEN and THE NIGHT CIRCUS. I haven’t read any of your others, although a bunch of them are on my TBR list.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Love this! An awesome list–I’m still not over how good The Night Circus was.
There are so many greats on this list! It definitely highlights how off this fall has been. I’ve never looked back to see how my years and seasons stack up, but my need to do that before 2017 ends!
This has definitely been a bad year, but it was interesting when I saw that the fall of 2012 I also struggled. (Though I think this year is worse!)