Five books for fall

As we introduce The Reserve Editorial, fall starts to appear outside the window. 

Colder days and fresh air, changing tree colors, and an ocean that grows colder and wilder. Nature goes through changes, and we do as well. 

I always believed that as nature does, humans also change their habits and adapt to the seasons of the year. 

This is the first article for an important section of this editorial: The Reading Room. 

As you can guess, I love to read. It’s one of my favorite things to do, especially these last couple of years, and I know this is the perfect place to share my enthusiasm and create a space where we all can not only recommend books to one another, but also share thoughts and perspectives in different literary collections. 

As fall begins and as we learn how to ground ourselves and celebrate not only nature, but also the environment and the outdoors, I present these 5 books to all of you. 

All these books, although they might be fiction, help us connect with nature; they help us connect with our surroundings, benefiting from their wisdom while, at the same time, we are transported to their wonderful universes. 

For me, Fall means a lot of different things. It means coastal walks on the Pacific Ocean; the waves are big, the sand is cold, the wind is chilly, and a jacket is much needed. It also means fresher mornings, fall-inspired coffee; connecting with all of you for the first time will be my biggest treat this year. 

So here we go!

Land

Author: Maggie O'Farrell 

Land is set in 1865, on a windswept peninsula in Ireland. Tomás and his ten-year-old son, Liam, are working on the Ordnance Survey, the British project to map the whole country, not long after the Great Hunger. Tomás is determined that his maps will be a record of what happened. Then a strange encounter in the woods changes him, and Liam has to find a way to finish the work and get them both home.

Why does it belong to fall? I connect it to the season of fall due to its theme of change, roots, belonging, and memory. The autumn changing landscapes tie in with the novel’s exploration of lives and places that are going through transformation. It also connects us to roots and the sense of belonging with the novel’s invitation to reflect on how a physical place can shape us and what our connection to it is. Finally, it brings up the concept of memory through the novel’s idea of the land carrying traces of earlier lives. 

Why do I recommend it? It’s a book that encourages us to see a natural landscape as much more than scenery; it encourages us to see it and give it a sense of place shaped by human lives and their stories. 

Who is it for? This is the perfect fit for readers who are drawn to history, family stories, and a strong sense of place. It’s perfect for those who love exploring and discovering how the natural landscapes we inhabit shape our lives and, most of all, our identities.

Wild Dark Shore

Author: Charlotte McConaghy

My standout pick.

One of my favorite books I’ve read this year; I couldn’t put it down. Harsh, magical, breathtaking. Wild Dark Shore takes place on Shearwater, a tiny island near Antarctica that holds the world’s largest seed bank. The researchers who once worked there have left because of rising seas, and now only the Salt family remains: Dominic and his three children, who look after the seeds. Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman named Rowan washes ashore. As the family nurses her back to health, it becomes clear that neither she nor Dominic is telling the whole truth, and that the storms are only getting stronger.

Why does it belong to fall? To me, this book connects to fall due to the atmosphere that is generated: wild seas, storms, isolation, and suspense. Also, for its sense of reflection on human life and loss, as well as protecting what matters. For me, this book is the perfect season reading interpretation, rather than saying or specifying that the novel takes place in autumn.

Why do I recommend it? Wild Dark Shore is definitely my highlighted recommendation from this proposed selection. This book brings a few things together to a unifying point: a gripping mystery, an incredible descriptive universe, complex family relationships, as well as a deep concern and awareness for the natural world. It is a fitting choice for The Reserve's first Reading Room proposal, as all those threads are connected: protecting the people we love and our community, and, last but not least, protecting the world we depend on, becoming a part of our shared story.

Who is it for?This book is the perfect pick for readers who love to be drawn to the wild coastline, atmospheric mysteries, and difficult family relationships. It will definitely be a page-turner for those who love to reflect on our relationship with nature and our planet. 

Whale Fall

Author: Elizabeth O’Connor

Whale Fall begins in 1938, when a dead whale washes up on a remote Welsh island. Manod has lived there her whole life, helping raise her younger sister and living with her father after their mother’s death. She can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to life beyond the island, and the whale feels like both a bad omen and a sign of what could be out there. Then two English ethnographers arrive to study the islanders, and they seem like her chance to see the world outside. But the longer they stay, the more Manod worries that her community is being misunderstood.

Why does it belong to fall? A remote island, a wild coastal spirit, and a sense of change. Does that not sound like Fall? Whale Fall is a definite companion for this autumn. The journey brings us a sense of loss, belonging, and an uncertain future, bringing us to a reflective mood that I totally connect to the season.

Why do I recommend it? My recommendation for Whale Fall comes from the questions that the book presents about our attachment to a place and the wish to discover what truly lies beyond it. Through Manod’s story, the book explores the tension between being a part of a community and imagining a completely different future that you thought was already laid out, while at the same time asking ourselves who gets to tell the stories of a place and its people. 

Who is it for? This book is a great choice for readers who enjoy quiet, spirited fiction, coastal landscapes and nature, as well as coming-of-age stories. It will be particularly appealing to those who are especially interested in small communities, cultural identities, and the complicated choices between staying and leaving. 

Autumn

Author: Ali Smith

Autumn is the first book in Ali Smith’s quartet: four standalone novels that are separate but connected, and cyclical like the seasons. It’s about time, how we experience it, and the patterns that keep coming back in our lives and in the stories we tell. Through the friendship between Elisabeth and Daniel, it looks at the present through the past, in a world that feels more and more divided, and asks what richness, worth and harvest really mean.

Why does it belong to fall? Autumn not only belongs to this season of fall due to its obvious title, but also to its reflections on time, aging, and the feeling of watching the world shift and change around us. The friendship between Elisabeth and Daniel ties to the past and present, inviting the reader to consider what changes, what lasts, and what deserves our attention over the passage of time. 

Why do I recommend it?  My recommendation for Autumn is due to the way the book brings art, friendship, and political life and disputes into conversation. I love the exploration of how stories and creativity can shape our understanding of one another, offering us a distinctive connection to the season; one that requires us to look closely at both the world around us and the people we share it with.

Who is it for? This book was written for readers who enjoy inventive literary fiction, playful language, and stories that shift between past and present. It will be extremely appealing to those who are interested in art, friendships across generations, and the ways political change enters our daily lives. 

Distant Shores

Author: Kristin Hannah

Distant Shores follows Elizabeth and Jack Shore, who married young and raised two daughters. From the outside, their life looks perfect, but once the girls leave home, the couple quietly drifts apart. When Jack accepts a great new job, Elizabeth sets her own needs aside and follows him across the country. Then a tragedy turns her world upside down, and she starts to question everything: her choices, her marriage, and the dreams she let go of long ago.

Why does it belong to fall? Set on the windswept Oregon coast, Distant Shores creates the perfect atmosphere and transition that feels right for the fall-to-winter season. As Elizabeth enters a new chapter of her life, the story invites us to reflect on changing routines and habits, letting go to make room for what's coming next. 

Why do I recommend it? I recommend Distant Shores for its sense of discovery of how easily our own ambition can become a secondary act to the lives we built with others. Elizabeth’s story helped me raise questions about identity, marriage, and the courage it takes to reconnect with parts of ourselves that have been entirely neglected. The ocean backdrop plays an important part in the narrative, bringing another layer to that reflection: the attachment we feel to a place we call home.

Who is it for? I think this is the perfect book for readers who enjoy emotional stories about love, marriage, family, and finding a sense of purpose. It will especially resonate with readers who are navigating a life transition or wondering how to make space for their own dreams alongside the people they love. 

—--

What links these five books to one another is the way they try to bring us closer to a place, to a special part of ourselves, and to the other people who surround us in our daily lives. From remote islands to natural landscapes, each offers a different perspective on how to carry ourselves during this season. 

I truly hope you find something here that will accompany you during this fall, whether you are reading at home or taking the book with you along for the ride for a few quiet pages. And if you don’t know where to start, Wild Dark Shore is my first recommendation. 

Now, I promise, I would love to hear from you: what are you reading this fall? Share your recommendations in the comments and let’s keep building The Reading Room community together. 

And remember:  always be curious and stay inspired,