Transitional TBR Books

Hi friends! The last few days have been a little bit on the cooler side where I live, and I’m way too excited about it. So, you know I’m already compiling a TBR of books to transition me to the fall season. I love reading atmospheric books in the fall, and all of these just sound perfectly enchanting. So let’s get straight into it!

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Artist: mienar

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⓵ Burial Rights

Amazon Summary:

A brilliant literary debut, inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829.

Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

Why I Want to Read It:

This one sounds sooo haunting and atmospheric! I think that historical fiction books are just perfect for the fall. I’ve never read a book set in Iceland before, and I’m really intrigued by the fact that this is based on a true story. Not to mention that this book has glowing reviews. I actually just started this book, and while it is still too early to say, I really hope to love it!

⓶ The Cottingley Secret

Amazon Summary:

1917… It was inexplicable, impossible, but it had to be true—didn’t it? When two young cousins, s Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, claim to have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when one of the great novelists of the time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, becomes convinced of the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a national sensation, their discovery offering hope to those longing for something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war. s and Elsie will hide their secret for many decades. But s longs for the truth to be told.

One hundred years later… When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript in her late grandfather’s bookshop she becomes fascinated by the story it tells of two young girls who mystified the world. But it is the discovery of an old photograph that leads her to realize how the fairy girls’ lives intertwine with hers, connecting past to present, and blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, can Olivia find a way to believe in herself?

Why I Want to Read It:

I have never heard anyone talk about this book, but when I came across it in a thrift store, I was immediately hooked by the synopsis. This book combines so many things that capture my attention- photography, fairies, books, a mystery. It just sounds so completely magical and enchanting. It seems like the kind of book that I’d want to read on a rainy day with a cup of tea and a snuggly blanket. Let’s make that happen.

⓷ The Forgotten Garden

Amazon Summary:

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book—a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-fi rst birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, “Nell” sets out to trace her real identity.

Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.

Why I Want to Read It:

I’ve been meaning to read this book for years now, and I’m honestly a little ashamed I haven’t yet. It sounds exactly like the kind of thing I enjoy. Manors, puzzles, gardens, fairy tales- I’ve noticed a theme in the kinds of books that I love. And doesn’t this cover just scream fall? It is completely gorgeous! I’m promising myself right now that this is the year I’ll read this book.

⓸ The Book of Speculation

Amazon Summary:

Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone in a house that is slowly crumbling toward the Long Island Sound. His parents are long dead. His mother, a circus mermaid who made her living by holding her breath, drowned in the very water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, ran off six years ago and now reads tarot cards for a traveling carnival.

One June day, an old book arrives on Simon’s doorstep, sent by an antiquarian bookseller who purchased it on speculation. Fragile and water damaged, the book is a log from the owner of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, who reports strange and magical things, including the drowning death of a circus mermaid. Since then, generations of “mermaids” in Simon’s family have drowned—always on July 24, which is only a few weeks away.

As his friend Alice looks on with alarm, Simon becomes increasingly worried about his sister. Could there be a curse on Simon’s family? What does it have to do with the book, and can he get to the heart of the mystery in time to save Enola?

Why I Want to Read It:

At this point I can safely say that books centered around some sort of puzzle of mystery are what I want to read on a cozy fall day. And what do you know, here is another one. The fact that this one also involves a circus, mermaids, and books, just honestly makes it the perfect combination for me.

⓹ Walk on Earth a Stranger

Amazon Summary:

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety?

Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns series, dazzles with the first book in the Gold Seer Trilogy, introducing a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance, as only she can.

Why I Want to Read It:

I don’t think I’ve read much of anything set during the gold rush, and the fact that this also involves a hint of magic just piques my interest even more. I think the color scheme of this cover is the main thing that tempts me to pick it up in the fall. I also know that it is well-loved, so I’m hoping the same with be true for me.

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Artist: mienar

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So there you have a few books that I’m hoping to read during this transition to fall! I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have read any of these. Also, let me know what books you are hoping to read in the coming months!

Happy reading and writing friends!