What is it about fall that’s just so cozy? I’m loving the cooling weather, the pumpkin scented candles & baked goods, and of course, overly fuzzy blankets.

Another thing that comes with fall is my reading list jumps up. Since I’m no longer hitting the beach or going out as many nights as I do in the summertime, I try to give my brain more of a break from tv & flip open a book.

For the month of October, I’m focusing on more serious reads. In the summer, I’m all about the lighthearted books I can relax with by the ocean, but in the fall/winter when I’m cozied up at home, I like books that make me think on a deeper level.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Somehow, I have yet to read this classic novel, but I’m really excited to!

“The four March sisters couldn’t be more different. But with their father away at war, and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Whether they’re putting on a play, forming a secret society, or celebrating Christmas, there’s one thing they can’t help wondering: Will Father return home safely?”

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

I read this novel when a junior in college as required reading and loved it so much that I want to reread it now that I have time to focus more on the novel and not so much on the required reading aspect of it.

Based on Alexie’s life, he tells the story of “Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. [The story is] heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written.”

3. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak is a novel that is popular in a range of ages. It’s a novel I come back to every few years because the message is that powerful.

“Speak up for yourself–we want to know what you have to say.” From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her.” Melinda’s secret is one that eats at her, and she needs to find the power within her to speak up.

Do you have any books on your reading list this October I should check out?