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I have been rereading (for the millionth time) Agatha Christie’s books this year, as I often do when I need a comfort read amid a hectic schedule. It just so happened that, as fall rolled around, I was in the middle of devouring The Hollow, a later Hercule Poirot mystery. I realized that, despite this novel being a classic murder mystery, it is a very atmospheric book that weaves the plot with the season: autumn.
So I thought I’d make a list of cottagecore books that would make perfect fall reading. They may not all be one hundred percent cottagecore, but they have elements of this feel and aesthetic interwoven in the plot, the characters, the place and the time. What you won’t find in these books is gruesome Halloween scary stuff. No jump scares for me, thank you very much indeed!
I’ll keep adding to this list as I find more books with a cottagecore autumn feel, so please bookmark the page, pin it or subscribe to my (very infrequent) newsletter.
Without further ado, here are my favorite fall cottagecore books and a short blurb of why I like them. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers in this post. I hate inadvertently reading spoilers too!
1. September by Rosamunde Pilcher
While not exactly a sequel, I think you’ll get a better grasp of one particular character if you read The Shell Seekers before picking up September. But September stands on its own as a novel with a strong sense of place and seasonality.
Said place is a Scottish manor house where a lavish dance is being organized for Katy’s twenty-first birthday. However, it’s the wonderful description of the four months before the ball that makes this a cozy fall read.
You can buy the entire book set including The Shell Seekers and Winter Solstice.
Or get Rosamunde Pilcher’s books second hand on Etsy.
2. The Fortnight in September by R C Sherriff
First published in September 1931, this charming novel depicts the two weeks that the Stevens family spend at the seaside, going to the beach every day. If you’ve ever holidayed off-season, you know the feeling of anticipation that builds up all summer long before you get to dip your toes in the sand.
But what’s so fall cottagecore about it? The entire book is an ode to noticing the small details and the tiny pleasures of life. Every page is dripping with nostalgia, a joyful spirit and reflections of the past.
You can buy the new edition of The Fortnight in September on Amazon.
3. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
You may have watched the movie, but I guarantee you’ll find the book even more charming and cozy. The Owens sisters, orphaned at an early age and raised by their aunts, can’t seem to fit in anywhere. Like generations of women in their family, the sisters may have a legacy of magic that they’re desperately trying to escape. And they do. But only to be pulled back later, as adults, to the only world that they belong.
The fall cottage core elements? There’s magic, a bit of superstition, romance and love and an extended cast of strong women. All set in a rural town in Massachusetts.
You can get new editions of the entire series of four books including Practical Magic.
And have a look at this super cozy illustration by Ansell Mountain Art of the house in Practical Magic. You can get this print from her Etsy store.
4. The Hollow (A Hercule Poirot mystery) by Agatha Christie
The Hollow is one of Agatha’s later novels, set in 1946. Even though it was published and set right after the end of the war, it doesn’t deal with war themes. (Taken at the Flood does that brilliantly.)
It’s not one of Agatha’s more mainstream classics, admittedly, but it’s my favorite Poirot mystery. The women in this book are quirky, independent and strong-willed, so I’d consider this one of her most feminist books.
What’s the cottagecore fall appeal? The Hollow is set in the fall and includes sensory autumnal descriptions. The main plot takes place in a country house in a village close to London, but one of the main characters (and obviously a suspect) lives in a cottage nearby. Even Poirot himself happens to be renting a cottage and takes to the woods to find some shortcuts. Though he prefers to admire the scenery from a distance.
You can get The Hollow on Amazon, but I highly recommend the audiobook that’s narrated by Hugh Frasier (Captain Hastings himself).
5. Letter from New York by Helene Hanff
The book spans an entire year, but it starts in October 1978 with a memorable description of the charm of an autumn in New York. Letter from New York is a collection of scripts of the five-minute talks that Helene gave on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour from 1978 until 1984. The little vignettes from the city that never sleeps touch upon Helen’s favorite places and people (and their pets).
What’s the fall cottagecore reading element? This is more life cottagecore for city folx. The highrise building that Helene lived in is like a cottage in the sky. Or, as she puts it herself “the last small town in America.” There’s really a small town with an intimately cozy feel that you would never associate with Manhattan in any other context.
Unfortunately, this book has been out of print for a while now, but I did a quick search on Amazon and I found some secondhand copies for sale of different editions. You’ll have to do a quick browse yourself to see what’s available at the time you read this.
6. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This classic book takes us on a journey of growing up, healing and self-discovery that starts in winter and reaches its end point the following fall. The seasons mirror the character’s state of mind and their mood. The seasons also serve as a larger metaphor for the power of kindness and positive thinking (a novel and somewhat revolutionary idea in 1911 when this book was published).
What’s the fall cottagecore element? Without giving away too many spoilers (because I’m not one of those presumptuous snobs who thinks every book lover has read every classic ever printed), it’s the interaction with nature that makes this the perfect cottagecore read. Mary’s tenderness and sense of hope that she puts in caring for the garden also creates a very cottagecore atmosphere. And for me, the walled garden is as cozy as a cottage itself, with the added bonus that you get to look up at the sky.
There’s a whole Secret Garden fan art subgenre that you should check out.
7. The Shooting Party by Isabelle Colegate
Going back to a manor house mystery, this is one of the first novels to combine an upstairs/downstairs point of view. It does so by bringing together the lives of the family owning the manor house, their guests and their servants over a period of twenty-four hours in October. So if you’re into shows such as Downton Abbey, this is an excellent read.
The cottagecore element? In addition to this book being set in the fall, there’s a strong sense of nostalgia and longing for the past in this one. Or rather, I could call it anticipatory nostalgia, because the book (published in 1980) is set in 1913, a few months before the outbreak of the war. It portrays a layered world that is about to collapse – or implode – for better or for worse. As a trigger warning, the novel is set during a shooting party, so there’s a fair deal of that described.
I’ll keep adding books to the list as I read them, so you can sign up for my newsletter to keep up to date. I also post on Instagram about plants, gardens, slow living and sometimes even books.
You can also follow me on Pinterest where things get even cozier. Or pin the image below to find the post again when you’re in the mood for a cozy read.
