Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme created by The Broke and the Bookish blog, and now hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week’s topic is: Books on my Fall 2018 TBR List
Fall is my favorite season and my favorite time of the year to read all the gothic, atmospheric, creepy, and suspenseful books possible. As always, there are more of these reads on my TBR than I’ll be able to get to, but I’ve listed ten of the ones I’m most excited about at the moment.
Five of these books are ones that have been on my TBR for a while now, and five are new releases that I’m hoping to get my hands on ASAP. The majority of these will fulfill my #Victober and/or #RIPXIII challenges as well.
Possession by A. S. Byatt
This Neo-Victorian novel has been on my shelf for years. I think next month’s Victober festivities would be the perfect time to finally pick it up.
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
I really hope I’m going to love The Portrait of a Lady as much as I think I am. I tend to crave more classics in the autumn, and this one is calling my name.
Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase
A leftover from my fall 2017 TBR list, I’m excited to get to Black Rabbit Hall this year. Books about country estates full of family secrets are usually right up my alley.
Affinity by Sarah Waters
Although it’s been on my radar for a while, I only recently bought a copy of Affinity. A historical fiction novel featuring spiritualism during the Victorian era, this couldn’t be more perfect for both R.I.P and Victober.
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton
I adore Edith Wharton and am very curious to see what her ghost stories are like.
The Corset by Laura Purcell
The Silent Companions was one of my favorite books from last fall, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of The Corset ever since. I can’t wait to curl up with this creepy and atmospheric novel. It seems like it might be a lot of fun to read in conjunction with Affinity too.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
Kate Morton’s historical fiction novels are always a delight to read. I typically buy her new releases as soon as they come out, and I don’t think this one will be any exception. Once I have a copy in my hands, I don’t think I’ll be able to put off reading The Clockmaker’s Daughter for very long at all.
Melmoth by Sarah Perry
Melmoth sounds like it was meant to be read in the fall. It’s difficult to find out too much about the plot, but the mysteriousness is definitely part of the appeal. Even if it’s only half as amazing as The Essex Serpent, I’ll be a very satisfied reader.
Transcription by Kate Atkinson
I’ve practically been counting down the days until Transcription‘s release. Any new Kate Atkinson novel is cause for celebration, but one about a female spy in WWII and 1950’s London is even more exciting.
Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller
Bitter Orange sounds like an unsettling novel with a slow build-up of tension and suspense.
Are you planning to read any of these this fall? What upcoming releases are you most excited for?
I wasn’t interested in The Essex Serpent until I saw Melmoth and now I’m curious about both. Based on your comments, looks like I need to get busy reading!
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It seems like a lot of people either loved The Essex Serpent or were disappointed with it, but I’d definitely recommend giving it a try at least. Hope you’ll enjoy both it and Melmoth!
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Seeing Melmoth, Transcription, and Bitter Orange on your list made me so excited. Those are three of my most anticipated books. I hope we both love them!
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YES!! Hopefully all three will live up to (or surpass) our expectations. Happy reading, Kristin!
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The ARC of Melmoth is circulating around work and it’s getting the “I liked it, but not as much as the Essex Serpent” and “I loved it!”. So, I do believe you’re in for enjoyable read.
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Ooh, that’s excellent news! I’m prepared not to love it as much as I did The Essex Serpent, but still have high hopes for it.
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Possession is a favorite of mine, and I’m reading Transcription now. I didn’t love Portrait of a Lady (preferred House of Mirth) but I’m just not a big fan of Henry James. Enjoy your fall reading!
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Thank you! Very happy to hear you love Possession so much, and House of Mirth is one of my favorites too. Hope you enjoy Transcription!
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Great list. I love Possession but it can be a little dense so you have to be in the mood for that. If I remember correctly I was somewhat disappointed with Affinity, but I can’t remember why! It’s been a while since I read it, but it doesn’t stand out as one of my favorite Sarah Waters novels. I’m definitely excited to read The Corset which seems like it will be a great October/Halloween read. And of course, The Clockmaker’s Daughter made my list too. My list also features some creepy, gothic reads: https://franlaniado.wordpress.com/2018/09/18/top-ten-tuesday-fall-2018-tbr/
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Thanks, Fran! I’ve heard that about Possession, which is probably part of the reason I haven’t picked it up yet. Hopefully this fall will be a good time to dive into it. It doesn’t seem like Affinity is anyone’s favorite Sarah Waters’ novels! I’m really curious about it, but I don’t have any expectations for it. Glad you’re excited about The Corset and The Clockmaker’s Daughter too. Hopefully we’ll both love them!
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I’d be curious to know what you think of Affinity. I wonder if I should try a reread at some point. It’s possible that I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind when I read it the first time…
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Oh yes, I’ve read Possession and Portrait of a Lady – both excellent imo. I’m curious about the Wharton Ghost stories – I love to read classic scary stories at Halloween.
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Glad you enjoyed Possession and The Portrait of a Lady, Becky! I’m very intrigued by Wharton’s ghost stories too. Hopefully they’ll be just the right amount of creepy for Halloween!
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I recently came across Bitter Orange for the first time and it definitely sounds/looks intriguing! Happy Tuesday!
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It does, doesn’t it?! Hopefully we’ll both enjoy it if we pick it up! Happy reading, Maggie!
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A lovely list. I was underwhelmed by Black Rabbit Hall, but Possession and Portrait of a Lady are books I love. I could happily reread those two or read any of the others.
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Thanks, Jane! I’m thrilled to hear you love Portrait of a Lady and Possession so much. Both have been on my TBR for years, and my expectations are pretty high!
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The Corset, Transcription and Melmoth are on my list too, they all sound so good I can’t wait to start reading them.
Happy reading!
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Yay!! Hopefully we’ll both love all three. Happy fall reading to you too!
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I’ve heard a lot of recommendations for other Sarah Waters books but never Affinity! Can’t wait to see your thoughts on that one. Best of luck for this fall reading 🙂
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Thanks, Ayunda! Affinity seems to be her least popular novel. In a way, that makes me even more curious about it! I’m not expecting to love it as much as her others, but I do hope it will be a good read for fall.
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This is a great list, Jessie! I am also planning to read Bitter Orange 🙂
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Thanks, Juliana! Hopefully we’ll both enjoy Bitter Orange!
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Woo hoo! a new Kate Atkinson, I agree, that’s always good news!
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I cannot wait! Glad you’re excited too, Jane!
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You’d better believe I’m gonna drop everything else and read Transcription when it comes out! I’ve pre-ordered it, which I don’t do often. But she’s the BEST.
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The absolute best! I’m sure I’ll end up pre-ordering it as well. Hopefully we’ll both love it as much as we expect to!
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Possesion is so good – enjoy! I’m tempted by Bitter Orange, I think it sounds great.
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That’s great to hear, Cathy! I’ll be shocked if I don’t enjoy Possession too. Hopefully Bitter Orange will live up to our expectations. Happy reading!
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Jessie, I haven’t got any of these lined up, but looks like you have a great selection. So happy autumn reading. 🙂
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Thanks, Jessica! Happy autumn reading to you as well. I look forward to seeing which books you choose!
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Thank you 🙂
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