Autumn is the perfect season for curling up with a good book. Whether you want to mourn the end of Summer by diving into a rich autumnal read or you just want a change of pace from your beachy books, we have compiled a selection of reading recommendations to keep you happy.

Some of these have been out a while and are perfect reading material for embracing the darkness, others are new reads hitting the shelves this Autumn that we think you are going to love.

To get us in the mood, we also share here some of our favourite autumnal quotes:

“Autumn leaves don't fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar.” Delia Owens in Where The Crawdads Sing

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers” L.M. Montgomery in Anne of Green Gables.

If you like to cosy up to a book with an autumnal cover, (there's nothing wrong with being influenced by a beautiful book jacket), we can't help but press The Familiars, Circe or Foxfire Wolfskin and Other Stories or The Deathless Girls into your hands. We cannot forget the children's book October, October by Katya Balen that is a modern classic. A book for everyone, not just children, it's a timeless, lyrical treasure that sees a girl who’s at one with the wild struggle with the world beyond her woods. And of course Ali Smith's Autumn, which was shortlisted for the Booker in 2017. 

We are unable to create this collection without mentioning Melissa Harrison who is a novelist and nature writer, podcaster and children’s author. Her most recent novel, All Among the Barley, was the UK winner of the European Union Prize for Literature. It was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year and a Book of the Year in the Observer, the New Statesman and the Irish Times. And we could include almost all of Melissa's books here. They are a joy to behold, and celebrate nature in all its forms, of particular relevance to this collection at this critical time of transformation is Autumn - an anthology for the changing seasons.

Do check out Daniel Mason's North Woods. It's the story of a single house deep in the woods of New England, and it's destined for big things. The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri is another absolute star. Blazing with a family’s impulse to survive and rise from the ashes of destruction, this remarkable Greece-set novel is intimate, epic, and exhilaratingly absorbing. And Yours from The Tower by Sally Nicholls is a brilliant read for teenagers onwards. It explores the hopes, struggles and first loves of three friends at the end of the 19th century, who have left boarding school for very different lives.

In the dystopian stakes, Naomi Alderman has a follow up to The Power that we'll be grabbing with both hands. The Future, now out in paperback is as readable as her previous books. Described as a white-knuckle tour-de-force and dazzling exploration of the world we have made and where we are going.

You'll find satifyingly suspenseful, literary Victorian cime permeated with supernatural shenanigans if you pick up Nocturne With Gaslamps by Matthew Francis. Or step back in time more literally and explore some of the most horrific crimes in history with Simon Read's Scotland Yard.

And, even though they're not particularly autumnal, we've included these brilliant reads that are hitting the stores near you this Autumn. All are from names we love and are sure to hit the bestseller lists if they haven't already.

Richard Osman returns with We Solve Murders, a new series with a new iconic duo solving a puzzling new murder. A no-brainer when cosying up with a cosy crime! If you're looking for someing spikier Bella Mackie, bestselling author of the brilliant How to Kill Your Family is back with What A Way To Go. There's also a new Kay Scarpetta novel on the way in Ocotber, set a reminder to pick up Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell on the 8th October. 

Although you might be well passed the age of having to go to school, the Autumn always brings those memories to mind. And now you can bring the memories of school dinners to life with Dorothy Spooner's nostalgic recipe book School Dinner Heaven. Speaking of nostalgia, catch up with your childhood Girls in Jacqueline Wilson's Think Again. 

Stephen Fry's epic ancient Greek journey comes to a close with his final retelling. Follow wily Odysseus on his long journey home with Odyssey. We also have Intermezzo, the moving story about grief, love and family by Sally Rooney. 

If Halloween is more your thing as Autumn closes in, check out our Halloween reading recommendations: 50 books to keep you up past the witching hour.