Your Fall 2026 Reading List

As classes start up again (almost too quickly), it is easy to forget that reading can actually be fun. Fall is the perfect time to sit down and read for pleasure, especially when homework piles up faster than you can finish it. With books of different genres and lengths—spooky short stories, mysteries, thrillers, fantasies, and more—the “Harvard Independent” has included something for every reader.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving

Set in the eerie, ghost-ridden town of Sleepy Hollow, Irving draws the reader into the story of Ichabod Crane, a scrawny schoolteacher fascinated by the townspeople’s spooky stories. In the story, Crane falls in love with a wealthy girl named Katrina Van Tassel, who is, unfortunately, also the object of affection for Crane’s archenemy, Brom Bones (the name is telling). On his way back from the Van Tassel farm, Crane faces one of the town’s most famous ghosts: the Headless Horseman. If he did not believe the ghost stories before, he certainly does now!

“The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath

Esther Greenwood is a talented young woman who moves to New York City for a month-long magazine internship, hoping for a bright future. As the story unfolds, Esther begins to suffer from extreme depression and isolation, and after Esther returns to Massachusetts, she experiences a mental breakdown. Plath illustrates the unfolding of her depression through accounts of her past: her previous lover (if that’s what you would call him), her nights out with her overly outgoing friend in New York, and her career after college. A melancholic novel that captures Boston’s increasingly chilly nights, “The Bell Jar” is a good option if you want to read something that both disturbs and captivates you.

“The Guest List” by Lucy Foley

On a remote island off the coast of Ireland with spotty cell service (of course), a glamorous wedding takes place for a magazine editor and a survival television star. The novel shifts between the perspectives of the event’s central players: the bride, the bridesmaid, the best man, a guest’s plus-one, and the wedding planner. As the wedding continues, old resentments and histories arise. Before long, you realize that all of the guests are entangled in a dark web of secrets. After a murder occurs and every guest has a motive, Foley keeps the suspense high by switching rapidly between perspectives and ending her short chapters with cliffhangers. You’ll guess who did it until the very end.

“The Big Sleep” by Raymond Chandler

Chandler’s classic, must-read mystery follows private detective Philip Marlowe after a wealthy family hires him to investigate the blackmail of one of their daughters. What seems like a simple and straightforward assignment suddenly becomes tangled in murder, corruption, and the underworld of 1930s Los Angeles. Marlowe quickly discovers that almost everyone has something to hide. At only around 250 pages, it is even more enticing—“The Big Sleep” is a great choice if you want a short but challenging mystery.

“The Woman in the Window” by A.J. Finn

Anna Fox, a child psychologist, rarely leaves her New York City home. She prefers to live life through others rather than live in reality. It has been a year since Anna left her house, and her husband and daughter are no longer living there. Recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Anna struggles with substance abuse. After Anna witnesses a crime outside her window, she grapples with what to do next. The “crime” serves as the central mystery of the novel, and because Anna is struggling with alcohol and prescription medication, she begins to question if it actually happened. I absolutely love psychological thrillers, so I couldn’t put down this perfect rainy-night mystery.

“The Remains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro

If you want to read about a character you want to shake and say, “Not again, why would you do that?!” then you will love this novel. “The Remains of the Day” follows Stevens, a deeply reserved English butler who devotes his life to his duties. He works at one of the most renowned English estates, Darlington Hall. Stevens prides himself on his professionalism and unwavering loyalty, but his dedication to his duties as a butler comes at a cost to his personal life. Ishiguro follows Stevens on a road trip through the English countryside, where he reflects on his past. “The Remains of the Day” weaves passivity and regret with love and passion, creating a moving story about a man who may have spent too much of his life serving others.

“The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig

Nora Seed seems to have a dismal future. After losing her job and discovering that her cat was found dead on the street, she decides that her life is no longer worth living. She finds herself in a library that is stuck at midnight and is a mysterious space between life and death. Every book in the library contains Nora’s alternative futures, based on the choices she could have made. As Nora explores these alternative lives, she searches for the perfect one and begins to learn that that life may not exist. Haig combines fantasy and magic with a story that captures the depth of regret and the weight of a single choice. This novel is a thoughtful, emotional story about second chances, and its warm undertones make it the perfect fall read.

“Araby” by James Joyce

This James Joyce short story comes from his collection “Dubliners” and follows a young boy in Dublin who develops a crush on his friend’s older sister. He becomes fascinated by her and builds an idealized image of her despite barely knowing her. When he learns she wants something from a bazaar called Araby, he promises to go for her and get her a gift. Joyce uses the boy’s journey to the bazaar to explore romanticism and youthful realizations. Araby is a perfect coming-of-age short story to read quickly before bed or outside in crisp fall weather.

Drawn from a list of my favorite books, these are the perfect fall guilty pleasures—if you are aiming to broaden your reading horizons, limit your screen time, or take your mind off your p-sets, check out these recommendations!

Anna Mogel ’30 (amogel@college.harvard.edu) loves these books paired with a cup of chamomile tea.