Autumn is almost an ethereal time of the year.
There is magic in the air with the crisp scent of cold air returning and fireplaces being utilized. There is a specific kind of beauty in leaves changing color and pumpkins being present on every doorstep.

With cultural traditions underway, what’s better than kicking off the change in seasons by reading a few good books? So put on your favorite sweater, sip that pumpkin spice latte and crack open one of these titles that will surely put you in the mood for more eerie or atmospheric reads.

“The Secret History” by Donna Tartt

“The Secret History” opens with a murder — a body is discovered under several feet of snow in an icy New England college town. Made to look like an accident, the murder’s victim is a member of a close-knit group of Classics students who are as brilliant as they are ruthless. As the story unfolds, it becomes less of a “who done it?” as the perpetrators are revealed within the first few pages. Instead, the question on everyone’s mind is why?

Laden with immense attention to detail, Donna Tartt’s first novel has been proclaimed a modern classic (her most recent novel, “The Goldfinch,” has been touted as a masterpiece). Unfamiliar with her writing prior to this novel, I have to firmly agree. Tartt is a modern-day literary genius. Dripping with the most trivial thoughts of the protagonist’s everyday life (from his decision to attend such a prestigious school, to his disastrous winter break, to his newfound friendships and philosophy), this novel still manages to be gripping. It’s a sort of intellectual “edge-of-your-seat” thriller with less action and more intrigue.

“The Vegetarian” by Han Kang

A darling of the literary critic’s world, “The Vegetarian” is more than just a tale of a young Korean woman who decides to become a vegetarian after having an intensely disturbing dream about animals and bloodshed. Instead, it is more of a discussion of gendered expectations, gender roles, the struggle for independence in a society that places unique expectations on women, and what may happen when one is denied control of their own body.

Yeong-hye is found one night by her husband in a dazed state, sitting in front of their refrigerator, feverously removing and destroying any animal products. In bewilderment, he asks her what she is doing, and her only response is that she has had a dream. The first section of narration is from the husband’s perspective, who was drawn to Yeong-hye for just how unremarkable he perceived her to be. The second narrator is Yeong-hye’s brother-in-law, a formerly renowned artist who becomes obsessed with her because she is a waif-like creature, whom he considers to be his muse.

The novel ends with narration from Yeong-hye’s sister, a woman who risks familial stability to provide for her beloved sister (one to whom she relates a little too much). This novel is cerebral and a difficult story of the descent into mental illness that reminded me of reading “The Bell Jar” for the first time.

“The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers

While not specifically atmospheric or moody, “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” makes this list by the sheer enjoyability of this space opera. The novel begins with the introduction of Rosemary Harper, a young woman operating under a changed identity, who has a devastating secret and a mysterious past she would do anything to escape from. What better way to create distance from your home planet than by joining the crew of a wormhole-tunneling space ship?

As the newest crewmember of the Wayfarer, which is operated by a ragtag bunch of humans and nonhumans alike in an equally ragtag ship, Rosemary encounters areas of the universe hardly ever explored after the ship’s captain accepts a new job tunneling a wormhole in space around a hostile planet with tentative political relations.

Each of the crewmembers are unique and are given their own voice, whether it’s the reptilian pilot who reluctantly wears clothing to make her human friends feel more comfortable, the captain with a star-crossed love affair and a species-specific prejudice against human relationships, or the engineer Jenks, who has fallen in love with the ship’s A.I. Lovey. This is a novel of friendship and acceptance; it’s about navigating diverse borders with sensitivity and an open minded. “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” is narrated by a truly diverse cast of characters with an alien species entirely unique to this author. Chambers’s creativity knows no bounds.

-Kimberly Lopez is a Reader’s Services Assistant at Lawrence Public Library.