Fall Reading Flight | Sally Anne’s Top Picks

Every fall, with the first crunch of leaves, I cannot resist welcoming the season with a few autumnal favorites. Here is what I recommend reading, watching, and baking.

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Fall Reading Flight

What to Read

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

By Gabrielle Zevin

The Storied Life of AJ Fickery by Gabrielle Zevin is a perfect and entertaining blend of “You’ve Got Mail” and George Eliot’s Silas Marner. AJ is a misanthropic bookseller following the unexpected loss of his beloved wife. However, his life is turned upside down upon finding (and later adopting) a toddler abandoned in his bookstore. 

The love for his daughter opens up AJ’s heart as he starts building relationships with his community and even finds a bookish love interest. It reads like a Hollywood romantic comedy with a cast of characters one cannot help but love. The story charts the ebbs and flows of these relationships with rich intertextuality. This is a book that you will be sad to finish and leave behind characters that feel like friends by the end.

What to Watch

You’ve Got Mail

When thinking of the quintessential fall movie, You’ve Got Mail wins by a landslide in my book. It’s hard to beat Meg Ryan, with her pitch-perfect piecey bob, walking down the autumnal streets of New York. The witty repartee between Tom Hanks and Ryan paired with the nostalgia of the dawning of email culture is just impossible to beat. Not to mention, the plot revolves around books, and bookstores—what’s not to love?!

Rent it now on Amazon

What to Eat

Mumsie's Apple Crisp

This recipe is a staple in our family every Autumn. Nothing feels more like the Fall season than filling a home with the smell of warm apple crisp!

Cooking time: 55 min.

Preheat oven to 350°

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup butter (cold)

• 3/4 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. cinnamon

• 5-6 sliced/peeled apples

• 1 tbs. brown sugar

• 2 tsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°

2. Mix flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon; cut in cold butter

3. Toss apples in lemon juice and brown sugar

4. Place apples in greased 9x9 pan; sprinkle with toppings

5. Bake for 55-65 minutes

Tips

Any apples work! I have used Gala, Honeycrisp, Jazz, Granny Smith, Empire-all with great results. I do not recommend Red Delicious as the texture would tend to get mushy when baked (which just is not my preference).

What you’ll need

• A 9x9 dish like this one.

• A veggie peeler—I have this one.

• Measuring spoons

• Measuring cups

• This probably isn’t really a NEED, but the fun Fall towel in the photos is a couple of years old from Anthropologie. It is no longer available, but I did find this cutie that is just as festive but can be used year round!

What to Drink

Drinking anything warm during the Fall season will feel comforting of course, but my personal go-to is a tall decaf cappuccino. Whether it is paired with a good book, a feel-good movie, or a warm dessert, you simply can’t go wrong.

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I hope that something on the list strikes your interest and provides you with a few hours of good old fashioned Fall fun. If you read, watch, eat, or drink any of these recommendations, shout it out in the comments! Happy Fall, y’all!

Sally Anne Groomes

Washington D.C.

Sally Anne is a former literature professor who still cannot be caught without a book close at hand. Currently, she is raising her two kids, running many miles, and adventuring around the world one duty station at a time with her husband (a Navy doctor). She loves Jesus with all her heart and is learning daily how to count it all JOY.

Learn more about Sally Anne here and find her on Instagram at @sagroomes21.

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