It's finally Oct. 1, which means summer reading has drawn to a close and it's time to start preparing your favorite corner on the couch for fall reading.
We're always on the hunt for the best book recommendations, and while you might have added a few novels to your list for Hispanic Heritage Month, New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben joined the 3rd Hour of TODAY to share some other top picks for your fall reading list.
Whether you're in search of a novel to read after you sign-off from work or need a page turner to curl up in bed with before turning the lights off, Coben has a suggestion for every kind of picture-perfect fall moment you're bound to have this season.
Best fireplace read
1. "Whale Day" by Billy Collins
Coben says Collins' "nimble language and funny thoughts" make it easy to get into and keep reading, and his latest book shows that he's a U.S. poet laureate for a reason.
Collins' latest collection of poems takes audiences on a course of poems that call upon their imagination. The themes of life and mortality are at play in this collection, with poems that introduce readers to an Irish spider, an old dog, Collins' own funeral and more.
Best book to enjoy with your pumpkin spice latte
1. "The Book of Two Ways" by Jodi Picoult
Coben selected this novel from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult as a novel to read for pensive thoughts when you sip your morning coffee, noting it's "part history and part love story."
In the middle of her flight, Dawn Edelstein is told to prepare for a crash landing, and in those moments she thinks not of her husband but of a man she met years ago. Though she survives the crash, she starts to contemplate the choices she's made this far, as life seems to have given her a second chance. When she has the chance to travel again, will she opt to return home to her family or embark on a journey to find the character she met nearly 15 years ago?
Best mysteries to gear up for Halloween
1. "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman
Spooky season is officially here, and "Thursday Murder Club" is one of two novels Coben suggests to help you get into the spirit of this time of year. A popular celebrity in the United Kingdom, this is Osman's first novel.
The novel centers around four friends in a retirement village that meet weekly to discuss unsolved crimes, properly under the title of "The Thursday Murder Club." However, this unlikely group of friends finds themselves in the middle of a live case when a local developer is found dead and more murders start to take place — and it's up to the Thursday Murder Club to solve the case.
2. "The End of Her" by Shari Lapena
Coben's other choice for a Halloween is a classic suspense story that centers around a husband and wife, Stephanie and Patrick, who are raising their two twin daughters.
Stephanie has settled into life with her husband and thinks she has the perfect life lined up — until a woman from her husband's past appears and accuses him of murder. Stephanie thought she knew her husband up until this point, and the accusations keep rolling in, leaving her feeling as though she doesn't know who to trust or believe.
Best book to 'fall' in love with
1. "No Time Like The Future" by Michael J. Fox
Coben's next pick is a collection of personal stories from Fox about illness, health, family and friends and mortality, among other things. Though the book won't be available to the public until Nov. 17, Coben says he found himself getting "misty-eyed" in certain sections of it. Fox also discusses his ongoing experience with Parkinson's disease and the spinal cord issue that forced him into immediate surgery, marking two traumas that have forced him to learn to walk again. Despite it all, Fox's humor shines in his newest memoir as he reflects on love, loss and life.
Best spooky kids book
1. "The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt" by Riel Nason
For little readers, Coben recommends this heartwarming tale of a little ghost that stands out from his friends. While his other friends are sheets, the little ghost who was a quilt can't fly as fast as them or zoom around like they can. That all changes on Halloween, when he has an experience that changes everything and learns that it's OK to stand out from the rest.
For more book recommendations, check out:
- Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with these 10 new books by Latinx authors
- The 30 best books to gift in 2020
- The 20 best back-to-school books for kids to calm first day jitters
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