It’s time to plan a festive fall book club!
The air is changing + the leaves are rustling, which makes it the BEST time of year for book club! Fall is the most quintessential season to get cozy with a book, and it’s also the ideal time to gather with friends over delicious food, a thoughtful read, and invigorating conversation. Now, let’s make it happen!
Fall Book Club: The Essentials
The essentials for any book club meetup: the book, the menu, the drink, the setting, the conversation.
Let’s start with the centerpiece of the gathering: the book.
If you have an established book club, you likely have a technique regarding how you choose your next read. Some groups choose via their group text thread, some choose at the end of the last meeting. Others send out a questionnaire. Some even use instagram polls! Whatever your avenue, consider a book full of cozy vibes for one of your fall meetups:
Autumn: A Novel brief description: “MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • The first novel in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet is an unforgettable story about aging and time and love—and stories themselves.” (via Amazon)
Mexican Gothic brief description: “An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.” (via Amazon)
Mexican Gothic was picked as “one of the best books of the year” by many outlets.
Weyward brief description: “Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an astonishing debut, and an enthralling novel of female resilience.” (via Amazon) Weyward is another book which has earned high ratings across various sources, as well as the winner of two Goodreads awards!
The following bloggers have also put together lists of their favorite cozy fall options, which offer an array of genres and options:
The Autumnal-Inspired Menu
I love a potluck-style book club meetup, where everyone brings something to assist. Life is busy and this can often be the most accessible option for many. If this is the case with your crew, consider assigning book club members something savory, something sweet, and drink options.
If this is not the case with your crew and the host is in charge of the food, that works well too. The host then has the freedom to plan a full menu, and maybe even try a new recipe that’s been on their autumn menu pinterest board!
Fall Book Club Menu Considerations
If your group enjoys a cheese or charcuterie board, go with it! If this is the case, choose some cheeses that are fall-inspired, whether by flavor or by color.
Cotswold Cheddar from Trader Joe’s
This cheese is delicious! Trader Joe’s has this year round (at least that’s been my experience on the East Coast). It’s a beautiful cow’s milk cheese blended with chives and onions, which adds so much flavor and looks festive on a cheese board. I’ve got a wedge in my cheese drawer right now!
Whole Foods also has a version of this cheese, labeled Somerdale Coopers Hill.
Another wonderful cheese option is Mimolette. It’s a mild cheese (though looks sharper given its bright hue) and has notes of butterscotch. The rind is a pale brown shade and is a little craggy, making it a perfect fit for an autumn or Halloween-y cheese board. PS: Pecans pair beautifully with Mimolette!
While the Mimolette picture below is linked to Amazon, we can find this at our local grocery store which has a gourmet cheese section, so I’m hopeful you may have a purchasing option near you as well.
Compliment your board with some candied nuts, which you can buy at Trader Joe’s, or most major grocery stores, or make your own very easily. Add some dried cranberries, oranges, and figs, tuck in a spray of rosemary, and you’ve got a beautiful autumnal cheeseboard to serve your guests as they walk in the door, ready to chat all things book!
Here’s a super simple recipe from Carlsbad Cravings if you’d like to make your own candied nuts:
This recipe calls for white sugar, but you could also use brown if you want a slightly deeper flavor.
To add more interest to the cheese board with both color and flavor, a red-wine soaked cheese is a good fit for fall. Many major grocery stores now carry a form of this cheese. Just look for a wedge that’s in a near-burgundy rind, with cheese white in color. If you’re unsure, take a moment to ask an employee, especially if they have their own cheese counter. They’re happy to help!
Depending on the size of your group, one or two cheeses is likely plenty if you’re also serving other bites. Add some crackers, fresh bread, and brined olives, and you’ve got a hearty appetizer. If you’re only serving a cheese board, add some sliced meats, pickled vegetables, and maybe a dip or two to balance out the board. Consider also including a soft cheese like brie or camembert or a baked feta.
Further Menu Considerations
Building upon the cozy fall book club theme, let’s consider a few other menu options:
This baked feta dip with fig jam and pecans is super simple and hits so many autumnal notes.
Here’s another great option:
For something that feels a bit more like a meal, these caramelized onion, apple and goat cheese melts from New York Times Cooking are just the thing! Make several either in a pan or in the oven, slice and serve on a big wooden cutting board.
The Fall Book Club Drink
It’s always nice to serve everyone their first drink and then have a setup which allows them to serve themselves. This way your guest feels welcome, but you can stayed tuned into the conversation without worrying about keeping an eye on drinks and getting up every so often to refresh them. Of course, it’s always nice if you are getting up to refresh your own to check-in and see if anyone else needs anything.
Mulled Wine
A fun make-ahead drink, this could hang on the stovetop under low heat or no heat (once already heated), with glass mugs at the ready. Mulled wine on the stove also makes the house smell like quintessential fall!
Here’s another option with the spices already prepared, just add wine, or apple cider, for a non-alcoholic option:
Wine Options
If you’d like to have traditional wine options on hand for those who might not favor a mulled wine, consider a Pinot Noir for red, which will satisfy the red wine drinkers, but is often light enough for the white wine drinkers.
Another great addition is a bubbly! Prosecco or Cava, which pair well with the fatty cheese options, and can be spruced up with a little apple cider, or mulled spice syrup (which you can easily whip up with the mulled spices). For a white option, try a Sancerre or Pinot Gris (both can boast pear and apple notes).
The Festive + Cozy Setting
If your location (& weather) allows, head outside around a fire pit for your initial drink OR flip flop and have a drink inside while everyone is arriving and then gather a plate of food, refresh drinks and head outside for a cozy conversation around the fire.
Our summer book club post has some great suggestions for fending off any straggling mosquitos or bugs, as well as cozy blanket, and string light options. Whether you’re inside or out, having a few cozy blankets folded or tossed over the seating options not only warms up the setting, it also invites your guest to get cozy, which is our goal!
The Table
Since the table is the centerpiece of the evening, take a few extra minutes to add some autumnal hues. Napkins and/or a tablecloth go a long way in adding color and warmth, and a few lit candles (whether real or battery operated) offer a special touch and set the perfect vibe for a fall book club.
If you will be indoors for at least part of the evening, set the tone with the lighting. If you have dimmers, feel free to bring the light down a bit, and burn a few candles. Touch lamps also add so much to a table (indoor or out)!
I have both the first two touch lamps listed above and love them both. If I was in the market for another option, I’d absolutely go for the third option with the pleated shade! I love that look. The more modern gold touch lamps listed last are so adorable and would add a great updated look to any table.
If you’re in the market for a touch lamp, just be sure to check out the dimensions prior to purchasing so you know what works for your setting.
If you want to add a little more to the table (although it will likely be quite full with food, plates, napkins, cutlery, and candles, so don’t feel the need, you can scatter a few leaves, acorns, and pumpkins at the base of the candles to up the autumn ante.
The Conversation
The most fulfilling part of the evening! Often, the conversation flows really naturally, but if you find the group at a lull, have these discussion points open on your phone (or printed out) to refer to:
Reader’s Guide for Autumn by Ali Smith
Book Club Kit for Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (this one even has a music list suggestion!)
Discussion Questions for Weyward by Amilia Hart
We’ve now touched upon all the essentials for hosting a festive + cozy fall book club! If you have any other suggestions, please leave them below and happy hosting!
More posts to inspire your book club experience:
