a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils

you had me at pumpkin spice latte

Do you smell that? A hint of nutmeg, a little bit of allspice. Woodsmoke, freshly laundered cotton. The sound of Harry Connick Jr. drifting from inside a cafe with dark green awnings on an idyllic street corner.

It’s here. This weekend in Denver the forecast calls for rain and a high of 58. Swimsuits and nylon shorts are going in the back closet, sweaters are coming out; my new striped rollneck is buzzing in anticipation. My favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally, and it’s largely seen as a fall movie because some of its most iconic scenes involve Central Park in the fall and cable-knit sweaters. Fall makes me think of falling in love, as clichéd as that may seem, but you can’t deny it’s the perfect time to cozy up with a knit blanket and a love story even if you have to turn the AC on blast.

Might I recommend a few?

Speaking of When Harry Met Sally…You, Again by Kate Goldbeck is a modern gender-swapped retelling of the classic story of whether men and women can be friends. The tagline is “Can they stop hating each other long enough to fall in love?” so it’s a tried and true enemies to lovers tale. But now that I’m thinking about it—has anyone ever met a couple that started out hating each other and ended up together?

The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis is the debut novel by famed British author Amis, about a 19-year-old precocious guy in London who is obsessed with a girl named Rachel. The book is structured as his diary, and it’s a delightful romp through the mind of an overly intellectual neurotic narcissist who takes meticulous notes on how to impress professors and how to seduce girls when it’s clear he isn’t proficient in either.

Ah when there is love, there is loss…or something lol. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton is not about the spooky specters but instead about being ghosted, a really nice modern phenomenon. Dolly Alderton is a very funny, insightful author in her thirties who probably gets called the voice of her generation often, but for good reason—if you haven’t read her books, this is a great place to start.

Some people say that the main story out there is boy meets girl, or, less gendered, romantic interest meets romantic interest, which may explain why retellings and rewritings are so common in the romance space. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Austen holds a place dear to my heart, so I loved this one, also because Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my favorite writers. It’s set on a bachelor-like show in Ohio!! Tons of fun.

The KING of extensive detail about the excess and the silly little lives of rich people, Kevin Kwan is back this year with another frothy fun banger, Lies and Weddings.

Casey McQuiston excels at creating perfect little capsules of our world that I want to cozy up inside of with a chunky knit blanket. Their latest, The Pairing, is no exception, taking place on a food tour across Europe, following two exes who happen to be on the same tour. Over-the-top descriptions of food, drinks, and of course, sex, make this one a fun romp through a Euro summer.

I picked up Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz because I liked the cover and because it’s about boats, and anyone who’s a fan of Below Deck will have a grand time reading it.

The classic!!! You’ve probably seen the movie, but have you read the book?! It’s so funny and fast-paced and yes, another retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but let’s be honest that story just never gets old!! Mr. Darcy rules!!!! Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding, obviously.