Have you ever picked up a book that sounds interesting and realized it’s set in the same month or even on the same day that you’re reading it? Talk about bookish serendipity! It gives me such delight. A few years ago, I picked up Daisy Darker on October 30th and was absolutely gleeful to find out it takes place over a particularly creepy Halloween weekend. Every time this happens I feel such nerdy joy, which has led me to make it a consistent reading habit.
Looking back, I read seasonally long before I realized it, gravitating to spine-tingling gothic literature in the fall, cozy heartfelt reads in the winter, love stories around Valentine’s Day, and fast-paced beach reads during summertime. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise since I adore seasonal watching, matching the television and movies we watch to the time of year. My husband Chad and I keep a shared Google document titled “Halloween yearly scary movies” where we track the mildly frightening stuff we watch in October. And don’t get me started on Christmas movies in December and romcoms in February.
I often refer to myself as a mood reader. While that is still partially true, once I began more in-depth tracking and reading reflection inspired by our MMD Book Club community, it became obvious that my “moods” are usually dependent on the season. Turns out my literary choices have always been clearly influenced by the calendar. Now that I am more aware, I love planning out my reading depending on the time of year. I keep the process simple by adding seasonal titles I want to read in my priority TBR list. To make it handy when I am out and about, the list lives in my iPhone’s Notes app and is broken down by month. Under October’s header, I already have Deja Brew, a fall-themed romance that begins on Halloween but when the main character wakes up the next day, it is magically October 1 again. Planning out my reading brings calming predictability and ease of choice to a world filled with so many books and too little time.
Another aspect that makes seasonal reading perfect for me is the atmospheric vibes it brings to my Florida life. Living in almost perpetual summer makes the change of seasons easy to overlook. Colorful fall leaves just aren’t a thing here, nor is snow a possibility. By leaning heavily into matching my books with the time of year, I can still enjoy the seasons and not take our ability to go to the beach every day for granted. If I hear about an eerie tale set in October, I will save the book until our local grocery stores start selling pumpkins and mums. I may not be big into decorating our home for the holidays but I make sure to visit the library to rent a huge stack of Christmas-themed romances and mysteries come December 1. Visiting the pages of these seasonal settings helps me immerse myself in wintertime even though the weather around me is hot and sunny.
Reading seasonally also builds bookish camaraderie: it makes my social heart happy. Many people have books they read at the same time each year or titles they save for just the right date. I thought 10 Blind Dates was a cute book but buddy reading it over Christmas break at the same time the book takes place made it even more fun. When my local in-person book club chose to read Oona Out of Order one January, we were all pleased to chat about New Year’s Day and how the start of a new year can be meaningful. One of my friends starts The Scorpion Races on the first day of November every year, just like the opening line; maybe this will be the year I finally join in with her.
In all honesty, these seasonal reading patterns occasionally backfire on me. It is slightly embarrassing to admit that I have meant to read Seven Days in June for years now and keep missing my chance. (What can I say? It’s June or nothing for that one!) Most recently, I fell behind while buddy reading Dracula Daily this summer. Now, there is nothing wrong with an occasional “Summerween” read or “Christmas In July” pick. (In fact, those have become their own little mini seasons in my book!) It was just TOO sunny to read about an old vampire named Dracula in a crumbling castle. Once the calendar got closer to fall, I was able to catch up and start sinking my teeth into the creepy classic again. Luckily, I am part of a few book clubs that usually choose picks coordinating with the season.
Reading seasonally has been one of the best discoveries I have made in my reading life: it is just so aesthetically pleasing to match the calendar date and my current reads.
I would love to hear from those of you who enjoy seasonal reading, those who don’t, and everything in between! Come share how you set up your calendar of reading in the comments below.
P.S. What Should I Read Next #411: Super-seasonal reading, all year long.
P.P.S. 31 spooky (but not too scary) books for your fall reading list, 20 books to cozy up with this winter, 11 books that are better in the spring, and 15 backlist books that feel like summer.
About the author
Brigid Misselhorn is our MMD Book Club Community Administrator. Her go-to genres are mystery, romance, and sci-fi. You can find Brigid on Instagram @brigid_emily.