A Complete Guide to Autumn

From recipes to make, movies to watch, things to do, and more!

Sep 10, 2025

It’s no secret that I looove the Fall time.

I love every single thing about Fall - the coziness, the weather, the food, the transition to shorter days and chillier mornings.

And I know Fall doesn’t technicallllly start until September 22nd, but personally I’m a Fall begins September 1st kinda gal.

So, in this (very long) post I’ve rounded up the best of Fall. We’re talking, movies, songs, recipes, decor, you name it and it’s on this list (hopefully).

With that being said, by no means is this list exhaustive, so please share all your recommendations below so we can all have the GGF (Gilmore Girl’s Fall) of our dreams.

P.S. This post may contain affiliate links. Read more about my affiliate policy here.

I started my Substack in October of last year (!!!), so while I don’t have a super lengthy Fall-inspired recipe list yet, I do have soooo many coming up.

But for now here are all the ones from last year!

P.S. recipes with an * next to it are paid recipes.

Autumn Ratatouille* - This is actually in my top 5 recipes of all time. It’s easy, it’s good-for-you, and it tastes stupidly good.
White Bean Stew* - You honestly cannot go wrong with beans in a flavorful sauce. You just can’t!
Vegan Chili* - I make this every year. It’s a great meal prep and when paired with some vegan ground beef? Perfection.
Creamy Potato Soup* - I mean…potatoes blended into soup? Say less.
Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup - Because sweet potatoes blended into soup are just as good as regular potatoes.
Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts - The perfect side dish. And they’re topped with toasted coconut and almonds for an unexpected but very tasty flavor combo.
Apple Baked Oats - A single-serve breakfast for when you want something fancy but do-able to start the day.
Pumpkin Stuffed Dates - Stuff dates with a bit of pumpkin and vegan cream cheese and drizzle with chocolate and you have the perfect dessert.
Chocolate Chip Cookies - Okay, okay…I know chocolate chip cookies aren’t necessarily a Fall recipe, buuuut I just feel like warm baked chocolate chip cookies are a cozy dessert that deserve to be on this list.
Apple Egg Rolls - Savory egg rolls? Delicious. Sweet egg rolls? Even better!
Date Latte - I make this allll day everyday once it gets colder. This is actually the most popular recipe on my blog (and Pinterest!) and for good reason.

There is nothing better than curling up with a good book, a coffee (or hot chocolate or tea), and turning the fireplace on. Or, in my case putting this fireplace video on the TV. Whatever works, ya know?

Full transparency I haven’t read all of these books yet, but they’ve been highly recommended and any I haven’t read are on my ‘to read’ list.

The Dead Romantics (Ashley Poston) - A heartwarming, quirky rom-com about a ghostwriter who can actually see ghosts. Think cozy rom-com with a paranormal twist.

In a Dark, Dark Wood (Ruth Ware) - Nora gets invited to a bachelorette party in a glass house in the middle of the woods (what could go wrong?). Old friendships, secrets, and a whole lot of tension bubble up, and the weekend takes a dark turn. I’ve read a couple Ruth Ware books and this one is my favorite!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Holly Jackson) - High school student Pip decides to investigate a supposedly closed murder case in her small town for her senior project. As she digs deeper, she realizes the case isn’t as solved as everyone thinks.

Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) - Anne Shirley is sent to live with two siblings on Prince Edward Island except they had been expecting a boy to help with the farm. It’s where the quote, “I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” is from!

Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury) - Best friends Will and Jim discover that a traveling carnival has arrived in their town but it’s no ordinary carnival. It preys on people’s deepest desires, and the boys soon find themselves caught in its sinister pull - it’s a dark fantasy mixed with horror!

The Guest List (Lucy Foley) - A glamorous wedding takes place on a remote Irish island, the kind of event where everything looks perfect until it doesn’t. Guests arrive with secrets, resentments bubble to the surface, and by the end of the night someone is dead.

Truly Devious (Maureen Johnson) - Ellingham Academy is an exclusive boarding school known for its eccentric history including an unsolved kidnapping and murder decades earlier. Enter Stevie Bell, a true-crime-obsessed teen who enrolls determined to solve the mystery. Of course, when a new crime occurs on campus, Stevie finds herself in the middle of it all.

The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern) - Le Cirque des Rêves isn’t your average circus, it only opens at night, and everything inside is enchanted. But behind the scenes, two young magicians are locked in a high-stakes competition.

Dark Matter (Blake Crouch) - Jason Dessen is a physics professor living a quiet life until he’s kidnapped, knocked out, and wakes up in a world that’s both his… and not his. Suddenly he’s pulled into a mind-bending journey through alternate realities, trying to get back to his family.

The Immortalists (Chloe Benjamin) - In 1969, four siblings visit a fortune teller who tells them the exact day they’ll die. Each of their lives unfolds in the shadow of that knowledge, shaped by whether they believe the prophecy or not.

Pumpkin Spice Café (Laurie Gilmore) - When Jeannie takes over her aunt’s cozy café in a small town, she doesn’t expect to fall for the grumpy local farmer who keeps showing up. But between pumpkin spice lattes, autumn festivals, and plenty of small-town charm, romance brews. It’s basically a Hallmark movie wrapped in pages lol.

Okay this is probably my favorite section to write because oh man do I love cozy, comforting (sometimes spooky) shows.

Again, I haven’t seen all these shows or movies (yet) but they all come highly recommended from friends, strangers, critics, and so on!

TV Shows

Ones I’ve seen and recommend:

Stranger Things - The first season specifically screams Fall given it’s set during November in the 1980s in Indiana, but honestly I think the whole show is a good Fall watch!
Wednesday - I haven’t seen the second season yet, but I loved the first season! It’s spooky, but not scary with strong characters and plenty of Fall vibes.
Friends - There’s a ton of cozy, comforting Fall episodes. I love to rewatch the Halloween and Thanksgiving episodes in the Fall.
Vampire Diaries - I watched this for the first time last year and loved it! It’s kind of like the Fall version of The Summer I Turned Pretty (but better IMO) with vampires.
Gilmore Girls - I meannnn the Fall show and for good reason! It’s a cozy and comforting watch with small town charm, town festivals, quirky characters, and diner vibes.
Ghost Whisperer - A vastly underrated show! It’s perfect for Fall time and was actually filmed on the same lot as GG! It has the same small town vibe and cozy set, with, well, ghosts.

On my watch list:

Once Upon a Time
Charmed
Over the Garden Wall
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Friday Night Lights
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Cozy/Comforting Films

When Harry Met Sally
Julie & Julia
Practical Magic
Dead Poets Society
Twilight
Matilda
You’ve Got Mail
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Halloweentown
Casper
Hocus Pocus
Twitches
Good Will Hunting
It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
Friday Night Lights

Spooky/Scary Films

Lisa Frankenstein
Jennifer’s Body
Edward Scissorhands
Corpse Bride
The Babysitter
Get Out
Totally Killer
Fear Street Trilogy
Halloween
Scream

I listen to an Autumn-inspired playlist everyday in the Fall. It goes on in the morning and it stays on until the evening! It’s probably how I racked up over 130,000 minutes on Spotify last year….

But my list of songs became very long, very fast, so I made an Autumn playlist specifically for you to listen to here! I hope you love it as much as I do.

Here’s a few of my top ones in case you don’t have spotify :)

Visions of Gideon - Sufjan Stevens
Have We Met Before - Tom Rosenthal
Haunt Me - Yana
Cherry Flavoured - The Neighbourhood
Alabama Haint - Penny and Sparrow
Season of the Witch - Lana del Rey
Apple Pie - Lizzy Mcalpine
We fell in love in October - Girl in Red
Dancing after Death - Matt Mason
You’re Gonna Go Far - Noah Kahan
Thirteen - Big Star
Daylight - David Kushner

Shop the towel in the middle picture & the placemats in the right picture (but in terracotta)

I am a firm believer that decorating the space you live in improves your mood and brings joy. And, it doesn’t have to be expensive! Or, even complicated.

I’m sure we’ve all seen a million and one Instagram Reels of perfectly decorated apartments / houses. And I love that. For them. But I’m just not there yet (one day).

Last year I invested in a few staple Fall/Halloween-themed pieces that I figured would last me for years to come. And, when I pulled them out of my storage closet this year…they brought me so much joy!

So, with that being said here’s some Fall & Halloween themed decor items to start (or grow) your collection. They’re timeless pieces that will last years!