We asked Team OverDrive for their favorite fall reading selections. And, once cozied up by the fire, in the chair or with a fuzzy buddy, what’s on their coaster nearby?

Transition begins with tea

I’ve gotta go with The Hobbit, and I’d pair that with a nice fall tea. Something like the Harney & Son’s Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but it’s good tea, and it reminds me of taking a journey, for some reason. Maybe it’s just that I associate fall with transition, and Bilbo’s story is all about a journey of change. He’s clearly not the same Hobbit he was in the beginning of the story.

~Quinton, Product Owner

Spoiler: not rum

What was that noise? That one…right outside my window! Was it the patter of rain or the tapping of ghostly fingers? The rattle of desiccated leaves or an unearthly chuckle?

Truthfully, I couldn’t care less. I am snuggled into my blanket fort, drinking a crisp Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley and re-(re-)(re-)reading The Shining by Stephen King, ready to get scared out of my wits by a haunted hotel, a little boy with a big supernatural gift, and Jack Torrance’s spiral into madness. Red wine and REDRUM – what more could I want?

~Sydney, Training Specialist

Drinks with a dinosaur

My favorite autumnal book and beverage pairing is Dead Beat, book seven of the Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher, and Thirsty Dog’s Barktoberfest Lager. This series focuses on the anti-hero protagonist Harry Dresden, a wizard for hire in modern day Chicago. This novel is set around Halloween with zombies, ghosts, necromancers and goblins. Harry frequents a local pub and micro-brewery called McAnally’s Pub. I like to imagine myself sitting there at the bar, drinking a beer, and listening to Harry tell his stories of his most recent endeavors. Plus, not to spoil the plot for any potential readers, but, who wouldn’t love to ride a zombified T-Rex into battle against zombies, ghosts and necromancers!

~Matt, Developer

Pumpkin! (shush it haters)

I love pumpkin season. Pumpkin lattes. Pumpkin beers. Pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin cereal. You get the idea. I will shout my love for pumpkin from a mountain of pumpkins and I don’t care who knows it. You and your judgmental eyes can take a walk. Pumpkin flavored anything pairs deliciously with a bone-chilling horror novel. Morning – pumpkin coffee with a side of Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. Afternoon – pumpkin hot coco and The Fall by Bethany Griffin. Night – pumpkin beer while hiding under the covers with The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender.

~Andrea, Launch Specialist

Terror is neat

I’d choose Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, paired with bourbon whiskey, neat (to ease the tension). Annihilation is a slow burn tension builder, with Vandermeer’s prose ever so slowly revealing Area X to be full of terror and awe at every corner. Like a good bourbon, take your time with it, savor it, and, once it’s finished, get some more (by moving on to its sequels, Authority and Acceptance, or just pick them all up at once with Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy).

~Kenny, Metadata Specialist

Drinking from the pages

Mine is Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children paired with Chocolate Cherry coffee from Gourmand’s. This is a beautiful yet spooky story about acceptance of one’s peculiarity. It is perfect for Halloween especially if you pay attention to the photographs pictured in the book. Sitting on the couch under lots of blankets with a hot cup of Chocolate Cherry coffee from Gourmand’s while reading this love/coming of age/ scary story sounds like a cozy fall day to me. The slightly bitter, slightly sweet notes in this coffee pair perfectly with this story.

~Amanda, Account Specialist

Reading with your bestie

My ideal pairing would be hot apple cider and any Paws and Claws Mystery by Krista Davis. In the fall, I start going out less, and sitting at home with my dog and a blanket more. So why not get cozy with a cozy? Davis’s next book comes out this November, so it will be right on time.

~Briana, Training Specialist

 

All the spices

On a perfect fall day, I will have a window open to let in the crisp air, have a musky candle lit, and some festive Halloween lights will, of course, be hanging. My favorite autumnal beverage is hot spiced cider, like my mom always made it. You add the apple cider to a saucepan along with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice, and allow that to simmer until hot and slightly reduced. Not only will it warm you right up, it will make your house smell delightful as well! Then I will crack open my illustrated version of Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree, and be whisked away by the magic of the season.

~Shannon, Account Specialist

Geo-Poe

I’d pair hard Apple/Cranberry Cider with Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe because fall is the time for scary stories, and is also when cranberries are harvested in New England. I cannot think of a better time to revisit some of my favorite scary short stories by an author from Massachusetts! From “The Cask of Amontillado,” where one man becomes entombed alive in the catacombs of an unnamed Italian city, to “The Tell-Tale Heart,” where a man insists that he hears the disembodied beating of a heart. Poe pairs well with the rotting and decay of fall leaves, which will eventually make room for growth in the spring. I am a huge fan of light, humorous reading, but I’ll be sticking to the darker classics for this season.

~Bethany, Content Analyst

Wine for blood

On a perfect fall day, especially around Halloween, I can be caught reading Anne Rice’s Lestat, a tale of a young French man bestowed the Dark Gift by an ancient vampire and immediately abandoned by his maker. This title is best paired with a French Cabernet Sauvignon. This hearty red wine will give your mouth a drying sensation that leaves you craving more; similar to Lestat’s craving for blood.

~Jessica, Accountant