Autumn officially arrived much earlier, but in many parts of the country, the weather rarely seems to agree on the timing. But from my home in the middle of a wheat field in Kansas, I can finally declare that fall is upon us. At long last.  

Autumn is my favorite season. I love the colors. I love the cool weather. I love pumpkin and baking and fuzzy socks and fluffy sweaters, and I can get quite silly about it. But I know I’m not the only one. And one of my favorite things to do in the autumn months is to curl up in a warm pool of sunlight and read. 

Join us today on Pages Of My Life where author A.C. Williams talks about readers' survival kits. Share on X

If I’ve got any brothers and sisters out there who are on the same page, I figured we all could benefit from a Fall TBR Survival Kit. Here’s what’s in mine!

A Comfy Chair

The best reading chairs are the giant ones that you can curl up in. I have an old recliner that used to be my dad’s (before I stole it from him). It’s broken in a few spots and broken-in everywhere else. And it’s big enough that all of me can curl up on it and be perfectly comfortable. 

A Cozy Blanket

Unquestionably, my favorite part of the fall weather is a cozy blanket. I have many of them. But they must be fluffy. They must be soft. And they get bonus points if they are funny or quirky in some way. For example, I have an amazing fuzzy blanket that is designed to look like the door of the TARDIS from Doctor Who. It’s one of my favorites. 

A Warm Beverage

Nothing says “fall” better than a big mug of something warm to drink, whether it’s tea or coffee or cider or cocoa. If it’s early in the morning, I like a cup of coffee with cream. If it’s afternoon, I always lean toward herbal tea (in the fall, I prefer some kind of rooibos with apple or cinnamon). In the evening, it’s usually hot cocoa or apple cider depending on what we have in the house.

A Tasty Snack

Do you like to snack while you read? I love snacks, both salty and sweet. Popcorn is always fun, and mixed nuts provide some protein. I usually stay away from greasy snacks like potato chips as oil from your fingers can damage the pages of your book or reading devices. In the colder months, fresh-baked items like pumpkin bread or scones or cookies can add another level of coziness to your already-cozy reading nook.

A Fun Candle

Some people like to set the mood when they are reading, and there are so many options for scented candles now, you should be able to find one for whatever kind of story you’re reading. Candles can smell like apple orchards, pumpkin cupcakes, autumn air, and forest escapes. Some candles are even designed after certain characters! Candles are a fantastically fun option for your reading survival kit. 

Tissues

If you’re an emotional reader, you might set some tissues aside just in case you’re reading a story that’s romantic or focused on a redemption story. Those reunion scenes can really get to you. If not the reunions, the confessions of love are pretty powerful. And the last thing you want to do is drip all over your book or reading device. 

Pens or Highlighters

Are you an annotator? Leaving notes in a book’s margins or highlighting meaningful passages has become more popular in recent years. So if you like to express your thoughts or feelings about how a passage or a piece of dialogue makes you feel, be sure to keep a supply of high-quality pens and highlighters close to where you’re reading. 

Mood Music

Some readers love to engage multiple senses when they are diving into a fictional world. Many online music platforms provide playlists that are searchable by keywords, so if you like to listen to music while you read, check out some genre-specific playlists for your next binge-reading session.

What items would you include in your own Reading Survival Kit?

Meet A.C. Williams

Author A.C. Williams is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. She’d rather be barefoot, and if she isn’t, her socks won’t match. With fifteen published books in both fiction and non-fiction, she is a Realm Award winner and a Selah Award finalist, as well as the 2022 Arise Daily Writer of the Year. She is also a popular monthly contributor to two blogs ranked in Writer’s Digest’s Top 101 sites for authors.