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10 Classics for Your Fall Reading List

10 Classics for Your Fall Reading List

It’s ‘back-to-school’ season and even if you’re a grown up or sans kiddos, you can still feed your brain by mixing some classics into your fall reading list. Fall is the perfect time to curl up in your pajamas with a good book, so make those moments count with these classic literary reads.

10 Books for Your Fall Reading List

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Grown-Up Bedtime Stories: Classics to Add to Your Reading List

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

If you want a literary classic that is guaranteed to get your blood pumping, look no further than The Count of Monte Cristo. You could technically call this novel the first ‘action movie’ before movies. How’s this for a plot: an innocent man wrongly, but deliberately imprisoned spends his time locked away crafting a brilliant strategy for revenge against all who betrayed him. Should prove to be moderately entertaining!

2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

In the mood for a wistful fall read? Laugh and cry with Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, the literary classic that follows the four March girls in this tale of poverty, womanhood, and growing up. In short: being a woman is complicated and becoming a woman is even more so.

3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A dash of romance in an over-the-top luxe 1920s setting. The Great Gatsby follows the story of eccentric millionaire Jay Gatsby as told by Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner who lives on Long Island but works in Manhattan. Gatsby’s enormous mansion is adjacent to Carraway’s modest home, and Carraway becomes curious about his neighbor after being invited to one of his famous parties. Romance, intrigue, and violence ensue as Gatsby’s intentions are revealed.

4. 1984 by George Orwell

This novel has seen a revival in popularity in recent years. Orwell’s story, published in 1949, unfolds in “futuristic” 1984 Oceania, the totalitarian superpower in post World War II Europe. In this world, most of the world’s population have become victims of perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance and propaganda. This book was the catalyst for Big Brother paranoia. A thrilling, engaging, must-read that is as relevant today as it was 1949.

5. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

A dense and truly epic read, Great Expectations is arguably Charles Dickens’ masterpiece. The tale depicts the personal growth and development of an orphan nicknamed Pip. Be warned, Great Expectations is full of extreme imagery — poverty, prison ships and chains, and fights to the death — and has a colorful cast of characters that have endure in our mainstream popular culture. One for the literary bucket list.

10 Literary Classics to Add to Your Reading List

Get comfortable on the couch with this Evergreen Voile Cotton Pajama Set from The Cat’s Pajamas

6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I mean, it’s fall so you have to watch the movie (any of them, really…) but why not actually read the book this season? A ‘modern’ Romeo and Juliet, this Jane Austen classic is a love story for the ages and perfect read for fall.

7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Already have your Halloween decorations ready to go? For the horror enthusiasts, dive into the classic of classics, Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley in 1818. You know the general plot based on the book’s lasting portrayal in popular culture, but nothing quite compares experiencing the original tale.

8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

It doesn’t get more nostalgic than New England in the fall and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye perfectly captures the old school prep-school vibe. Set around the 1950s, the story is narrated by a young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden untangles his past in a foggy, dreamlike narrative, with a startling surprise at the end.

9. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

In case you’re not familiar with the epic takes that inspired the blockbuster movie of the same name and the Lord of The Kings films, J.R.R. Tolkien expertly crafts an entire universe filled with new races, places, and languages. Follow hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he leaves his quiet life to help a group of dwarves take back the Mountain from a dragon. Adventure awaits.

10. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Ok, so this may not fit your traditional idea of “classic literature,” but this ‘80s comedy science fiction trilogy was an adaptation of Adams’ radio series by the same name. The novel is a fictional guide book for hitchhikers galavanting around the universe with an alien, written in the form of an encyclopedia. A laugh-out-loud funny read that will awaken your childlike curiosity.

For more reading lists, movie recommendations, and fall recipes, visit our blog at thepajamacompany.com/blog.

Fall Pajama Sets

Fall Reading List, Best Autumn Novels to Read in Your Pajamas

Fall Reading List: Curl Up in your PJs with These Wistful Novels

The crisp fall weather inspires us to put on our warmest pajamas, curl up on the couch, and snuggle up with a soft blanket and a good book. Here we have listed our favorite fall reads across all genres. But what exactly constitutes a ‘fall read’?

When autumn sets in, the days get shorter and colder, making many people miss the carefree sun-filled days of summer. ‘Wistful’ is a word that is often used to describe books that give us a feeling of slight melancholy, usually brought on by nostalgia. Fall reminds us of childhood, school years, and signals that the holidays are just around the corner. Not all novels that remind us of fall take place in autumn. ‘Fall,’ in a feeling, is a mood that defines each of these moody classics.

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Get Cozy: 4 Books to Stay in & Read

GET COZY

The colder winter temps have sure set in, and as they say, “baby it’s cold outside!” We recommend staying in and getting cozy this weekend. Throw something easy in the crockpot or order a pizza. Think hot chocolate, flannel PJs, and your most favorite warm blanket. Add a Netflix marathon or one of these great reads and you are set…

1. The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

This is a totally entertaining and sweet love story loosely based on Prince William and Princess Kate, written by two bloggers. Think an American Bridget Jones-type falls for the prince. A fun and addicting novel.

2. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

If you’ve never read this classic, it is a must. It’s easy to see why it’s been called “one of the most influential novels of the 20th century”. Get your coffee ready: it’s a haunting, suspenseful, gothic romance – and it’s a page turner. So good!

3. We Are Water by Wally Lamb

From USA Today: “It’s a sign of a good novel when the reader slowly savors the final chapters, both eager to discover the ending and dreading saying goodbye to the characters. We Are Water is a book worth diving into.” Based on Wally Lamb’s track record, this story about a Connecticut family’s secrets and how they play out in the present day is sure to be a pajamas-all-day kind of read.

4. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart

From the Associated Press: “Well-written with sharply drawn characters and the occasional plot twist, Girl Waits With Gun is an absorbing throwback to a bygone era. It’s a solid book, and Stewart’s helpful notes allow readers to appreciate just how much of the tale is true.” On our list for sure! (And, you can snag it for $3.99 on a Kindle deal right now.)

Happy reading, friends!

All images via Amazon

7 Book Lists for Lazy Summer Reading

Book, books, books!

Summer is coming and that means it’s time for lounging on the beach, hanging in the hammock, and just plain ‘ole lazy time in the fresh air and sun. (Hello…Pajama Days!)

But, to thoroughly enjoy these days of laze, you MUST to have a good book or two by your side. So we’re helping you get a jump start.  Here are 7 great book lists we’ve rounded up to help you find some fantastic reads:

1. NPR’s Best Books of 2014. This is quite the long list, but the cool app function let’s you sort through by category! This list always has really good recommendations.

2. Amazon’s 100 Mysteries & Thrillers to Read in a Lifetime. This one will keep you keep you up all night with everything from Gorky Park to Encyclopedia Brown to Agatha Christie.

3. 7 Un-put-down-able Books from Modern Mrs. Darcy. Because who doesn’t loooove being sucked in by a story you can’t stop reading?!  Oh, and don’t miss the comments section for even more page-turner recommendations!

4. The Huffington Post’s 24 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2015. New releases including books from Toni Morrison and Anne Tyler.

5. The Cozy Mystery Monthly Book List. They had us at cozy!  Mystery book recommendations dubbed cozy because, as the list author shares, they mostly “take place in a small, picturesque town or village, with characters who I could envision having as neighbors or friends.”  Not a lot of blood and guts, which is fine by us!

6. 25 Travel Books Everyone Should Read from Babble. The very best travel novels, memoirs, and biographies. You won’t have to go very far to spend your summer in a far off land…

7. The Best Beach Reads for a Summer Getaway from PopSugar.  A pretty diverse list.  We’re checking out The Chaperone and Summerland.

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