Fall Book Basket

Does the changing season bring you excitement? From time to time, do you enjoy sitting down with a good book? Do you want to combine those two things together? If you answered yes to either of those, then let's make a book basket!

So, what is a book basket? It’s simply a compilation of seasonal books – in this case, fall! I love doing this for Christmas time also.

I am naturally a festive person. My mom would decorate the house with foliage every fall and put jack o lanterns on the front porch – she still does! It planted a seed in my heart that grew each year. When I got married, I realized it was up to me to continue that magic in my own home. Me and my husband have created our own traditions with each changing season. It gives us something to look forward to and another opportunity to make treasured memories with our kids.

Every year I buy a few festive things to add to our collection. When I say collection I mean the big giant plastic boxes filled to the brim with decorations! With that being said, the amount of items ebbs and flows depending on what we have going on that year. I decided to start collecting things when I moved to Arkansas for college in 2015. One thing I realized here was that there were no decorations! I mean, of course there wouldn’t be unless I took the initiative to get them myself. So, I headed straight to the dollar store for a shopping spree. Some of the décor I bought during this time frame is still used in our home.

The moral of this is that you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to create/decorate something simple and meaningful.

So, let’s begin! Start off with a wicker basket to fit all of your reads. Going to your local thrift store might be a good idea for this part; baskets can be so expensive! Fortunately, I inherited my basket from my mom when I moved to Italy.

It’s important to remember that your basket can be small or big! Whichever fits the look you’re going for. Mine is personally on the larger side.

Next, fill it! I love the book hunting portion of this project. I encourage you to go out and find your next read. Nothing beats walking down aisles of books! Second hand book stores are a staple for me and my husband. We both are avid readers and spend a little too much money on books – sorry not sorry. Unfortunately, for the last few years most of our book purchases have been online. There aren’t many options for second hand book stores in our surrounding area.

Finally, It’s complete! Congratulations on creating your very own book basket! But leave space for more next year! I personally like placing my basket where visitors can easily access it. If yours is small enough, it would be great to place on a coffee table. Mine is too big so I put it on top of our game chest. Maybe in our next house it will find a new home.

Additionally, this is a great idea for kids too. When we first moved to Missouri, I noticed Walmart’s collection of Halloween/fall books. The moment I saw that, it set my book worm heart ablaze – in a good way! I flocked to it and grabbed our kids a few books to start off their basket. I used an old basket from my college days. The kids’ books are very well loved and even taped together in some areas.

My son showing me that he loves this owl!

These two are the most read. My son loves trucks and my daughter loves the leaves and pumpkins in the mouse book. Both kids love counting each pumpkin in It's Pumpkin Day Mouse! Both great festive reads.

So far these are my seasonal reads for this fall. Normally, I start off in September. It varies from year to year how much I read. My goal is to read at least one fall and winter book.

I started off with the Death of a Pumpkin Carver by Lee Hollis. If you love a cozy mystery with no romance, this one is for you. There is some adult content as far as some foul language/mentioning of substances but in my opinion it was mild. This was a refreshing read for me. The chapters were short and it kept me on my toes. My favorite inclusion with this book is that the author included recipes throughout the story. I’ve never seen that before but have read that it can be a common method for some writers. I loved it. Definitely recommend this one!

My next read was Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Coraline has been one of my favorite movies since it came out. There was something so unique and captivating about it. The book is just the same. Fair warning – with any book vs movie scenario, you will encounter differences between the two. It’s better off separating the two entirely. With that being said, I highly recommend you read the book if you love the movie. I loved the art work included with each chapter and the writing style of Neil Gaiman.

Lastly, Goosebumps: The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb by R.L. Stine. Look, I get it. The Goosebumps books are for kids. I don’t care; I still love them. Actually, when I’m in a reading slump, I turn to these books to ease my way back in. In my opinion, it’s important to remember that reading is reading. It’s good to challenge yourself with certain content but other times it’s important to have fun and give yourself a break. The Goosebumps books are a perfect, nostalgic read any time of the year. They bring you back to that book fair excitement and what if feels like to be a kid again. You’re never too old for nostalgia and for that classic R.L. Stine ending!

So, what’s in your book basket?

Happy Reading!

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Elizabeth Buford