The best reading material and TV series to set the fall mood must feature a bygone era.  

The culture of America in the mid-1900s best complements the fall experience. It was a time vastly different than today; the towns were quaint, life was simpler, and people dressed well. 

Many people generally seek a fall experience that involves the simple and natural experiences this season offers: picking apples in an orchard, wearing cozy sweaters, and reading a good book. It’s the uncomplicated nature of the fall that people enjoy. By reading a book or watching a TV series featuring an earlier time, you can supplement your fall experience with even more simple pleasures. 

The “olden days” present a mysterious, intriguing, and unpolished quality that can’t be felt or gained from modern books and TV. Fall-themed books and TV series that have been produced in the last five years or so focus too much on the stereotypical Halloween and horror element associated with the fall. This can quickly become tiresome. There is naturally a mysterious quality to the fall, but too much horror and gore detract from the natural enjoyment that can be gained from the autumn season on its own. 

Students typically do not have an abundance of extra time to read for pleasure. Quick reads that provide relief from Aristotle are good to keep in mind when forming a fall reading list. “The Most Dangerous Game” is a short story written by Richard Connell in 1924. It features Sanger Rainsford, a man who stumbles upon a general’s private island. The general invites Rainsford into his chateau for dinner and reveals to him that he likes to hunt men for pleasure. Rainsford then becomes the prey of the general. It’s an unsettling, bold, and creative story that offers the prime opportunity to indulge in a good, easy read.

W.W. Jacobs’ short story “The Monkey’s Paw” published in 1902, features the White family, which is burdened by a shrunken monkey paw that can grant its owner three wishes. It’s a quick read that contemplates the dangers of meddling with fate. 

Most people have probably read Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” at some point. Published in 1845, it’s an alluring and ill-omened poem about a narrator descending into madness out of grief for his lost love, Lenore. The imagery of the poem tastefully compliments the gray skies and chill air of the fall.

The best TV series to watch in the fall are a combination of a quaint, mid-1900s town setting plus an element of eeriness and mystery. 

“The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” which was produced from 1955-1965, is a collection of TV episodes with unrelated plots and characters. They feature mysteries, thrillers, and dramas that were written, produced, and hosted by English filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. 

“The Twilight Zone” is another TV series of unrelated episodes hosted and mostly written by American screenwriter and TV producer Rod Serling. The episodes were produced from 1959-1964 and contain a variety of genres from science fiction to horror, all with unpredictable conclusions. 

The 2013 BBC series “Father Brown” starring Mark Williams is based on G.K. Chesterton’s book series of the same name. The show features a peaceful 1950s English village where a Catholic priest, Father Brown, gets involved in solving the various scandals that upset the unsuspecting town.

All of these creative works contain the perfect combination of elements that set the fall mood: they feature older, simpler times and have the classic and tastefully executed element of mystery and foreboding that accompanies the fall.