Books

15 Irresistible Fall Candles Every Reader Needs This Season

by Sadie Trombetta

Not unlike L.M. Montgomery, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers," because October means pumpkin spice beverages, oversized sweaters, and delightful smelling fall candles for book-lovers. Welcome to fall, my bookish friends, the very best season for readers.

Thanks to the beach, long holiday weekends, and annual vacations, summer is often celebrated for being the Season of Reading, but if you ask any real book-lover what the best time of year is, and chances are they'll say it's fall. In autumn, reading goes from a great hobby to a glorious one. The cooler weather, shorter days, longer books, and sweet and savory candles boasting all the best scents of the season, magically transform reading into the coziest, comfiest, most irresistible pastimes you can do all fall long.

Forget apple picking and pumpkin carving, because you can easily have the perfect autumnal night in with a book, a blanket, and an appropriately themed candle to light your way. Whether you're a fan of mysteries or fantasies, love the smell of fresh apples or roasting fires, there's a bookish candle out there for you.

Ready to get comfortable? Then grab your favorite warm blanket, pick out a nice long novel, light one of these 15 fall candles for book-lovers, and get ready for the coziest (and best smelling) reading season of them all.

Spooky Stories

Feel like you're listening to ghost stories by the campfire without the work of actually, you know, camping with the help of this Spooky Stories candle from Frostbeard Studio. Featuring notes of dry leaves and cocoa, it's the perfect scent for setting the scene for an afternoon of horror novels and murder mysteries.

Spooky Stories Candle, $18, Frostbeard Studio

Halloween Feast in the Great Hall

You might not get to battle trolls at Hogwarts this fall, but thanks to this irresistible candle by From the Page, you can transform your home into the Halloween Feast in the Great Hall. Just say Incendio, and the smells of candied apple and pumpkin spice will fill the room and make you feel like you're celebrating the holiday with your house.

Halloween Feast in the Great Hall, $11.99, Etsy

Nevermore

If you're doing a dramatic candlelight reading of Edgar Allan Poe's scary stories, as all booknerds should for Halloween, make sure you chose the right candle. Burke & Hare Co.'s aptly name jar, featuring hints of vanilla, tobacco, black pepper, and teakwood, adds just the right touch of spooky lighting and delicious smell.

Nevermore, $13, Etsy

Winter Is Coming

Maybe the season has just started, but we all know what comes after fall: winter. Light your way through another cold snap with the help of this lightly floral scented Game of Thrones-themed soy wax candle.

Winter Is Coming, $12.48, Etsy

Autumn Court

Inspired by the Court of Mist and Fury series, the only thing more enticing than this candle's seasonal scent is the story it was named after.

Autumn Court, $11.44, Etsy

Walden Woods

Find inspiration in Walden Woods with the help of the fresh smells of cedar, pine, and fir trees. Perfect for burning while you work on your next great novel, this candle will make any home feel like a secret wooded hideaway.

Walden Woods, $18, Etsy

Pumpkin Pasties

When pumpkin spice isn't enough, turn to its sweeter, more magical cousin scent, Pumpkin Pasties. With notes of vanilla cream, butter, and maple, this Harry Potter-inspired candle smells so good, it just might make you drool.

Pumpkin Pasties, $7+, Etsy

Coffee and Chestnut

Burn wicks, not books with this Banned Books candle inspired by 1984. Made with coffee and chestnut scents, the aroma from this jar is anything but dystopian.

Coffee and Chestnut, $22, Etsy

High Functioning Sociopath

Don't let the name fool you: this High Functioning Sociopath candle is far more comforting than the famed detective it was named after. Pour yourself a glass of tea, crack open a mystery novel, light this on-theme candle, and get ready to feel like Sherlock solving your next great case.

High Functioning Sociopath, $24.34, Etsy

Vintage Bookshop

Make your reading nook feel like a vintage bookshop in autumn with this candle that will make any space smell like it's filled with old books. Warning: burning this candle will make you want to go to the bookstore.

Vintage Bookshop, $15.24, Etsy

Toil & Trouble

Cast a spell of salted toffee and candied apples throughout your house by lighting this wickedly awesome candle. Inspired by some of literature's most infamous witches, it's the perfect bookish candle for all of your spell casting needs.

Toil & Trouble, $5+, Etsy

Minerva

Is there such thing as too much Harry Potter? I think not, which is why this Professor McGonagall themed cookie, scented with hints of tea and warm biscotti cookies, is a must have in every Potterhead's home this fall.

Minerva, $16, Etsy

Reading Slump

Get out of your reading slump and into a good book by setting the mood with this appropriately named candle. After just a few minutes, its cinnamon bun scent will make you want to curl up on the couch with a good story, and never want to leave.

Reading Slump, $13.16, Etsy

Flannel and Fiction

Has there ever been a more seasonally appropriate candle for readers? Featuring fun fall smells like crisp autumn air, the only thing better than this candle's scent is it's beautiful bookish packaging.

Flannel and Fiction, $7.50, The Melting Library

Burning Books

Ever wonder what burning books smell like? According to this candle, orange peels and cinnamon, but don't worry: no novels were harmed in the making of this amazing scent.

Burning Books Soy Candle, $18, Etsy