Sept. 12, 2024 – Love it or hate it, pumpkin spice season has arrived. We've got just the book collection to help you lean into the cozy vibes and embrace all things fall. Pick up one of these mysteries, romances, or cook books, and you'll be ready to curl up with a latte, a blanket, and good book.
Browse the books below and put them on hold by clicking on their covers.
"The Pumpkin Spice Café" by Laurie Gilmore (2023, "Dream Harbor" series)
When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Caffe in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job. Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes?
"Pumpkin Spice Peril" by Jenn McKinlay (2020, "Cupcake Bakery Mysteries")
Life is all sugar and spice for the Fairy Tale Cupcake bakers – Melanie Cooper is engaged to the delectable Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband Tate are savoring married life, and the bakery is bustling with happy customers – until one of their most valued cupcake connoisseurs ends up dead.
"Pumpkin Spice Puppy" by Laurien Berenson (2024, "Melanie Travis Mysteries")
Between taking care of her family and assorted Standard Poodles, Melanie is also working as a special needs tutor for Howard Academy, a private school in Greenwich, where her younger son attends kindergarten. This year, the headmaster has come up with an idea for a school fundraiser. All students will participate in a town-wide treasure hunt, with grades competing against each other. Tokens shaped like pumpkin spice muffins have been hidden in downtown stores. Students will scramble to collect as many as they can in exchange for prizes. At first all goes smoothly, and the uptick in foot traffic to the stores is a win-win... Until the pet supply shop owner lodges a complaint. When Melanie stops by to smooth things over, she instead finds the man dead, a knife in his back, and his loyal, ever-vigilant Chow Chow locked in the storeroom. Over the headmaster's objections, Melanie is once again drawn into an investigation. It doesn't take her long to gather a list of suspects, from neighbors balking about the number of rescue Chows the man was fostering in his home, to the landlord who'd filed an eviction notice against him, to the bitter ex-wife who is happy he's gone. With the fundraiser soon drawing to a close and celebrations imminent, Melanie will have to follow every clue – before the biggest prize is staying alive.
"Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice" by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc (2024)
Fall is a big deal in Briar Glen, a quaint and charming village in New England. That's when tourists from all over the country descend upon this picturesque town to see the babbling brooks and colorful leaves while sipping hot chocolate or pumpkin spice lattes.
But sixteen-year-old Lucy Kane hates the uber-popular PSL. She finds it overrated – especially when you consider the fact that there isn't even pumpkin in it! – which is bad because she works at Cup o' Jo, the local coffee shop her mom owns. Business at Cup o' Jo hasn't been great in the off-season, but that's okay because it always picks up during the fall.
Until Java Junction, a multinational coffee chain, opens across the street and makes things harder for the small shop. And to make matters worse, it turns out Jack Harper, the new kid in school and Lucy's secret crush, is the son of the owner. Suddenly, fall doesn't seem like it'll be all it's cracked up to be. Will Lucy find a way to save her mom's coffee shop?
"Purely Pumpkin: More Than 100 Wholesome Recipes to Share, Savor, and Warm Your Kitchen" by Allison Day (2016)
Homemade pumpkin spice latte variations along with wholesome meals ideal for every day and holidays are tucked into this plentiful pumpkin volume. Utilizing pumpkin flesh, pumpkin puree, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin spice, pumpkin seed oil, and heirloom pumpkins, there something in "Purely Pumpkin" for every craving, festivity, time constraint, and cooking level.
"Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookbook: Delicious Recipes for Sweets, Treats, and Other Autumnal Delights" by Stephanie Pedersen (2014)
From homey baked goods to delicious savory dishes, fragrant pumpkin pie spice blend imparts yummy flavor to such recipes as spicy pie smoothie, sweet potato fritters, spicy apple cheesecake, spiced flapjacks, autumn chili, spicy pumpkin-coconut bisque, black bean mole burgers, spice-rubbed roasted veggies, spicy ketchup; and more.