7 Great Fall Reads Paired With Pie

Is it just me, or does the autumn air get you craving homemade pie? No, in delicious news, It's not just me, actually.

Truly, though, especially as the leaves are turning, it seems as though we can’t get enough of the delicious dessert in the good ol' U.S.A. Hitch a ride across the country, and you’d find enough regional pie variations and state-by-state specialties to last a lifetime of sampling. Just ask Sal Paradise, who confesses to consuming little else in Jack Kerouac’s ultimate American classic, On the Road: “I ate another apple pie and ice cream; that's practically all I ate all the way across the country, I knew it was nutritious and it was delicious, of course.” Nutritious, eh? If you say so, Sal. I’ll bet a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie pie packs plenty of nutrition, too.

For those of us who love when literature and food collide, fall may be the best time to pair a slice of fresh from the oven pie with a great American novel, whether it’s an old classic you’ve been meaning to tackle, or a new release you’re itching to get your hands on. Nothing screams comfort quite like apple, pumpkin, or a savory pot pies do, but let’s not stop there. Check out the following fall novel and pie pairings…

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

The Pie: Buttermilk. You've decided to finally see what all the fuss is about. Your best bet for immersing yourself in Scout's return to Maycomb? — A custardy slice of buttermilk pie, one of Alabama's signature desserts.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

The Pie: Blueberry. If the Emmy-winning HBO adaptation isn't reason enough for you to check out the 2008 novel, just think of all the New England-y blueberry pie you can eat while getting lost with the Kitteridges in Crosby, Maine.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

The Pie: Quiche. Arguably Vonnegut's funniest work, a novel with the word "breakfast" in its title calls for one thing: an eggy, cheesy quiche, the "pie" for the morning people among us.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

The Pie: Mississippi Mud Pie. Tackling the famously difficult first chapter of Faulkner's classic requires sustenance in the form of chocolatey, southern Mississippi mud pie.

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

The Pie: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup. A voice as audacious as Gay's calls for an equally bold pie accompaniment. Sweet and salty chocolate peanut butter cup pie, much like Bad Feminist, is not for the shrinking violet.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

The Pie: Apple. Immerse yourself in Sethe's struggle to find inner and outer peace in her new life after escaping from Sweet Home with the most comforting pie there is: Apple. Nothing beats a homemade slice, so stock up on butter, sugar, and flour, and get yourself to the nearest orchard.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

The Pie: Crack Pie. Hitching a ride through Thompson's wild (and highly illicit) world? You're going to want some crack pie to get you through bat country. The famous, gooey confection was birthed at Milk Bar in New York, but adaptations of its recipe can also be found online.

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