Day 4 | Five Fall Favourites 2026: Arts

Wow! Can you believe it's already ready Thursday? This week has flown by. My TBR pile is now, so tall it's about to topple over. Well, not literally, it's in notebooks and Goodreads, so it won't fall. I have had so much fun checking out everyone else's recommendations.

Thank you for coming back to read another Five Fall Favourites. Today's theme is perhaps my favorite of this week's themes. Two of today's books are ones that I was surprised I have yet to share. I read those titles back when I was a teen or young twenty-year-old. And if there is a type of character that I can easily relate to because of similar interests, it's this one.

Today's theme is Arts. Since I was kid, I've loved being hands on and creative. All of today's books features characters who are artists. A variety of different types of arts are represented. These books feature actors, writers, singers, musicians, illustrators, poets, and filmmakers. Here are today's Five Fall Favourites!

1. Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle

I can't remember how old I was when I read Famous in Love, but it released in 2014. I was in high school dreaming of being an actor. When I picked up this book about a girl who was just an average high schooler, when a nationwide casting call lands her the lead role in the hottest teen book being made into a movie, I was enthralled. Pagie Townsend has to navigate fame, working in a high-pressure industry and young love as the world watches. Content warning: Language, kissing and foreplay, underaged drinking, and LGBTQ+ characters.

Books do something magical when readers get to live vicariously through the characters. For a teenager who grew up watching Disney Channel and Hunger Games and dreaming of what it would be like to be a professional actor, this book felt like it was written just for me. Rebecca Serle has written several popular adult novels since but this book and its sequel will always hold a special place in my heart.

View on Good Reads.

2. With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer

This book is the sequel to Instant Karma, but it can be read alone. It follows Pru's twin brother Jude as he gains phenomenal luck when he finds a ruby red 20-sided die. When his luck wins him a pair of concert tickets to see his crush's favorite musician he asks her out. With luck on his side, he finds the courage to send his art to magazines to have it published. However, luck might just be the thing that pulls him away from his closest friends, including Ari, Pru's best friend who has always been there supporting Jude. Content warnings: language, kissing, fantasy violence, magic (with no magical system explanation), and LGBTQ+ characters.

So much happens in With a Little Luck. I don't really want to give too much away, and if I keep talking about it, I will. This is a sweet romance with a little bit of magic, but nothing paranormal. The two main characters are both artists. Jude is an illustrator who draws comics and writes D and D campaigns. The book even includes a few comic book-like sections that are glimpses into Jude's mind. Ari is a singer-songwriter. Her songwriting is written on the page throughout the books showing her feelings.

 View on Good Reads.

3. Famous Anonymous by Morgan Baden

Four neighbors spend their first night home alone and accidentally become a viral social media sensation. Middle schoolers Harper, Luke, Sophie, and Gus have been neighbors since they were little, but now in middle school, they've started to go their separate ways with their different activities and friend groups. When they post a zany video bringing to life characters in a popular video game, they go viral overnight. Now, they have to navigate their secret stardom, in addition to the challenges of navigating middle school. Content warnings: Mild language, kids on social media without parents' permission, and LGBTQ+ parents, but there's no romance between the kids.

I don't read much middle grade fiction, but this novel was advertised as "Hannah Montana" for the social media generation. This early 2000s kid had to read it for herself. Each of the four kids takes turns narrating chapters and each has a distinct personality and voice. Harper is known for being unfocused and not sticking with new hobbies and activities very long. While her brother Gus has centered his life around soccer and only recently discovered his interest in writing. Their neighbors are Luke and Harper. Luke is autistic; it's part of his character and causes complications, but it feels realistic and should be relatable to kids. Finally, Harper is a thespian, wanting to be the lead in the school play. They are all unique characters, and each have their own arts they like. Creating social media content in and of itself is also an art.

View on Good Reads.

4. The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

In this thriller, six mid-list authors are brought to one private island to spend three days writing the novel that could change their life. Aruthur Fletch was a bestselling author and was in the middle of writing the final book in his popular series before he died. Now each of these authors has a chance to finish the man's story, and the best ending will get a three-book deal with his publisher. 10,000 words in seventy-two hours sounds reasonable, but things get much more complicated when someone starts killing them off. Content warnings: Adult language, violence, major character death, kissing, sensual description, and LGBTQ+ characters. 

For the first half of this book, I was bored and confused. However, during the second half, I was hooked. I found it a five-star read that I can't stop talking about. All six authors, with the exception of writing duo, each was a writer is from a different genre. The book's authors play around well with tone and voice to capture the thoughts and writing styles of each of the different genres. It also pokes fun at writers and the publishing industry. Additionally, Evelyn Clarke is a penname for the writing duo of V. E. Schwab and Cat Clarke, I had not yet read anything by either of those authors, but this book makes me want to read some of their other titles.

View on Good Reads.

5. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Recently Violet lost her twin sister in a car accident. Finch's life has spiraled out of control since his parent's divorce. Although long time classmates, they meet atop the school's bell tower. Together they embark on a project to see their state as a tourist. They discover all the bright places. This is a story of grief, mental health, and growing up. Both beautiful and heartbreaking, this is a book that can be both cathartic and triggering. Please check the content warnings before you start to read it. Content warnings: language, underage drinking, drugs, kissing (I can't remember if there is more, but I know it wasn't explicit), mental health, grief, depression, mentions self-harm and s*icide.

To start I should share a little of the backstory of this book, the Jennifer Niven wrote it as she was processing her own grief after she discovered the body of a friend. It does not shy away from heavy, hard topics and is difficult to read. I spent about two years reading it off-and-on because I would put it down when it got too heavy. It fits today's theme since Violet is a poet and Finch is a musician. For both of them on good days they love their art, on tough days they find comfort from it. Art can be really very therapeutic, however if you do need actual mental health assistance, please reach out to a health care professional. Anywhere in the US you can dial 988 for mental health resources or in an emergency dial 911.

View on Good Reads.

Conclusion

When I initially choose to finish with All the Bright Places, I didn't expect to finish on such a heavy note. As I close, I should probably include a disclaimer that I am NOT a licensed therapist, and I am NOT qualified to offer mental health advice. However sometimes all we need is a friend. If you find me on Instagram my DMs are open. When I say on this blog that I love making new bookish friends, I mean it.

As someone who is very artsy myself, I love reading about artists in books. Today the hardest part was narrowing this list down to five books about artists. I tried hard to make sure that many different types of art were represented. This list has musicians, writers, illustrators, actors and social media content creators. Do you do any arts? Or do you have any favorite books featuring artists? I have play rehearsal again tonight, so I will read as many blogs as I can afterwards, but I wasn't able to get to all of them on Tuesday. I'm expecting it to be about the same today.

Would you believe that tomorrow is Friday? This week as flown by. Please do come back tomorrow. a couple of my favorite reads of the year are on tomorrow's list. I will be talking about both the family we are born into and the families we make, real and fake.

Thanks for reading! If you haven't entered the drawing yet, what are you doing? There is a link below. Also check out all the other fabulous blogs. Bella, Kate, Meagan, and Virgina (TEAM MOUSE) are killing it with their book recs this week. Finally, I would like to give a big thanks to the amazing hosts Kate and Katja.

Hosted by Kate from Once Upon an Ordinary and Katja from Little Blossoms for Jesus!

Check out all the other Fall Favorites of Mouse!

Bella: E. G. Bella

Kate: Once Upon an Ordinary

Meagan: Blooming with Books

Skai: Inspirational Skai

Virginia: Books by Virginia

I love meeting new booklovers! Best way to do that is to follow me Instagram: @Skai_BooksAndBracelets
Read Monday's blog here: Day 1 | Five Fall Favourites 2026: Community/Neighborhood
Read Tuesday's blog here: Day 2 | Five Fall Favourites 2026: Traditions
Read Wednesday's blog here: Day 3 | Five Fall Favourites: 2026: Hobbies

Read Thursday's blog here: Day 4 | Five Fall Favourites 2026: Arts

Read Friday's blog here: Day 5 | Five Fall Favourites 2026: Family

Read Saturday's blog here: Day 6 | Five Fall Favourites 2026: Best of 2026

Don't forget to enter the annual Five Fall Favourites Giveaway! This year there is a US prize and an international prize. See full rules and exclusions at the link to enter.