Our Fall Reading List Is Inspired By The Imagined Shelves Of The Steel Magnolias

Robert Harling’s play Steel Magnolias, along with the 1989 movie adaptation, gifted us some of the most memorable quips and turns of phrase in state-of-the-art Southern literature. (See: “I promise that my personal tragedy will not interfere with my ability to do good hair.”) So it’s only fitting that his beloved cast of characters would inspire some reading of our own. With the cozy season of fall upon us, we decided to concoct our own Steel Magnolias-inspired reading lists, imagining what Clairee, Truvy, M’Lynn, Annelle, Ouiser, and Shelby might have on their shelves today. 

Truvy-Inspired Picks

TriStar Pictures/Rastar Films 1989

With her upbeat outlook and core belief that “There is no such thing as natural beauty,” it’s only right that the beauty shop owner would spend her time breezing through beach reads and feel-good yarns. 

Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton

Amazon

This one may be a bit on the nose given that Dolly is Truvy, but even if she weren’t, don’t you think that Truvy would appreciate a collection of the icon’s flashiest, glittery-est, bell-bottom-iest costumes?

Summers at The Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

Amazon

In the latest volume from one of the undisputed queens of beach reads, a widowed proprietor tries to save her once-renowned hotel from the brink of ruin, amidst ugly past truths coming to delicate, the strike of unexpected tragedy, and, naturally, a little romance. 

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

Amazon

A college dropout and her octogenarian charge hit the highway—on the run from the law—in this hilariously heartwarming road-trip romp. 

Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits by Reese Witherspoon

Amazon

Inspired by the women who raised her, the actress and producer spills only-in-the-South traditions, Steel Magnolias-worthy wisdom, and treasured recipes in this coffee table book—plus, a tutorial for heated rollers of which Truvy would certainly approve. 

Ouiser-Inspired Picks

Everett Collection

While she swears she doesn’t read (“’cause if they’re any good, they’re gonna make ’em into a miniseries”), we still had to dream up the shelves of someone who’s “been in a very bad mood for 40 years.” No rom coms here.

The Grumpy Gardener: An A to Z Guide from the Galaxy’s Most Irritable Green Thumb by Steve Bender

Amazon

 If our own Grumpy Gardener is the galaxy’s most irritable green thumb, then Ouiser, with all her tomatoes, likely comes in second. 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 

Amazon

An epic that captures the hardships of an American family during the Great Depression, Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel needs no introduction. Ouiser may have selected it for its thoughtful perspective and vigorous characters, but there’s also a good chance she saw “Wrath” in the title and ran with it. 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Amazon

 In this heartwarming tale (which inspired a movie adaptation, A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks), a curmudgeon’s world is turned upside down—for the better—when a lively teenage family moves into the neighborhood. Gruff exterior with a heart of gold? Sounds like someone else we know…

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Amazon

This state-of-the-art, Appalachia-based retelling of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield gives us (and Ouiser) a hero worth rooting for: a boy born to a single teenage mom, thrust into a fractured foster care system, and surrounded by addiction, who somehow holds onto hope—and a love for the broken place he calls home—despite it all. 

Clairee-Inspired Picks

Everett Collection

Her tardy husband was the mayor, so this woman-about-town is involved in everything and knows everybody. She’s a fountain of one-liners, clever quips, and good stories—so her preferred reading includes much of the same. 

Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight by Julia Sweig

Amazon

Clairee knows a thing or two about playing First Lady, so we imagine she’d appreciate this thoughtful biography on the beloved Texas visionary.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt

Amazon

Set among the moss-covered oaks of Savannah with a colorful cast of characters, this wild-but-true Pulitzer Prize-nominated work recounts a murder committed by a surprising suspect—a renowned antiques dealer. It’s precisely the kind of tea Clairee would spill with delight. 

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

In equal turns gritty and glittery, this novel captures a teenage woman’s coming of age in 1930s New York, as she finds herself sprung from her working-class background to the stratosphere of Manhattan society. A bit The Great Gatsby, a bit Edith Wharton, and entirely unputdownable. 

Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy by Elizabeth Beller

Amazon

Through extensive research and interviews with those who knew and loved her, this fresh biography honors Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy with a layered portrait of the vigorous woman who captured John F. Kennedy, Jr.’s heart and America’s attention. 

Shelby-Inspired Picks

TriStar Pictures via IMDb

We meet Shelby first as a bride bubbling with excitement about her “blush and bashful” wedding palette, but she ultimately proves herself to be a force of nature—and one who’s fiercely committed to becoming a mother, even as she battles diabetes. 

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Amazon

If she hadn’t been thumbing through magazines in Truvy’s chair on her wedding day, she might have been nose-deep in this state-of-the-art retelling of Pride and Prejudice, which includes a pair of sisters on the market, a charming recent participant in a The Bachelor-esque reality show, and his far less agreeable friend. Romance, of course, ensues.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Amazon

 In this keen, comical novel set in the 1960s, scientist Elizabeth Zott finds herself the unlikely host of a popular cooking show, Supper at Six. Doling out culinary advice rooted in chemistry, she becomes an unexpected role model for a generation of women eager to prove they’re capable of far more than homemaking. 

The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Meghan O’Rourke

Amazon

Written by a patient and poet, this meticulously researched and highly personal exploration of hard-to-diagnose medical conditions has become a compassionate resource for many suffering from chronic illness.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Amazon

This sweeping World War II novel set in German-occupied France follows two fearless sisters—one a member of the French Resistance, the other forced to live with the Nazis who took possession of her home—as they navigate a war-torn world and fight for their survival.

M’Lynn-Inspired Picks

J2 Communications/Fathom Events

Between her two rambunctious sons and headstrong daughter Shelby, M’Lynn has her work cut out for her. On her bookshelves, you’ll find a well dose of reassurance with a little splash of sentimental escapism. 

Some Day You’ll Thank Me for This: The Official Southern Ladies’ Guide to Being a “Perfect” Mother by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays

Amazon

M’Lynn could utilize a little validation, and we have a sneaking suspicion Gayden and Charlotte’s hilarious  roadmap for Southern motherhood would be the proper balm. 

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed

Amazon

We could all benefit from a once-in-a-while reminder that we’re not alone in our struggles, and this profound but lighthearted pick written by a psychotherapist and advice columnist is sure to do the trick. 

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Amazon

In this nostalgic novel by the Nashville author, a mother tells her curious grown daughters, grounded at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the story of her once-upon-a-time summer romance with a renowned actor. It beautifully captures the nuances of the mother-daughter relationship, an element we know M’Lynn would appreciate. 

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Amazon

In making sense of her own loss of Shelby, M’Lynn may have reached for this celebrated volume by the California-born journalist, who chronicled her own grief journey in the year following her husband’s sudden passing. 

Annelle-Inspired Picks

Courtesy Everett Collection

The spiritual turnaround of the beauty shop’s fresh recruit guided our picks for her holier-than-thou shelves. (She’s only reading when she’s not praying, after all—and she prays “at the drop of a hat.”)

The Bible

Amazon

This ESV Bible with designated columns for journaling feels extra special thanks to whimsical cover art by Columbus, Georgia, artist, Lulie Wallace.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Amazon

Set during the California gold rush, this retelling of the Biblical story of Homer and Gosea is just the kind of love story Annelle would find herself utterly invested in.

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

Amazon

This delicately rendered novel shares one imagined version of Jesus’s life as a teenage man. It’s rooted in historical research but narrated from the perspective of his fictional wife, Ana, a woman he loves for her bold ideas and spirited heart. 

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Amazon

Annelle was excited by the title, but after she realized that she and this writer were on different kinds of divine journeys, she shelved it, where it’s since been collecting dust.