Reading time is here again. So, courtesy of UNC-TV's "North Carolina Bookwatch," I have some autumn reading (and early Christmas gift) suggestions for your consideration.

Charles Frazier's new book "Nightwoods" will be on this Sunday's New York Times best- seller list for the second week in a row. "Nightwoods" may not be the same kind of blockbuster that his "Cold Mountain" became, but it is off to a solid start saleswise.

"Nightwoods" is set in Frazier's beloved North Carolina mountains. With engaging characters and a story line of suspense and surprise, this short book could become a favorite. Because it is compact, it opens the doors for a wider audience to become acquainted with Frazier's magnificent gifts.

I am betting that many people who did not finish "Cold Mountain" or "Thirteen Moons" will, through "Nightwoods," become new members of Frazier's fan club. You can visit with Frazier on UNC-TV's "North Carolina Bookwatch" this weekend: Sunday at 5 p.m.

A new book by a New Bern resident will almost certainly be at or near the top of The New York Times list by the end of October. Nicholas Sparks' "The Best of Me" is the kind of love story Sparks knows how to tell so well.

Set in Oriental, a small town and sailing center on the Pamlico Sound, two high school lovers come back to their hometown 20 years after their last parting. As usual, Sparks makes the romantic sparks fly. (Oct. 28 and 30)

Andrea Reusing recently won a James Beard award for her complex cooking skills. She owns the acclaimed Chapel Hill restaurant Lantern, where her amazing Asian-inspired dishes require expert preparation. Nevertheless, her book "Cooking In The Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes" is designed for us normal people who want to cook simple seasonal foods for our families.

Using clear language she tells her readers how and when to shop for foods in season. Using the same direct instructions, she guides them in the simple steps of preparing those foods. (Nov. 4 and 6)

Jane Borden's "I Totally Meant to Do That" is a humorous memoir of a young college graduate from Greensboro making her way in a less-than-friendly but highly addictive New York City. This book should be required reading for every young North Carolinian considering a move to the Big Apple and for the North Carolina parents of any child now living there. (Nov. 11 and 13)

UNC Wilmington's Clyde Edgerton's latest book, "Night Train," takes us back to a segregated North Carolina town of the mid-'60s. Two teenage boys, one white and one black, share a passion for music. The white boy wants to be another James Brown, but the laws and customs of his society make it very hard for his relationship with his black friend to continue. Edgerton explores some of the same themes that the novel and recent movie "The Help" brought to a wider audience. (Nov. 18 and 20)

Thanks to an author who lives in Chapel Hill, we can read an up-to-date 007 mystery featuring a James Bond revised for modern times. The author is Jeffrey Deaver, already a very popular and best-selling author of a host of thriller novels.

The estate of Ian Fleming, the original author of the James Bond series, commissioned Deaver to write the new book, "Carte Blanche." It is set in current times. Do not worry about James Bond's age. Today, the original Bond would be about 90 years old, but Deaver's Bond was born in 1979 and served in Afghanistan.

He reminds us of the original Bond, but he is a brand-new model. (Nov. 25 and 27)

Enjoy the books and tune in "Bookwatch" this fall.

D.G. Martin hosts UNC-TV's "North Carolina Bookwatch," which airs Fridays at 9:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m.