As I was preparing the October Nominations thread for TNBBC, I went a little twitter crazy with fall-focused tweets. The chilly rainy weather at yesterday's Brooklyn Book Festival helped me to realize that Summer is now officially a thing of the past, and while I am very sad to see it go, there are many reasons for me to celebrate the sights and smells of Autumn.
"The smell of instant coffee, irish stews, itchy sweaters, and wet leaves will soon begin permeating the walls."
"I will begin to stare out the windows, edged in morning frost, deciding if TODAY will be the day I head outside to rake."
"I will take deep breaths when I step outside, rub my arms to relieve the goosebumps, and duck back inside. Raking can wait until tomorrow."
"I will oooh and awww when the leaves change from green to fire red to electric orange, and sigh when they release themselves from the trees."
"I will conjure up dreams of wicked witches, creaky skeletons, and little monsters. I will murder pumpkins and stage their hollowed bodies upon my porch for the neighbors to see."
"I will read scary stories from beneath the blankets, and lie awake at night waiting for the stories to haunt me."
It also brings to mind all those wonderfully horrifying and creepily terrifying novels I have previously read during this time of year. Here are a few of my favorite Fall Reads:
1> The Tale of Halcyon Crane (Wendy Webb) - spooky tale of a woman uncovering old family legends; complete with haunted house, creepy encounters with otherworldly beings, and an unsolved island murder dating back 30 years.
2> Her Fearful Symmetry (Audrey Niffenegger) - Symmetrical twin sisters inherit their aunts house in London, complete with a cemetery in the backyard and unexplainable strange things taking place in the flat.
3> Dracula (Bram Stoker) - Yes, the original vampire! Even though I wasn't able to get lost in the writing of the story, everyone can appreciate the tale of the most intriguing, romanticized, spooky transylvanian recluse to ever come out of fiction.
4> Frankenstein (Mary Shelley) - The original monster! Again, not a book I fell in love with due to the style of writing, but a story that is impossible to ignore around this time of year.
5> Come Closer (Sara Gran) - This is one teeny tiny spooky little novel about a woman who slowly and knowingly gets posessed by a demon, slowly sinking into its clutches...
6> I am Legend (Richard Matheson) - A new breed of vampires, the end of the world, and one survivor attempting to save it.
7> Pet Semetary (Stephen King) - burying the dead in a certain cemetery brings them back to life. Except... well, they don't come back quite normal. Scared the bejesus out of me!
8> Heart Shaped Box (Joe Hill) - Order a suit online, and you never know which ghost might follow it home. Some super scary moments in this rock and roll horror novel.
9> Witches of Eastwick (John Updike) - Witches and a devil only human. Not a favorite of mine, but one I think others could enjoy. Definitely perfect for halloween.
10> Scary Stories Treasury - Best collection of creepy, crawly, spooky, scary stories for all age groups. My kids and I always pull this one down the shelf once the weather get cooler and the days get shorter.
What are your favorite novels to curl up with during the fall season? Have you read any of the ones I listed above? If so, what did you think of them?
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