While reading these posts on Bookidote, beforewegoblog, and The Witty & Sarcastic Bookclub, I noticed myself mentally composing this list—so I figure I had to join in the fun. I’d have posted this last week, but my free laborer realized how little he was getting paid and decided to play video games instead of generating my graphic.
Naturally, I only paid half of his fee.
Enough of that, bring on the Autumn! (even if it feels like Winter here in Idaho):
In Fall, the air is crisp and clear. Name a book with a vivid setting.
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards
I had a hard time coming up with something for this one, honestly. But Whangdoodleland was so vivid that I can still picture parts of it, despite having read it only once in the last 30+ years.
Nature is beautiful…but also dying. Name a book that is beautifully written, but also deals with a heavy topic, like loss or grief.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
When I posted about it, I said, “I’m not convinced that this is really all that well-written, technically speaking. But it packs such an emotional wallop, it grabs you, reaches down your throat and seizes your heart and does whatever it wants to with it—so who cares how technically well it’s written? (and, yeah, I do think the two don’t necessarily go together). A couple of weeks from now, I may not look back on this as fondly—but tonight, in the afterglow? Loved this.” I still look back on it as fondly, for the record.
Fall is Back to School Season. Name a Nonfiction Book that Taught You Something.
Timekeepers: How the World Became Obsessed With Time by Simon Garfield
If I’m going to read a non-fiction book, it had better teach me something or I’ll end up ranting about it for days/weeks/months! This one popped to mind, though. In my post about the book, I said: “Did I learn something from the book? Much more than I expected to. The chapter on the French experiments alone probably taught me enough to justify the whole book. I didn’t/couldn’t stick with the details of watch-making (I have a hard time visualizing that kind of detail), but even that was fascinating and informative on the surface. Most topics broadened my understanding and taught me something. Also, the sheer amount of trivia that I picked up was great (the amount of time spent recording the first Beatles LP, why pop music tends to be about 3 minutes long, etc., etc.).”
In order to keep warm, it’s good to spend some time with the people we love. Name a fictional family/household/friend-group that you’d love to be a part of.
The Household of Nero Wolfe from the books by Rex Stout
(yeah, that picture is from the A&E TV show, not exactly the books—but in that image in particular, they look just about perfect)
There were many families/groups/households that I could’ve picked for this, but that Brownstone on West 35th Street is near the Platonic ideal for a place to live—I’d love to spend time with Mr. Wolfe, Archie and Fritz (not to mention Saul, Fred, Orrie, Lily, Lon . . .)
The colorful leaves are piling up on the ground. Show us a pile of Autumn-colored spines.
(I thought this was going to be hard, but in the end, I had to not make the pile bigger!)
Also…wow, clearly, I’m not a photographer. It’s a shame I don’t live closer to my pal, Micah Burke, things around here would look much spiffier.
Fall is the perfect time for some storytelling by the fireside. Share a book wherein somebody is telling a story.
A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne
That’s really 90% of the book—a bard telling stories. How he pulls this off, really impressed me.
(Hammered by Kevin Hearne would also qualify, but I liked the storytelling in this one better)
The nights are getting darker. Share a dark, creepy read.
Darkness Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane
This one disturbs me every time I read it (4-6 I think), I still remember having to sleep with the lights on after I stayed up reading it until 2-3 in the morning the first time—I doubt I was a very good employee the next day. (Sacred maybe is creepier, but this is the better book by Lehane)
The days are getting colder. Name a short, heartwarming read that could warm up somebody’s cold and rainy day.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
The “short” in the category is the sticky wicket. But this is a quick read (even if the page number is higher than I’d count as “short.” Formulaic? Yup. Predictable? You betcha. Effective? Abso-smurfly. Textbook example of heartwarming.
Fall returns every year. Name an old favorite that you’d like to return to soon.
Magic Kingdom for Sale — SOLD! by Terry Brooks
Ive been thinking about this book a lot since Bookstooge’s Quick Fire Fantasy post. Gotta work this into the 2020 reading schedule.
I’m tagging any blogger who reads this. Play along.
