And Soon the Darkness Long
31 Suggestions to Get You in an Octoberish Mood
“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves, and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn, that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness, that season which had drawn from every poet worthy of being read, some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.”
— Jane Austen, Persuasion
It’s been a while since my last Octoberish post! Though I love scary stuff, for me, October is about so much more than Spooky Season. It’s all that’s glorious about the global northern fall — the sense of transience, wistfulness, and longing — misty mornings, long-forgotten paths, and coziness against the gloom. I’ve tried hard to evince all of that in this year’s selections.
My longtime readers know my tastes skew dark, so if you’re a more timid media consumer, do your research (look at trailers/ratings/reviews) before jumping right in. We are deep into the month at this point, so without further ado, here are my recommendations for you.
Books:
White Cat, Black Dog, by Kelly Link
I’ve recommended Kelly Link to you before. Her short stories…
