vol. 20: autumn reads
October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths.
Anne revelled in the world of colour about her.
“Oh, Marilla,” she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills? I’m going to decorate my room with them.”
- Lucy Maud Montgomery
Good morning to October & to books and breakfasters!
While the earnestness of Anne of Green Gables can border on overkill, there’s something so sweet and touching about the Canadian classic. I recently couldn’t sleep before an early morning flight, so I picked up my Rifle Paper Company embossed copy of the book (a bridal shower gift years ago), which lulled me into a sweet PEI haze.
It got me thinking about seasonal reading. Summer reads are certainly a thing. But fall? Today’s issue will be a short look at such seasonal delights.
Fall literary recommendations:
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery - the story of a childless pair of siblings who attempt to adopt a boy to help them around the farm and an orphanage sends an overly spirited, red-headed GIRL (gasp!) by mistake. Highly recommend pairing it with the classic 1985 miniseries (which happened to be partially filmed around the corner from where I grew up in Toronto!). I haven’t seen the new adaptation yet - please comment if you have!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. This one goes out to the pickiest (but also one of the most valuable!!) member of my former book club, Kate, who considered this book a perfect ten. I read it as an adolescent and now feels like the perfect time to revisit it. I’m also heading to NYC a couple of times next month for auditions for the first time in YEARS so I’m extra excited to see what’s changed in that city. (Any new recommendations? Are the people still brunching?? Any favourite shows I should check out?)
Poems of Mary Oliver. For years I resisted Mary, finding her poetry too obvious or overt or SOMETHING (or maybe it was this New Yorker article that turned me off? I wanted to be a critic!). In recent years, her poems have been a lifeline for me during difficult times. Worth a look!
Song for Autumn
In the deep fall
don’t you imagine the leaves think how
comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
warm caves, begin to think
of the birds that will come – six, a dozen – to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I listened to this on audiobook during the first spring of the pandemic on long walks in Nottawasaga. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s soothing voice imparts a mixture of Indigenous wisdom, science, art and poetry. A way to look at nature through fresh eyes as autumn encourages us to slow down and turn internally.
The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff’s classic look at Winnie the Pooh through a Taoist perspective was a formative text for me growing up. Hoff argues that A.A. Milne’s book explains the principles of Taoism. A taste:
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.
"What's that?" the Unbeliever asked. "Wisdom from a Western Taoist," I said. "It sounds like something from Winnie-thePooh," he said. "It is," I said. "That's not about Taoism," he said. "Oh, yes it is," I said. "No, it's not," he said. "What do you think it's about?" I said. "It's about this dumpy little bear that wanders around asking silly questions, making up songs, and going through all kinds of adventures, without ever accumulating any amount of intellectual knowledge or losing his simpleminded sort of happiness. That's what it's about," he said. "Same thing," I said.
So! Those are some autumn reads (more like re-reads, probably!). Of course, I’d love to get my hands on some new contemporary fiction too. Anyone reading anything good lately? I hear the new Zadie Smith is amazing and everyone’s been raving about Lessons in Chemistry.
À la prochaine!
Sara <3