Reading With the Seasons
It’s October! Which means it’s finally socially acceptable to embrace all things Halloween - not that I let socially acceptable norms stop me…I am definitely one of those people who jump, feet first, with no life preserver into all things fall and Halloween as soon as the calendar pages turn over to the “ber” months! My house has been decorated for Halloween since the first week of September.
It’s Spooky Time!
It’s October! Which means it’s finally socially acceptable to embrace all things Halloween - not that I let socially acceptable norms stop me…I am definitely one of those people who jump, feet first, with no life preserver into all things fall and Halloween as soon as the calendar pages turn over to the “ber” months! My house has been decorated for Halloween since the first week of September.
Theme reading engage!
Now, normally I’m not much of a theme based reader. I tend to go with whatever grabs my interest at the time and I’ll occasionally go through a spurt of similar genres or topics, but typically my reading follows no real rhyme or reason….that is until fall hits and I want to read all the dark, gothic, semi-spooky (but no straight up horror) books I can get my hands on. Then I move straight into wanting wintery and Christmas books, it just feels so right!
My October TBR
This year I may have gotten a little ambitious with my October TBR list, but I guess I’ll get to what I get to, right?
I went to my bookshelf (and smaller shelf, and the random stacks sitting all over my house…) and pulled the following for this year’s October TBR:
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White - this one has been on my list since last year, but I just haven’t gotten to it, although I am very excited to finally jump in. It sounds amazing!
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - I’ve read this before and it’s actually one of my favorite classic gothics, but I feel like to truly appreciate The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, I need a refresher, so I’m looking forward to revisiting this one first.
The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo - Another retelling (give me ALL the retellings I’m obsessed really…) that I’m excited to get to, especially since the original Sleepy Hollow story was a serious snooze fest for me, I just could not get into it…which is why The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is not on my list here, even though I do feel a tad guilty for not revisiting the original source material…
Give The Dark My Love by Beth Revis - This one is another victim of my excited binge buying that got left on the shelf for waaay too long, but I’m really hoping to get to it this year. It does sound amazing!
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss - I read the first book in this series last year during the fall season and really enjoyed it and all the references and call backs to so many of the classic stories, but when I picked this one up after, I just couldn’t seem to get into it as enthusiastically and ended up putting it down and just not picking it back up. I’m hoping to revisit and finish it this time around!
The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe - I’m not planning to get through all of these, but am hoping to jump around and peruse through a few poems/stories I haven’t read yet!
Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror - This is another collected works Barnes & Noble special edition. It contains the original Sweeney Todd tale, which I’ve been meaning to read for a while, but it’s my long shot “if I have time” addition to this list for sure!
So those are my reading plans this month in a nutshell…what are you hoping to read?
Musings on a Hobbit Way of Life
Today, September 22, marks the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, important characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. As a complete and utter book geek, I cannot let the day pass without comment or celebration.
Happy Hobbit Day!
Today, September 22, marks the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, important characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. As a complete and utter book geek, I cannot let the day pass without comment or celebration.
I’ve been pouring through my Lord of the Rings and Shire themed cookbooks (yes, I have several!) for weeks trying to decide on the perfect recipes for today (and for our upcoming weekend celebration with family), because like any self-respecting hobbit, I know the most important part of a celebration is the food!
Celebrating a Simple Life
Though I tend to be one of those people who overthinks things and always wants everything to be just so (which combined with my procrastinating tendencies can make things interesting!), I realize that kind of defeats the purpose of celebrating a hobbit way of life.
Hobbits appreciate the simple things in life and take things as they are. Solid nourishing fare, good company and a slow day of comfort and appreciation are what the folk of the Shire value.
I often find myself rushing around, trying to do ALL the things and make sure they’re perfect, which can lead to me missing out on the actual enjoyment of the day, whether it’s a special event or just a simple day at home with my toddler. Sometimes I need to remind myself that it won’t be the end of the world if I don’t always accomplish everything I think I should, and that things don’t always have to be perfect.
After all…”It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.”
Live Like a Hobbit
So, I hope that whatever you are up to this Hobbit Day (and the first official day of autumn), even if you’re not celebrating or even aware of the geeky ramifications, that you remember to slow down and enjoy an hour, the day, the week, whatever you can. At least for a little while, try to live like a hobbit.