I'm A Better *Me* In The Fall
Sharing my autumn décor and ambitious reading list for the season.
I sent my sister-in-law a selfie on Sunday afternoon.
I was in the middle of decorating my apartment for fall, wearing a witches hat I accrued from a Halloween-themed photoshoot I did with one of my best friends last year. She replied, declaring, “If fall were a person, that person would be you.”
It was one of the best things anyone has ever said to me.
When I worked as an editor in the city, one of my co-workers, who has since become a dear friend, said, “I hope one day I love something as much as Julia loves fall.”
I hope that for her, too.
I hope that for anyone.
There are few things I love more than fall, save for the obvious (my husband and Tabby, my family, writing, books… actually, that might be it). Maybe it’s because I was born in October and my parents brought me home from the hospital on Halloween. I’ve just always felt more myself when the temperatures got cooler and clothes got cozier.
There’s a kind of magic that trickles in with the first winds of autumn. It inspires me to tap into my witchy side; read ghost stories, pull tarot, and watch scary movies. I eat up thriller novels like they’re bowls of cereal.
Everything pumpkin spice, sweater weather, knee-high boots, cozy cardigans, and football Sundays. Pumpkin patches and apple orchards, cloudy afternoon walks, and crunching, colorful leaves. Gilmore Girls marathons and mystery paperbacks, Hocus Pocus, and hot apple cider. I could go on and on and on.
Unfortunately, between New Jersey weather patterns and the nature of editorial to rush the seasons, I really only get two solid months of pure autumnal bliss. So, I have to make the most of it while it’s here.
My first order of business is to give every room a seasonal sprucing. I’ve acquired quite the impressive collection of decor over the past few years; it’s just enough for our two-bedroom.
Still, you can never have too much home decor (at least in my opinion), so one of my best friends and I started a tradition where we get together on a weekend in mid-September and go shopping for some new additions. This year, I scored a gorgeous table runner from TJ Maxx (that paired beautifully with the pumpkin spice-themed placemats my sister so generously surprised me with a few weeks back), as well as a new bathroom set from Target (shower curtain linked here, bath mat linked here).
As much as I love decorating, I love enjoying the fruits of my labor more. There’s nothing like the feeling of lighting a seasonally-scented candle, snuggling under a fluffy, leaf-patterned blanket, and taking in all of the cozy touches you put around your space. (It also helped that, while doing so, the Cowboys won their football game against the Bengals.)
My second order of business: Choosing my fall TBR (to-be-read list). It just so happened that I finished reading my last novel of the summer last night, so I’m starting fresh on the first day of the new season. How satisfying is that?!
This year, my list is an ambitious one, especially considering I’ve been reading at a steadily glacial pace in 2022 thus far. I set my Goodreads goal to 30 books back in January. I’ve only finished 12.
That said, spooky novels speak to me in a way other genres do not. So, I have high hopes! What I don’t finish will either be added to my winter TBR (post-holiday season, since that time is reserved for Hallmark-esque rom-coms) or picked up sometime in 2023.
My Fall 2022 TBR
(To-be-read in no particular order and subject to change*)
Bunny by Mona Awad - A cultish thriller that takes place at a New England MFA program.
IT by Stephen King - The popular 1986 horror novel-turned-movie about seven children who are tormented by an evil entity that exploits their fears.
Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin - The sequel to Mahurin’s Serpent & Dove, about a witch and witch hunter in love.
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman - The prequel to Hoffman’s Practical Magic, telling the story of Maria Owens, the matriarch of the Owens women.
Payback’s A Witch by Lana Harper - A queer rom-com following three witches’ - Emmy, Linden, and Talia’s - revenge on warlock, Gareth Blackmoore.
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio - A literary psychological thriller in which actors at the fictional Dellecher Shakespeare conservatory witness real violence amidst their play-pretend.
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber - The true story of psychiatric patient Shirley Mason, the first case of multiple personality disorder to ever be studied.
Lisa Bright and Dark by John Neufield (a re-read) - The fictional story of 16-year-old Lisa and her descent into madness. Published in 1970. This will be my fourth re-read of Lisa’s chilling tale.
Down A Dark Hall by Lois Duncan (a re-read) - A middle grade novel following the story of Kit Gordy, and the paranormal happenings that take place at her new school, Blackwood Hall.
Do you have a fall TBR? Let me know if you’ll be adding any of these titles to your list, and if there’s a book you’re most excited to read in the upcoming weeks.
And on that note, HAPPY AUTUMN, EVERYONE!
In case you missed my byline:
I interviewed Kris Jenner on her holiday collab with The Children’s Place
I interviewed the designers behind Chopova Lowena
The Best Women’s Loungewear for Comfy yet Chic Dressing
How Blood Sugar Influences Metabolism + 5 Ways To Balance It Naturally
Love love love all the fall decor!! Your fall TBR is making me want to read all of the spooky reads! Excited to hear your thoughts on Bunny!!
This whole newsletter is giving me all the fall vibes and I love it 🥰🥰🍂🍁
Beautiful!!!!! Love you 😍