Shut up are you planning to read Dostoevsky this winter because I AM TOO WHY ARE WE THE SAME?!?! I can’t wait to hear what you think of Beloved! And Stoner because I have always wanted to read it, so I eagerly await whether you recommend it or not!
I bow down to you for the next 8 weeks Natalie. This is your time to SHINE. I can’t wait to see it all and get a little more excited about this season because of your love for it! You absolutely have influenced my October reading plans. 🖤 get it girl !
Bardugo is one of those writers who has a LOT of ideas but maybe needs to slow down on some of them, but thats just my opinion. now im eager to see if I dislike it... !
those plates are incredible! when you are ready for your castle season, we can arrange a house swap. we have a long winter here, very grey in january, and you can go to a different castle every day from our house for i dont even know how many days!
I love your spooky season passion! The Lantern of Lost Memories and Blood Test by Charles Baxter are 2 fall new releases I', excited about. Love your kitty photos🐾
*insert This is Halloween playing in the background*
I've owned Lolly Willowes for years and haven't read it yet, and decided that this was the year I read it during Spooky Season (which for me is just October because September is still National Marissa/Virgo Birthday month)
Also UGGs are eternal. They are transcendent. You can pry my fluffy, furry boots off of my cold, dead body. The first piece of advice I gave college freshmen who came from the South to our New England school was to buy a pair of furry boots, authentic UGGs or not, no one cares when it's cold in the morning and your feetsies just want to be warm.
Mhmm yes yes yes this is all good and makes a lot of sense. I'm spoiled since I work from home, meaning I can wear fuzzy slippers all the time. And then when it's cold enough I can wear UGGs outside. I am always tickled by the people who are shocked that UGGs are 'back.' I want to yell: THEY NEVER LEFT SOME OF US LIKE FUZZY SHOES FOR OUR COLD FEET.
LOVE those year-round plates! So creepy and fun. I’m dying to make that pumpkin bread, too 😋.
I’m not big into the spooky books but I do love fall. I love the fall-to-holidays time of year best.
Oh, question: I’m on chapter 3 of Station Eleven, but it’s kind of giving me pandemic PTSD. It feels eerily prescient of ESJM, though of course now it feels retrospectively eerily prescient. Given what you know of my health sitch, should I skip this for now to avoid trauma?
Hmm GREAT question. There is not a ton of actual sickness in the story. Once the initial illness situation happens its about how society rebuilds after. There is no storyline where ill people have to struggle to survive. But if you are feeling AT ALL uneasy absolutely take a break.
I was really hoping ROSEMARY'S BABY would be in your lineup. I started reading--and listening, because it's available on Spotify, to about the 1/3 mark. Then I happened to watch the movie before I was done reading, and now I've lost the motivation to keep reading because I can't get the movie interp out of my mind. But that's not fair to the book! I'd love to read someone else's analysis because the writing was very sharp and fresh, but TBH, I never felt creeped out--or intellectually absorbed--only amused. No feelings of dread or inevitable terror to come. At least not in the beginning!
ahhh ok i do have a copy of Rosemary's Baby I am fully on board to try and sneak that in!! a lot of my spooky reads are short so I am going on a tear. Ive seen the movie which might be a problem? I've also struggled with reading Misery since all I see is Kathy Bates, and with Psycho and with The Haunting of Hill House but all turned out to be worth it so far.
YES! Let all the SPOOKY out! You have our full support. 🧛🏻♀️😍🕸️
I love that you use those dishes year-round. We bought an outside front porch mat with spiderwebs all over it and says: WELCOME TO OUR WEB. I told Joe we are leaving it there forever.
I've wanted to read The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, and I think this spooky season is the time. The Familiar is sitting on my bookshelf, still unread. TBH I just bought it for the beautiful cover and pages. I tried reading some of it and it just didn't hook me. I'm determined to give it another try though.
Can't wait to hear what you think about YOU LIKE IT DARKER. It was old school classic King for me.
I just bought White Nights-Dostoevsky. I've already read The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot, but it's been so long ago that I could do with a re-read.
So very happy you are leaning IN this spooky season!!!
the kitties are also leaning into spooky season already by keeping ME UP ALL NIGHT but they are so cute what can i do.
There is so much good Dostoevsky to try, it is a bit overwhelming but Martha and I might do Crime and Punishment since we both already own it 😂😂
I have heard very mixed reviews about SGJ so I would love to hear what you think. And yes on The Familiar ive tried twice to read it, but I really want to persevere so i can review it
WELCOME TO OUR WEB IS PERFECT FOR YOU. mine just says welcome with a ghostie haha
I’ve only read Crime and Punishment and although it was a slog, I thought it was excellent writing. I have The Idiot on my Kindle. Tell me your thoughts about it and TBK. Also, I love your porch web 🕷️
TBK had soooooo many characters I had to legit write them down to keep track 😂😭
Out of the two I love this one the most. I think it would have been easier to keep track of them if they weren’t so aggressively Russian. I also read them when I was in my 20’s and REALLY ambitious with my reading. The Idiot was a slog, beautiful writing, easier with the characters only bc I was used to it with TBK.
I’m loving White Nights. It’s a short story and really enjoyable.
I wonder what I would think of the two now as a full fledged adult.
I have not read Crime and Punishment, I don’t know that I have it in me tbh. 😬 I might get a wild hair and do it.
And thank you, the mat makes me so happy. It’s the little things.
Also, I forgot to tell you we bought 5-foot bat skeletons from Home Depot with red light-up eyes and posable wings; they are incredible. I'll send you a pic when we get them all set up.
It’s free for KU subscribers or just .99 cents on kindle. It’s very steamy but boy did it deliver. I’m calling it a paranormal Squid Games with sex. Ha ha.
unsolicited opinions: read both stoner and the familiar. honestly, i don’t remember stoner that well but i think it might’ve been wrong time & place because people LOVE it. the familiar i didn’t think was leigh bardugo’s strongest (ninth house, by a mile) it was a little flat for me but i did also read it in like 24 hours, which is its own category of praise???
im REALLY looking forward to seeing beetlejuice as someone who also maybe over identified with its aesthetic as a teenager, glad to see the praise!!
A lot of pans for The Familiar which is one reason I am ready to read it - I loved Ninth House and kind of hated Hell Bent, she is a hit or miss for me so I'm ready to give the honest review
Stoner is one of those that its cool to like now so its possible you just have to really be into whatever its offering.
"maybe overidentified" I feel that one - I hope you love it!
Also, in response to start of fall rituals.... ushered in this fall with a camping/river float trip this past weekend and it is about to become an annual tradition. Waking up outside to sit by a fire during those first few chilly mornings of the season was so euphoric.
Shut up are you planning to read Dostoevsky this winter because I AM TOO WHY ARE WE THE SAME?!?! I can’t wait to hear what you think of Beloved! And Stoner because I have always wanted to read it, so I eagerly await whether you recommend it or not!
I bow down to you for the next 8 weeks Natalie. This is your time to SHINE. I can’t wait to see it all and get a little more excited about this season because of your love for it! You absolutely have influenced my October reading plans. 🖤 get it girl !
I REALLLLLLY love that. like a LOT. I am absolutely going to need someone to talk through Dostoevsky with so get your fingers ready.
I haven't felt this much excitement to write newsletters probably ever so thank you for the vote of confidence!!
Baby you have all my votes of confidence. You've got this. I am v excited to read all of your excitement!
Always appreciate your recommendations! THE FAMILIAR fell flat for me but I'll be looking into some of these.
Bardugo is one of those writers who has a LOT of ideas but maybe needs to slow down on some of them, but thats just my opinion. now im eager to see if I dislike it... !
I think that is a fair assessment. The idea had a lot of potential but it was underdeveloped.
those plates are incredible! when you are ready for your castle season, we can arrange a house swap. we have a long winter here, very grey in january, and you can go to a different castle every day from our house for i dont even know how many days!
House swap FOR A CASTLE. I love seeing all your adventures you seriously are living the dream.
I love your spooky season passion! The Lantern of Lost Memories and Blood Test by Charles Baxter are 2 fall new releases I', excited about. Love your kitty photos🐾
both of those sound perfect for fall!! 🤎
*insert This is Halloween playing in the background*
I've owned Lolly Willowes for years and haven't read it yet, and decided that this was the year I read it during Spooky Season (which for me is just October because September is still National Marissa/Virgo Birthday month)
Also UGGs are eternal. They are transcendent. You can pry my fluffy, furry boots off of my cold, dead body. The first piece of advice I gave college freshmen who came from the South to our New England school was to buy a pair of furry boots, authentic UGGs or not, no one cares when it's cold in the morning and your feetsies just want to be warm.
National Marissa month YES hahhaha. my birthday is October 1 so I just share it with my favorite spooky things all month long.
there are SO many mornings I wish I could just wear my Uggs to work. If I was rich I would have a second pair just to wear around the office... 😂
Mhmm yes yes yes this is all good and makes a lot of sense. I'm spoiled since I work from home, meaning I can wear fuzzy slippers all the time. And then when it's cold enough I can wear UGGs outside. I am always tickled by the people who are shocked that UGGs are 'back.' I want to yell: THEY NEVER LEFT SOME OF US LIKE FUZZY SHOES FOR OUR COLD FEET.
LOVE those year-round plates! So creepy and fun. I’m dying to make that pumpkin bread, too 😋.
I’m not big into the spooky books but I do love fall. I love the fall-to-holidays time of year best.
Oh, question: I’m on chapter 3 of Station Eleven, but it’s kind of giving me pandemic PTSD. It feels eerily prescient of ESJM, though of course now it feels retrospectively eerily prescient. Given what you know of my health sitch, should I skip this for now to avoid trauma?
Hmm GREAT question. There is not a ton of actual sickness in the story. Once the initial illness situation happens its about how society rebuilds after. There is no storyline where ill people have to struggle to survive. But if you are feeling AT ALL uneasy absolutely take a break.
Phew, thank you! I’ve gone a bit further than the initial illness and it seems okay. Thanks for the reassurance.
I was really hoping ROSEMARY'S BABY would be in your lineup. I started reading--and listening, because it's available on Spotify, to about the 1/3 mark. Then I happened to watch the movie before I was done reading, and now I've lost the motivation to keep reading because I can't get the movie interp out of my mind. But that's not fair to the book! I'd love to read someone else's analysis because the writing was very sharp and fresh, but TBH, I never felt creeped out--or intellectually absorbed--only amused. No feelings of dread or inevitable terror to come. At least not in the beginning!
ahhh ok i do have a copy of Rosemary's Baby I am fully on board to try and sneak that in!! a lot of my spooky reads are short so I am going on a tear. Ive seen the movie which might be a problem? I've also struggled with reading Misery since all I see is Kathy Bates, and with Psycho and with The Haunting of Hill House but all turned out to be worth it so far.
Yes yes yes!!!! I love Beloved for Halloween: what a perfect pick. It's so haunting.
Thank you for shouting out my Beetlejuice piece! I saw B2 on opening night and I have not stopped smiling ever since. Wino forever!!!
Truly the best - we cant stop rewatching #1 until it comes on streaming!!!
YES! Let all the SPOOKY out! You have our full support. 🧛🏻♀️😍🕸️
I love that you use those dishes year-round. We bought an outside front porch mat with spiderwebs all over it and says: WELCOME TO OUR WEB. I told Joe we are leaving it there forever.
I've wanted to read The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, and I think this spooky season is the time. The Familiar is sitting on my bookshelf, still unread. TBH I just bought it for the beautiful cover and pages. I tried reading some of it and it just didn't hook me. I'm determined to give it another try though.
Can't wait to hear what you think about YOU LIKE IT DARKER. It was old school classic King for me.
I just bought White Nights-Dostoevsky. I've already read The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot, but it's been so long ago that I could do with a re-read.
So very happy you are leaning IN this spooky season!!!
Please give the kitties a squeeze for me!
the kitties are also leaning into spooky season already by keeping ME UP ALL NIGHT but they are so cute what can i do.
There is so much good Dostoevsky to try, it is a bit overwhelming but Martha and I might do Crime and Punishment since we both already own it 😂😂
I have heard very mixed reviews about SGJ so I would love to hear what you think. And yes on The Familiar ive tried twice to read it, but I really want to persevere so i can review it
WELCOME TO OUR WEB IS PERFECT FOR YOU. mine just says welcome with a ghostie haha
I’ve only read Crime and Punishment and although it was a slog, I thought it was excellent writing. I have The Idiot on my Kindle. Tell me your thoughts about it and TBK. Also, I love your porch web 🕷️
TBK had soooooo many characters I had to legit write them down to keep track 😂😭
Out of the two I love this one the most. I think it would have been easier to keep track of them if they weren’t so aggressively Russian. I also read them when I was in my 20’s and REALLY ambitious with my reading. The Idiot was a slog, beautiful writing, easier with the characters only bc I was used to it with TBK.
I’m loving White Nights. It’s a short story and really enjoyable.
I wonder what I would think of the two now as a full fledged adult.
I have not read Crime and Punishment, I don’t know that I have it in me tbh. 😬 I might get a wild hair and do it.
And thank you, the mat makes me so happy. It’s the little things.
Also, I forgot to tell you we bought 5-foot bat skeletons from Home Depot with red light-up eyes and posable wings; they are incredible. I'll send you a pic when we get them all set up.
HELL YES. my neighbor has a half buried one that I want SO bad but we like on a property with another house & apartment so its hard to decorate :(
I finished Phantasma this week and it is the perfect fall read. I need the temps to drop so I can cozy up with some spooky reads asap! I'm ready!
I had to look up Phantasma and oh my that cover just screams fall!!
It’s free for KU subscribers or just .99 cents on kindle. It’s very steamy but boy did it deliver. I’m calling it a paranormal Squid Games with sex. Ha ha.
thank you for the shout out!!
unsolicited opinions: read both stoner and the familiar. honestly, i don’t remember stoner that well but i think it might’ve been wrong time & place because people LOVE it. the familiar i didn’t think was leigh bardugo’s strongest (ninth house, by a mile) it was a little flat for me but i did also read it in like 24 hours, which is its own category of praise???
im REALLY looking forward to seeing beetlejuice as someone who also maybe over identified with its aesthetic as a teenager, glad to see the praise!!
btw your opinions are always solicited!
A lot of pans for The Familiar which is one reason I am ready to read it - I loved Ninth House and kind of hated Hell Bent, she is a hit or miss for me so I'm ready to give the honest review
Stoner is one of those that its cool to like now so its possible you just have to really be into whatever its offering.
"maybe overidentified" I feel that one - I hope you love it!
Truly honored to have a "READ THIS NOW" in front of my recommendation, thanks Nat <3
can't wait to see the rest of your recommendations throughout The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
so deserving!!
Also, in response to start of fall rituals.... ushered in this fall with a camping/river float trip this past weekend and it is about to become an annual tradition. Waking up outside to sit by a fire during those first few chilly mornings of the season was so euphoric.
Now all I need is a cup of hot apple cider...
river float oh im so jealous 😩 literally cant think of a more perfect way to spend the transition into fall. I can smell the camp coffee...
Super excited about all of the upcoming spookiness. Spooky Season is the best season!
We linked to your Fall Preview post in our Endnotes today! I hope it sends lots of our people your way.
If you need more content to throw into your mix, may I recommend our podcast episode about Halloween? https://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-10-19-halloween/
The Keep! I've had it on my TBR since last year. Maybe I should slot it in this year? —Mel
ah thank you so much for that!!! I will absolutely check out the podcast.
And I'm over halfway with The Keep, its not at all what I expected but I just truly vibe with Egan's writing and Im loving it
I love that Stephen King has his own category!
Mr. King could have his own newsletter lets be real 😀😂😉
Indeed he could!
By my calculation, we have tied with a grand total of 2 points each.
oh boy thank goodness for the big points we scored!!! im actually proud of us
Yes. I got a perfect 0 for Nonfiction prediction though so this is kind of messing with my vibe. Oh and I have to read The Keep with you…
The Keep is just very good solid Egan, start reading!