September 2017 – Anthology of V.

If you’ve been following my blog or Instagram, then you might already know how enraptured I am by autumn— a.k.a the best season of the year. Everything from the sights, the smells, the tastes, even the feel of the cold wind and the scratchy turtle-neck sweaters makes me come to life like a reverse, melancholy effect of a springtime rose. When things decay, I suppose my spirit is energized? Ironic how that works.

One day I’ll write that thousand-paged thesis about why I love the fall as much as I do, but for now I’ll keep this short and practical.

Starting with example number one: apple picking.

Each year I would go apple-picking with my family, either around upstate New York or out east on Long Island. While the east has its own magical makings, I prefer going north where the natural environment seems to have taken over the towns like a segment from Snow White‘s the dark forest. The last two years have been fairly rough, however. My parents got divorced and I transferred to a new college, miles away from my home. I believe things happen for a reason, and the friends I’ve met within just the first three weeks at my new campus are all wonderful and kind people. So when I mentioned apple picking, they were all as excited to go explore the terrain north of our school as I was.

We went to Masker Orchard in Warwick, NY. Although many of the apples weren’t ripe for picking just yet, there were thousands to choose from. And with a view sitting atop a mountain, looking out over the farms and the houses, it felt surreal to be up there— as if we had been dropped in a different era. It helped that since we went so early in the season there were only a few other guests in attendance, which meant we were able to shoot more freely and with a wider scope!

To make things even better, originally the temperature was in the mid-sixties but a storm passed overhead as we were shooting and the cold draft and grey skies made for a perfect atmospheric photo session. Of course, as soon as it began pouring we headed into town with our bags of apples to eat with the locals.

I can’t wait to go back. With the Renaissance Faire nearby, I’m sure I’ll be headed up there within the next few weeks. //

Music Recommendation: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by Fleet Foxes.

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Some people might think that perhaps this is too early, but I’m here to remind you that its never too soon for fall (the best season of the year). I’ve never partaken in one of these book tags, however I have seen a few of them floating around other blogs and YouTube channels. Instead of tracking these ones down, I’ve decided to recreate my own! Feel free to use these questions for your own tag.

Best autumnal themed book cover?
Which fictional friend group would you trust with a Ouija board?
Which book setting would you love to be celebrating in during Halloween night?
Best autumnal food description inside of a story?
Which fictional character would you dress as?
An antagonist you would pledge your allegiance to?
The creepiest book you’ve ever read?
A book you’ve yet to read but will read this October?
Which fictional character would you put in charge of the decorations for a Halloween party?

1. Although I have yet to read this book, I instantly fell in love with the cover art when I first saw it. Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood is a modern take on “Alice in Wonderland” with an eerie twist. Alice, the protagonist, moves into her grandmother’s estate only to realize that the creature’s from her grandmother’s tales are more tangible and dangerous than she’d ever imagined. This book comes out January 30th, 2018.

2. I can’t say just how much of the supernatural world I truly believe in, but I have played with an Ouija board before and there are some things I still can’t seem to find an explanation for. With that in mind, it’s important to be playing this game with a group of people you trust and who equally have the same open-minded attitudes. For this, I would invite Donna Tartt’s cast of characters from her novel The Secret History. All five of those morally grey protagonists believe to a certain extent of a world we’ve yet to breach, and I think it would be exhilarating to watch up close as Henry Winter tries to summon spirits. (Side note: It would be just as entertaining to witnesses Francis Abernathy in any perilous scenario. He’s too cute.)

3. On Halloween night, I would love to be in the Autumnlands— a woodland realm set in the whimsical backdrop of Margaret Roberson’s debut novel An Enchantment of Ravens. Knowing that those trees already have a mind of their own, and that the land is saturated in magic all revolving around the essence of fall, I can only imagine what festivities would befall the land on such an occasion. It would also be nice to see Rook, the Autumn Prince, in all of his glory.

4. There’s no debate over this one. Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus wins all. It is lush with descriptions of Victorian London and the darker parts of carefree magic. The whole novel felt like a dream, but the scents and the food imagery is definitely something to notice.

“The circus looks abandoned and empty. But you think perhaps you can smell caramel wafting through the evening breeze, beneath the crisp scent of the autumn leaves. A subtle sweetness at the edges of the cold.”

5. Each year I’m faced with this question and each year I save it until last minute where I end up changing my mind a thousand times. However, this year I’ve decided upon a single character and I intend to stick with her: Joan of Arc. Now, I realize she’s not fictional. But enough tales have been written about her heroine acts (and chainmail is freaking awesome) that it seems too good to resist! My backup, however, will be Lagertha from the television series, Vikings.

6. I would gladly pledge my allegiance (and heart) to the Darkling from Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy. He has done some royally heinous acts in his time, but I’ve always understood his motives and found them to be justifiable, albeit dangerous and corrupt. Sign me up for the next war.

7. The creepiest book I’ve ever read would have to be the Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susan Cokal. The whole story revolved around a plague and while there were other thematic elements at work, I could never get past the gory descriptions and the terrifyingly realistic tone of the sickness that swept through the kingdom. I suppose it was more frightening because it really did happen some centuries ago, but reading it firsthand made me nauseous and fearing for my life.

8. While I’m still incredibly existed for the publication of An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy and for that I will have to change my answer to Leigh Bardugo’s Language of Thorns. These Grisha inspired folkloric novellas not only sound promising, but the artwork going into the book itself will be beautiful as well. This book will be published on September 26th, 2017. (The same date as An Enchantment of Ravens!!)

9. There were many characters that I could have chosen for this particular question, however Lucien from Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series will always be me favorite fall-themed character. I bet he’d know exactly what shade of apple to purchase for games, and what pumpkin carvings would befit wax candles. Just the prospect of a modern-day (AU) version of Lucien has me near tears. I would befriend him so fast.

Month: September 2017

Warwick, NY

Autumn Book Tag