fall

Friday Links: October Goodies Suitable for Fall

Nephele Tempest

Apologies to the Southern Hemisphere, but it’s autumn now here in the northern half, no matter the temperature. It’s in the 90s here today, but I’m ignoring that. Pumpkins and maple flavoring exploded all over Trader Joe’s in the last few weeks, people have pulled out sweaters; it’s fall. This means I can add fall reads to my TBR, and I plan to enable you to do the same.

What sort of books do you gravitate toward at this time of year? Halloween-y choices are obvious. Witches, vampires, ghosts. But I love a big fat novel that might carry my into winter, and I miss having the time to indulge. Academic settings also push my buttons; it’s the back-to-school vibe. I want books set at universities to go with a pile of new notebooks and pens.

I can’t swear all the book recs in this week’s links have autumn leanings, but there are a ton of them to sort through. I hope you find something to inspire and entertain you. Per usual, there are some random other links included. Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend!

This week’s links:

Fall Books 2021. – The New York Times has a list of lists to make your fall TBR overflow, including fiction, nonfiction, memoir, books for younger readers, and so on. Be sure to check it out.

The Coolest Literary Tattoos on the Internet. – A fun peek at the art bookish folks have been putting on their bodies.

Buckle Up, Me Hearties: Best YA Pirate Stories. – I love a good pirate tale, and this list offers up a bunch of them.

It’s Time to Put Down the Beach Read and Pick Up a Crunchy Autumnal Novel. – A look at what makes a great autumn read, with a particular eye toward SFF.

7 Indian Women Writers You Should Be Reading. – For anyone looking to read more diversely or do a bit of armchair traveling, some wonderful authors to check out.

Yiyun Li on Starting a Virtual Book Club During the Pandemic. – Some of you might recall the read-along of War and Peace early on in the pandemic. This interview with the author who kicked it off gives an inside look at why she started the project and what it meant to her during such a period of isolation.

This Year’s MacArthur ‘Genius Grants’ Were Just Announced–Here’s the Full Winners List. – I’m always interested to see who makes this list each year, not just for the writers but for the overall creativity it displays.

Friday Links: Labor Day Weekend Edition

Nephele Tempest

Here in the U.S., we’re heading into Labor Day weekend, so it seems wrong to tell you all to spend the holiday weekend laboring. Of course, many writers consider writing time precious and to be hoarded, time to indulge rather than time spent working. I don’t know any of those writers personally, but they do exist. At the end of the day, even when you enjoy the process, writing takes work. So this week’s links focus more on ways to relax this holiday weekend. If you’re not blessed with a holiday on Monday, please do piggyback on ours and have some fun this weekend anyway.

Labor Day Weekend by a lake

Meanwhile at agenting central, I’m in reading mode, trying to finish up some things for clients before taking time off myself. I will be out of the office next week, though I’m sure I’ll pop up online. It’s my last gasp vacation before the long fall haul until the end of the year. September always kicks off the busiest season for me, even if summer was busy, too. I’m attending several conferences over the next few months, dates for which will appear shortly in my travel schedule here on the site. In addition, I’m planning to send some of you back to school. More details on that when I return from vacation.

Looking for bookish activities for your long weekend? I’ve got some reading-centrinc suggestions in the links, but also it’s a great time to head to the movies. So many book-inspired films are either in theaters now, streaming, or coming soon. If you haven’t seen Crazy Rich Asians yet, go now! I’m queueing up To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix. I loved the book, just haven’t had a chance to watch the movie quite yet. Also, The Bookshop, based on the Penelope Fitzgerald novel, opens in NYC and LA this weekend, elswhere soon. And finally, Jack Ryan, the series based on the Tom Clancy character, starts streaming on Amazon Prime today. I know there are more; those are just off the top of my head.

So without further ado, I’ll get to the links. I wish you a wonderful Labor Day weekend, or just weekend in general, with time to sit back and relax. Enjoy!

This week’s links:

Deciding to Read More than One Book at a Time Has Made it Easier than Ever for Me to Meet My Reading Goals. – The reading habits of a book nerd. I’m totally onboard with this.

My Favorite Bit: Andrea Phillips Talks about Bookburners Season 4. – Are you a fan of serialized fiction? Check this out for a peek into this great series at Serial Box, plus discounts on some early episodes if you’re looking to get started.

Problematic Classics: Four Questions to Ask When Beloved Books Haven’t Aged Well. – An interesting look at how to address older works from a modern, more socially aware perspective.

Haruki Murakami On Parallel Realities. – The author discusses his new story in The New Yorker.

All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in September! – Nice round up of titles that might appeal to a broad readership. (And an excellent reason to finish that August TBR pile and make room for new goodies.)

The Books Tayari Jones and Ann Patchett Say Remind Them of Fall. – Can’t wait for red leaves and sweaters? Pick up one of these titles to get in the mood.