Finally, October is here. Though the weather will surely be into the 90s again, Texans can do what we do best: we can fashion seasons out of thin air. We can decorate our apartments with oranges and yellows, even though southern trees seem to transition only from green to dead. We can turn our AC down to the 60s and cuddle with big sweaters even though we’ll have to forgo eating to pay our electric bill. And finally, we will parade the streets on Halloween drenched in sweat because we chose to be Beyoncé this year in her Lemonade leather. So as your cranking down the air conditioning so you can drink the cider without sweat on your lip, here are some books to enjoy this fall for those who love to play make-believe:
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2 A.M. AT THE CAT’S PAJAMAS
This cozy novel takes place on Christmas in Philadelphia, and is lead by a 9-year-old girl named Madeleine who wants, more than anything, to be a jazz singer. This book has just enough drama and a whole lot of hope, so it’s perfect for a wintery night.
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All the Light we Cannot See
This novel takes place in war-torn France in the 1940s and is narrated by two children: Blind and curious Marie-Laure and Werner, a German orphan who is at the top of his class. This book, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2015, is filled with gripping detail, tragedy and love.
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My Name is Lucy Barton
While recovering from a surgery, Lucy Barton is visited by her mother, to whom she has not spoken in years. This is a sentimental novel about mother and daughter devotion, but also about the aches of loneliness and nostalgia that pains us all.
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The Heart
This book takes place over a 24-hour period and narrates the unfolding drama of a single heart surgery. Written in dramatic prose, this book explores the definitions of life and death and poses the question: What does a beating heart mean?
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A Gentleman in Moscow
This novel opens in 1922 in Moscow, and our main character, Count Rostov, is already in trouble. Due to some revolutionary poetry that is said to have incited violence, he is sentenced to house arrest in a high-end hotel across from the Kremlin. Here, he meets a list of fabulous characters who help him rediscover the meaning of freedom.