It’s officially the season of cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice, and the smell of cinnamon following you everywhere. If you’re anything like me, you have already started pulling out your Fall playlist and watching Gilmore Girls for the hundredth time. However, this season I’ve struggled to enjoy the Fall media I watch every year. I find myself being distracted by my phone, or magically wanting to do a chore I’ve put off for ages. I decided to take a step back and question “What could rekindle my love for Fall media again?”. Then I realized I’ve been cycling through the same movies, shows, books, and playlist songs for years now. I’ve been needing something new to enjoy for the upcoming season. I decided to go back to the drawing board and found great recommendations for autumn to share with our lovely readers.
music
Art of Loving – Olivia Dean: This album has the essence of a warm hug you get from your favorite sweater. This album explores the topic of love and its various forms. It tells stories of romantic love in songs like “ Man I Need”. There are also songs of self-love, like “Lady Lady”. She also expresses love for her community in the song “I’ve Seen It”. The Fall season is filled with festivities and gatherings with loved ones. This album is a vibrant yet gentle reminder to be present in these moments during this season.
Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder: This album is very nostalgic for me, as my parents play it yearly during Thanksgiving. It holds some of his most popular songs, “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Knocks Me Off My Feet”. It falls under the genres of Rhythm n Blues and Soul. This album was released in 1976. I truly would call this album timeless; it ages like fine wine. It’s an incredibly comforting listen and is perfect to play in the background while cooking your favorite comfort food.
films
Perfect Blue (1997) – Satoshi Kon: I love to have a horror and thriller movie marathon during the spooky season. I am usually left only slightly impacted by these movies. However, Perfect Blue never fails to give me goosebumps. Perfect Blue is about a J-pop idol named Mima Kirigoe who decides to retire from her girl group CHAM! To become an actress. She is then faced with the challenge of breaking into the acting industry with a stalker who is not pleased with her decision to leave the group. Her life begins to spiral out of control in ways Mima and this film’s audience could never expect. Be prepared to question our sanity and perception throughout the film. Also it is important to note that this film deals with a lot of heavy topics, such as sexual assault and violence. I suggest researching possible content warnings if you are sensitive to certain topics.
Twitches – Stuart Gillard: When I talk to people about this movie, they tend to fall into two categories: never seen it’ or watched it and completely forgot it existed. This was one of my favorite Halloween-themed Disney movies as a kid. It tells the story of twin young adult witches who were separated at birth and meet each other on their 21st birthday. Through this destined meeting, they learn of their powers and must use them to save the world from evil. This film is filled with great family-friendly humor and drama to keep you heavily engaged.
literature
Plain Bad Heroines – Emily. M Danford: Gothic literature is a popular book genre during the Fall season. It sets students in the headspace for late study sessions and ingesting large amounts of caffeine. This book is not an exception to the studious essence of the genre. Plain Bad Heroines is a collection of stories about teenage girls at a boarding school ( Brookhants) who become oddly obsessed with a book before the time of their deaths, set in 1902. These stories inspire the modern-day characters within the book to create a film based on the teens and find themselves oddly relating to their characters.
Legends & Lattes – Travis Baldee: This book earns its title as a cozy read. Legend & Lattes is a fantasy novel with low stakes about the main character, Viv and her retirement from a lifetime of fighting to run a coffee shop. All the characters are charming. The reader is made to feel very included in the characters’ everyday lives. If you are a lover of characterization from the show Gilmore Girls, you would enjoy this book as well. You will be left with a sense of wholesomeness and a craving for one of Viv’s Lattes after you are done with this book!