October Daily 14: Autumn Days

 

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." 
Anne of Green Gables

These are the cozy days. Temperatures drop and I wrap myself in a warm sweater. At night cold air drifts in through the open window and I pull the covers close around my neck. It's the season for copious cups of tea. 

Novels such as Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte are so full of the stormy weather that makes for good autumn reading. Sometimes I dip in and out of the stories where descriptions of gloomy woods, sighing winds, and bleak hilltops are contrasted with immense fires and the glow of candlelight. On a stormy afternoon, I have, on occasion, bundled up like a brave heroine and gone for a walk in the wind and rain, feeling very Bronte-ish. 

Other days are tinged with gold and remind me of September by Rosamunde Pilcher. L. M. Montgomery's novels of Anne often feature good seasonal descriptions - I think of the scene in Anne of the Island where she is at college and brings up a plate of crisp apples to eat by the fire. Such homey scenes are so satisfying to read.

When I studied for my French degree, I read a story by Colette - Un Soir (One Night) - describing a fireside scene into which two travelers are welcomed. It's full of sensory details that draw the reader into the scene.

"Une vieille eau-de-vie de prune, le café encore brûlant nous firent presque intimes. La lumière électrique, rare dans la région, l'odeur du tabac blond, des fruits, du bois résineux qui flambait, je goûtais ces charmes familiers comme les dons d'une île nouvelle. "

"An aged plum brandy, the coffee scorching hot, made us almost intimate friends. The electric light, rare in the region, the scent of blond tobacco, of fruit, of burning resinous wood - I tasted these familiar delights as if they were gifts of a new island."

"Is this not a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love - that makes life and nature harmonise." George Eliot

Brenda, from Life is Beautiful wrote a post about autumn reading that had me nodding my head in agreement. I'm sure you will nod, too, when you read her lovely words.

I also enjoy books that feature musings and meandering essays on the seasons - I think of Gladys Taber and her Stillmeadow books. 

An "atmospheric river" is headed our way this weekend. In regular language, that's a lot of rain. We'll be engaged in cozy indoor pursuits - books and sewing, baking and puttering, and perhaps a mug of hot chocolate as accompaniment. There will likely be a walk or two in between the raindrops, or among them.

I very much enjoyed my day of teaching and hope for more over the next months. It's always nice to know that I can say no if I have other plans. 

Do you have books you enjoy reading seasonally?