The Autumn Archive, part 3

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. (George Eliot)

Hello everyone! We’ve sadly reached the third and last installment of The Autumn Archives, for this conclusion I chose to share podcasts, books, movies and music as always but I included some art too. I really hope this season has treated you well. While autumn may only have a little time left, we still have plenty of time to savor its beauty and admire the beautiful fall landscapes around us. So, keep making those pumpkin soups! I’ve loved creating these archives, and I can’t wait for the winter ones! As always, hope you can find some inspiration from this, thank you for reading.

— Ella

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observing — november paintings

In the second installment of The Autumn Archives, I paired my book recommendations with paintings that complemented them. This time, I want to share some art that captures the spirit of November: beautiful but still painted with a certain sadness and melancholy. I feel that this month’s desolate and somber mood is really reflected in these pieces.

Jakub Schikaneder — Abandoned

Ilia Alekseevich Sokolov — Lace Maker

Kelly Louise Judd — Leaf Children in the Wind

Edward Gordon — The Chest

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listening — november podcasts

I’m still enjoying listening to podcasts, and this one is perfect for anyone who carries the wicked, magical feeling and essence of October into November — myself included!

Shahrukh Husain, editor of The Virago Book of Witches, who says it represents ` womanhood in all its complexity’ is not at all surprised to see a resurgence of interest in `all things witchy’. The witch knows her strength, defies authority and embodies our current fears of injustice. Shah tells Lucy how the witch can be playful but also terrifying, particularly to men, and about a childhood fascination for the witch.

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listening — november albums

No playlist this month because I know you’re probably tired of them, and honestly, I feel like they all end up sounding pretty similar to each other since my taste is so defined. But I do listen to a lot of albums, even if I don’t always include the tracks in my playlists. These are all very personal choices and maybe they might not scream November to everyone but they do to me. We have some personal favorites here: Keaton Henson and Bon Iver. I really recommend checking them out!

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reading — november books

This month’s book recommendations feature one of my all time favorites: The Secret History. I reread it every year, always around November, though I think it works perfectly well even in the dead of winter. I included a classic and some darker and more gruesome ones, so be sure to check the trigger warnings before picking them up!

Starve Acre — Andrew Michael Hurley

The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby's son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place. Convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, Juliette seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, to try and keep the boy out of his mind, has turned his attention to the field opposite the house, where he patiently digs the barren dirt in search of a legendary oak tree. But as they delve further into their grief, both uncover more than they set out to.

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Possession — A.S. Byatt

Winner of England's Booker Prize and the literary sensation of the year, Possession is an exhilarating novel of wit and romance, at once an intellectual mystery and a triumphant love story. It is the tale of a pair of young scholars researching the lives of two Victorian poets. As they uncover their letters, journals and poems, and track their movements from London to Yorkshire - from spiritualist séances to the fairy-haunted far west of Brittany - what emerges is an extraordinary counterpoint of passions and ideas.