“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves, and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn, that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness, that season which had drawn from every poet worthy of being read, some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.”
— Jane Austen, Persuasion
It’s been a while since my last Octoberish post! Though I love scary stuff, for me, October is about so much more than Spooky Season. It’s all that’s glorious about the global northern fall — the sense of transience, wistfulness, and longing — misty mornings, long-forgotten paths, and coziness against the gloom. I’ve tried hard to evince all of that in this year’s selections.
My longtime readers know my tastes skew dark, so if you’re a more timid media consumer, do your research (look at trailers/ratings/reviews) before jumping right in. We are deep into the month at this point, so without further ado, here are my recommendations for you.
Books:
White Cat, Black Dog, by Kelly Link
I’ve recommended Kelly Link to you before. Her short stories are mesmerizing, deeply strange, and often quite funny. Her most recent collection are all fairy tales retold. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, my friends.
How to Sell a Haunted House, by Grady Hendrix
Hendrix is a wonder; it’s rare to find a book both this frightening and this hilarious. I need to read it again to dissect how he did it. The cover sends up every 1980s pulp horror novel ever published, which I adore. Deeply satisfying.
The Golden State, by Lydia Kriesling
For my gentler readers, this lovely, surprising debut novel set in Northern California should hit all the right tones of autumnal melancholy. A woman whose husband has been illegally deported goes on a road trip with only her toddler for company. Kriesling nails both the despair and sweet wonder of young motherhood and long-distance love.
Book of Night, by Holly Black
This dark fantasy is Black’s first novel for adults, but make no mistake: you are in excellent and capable hands with Black. Veteran shadow stealer Charlie wants out of the dangerous game, but the greedy and unscrupulous powers that be keep pulling her back in. Outstanding world-building; I can’t wait for the next in the series.
The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Having read Zafón’s excellent YA books, I was expecting a creepy tale. Instead, I won the trifecta of a devastating epic set in post-Spanish Civil War Barcelona; a metafictional meditation on the power of literature; and a generation-spanning, suspenseful tale of revenge. This is one of the best-selling novels of all time, but relatively few Anglophone readers have ever heard of it. Welcome to the inner circle.
Lunar Park, by Bret Easton Ellis
Talk about metafiction; talk about slept on. This horror novel is even better if you’re acquainted with Ellis’s work and the mystique that surrounded him and his friends in the 1980s and 90s. It gets better with every reading. Ellis excels at getting you to root for his deeply unsympathetic protagonist. You won’t soon forget the Terby.
Longbourn, by Jo Baker
In September, I was lucky enough to go on a wonderful Jane Austen pilgrimage to England with two dear friends. One of them recommended this book, a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the Bennets’ servants’ point of view. The prose is gorgeous, the characters wonderfully realized. As I got to the last page, I was filled with delicious sehnsucht.
The Upstairs House, by Julia Fine
I’ll tell you what’s hellish: postpartum depression. Megan Weller tries to juggle caring for her newborn with finishing her dissertation on celebrated children’s writer Margaret Wise Brown. Weird stuff happens — or does it? Unsettling in the fever-dreamiest of ways.
Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods, by Catherynne M. Valente
Valente’s Fairyland series is terrific. If you’ve read those books, grab this stand-alone middle-grade fantasy and be prepared to be delighted. It reminded me of Norman Juster’s classic The Phantom Tollbooth, and that’s a huge compliment.
The Golden Key, by George MacDonald
One day, Anne needed a book to take to English class for independent reading, and I hurriedly grabbed this off our loaded shelves for her. Once she finished it, I re-read it and was struck by it all over again. This allegory by the famous Christian writer who deeply influenced C.S. Lewis is pensive, luminous, and full of imagery that won’t soon leave you. If you can, get the edition illustrated by the marvelous Maurice Sendak.
Films:
Cure
For many of this year’s film and music selections (including this one) I’m indebted to my two sons, Christian and James — who, through our monthly Media Club, have greatly broadened my horizons over the past three years. In this 1997 psychological thriller by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a jaded detective gradually comes to believe a series of seemingly random murders are connected. The story slowly burns from disquiet to terror (and is a favorite of Bong Joon-Ho).
The Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a myth from the King Arthur canon. The impetuous Sir Gawain accepts a tricksy challenge from a mysterious Green Knight, then must go on a quest to fulfill his end of the bargain. Writer/director David Lowery brilliantly brings the legend to life while putting his own spin on it. I basically want to live inside this movie. Some may call it a Christmas film; I find far more Yule than Noël.
Talk to Me
This 2022 Australian horror film is the most recently released (in the US) of my recommendations. A group of teens play a covert, Ouija board-style game with a mysterious embalmed hand. What could possibly go wrong?
I saw this is at a matinée showing with my friend Jenna. After it was over, she turned to me, laughing, and declared, “Well, that was terrifying.” I absolutely agree.
Barbarian
Two strangers accidentally book the same Airbnb in a desolate Detroit neighborhood. What could possibly go wrong?
Please see this movie knowing as little about it as possible. I promise you: you do not know where it’s is going. I laughed out loud with tortured delight in the theater at the beginning of Act II. Enough said.
Ida
This is one of the most beautiful, devastating films ever made. In a good way! That’s a compliment! Every frame of Paweł Pawlikowski’s masterpiece is as exquisite as an Ansel Adams photograph. Set in Poland in 1962, it follows a young woman, who, before taking vows as a Catholic nun, sets out on a road trip to find out the truth about her origins.
In the Mood for Love
Another modern masterpiece, Wong Kar Wai’s 2000 romantic drama is lush with longing. Two neighbors find out their spouses are having an affair, and over the years begin to develop feelings for each other. I can never decide which is more stunning: Maggie Cheung or each of her Cheongsam dresses. Redolent with the themes of missed opportunities and chances not taken, this film is so visually stunning that you may not even notice your heart breaking.
The Menu
If you’re a foodie, please, please see this pitch-black horror/satire starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and my beloved Ralph Fiennes. Patrick and I laughed out loud multiple times — to the shocked disapproval of our fellow moviegoers.
Television:
The Changeling
I was delighted when I learned Victor LaValle’s superlative novel was being made into a series starring the dreamy LaKeith Stanfield. In a romantic gesture, a young antique bookseller cuts a red thread (placed there by a witch) off his beloved’s wrist. What could possibly go wrong?
A compelling odyssey through fairy tales of far-flung origin. Apple TV+
Hinterland
Wales is definitely a focal point for all things melancholy, and this police procedural is no exception. Richard Harrington, who looks like he could be Paul McCartney’s sad-eyed cousin, plays the haunted DCI Mathias, who keeps running into trouble as he strives to solve a decades-old mystery. You might want subtitles on, because mae’r acenion yn gryf. Acorn/Amazon Prime/Google Play/Apple TV
Yellowjackets
A plane filled with a team of high-school soccer players goes down in the Canadian wilderness on its way to a championship game. The survivors aren’t found for 19 months. (What could possibly go wrong?) 25 years later, the secrets they’ve kept all that time start to leak out. A masterclass on the use of flashbacks. Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis are all phenomenal, as are their teen counterparts. I was fascinated how initially unsympathetic characters grew more lovable, and vice versa. I can’t wait for Season 3. Showtime
Severance
The Office meets The Circle? Parks and Rec crossed with The Maze Runner? I don’t think there’s ever been anything quite like this show, but those log lines might come close to describing it. It’s more sci fi than horror, but deeply suspenseful and features one of the sweetest autumnal love stories ever. Severance ends on one heck of a cliff-hanger, and literally no one seems to know when the next season will be out. It’s still worth your time. Apple TV+
Music:
Ola Gjeilo: Dreamweaver
I’ve been obsessed with this young Norwegian composer for a few years. This recording, scored for piano, choir, and string orchestra, takes for its text the medieval poem Draumkvedet. This post’s title is taken from its translation. Ethereal and contemplative.
Talk Talk: Laughing Stock
Who knew the few-hit wonder 80’s synthpop band continued recording past their MTV peak — eventually veering into experimental post-rock and breaking up once they released this final album? Not I, but fortunately James did. This moody, textured pastiche — this October’s Media Club album pick — gets more interesting with each listen.
Burial: Untrue
This is dubstep innovator William Emmanuel Bevan’s (aka Burial) second album, which came out in 2007 and was hailed almost instantly as a ground-breaking classic. Burial creates eerie vibes through the use of pitch-shifted and time-stretched vocals delivering enigmatic lyrics. This is what Burial said about his production process: “I would sit around waiting for night to fall, wait for summer to end. Or I would go out, wait for it to get dark, and then I’d go back and work on it, sort of hypnotise myself.” Octoberish, anyone?
Portishead: Dummy and Massive Attack: Mezzanine
Back in May, our Media Club discussed these trip hop albums — both from 90s groups hailing from Bristol, England—so I’m presenting them here together as well. However much they have in common, they have very different takes on the genre, and there is much to enjoy in each. It’s easy to get lost in the swirling, evocative samples and compelling rhythms — an exercise in self-mesmerization.
Ryo Fukui: Scenery
What says “fall” more emblematically than virtuosic jazz piano improvisations on old standards? Fukui, a self-taught adult prodigy who recorded this album in 1976, then regularly played in his own jazz club until his death in 2016, even includes a shimmering version of “Autumn Leaves” in this collection. Perfection. The final track, “Scenery,” is an original composition, and it’s haunting.
Tori Amos: Night of Hunters (Sin Palabras)
All of us in Media Club agreed that Amos swung for the fences with this ambitious, romantic concept album; however, all of us also agreed that she didn’t quite hit a home run. Notably, we found her lavish and skilled variations on several classical compositions were all markedly improved without the…quirky…lyrics and vocalizations. How fortunate, then, that Amos released the album sin palabras (without words). This would make an excellent soundtrack for any fall-themed LARPing on your schedule.
Otto A. Totland: Pinô, The Lost, and Companion
I’ve saved my (current) favorite for last. I tend to get obsessive about my media consumption. When I find an artist that really resonates with me, I go all in. Such is the case with Norwegian composer Otto Totland. (I do seem to have a thing for those Nordics.) I can listen to all three of these albums on repeat for hours while writing. Deeply meditative, deceptively simple, Totland’s pieces never get old for me.
That’s it for this year! Leave me a comment if you take any of my recommendations, and let me know what you think. I love hearing from readers. Enjoy the rest of October, and keep that autumnal mood going into November and beyond!
Past Octoberish posts:
The Wind is Rising — The 2020 Octoberish Lists
Octoberish Music — Classical Edition
In Dreamful Autumn: The 2017 Octoberish Lists
All Things Dark and Beautiful: The 2016 Octoberish Lists
Thirteen Octoberish Pilgrimages
About to order the blu ray for Cure. The changeling looks so good. Would you recommend reading before watching? Yellowjackets has been on my list for far too long as well. Great picks!
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I can't quite agree because I love Tori's daughter's voice but I absolutely agree that <i>Sin Palabras</i> is a wonder all itself and deserves inclusion on about any list.