TTT: To Be Read This Fall

So I'm a day late for The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday, but I read The Story Girl's list and then, of course, started thinking about reading and fall. And my new house with huge bedroom windows. And old man sweaters with skinny jeans and leather boots. And mustard yellow tights. And scarves. And I really need to start school so I have less time to think about fall fashion. But fall reading list? Sign me up.

My list is very fall and very New England. And what's better than New England in the fall? New England in the fall with an old man sweater and hot chocolate curled up with one of these books, that's what.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott—I've read this multiple times, but I have not read it since moving to Boston, and I feel there's something appropriate about reading it here. Though I might wait until we get closer to Christmas, it feels like a fall and winter book. Maybe go to Walden to read the scene where Amy falls through the ice after she's burned Jo's manuscript? Fun. 

2. Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson—"Self-Reliance" and "The Poet" changed my world. I'd like to read some more now that it's been a few years and see how they fare.

3. Romantic British poetry—I'm thinking "The Lady of Shalott," "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," "The Highwayman." I guess I'm getting a bit of an Anne Shirley vibe here. But they feel so New England, even though they're not.

4. Edgar Allan Poe's short stories—I don't know if I've hit them all, but the ones I have read I love. Plus, "The Murder in the Rue Morgue" is considered the very first detective story, and you know I love a good detective story. Maybe some of his poems as well, "Annabell Lee" is my favorite (though the fact that it was inspired by Lolita is seriously disturbing).

5. Pirate King by Laurie R. King—Another detective novel, the newest installment of the Mary Russell series comes out September 6. I really should put it on hold at the library.

6. Atlantic by Simon Winchester—This one was on my summer reading list. Didn't happen. But fall seems like an excellent time to read stories about the ocean. My favorite Herman Melville quote (the only part of Moby Dick I know) reads as follows:

Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.

Delicious. How could I not read Atlantic? Or maybe Moby Dick (doubtful).

7. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie—This is not about New England or fall. It's about the 1947 partition of India. But it's been a while since I read Rushdie, and I miss him.


In all reality, there's a decent chance I won't get through seven books, let alone ten. Crazy schedule. So we'll just stop here then.