Hey'a, all! So, a few years ago, I did a Friday 5s post that I really enjoyed: Summer Anytime Reads, a collection of books (and some bonus recommendations) that I felt were really summertime books. I've been meaning to do a followup for . . . well, years, but never really got around to it (and never really had enough books to suit any one season). However, I have finally changed that fact! Some of these are selected because they actually relate to some aspect of autumn, some because they take place in the fall, and some just . . . y'know. They have the right vibe. So, without further ado, here are your Autumnal Anytime Reads!

Autumnal Anytime Reads

1. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. I mean, the transition from summer to autumn is literally a plot point here, and Rook is the autumn prince, so . . . kind of an obvious choice? But I would also say that Enchantment effectively captures the feel of fall as well, from the descriptions and colors to the emphasis on making and creating (fall usually feels very crafty to me, though maybe that's just because of Halloween) to the juxtaposition of life and death and the idea of things dying to make way for new life.
   If you liked An Enchantment of Ravens, try: Fairest Son by H.S.J. Williams (for fae magic and fairy tale vibes) or The Dark King's Curse by Wyn Estelle Owens (for seaonal fae and fabulous autumnal rulers).
   
   
   
2. Plenilune by Jennifer Freitag. I almost put this one as a readalike for An Enchantment of Ravens, but then I decided that it deserved its own spot. Though this book spans multiple seasons, it carries a very classic autumnal vibe all the way through, especially in the author's very rich language and descriptions. But where Enchantment is very early autumn, Plenilune is late autumn, when skies are grey more days than not and the encroaching greys and browns make the last bits of color stand out all the more brightly and fires in the fireplace are appreciated for more than just the aesthetic, if that makes sense. And, once again, it has that feel of death bringing about new growth and life. Plus, this book has a very classic, slower-moving, spiced-cider kind of feel that really seems very autumnal.
   If you liked Plenilune, try: Pendragon's Heir by Suzannah Rowntree (for kingdom intrigue and classic feel). I seriously cannot think of another readalike for this at the moment, but if you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in comments.
   
   
   
3. The Dragons in Our Midst series by Bryan Davis. This series takes place primarily in fall (all except for book 2, which is midwinter and feels like it). In addition, Books 1 and 3 are very effective examples of two kinds of fall-related stories. School stories often seem very autumnal (mostly because of "back to school"), and a lot of the conflicts in Book 1 begin in or relate to that. And in Book 3, of course, the whole story takes place right around Halloween and takes advantage of the legends surrounding that holiday — specifically, that Halloween is the night on which the borders between realms and dimensions are the thinnest.   
   If you liked The Dragons in Our Midst, try: The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson (for allegory and colorful characters) or The Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight (for strong Christian characters and dragons).
   
   
   
4. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. Speaking of Halloween, we can't go through autumn reads without discussing some deliciously creepy or scary tales! The Screaming Staircase has just the right amount of spine-chilling creepiness without becoming horror for the sake of horror, and it leans heavily on traditional lore while adding its own twists. It also has an excellent mystery, and I'd say that fall and winter are an excellent time for mysteries. For the record, I'd actually say the whole series fits the vibe of fall read fairly well; the first book just happens to be the one I like best.
   If you liked The Screaming Staircase, try: The Crocket and Crane series by Kyle Robert Shultz (for spooky legends and, especially after Book 1, plenty of creepiness, plus snarky friendships) or Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (for lore-based fantasy mystery).
   
   
   
5. The Book of Names by D. Barkley Briggs. We end this list with a series that I think effectively bridges fall and winter. The Book of Names starts in November, and it feels like a November/early December sort of book. Part of that is the atmosphere and the book's reliance on Welsh and Arthurian Legend (which I often associate with fall). The other part of it, though, is the aspect of the Nameless and the darkening of the world. Though I love fall and the change in seasons, I often find that late fall and winter are times of the year when I tend to feel much more tired and discouraged than usual, and I think The Book of Names and the rest of the Karac Tor series reflects that struggle in certain ways.
   If you liked The Book of Names, try: The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander (for shared basis in Welsh mythology) or the Beyonders series by Brandon Mull, especially books 2 and 3 (for unconventional portal fantasy and portal adventures that leave a mark).

What are your favorite autumnal reads? Are there any of my picks that you especially agree or disagree with? Please tell me in the comments! Also, many thanks to my sister for helping me come up with readalikes when I was stuck on some of these.
Thanks for reading!

Fall 2016 Reads

Hello, everyone! Fall is upon us (well, unless you live in the southern hemisphere, in which case, pretend I said spring or something like that). And, as always, that means it's time for a new set of books . . . though, sadly, there aren't a ton of new releases this fall that I'm excited about. But, since I'm still working on the Wheel of Time series- at least in theory- as well as reading a bunch of other new-to-me books that everyone else probably read ages ago, it works out. Not a ton doesn't mean none, though, so let's take a look at the to-be-read list.

Fall 2016 Reads!

1. The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron (September 13)

I actually just discovered this book on Goodreads today, and I'm not quite sure what I think about it, but it sounds pretty cool. I'm hoping that it doesn't turn out to be another cliche dystopian-type thing, which it also sounds like it might be, but it gets good reviews, so . . . I'll give it a try, if I get the chance.

 

2. The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud (September 13).

I am slightly terrified regarding this book- I love the characters (Lockwood particularly) and I want to see more of them, but it's going to be so very tense and Lucy does act like a bit of an eejit on occasion, and yeah. Much worrying. Which means I'll probably procrastinate on this book for ages even if I can get it sooner than that. But I will read it . . . I hope.  

3. Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson (September 27).
This is the second book in Rae Carson's Gold-Rush-era historical fantasy, and I'm pretty excited for it. I love that this series is set in an era so often overlooked by fantasy writers, and while there's not a strong amount of fantasy in it, the touch is just enough to make it more than just an ordinary historical fiction novel (which, to be honest, there's a good chance I'd ignore unless someone recommended it to me). I like the characters as well (most of them, anyway), and look forward to rejoining them. (Also, you know what else is glorious besides whatever river the title refers to? This cover. So pretty.)

4. The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd (October 11).
This book sounds rather odd in some ways, but interesting as well. I've a suspicion it'll be sad, but on the other hand, one of the reviews said it's like The Chronicles of Narnia meets The Secret Garden, and I love both of those books, so . . . we'll see. In any case, it should be something out of the norm for me.

5. Heartless by Marissa Meyer (November 8).
I'm not quite sure what to expect from Heartless- on one hand, it's by Marissa Meyer, and I love The Lunar Chronicles by that author, and a Wonderland retelling should be pretty cool. On the other hand, it's a Wonderland retelling and Wonderland is weird. Don't get me wrong; I like them. I'm just not sure how Marissa will handle the weird and it could be very hit-or-miss. Oh well- I'm looking forward to finding out all the same.

What books are you looking forward to this fall? Please tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Sweater Weather Tag

As I think I've said at some point, fall's my favorite season for various reasons- so I'm super excited to have been tagged with an autumn tag by Allison Rudivich. Here's the Sweater Weather Tag!

Favorite Candle Scent?
Basically anything that smells like a baked good. I think we had a cinnamon vanilla candle at one point that was really good . . . could be wrong, though. And there was a yummy apple cider (or maybe apple pie? something like that) scented one too. It does have to be a strong scent, though, or I won't even notice it for a while- I don't have much of a sense of smell.

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate! But I love tea as well, especially in the early mornings. My current tea-of-choice is Celestial Seasonings' Caramel Apple herbal tea . . . but I just finished the box this morning. (I do have another box, but I'm not sure if I'll open it now or save it for later.)

What's your best fall memory?
. . . Do I have to pick just one?
Ok, fine. This isn't necessarily my best fall memory, just a fall memory that I especially like. Back in Virginia, there was a kind-of-local  fall festival called Joshua's Hands- well, that was the name of the nonprofit that held it. It was a longish drive away, but it was the one fall festival that we kept going back to the longest. They had all sorts of games- mostly variations on the beanbag toss and similar- that you could play to win candy or bracelets or that sort of thing. They had a barn full of craft activities- my favorite, or at least the one I remember best, was the quilt squares you could sew (the only time I ever sewed anything by hand, other than buttons). Recently, they added bingo for prizes- backpacks and notebooks one year, Chick-fil-a coupons another- and a scavenger hunt for teens. It always was a lot of fun.

Best fragrance for fall?
Perfume fragrance? Don't wear them. Scent in general? Apple pie (or any pie really) in the oven or cooling on the countertop.

Favorite Thanksgiving food?
Everything. I pretty much just love food in general. But if I have to choose, the pies- pecan especially, though apple and pumpkin are delicious as well. (Anyone surprised? No? Didn't think so.)

Most worn sweater?
I actually wear sweatshirts more than sweaters . . . one sweatshirt in particular, an oversized grey VMI sweatshirt that I wear when it's coldest in the mornings. But if you want to know about actual sweaters, probably my blue turtleneck sweater.

Football games or jumping in leaf piles?
Um, neither? I know about as much about football as I do about quantum physics, and I've never understood the appeal of jumping in leaf piles. (Someone in the comments, can you explain it to me, maybe?) Like Allison before me, I'll take a third option: photographing all the pretty leaves and all the people enjoying both the football games and the leaf piles. 


Skinny jeans or leggings?
Leggings? I don't have the shape for skinny jeans (which may or may not be related to my answer to "Favorite Thanksgiving food" . . .) but I don't really wear leggings a whole lot either- only under skirts (long ones; I love maxi skirts!) when it's cold out.

Combat boots or Uggs?
Uggs! I love boots in general (other than hiking boots), and I'd love a pair of tall-ish medieval-type boots, but I do have a pair of similar-to-Uggs and they're super comfy and I wear them pretty much everywhere from October/November to February/March.  

Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?
Don't know; I haven't had a lot of pumpkin spice foods. But I do love pumpkin foods in general, so probably. (Last week, while I was in VA for a few days, I had some of the yummiest pumpkin spice cake ever . . . it was made with fresh shredded pumpkin and had cream cheese icing and walnuts on it and it was so good!)

Favorite fall movie?
Um. Most of the movies I watch are fantasy or superhero and therefore don't really have a season, or if they do it's either summer or winter, so . . . I guess the only fall movie I really watch (and therefore my favorite) would be A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, which my family watches most years somewhere around Thanksgiving.


What do you want to be for Halloween?
In all honesty, I have nowhere to go for Halloween, so there's a strong possibility I won't get to dress up at all. Which is sad. But if I do find an opportunity, I'll be either a bardess from my stories (white shirt, brown skirt, gold belt, and red cape/capelet) or a black cat. 

Hats or scarves?
Both! Well. Mostly hats- berets or tams when I want to look good, and watchcaps or beanies for when I just want to stay warm. And then I don't actually wear scarves a lot, but I love infinity scarves and cowls, so that counts, right?

What's your #1 favorite thing about fall?
It's when everything happens. Fall festivals, NaNoWriMo, Thanksgiving, my birthday, most Christmas preparation (early December is technically still fall!), photography (ok, that happens all year round, but fall and spring are probably two of the biggest times of year for it) . . . the list goes on. And all this is happening while, for most of the season, it's at a fairly nice temperature outside so you can actually enjoy it.


Now, as for tagging people, I tag:
Emma at Awkwordly Emma
Hannah at The Writer's Window
Merenwen Inglorian at Shattered Fractals
And anyone else who wants to do this!

By the way, don't forget that nominations are open for the 2015 Blogger Awards. I'd love to see your nominations!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)