The Autumn Tag (with seasonal stock photos!)

Is autumn the best season for tags?

I say “yes” based on my own opinion and nothing else.

Where did I find this tag?

Where else but Bookmark Your Thoughts?

’tis the beginning of Halloween season and I am ready to roll.

Hot Chocolate

What is your comfort book?

I’ve started some bestsellers with difficult subject matter.

When I need a break from them, I turn to The Boyfriend List and The Golden Compass.

I never thought I’d consider a Philip Pullman book a “comfort read,” but here we are.

I really hope the HBO series does it justice.

 

Pumpkin Carving

What is your favourite creative outlet?

Blogging is definitely up there. I like to see my thoughts on the screen.

I also love to bake and sometimes whip up a batch of cookies when I’m feeling bored.

If I’m feeling VERY capable, I cook something new for dinner or, God forbid, make a salad.

I turn to knitting every now and again when I can’t sleep or need a distraction from the horror film I’m watching.

I have been working on the same blanket for 9 months. I might never finish.

Does painting my nails count as a creative outlet? I wasn’t allowed to wear nail polish when I worked in food service, so now I try new colors whenever I can.

My current fall color is Berry Naughty. I was hoping for more of a deep purple, so I’ll see if I can find one next time I hit the drugstore.

 

Falling Leaves

Changes that appear bad but you secretly love?

I LOVE colder weather.

My apartment is BOILING hot ALL THE TIME, so I enjoy every second of chilly air and extra layers.

And oh noooo, my favorite bakeries and coffee shops are switching from summer sweets to autumn treats?

What a dilemma.

(I’ve had two coconut cream pie cupcakes this fall and they were both phenomenal. MORE, PLEASE.)

 

Pumpkin Spaced Latte

Something you love that others tend to judge

I’m in a pickle.

I dislike romance as a genre.

I am also a defender of romance subplots in other genres (particularly fantasy.)

Confession: sometimes the romance is my favorite part.

You thought I loved the politics? I DO NOT.

 

Bonfire Night

What makes you explode with joy?

I know I project a broody Scorpio exterior, but I love the hell out of glittery pastels.

Also, ever since the spiritual director at my church taught us about engaging the five senses during worship, I have been obsessed with scented candles.

I am not the person who buys utilitarian notebooks and neutral-colored binders.

Give me soft rainbows and shiny surfaces.

I feel like I could be a VSCO girl if I knew what that meant.

 

Fright Night

Favorite scary film or book

Oh, I have LOTS of film favorites.

I love Get Out a whole hell of a lot and always try to get friends and family to watch it. (They refuse.)

Scream and The Cabin in the Woods are some of my favorite tongue-in-cheek classics.

Hocus Pocus isn’t really scary, but I like it anyway.

Creep was so scary that I don’t think I can ever watch it again.

Into the Dark: Pure had an interesting premise.

Annihilation genuinely terrified me with its slow-burn scares.

As for books…

The Dream Thieves is TERRIFYING.

There’s Someone Inside Your House was legitimately frightening.

These Witches Don’t Burn had some scary moments.

Truly Devious was mighty tense.

Even Rebecca had me on edge.

Oh, and Unwind ruined my entire life, but I don’t like to talk about that.

 

Halloween Candy

Favorite thing to eat

My favorite vegan-friendly food is cereal. Nothing cheers me up like a big bowl of raisin bran with vanilla soy milk.

My favorite vegetarian-but-not-vegan foods are cupcakes and cheesy pasta.

Though I have yet to find a successful cacio e pepe recipe, I’ll eat anything that resembles cheesy noodles.

Cupcakes are a blessing. I love to make my own or sample seasonal flavors at local bakeries.

I will not stop eating Cupcake Royale’s coconut cream pie cupcakes. I cannot. They are too good.

 

Scarves

Your autumn ‘must have’ accessory

I am a Tough Girl.

As such, I wear Doc Martens.

They only kind of keep my feet warm, but I don’t care because they look cool.

 

Fire

A book or film that burns your soul

There are so many ways to interpret this prompt.

For films, La La Land hurts me.

I don’t love the romance in it (Ryan Gosling’s character is a jerk); I still cry every time I watch it.

Also, I have funny feelings about The Golden Compass.

Whenever I watch a lackluster adaptation of a beloved book, I feel sad for fellow fans.

Even though I love the film version of The Golden Compass (for less than charitable reasons), I feel resigned about it.

Book lovers put up with a lot. We want to see our faves become films, but disasters like The Golden Compass are as good as we get.

For books…

How many times do I have to mention Pure? It’s good. I cried.

The Boyfriend List made me feel less alone, which I really needed but also really hurt.

How to Be an Antiracist is…hard. Reading about the economics of slavery is nauseating and infuriating. This book is a much-needed (but still painful) look at the forces that shape our society.

 

Toffee Apples

A book or film that seems one thing but really has a different inside

Surprise: Annihilation is a serious movie about grief and self-destruction.

And you thought it would be a shoot-em-up action film (probably because it was ADVERTISED THAT WAY.)

Last time I complain about this book, I swear: I thought The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle would be a more coherent mystery.

Instead, it was really mystical and nonsensical and…I hated it.

October the SECOND.

I FEEL THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT RISING.

Could that be why I started drafting an essay on demons? Who knows. Keep an eye out.

I officially tag all those interested.

Tell me your autumn faves.