Feeling All the Fall Feelings

An autumnal personality, the beauty of bittersweet, and two great cookbooks...

I love that there are seasons, even if here in Texas they aren’t quite as defined as they are other places. I like the cyclical nature and the rhythm that is inherent in a year. Each season has its things to look forward to and its things to dread. As with everything in life, no one season is all good or all bad. However, for me, Fall is my favorite.

You know how sometimes people are described as having a summery personality? Well, I have an autumnal personality. Quiet, prone to rainy moods, prefers to wear dark colors, likes scary movies, sad songs, and books/shows set on college campuses. When asked to describe my ideal vacation, it doesn’t involve warmth and beaches, it’s almost always mountains and cooler weather on my wishlist.

So today, I thought I’d share some of the things that are giving me all the fall feels.

Do you have a season that you think fits your personality?

All My Favorite Songs are Slow and Sad

I stole this title from a Weezer song.

When that song came out, my kiddo was like, “Mom, it’s about you!” Lol. Because he knows that the songs I never skip on Spotify tend to be the slow and sad ones. So, today, I’m sharing my Angst Fest list with you guys. Not all of these are slow, but they all have some sort of longing or angst. I put this on when I want to feel all the feels or get inspired to write an angsty scene. (If you don’t see the playlist below, you can click here.)

Also, since I usually can’t work with music with words in the background, I like to listen to classical. I found this new playlist on Spotify today called Sad Classical and I’m here for it. So if you’re like me and like a helping of emotional music, enjoy!

What I’m Listening To/Reading

Related to all this and probably why I got inspired to write this newsletter today is the audiobook Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain (author of Quiet).

I’m about halfway through and I’m really enjoying it—and resonating with it. I definitely lean into the bittersweet, and she explains why that probably is. People who have high empathy, who are drawn to creative pursuits, etc. tend to seek out more of the bittersweet (like those slow and sad songs above.) She delves into the research and it’s fascinating. It also probably explains why I like books with lots of emotion but I don’t necessarily want a devastating book. I want to feel the bitter AND the sweet.

This may be why I thought to write a romance series about survivors of a school shooting. It was a weird choice, but I knew I wanted to write a story where I could really dig deep into the well of emotion but still offer joy at the end of that journey. It’s also one of my favorite covers. Love and rain and kissing and emotion!

I don’t think Bittersweet will be the book for everyone, but if you read that title and subtitle and got that umph resonating feeling in your gut, it’s probably for you.

The Comfort of Cooking

One of my most consistent Fall activities is cooking and baking. We’ve had a busy few months over here at my house with kidlet in marching band, but now that the marching season has wrapped up, all of my cozy cooking urges are kicking in. That means I’ve been adding to my already enormous cookbook collection.

Two books I’ve bought recently that are perfect for some fall comfort cooking are Savory Baking by Erin Jeanne McDowell and Modern Jewish Comfort Food by Shannon Sarna.

I love the concept of Savory Baking because I think the sweet stuff gets all the attention with baking, especially in the holiday season, but there are so many yummy things to be baked that are savory.

I love the layout of the book, the gorgeous photos, and how the author breaks down each recipe. I also love that she includes an Easy/Medium/Hard rating on each recipe because I hate when cookbook authors pretend that making a croissant from scratch is easy. McDowell doesn’t lie to you. If something is going to be tough, she tells you. But there are so many recipes labeled “easy” that I can’t wait to try, that I’m not even contemplating the hard ones yet.

In Modern Jewish Comfort Food, you get some baking (hello, babka!) but you also get delicious recipes for soups, vegetables, schnitzels, noodle kugels, latkes, and meatballs. All the recipes have comfort in mind. I’m not Jewish, so I didn’t grow up learning how to make these dishes, but I love Jewish cuisine and I’m looking forward to giving these recipes a try. Also, when my father-in-law passed away suddenly earlier this year, my husband’s co-worker sent a care package from Katz’s deli with meats, bread, matzo ball soup, and a chocolate babka, and I can confirm that the food truly provided comfort and nourishment.

Do you have a favorite food or type of food you like to cook (or eat) during this time of the year?

Deal Alert

For You & No One Else is temporarily on sale in ebook for $1.99! Go grab a copy and while you’re at it, don’t forget to pre-order Good Girl Fail. ;)

ARC Team Update

In my last newsletter, I was asking for early readers for ARCs. Thank you so much to all who responded! It’s a long list! <3 I haven’t gotten a chance to go through it, so no one has been chosen yet. So if you haven’t heard back from me, don’t worry. I hope to get to this by next week so I can notify people and send out ARCs soon. :)

Alright, I think that’s all I have for you today! I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the Fall Feels, so leave a comment below!

*Book links are affiliate links (Amazon, Libro.fm, and/or Bookshop.org), which means I earn a small commission if you buy through my links. Also, I receive advanced listening copies of some audiobooks through Libro.fm’s Influencer program. However, all reviews and opinions are my own.