My Cozy Autumn List

I have been staring at blank pages for too long until I thought I should just write. Something. Anything. So here we are! I am not a seasonal book reader. I enjoy a summer read in April or in December. But I do admit, some books are just nicer to read when the air is turning cold? For example, The Snow Child. I can read it every year for winter and not get tired of it. Some books and movies are like warm hugs for cozy nights. Here are some books and movies that made my autumn days warmer and nicer.

Read

I have fallen in love with cozy books all over again that I want to read nothing else but them. I revisited Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. I remember reading the first chapter when we first moved to a teeny tiny apartment in Mumbai. It felt fitting to read it again now when I have moved into another new home. If there’s a book that’ll have you craving tea at every other page, this is it. I loved it so much. Even better that it ends with wine and a job and not with a man who promises you a happily ever after. I had to close the book and laugh, then read the passages again to laugh some more. That’s how much I loved Pym’s excellent women. A constant supply of tea is a must. Excellent Women also reminded me of how warm and comforting some books make you feel. Mental note to add more cozy reads to my TBR; so more Pyms to read over the winter. There’s No Fond Return for Love which is about women in science, unrequited love, female friendships, and coffee—that I am currently reading with high hopes. A Quartet in Autumn awaits. But I reckon it would be winter already by the time I pick that one up.

I also binge read a cozy mystery, Magpie Murders by Anthony Horwitz which I did not expect to love but I so did! It was incredible! Magpie Murders begins with an editor reading the manuscript by a popular writer (the one who literally saves the publishing house from going under). Popular writers need not be likeable, and that’s exactly the problem. Our editor loves her job, but doesn’t care — rather vehemently dislikes — the man who pens down their bestsellers. Without giving too much away, there are puzzles to solve, a murder — an actual murder — that reflects the novel, and publishing politics, all mixed well into a nice, chunky book. It isn’t a perfect book. You might think it could have been shorter. But read with with something hot, under a warm blanket, and you’ll love it so much!
 
Another fitting seasonal read is The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki, translated from the Japanese by Edward G. Seidensticker. I am in the last stretch, at Book 3, of the novel. So I can’t say much. But it is slow and indulgent. This book had been on my someday-I-should-absolutely-read-this-but-not-today list for years. I was so happy that the stars aligned and I could finally pick this novel up. The reading experience was greatly elevated as I was reading it with a bunch of wonderful people at @thesachelbookclub. This is one of those novels that calls for equal measures of solitary reading and discussions. If not for the book club, I would’ve missed Tanizaki’s connection to Tokyo that reflects in his writing. Or that the original Japanese title translates to ‘Light Snow’ and not ‘The Makioka Sisters’. Or that Yukiko, whose name alludes to snow, is almost the sole heroine in Book 1, which makes sense with the original title. It was enlightening to dig deep into why the sisters seem to take so many Vitamin B shots or how the aristocracy is crumbling but class divisions are not.

I enjoyed the cherry blossom festival and autumn in equal measure with the four sisters. Years and seasons pass so quickly that I wish I could do things with as much ease as fictional characters—go abroad to learn doll making, or watch a dance festival or escape to Tokyo. Yukiko, the silent and indifferent sister, was the one who caught my eye at the start of the novel. But I soon found myself cheering for the youngest, rebellious Taeko who eloped, had affairs, then tore her heart open for love, and decided to be a seamstress while being part of an orthodox family and society that scorns working women. I can feel the burden of the second sister, Sachiko, who seems to have so many strings to pull to keep the family together. But it is the eldest Tsuruko that evades me. She feels impenetrable, like how elder daughters usually are. And that makes me want to ask her, ‘Are you okay? You can tell me anything’. At the end of the day if you ask me ‘is the book worth the hype’ — I don’t know. I have enjoyed dipping into the lives of these Japanese sisters, getting tangled in love affairs, background checks for prospective brides, joint family hierarchies, and class clashes. It has been a while since I have been so wrapped up in a family, and hence these sisters feel dear to me, like my own.
 

 

 
For 15-minute breaks, I am completely invested in the webtoon Yumi’s Cells by Donggeon Lee. It is hilarious and makes me howl — no kidding — with laughter. There are five years’ worth of 500-something episodes to read. (It is now adapted into a K-drama). I am only at Ep 100. But it is addictive and perfect for those short breaks where you need a laugh. You will keep reimagining what goes on ‘in your head’ very often—fair warning. I did the big mistake of going into it, thinking it is another version of Inside Out. No! This is much more amazing and wholesome (I loved Inside Out too), with the cutest cells that do all the work in your head. This webtoon is my latest instant reenergizer.

Watch

What speaks cozy better than a cozy mystery? It is time to jump onto Only Murders in the Building which is cozy murdery autumn-palette show that gives you the best of both worlds — podcast and TV. I love a show that has good storytelling. And this one? So good! Residents of the Arconia—pretty evident that it is a rich people only building—are killed, amateur detective trio—who are trying to solve the case, and broadcast a podcast— are under attack. The two old men (Steve Martin, Martin Short) and the new girl in the building (Selena Gomez) still think about ‘would that make a good podcast headline’ or shout ‘oooh twist’ at the brink of their own deaths. So good! The last episode wasn’t my favourite — mainly because the mystery is solved—but I laughed out loud in so many parts that I’ve got no complaints. I loved the last one too. I cannot wait for Season 2.

To pacify the romantic in me, I’ve lined up You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally, two college favourites. New York and autumn feel so alive on the screen. Of course, I had seen neither New York nor a fall—other than in photos—when I first watched them. I still haven’t. But they put in my head a very romanticized version of fall in New York when I was younger. Maybe we should stay young and believe everything in books and movies. The world would be a much happier place if we were ignorant dreamers. But for now, we will make do with cozy movies that made us believe love and autumn and New York are the best things. There’s a scene in You’ve Got Mail where Meg Ryan talks about the ballet shoe books. I remember thinking I need to read the series—Meg Ryan is the original book influencer—in college. But why haven’t I? Yet.

Another show I have been enjoying is Hometown Cha Cha Cha where dear Kim Seon-ho (Start Up fame) and Shin Min-a make the cutest dimpled couple. I have six more episodes to go. But so far, I love that this show reminds me of sun and sand, and also that human beings are wonderful.

So it is! How have you been cozying up?