I’ve slowed my reading down a bit to accommodate time for writing. I work full time, so writing has been consuming most of my afternoons and evenings. I truly want to get my draft finished no later than April of 2027. By then, it will be a year since commencement.
However, I still have an October reading list. I don’t see myself finishing all of the books, but they somewhat fit my cozy themes of October: fall harvests, Halloween, and Samhain.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a story of two rival magicians and the turmoil between them during the Napoleonic Wars.
I started this book in the summer, and since it is a hefty read at 1006 pages in superfine print, I’ve been reading it in “episodes,” digesting it carefully since it is an intricate read with insane amounts of exposition.
I bought this book almost twenty years ago when I was a young aspiring writer seeking fantasy books outside of Tolkien for inspiration. I was still in high school, and admittedly the sheer volume of the book and its British allusions overwhelmed me.
Now that I’m much older, I understand the references and contexts a lot better. I enjoy the mysteriousness of the magic system and the in-depth way Clarke weaves its history into the plot, making it feel like an extraordinarily entertaining history lesson.
The characters are also quirky, but not in a superficial way. Their foibles coincide with their predicaments. I also enjoy Mr. Norrell’s introduction, as he unwittingly tortures people with curiosity, but clearly is passionate about the craft of magic like a professor passionate about their research.
Titus Groan by Melvyn Peake
Titus Groan is the first installment of Gormenghast, a gothic story set in the broken down estate of the same name. It tells the story of a bunch of eccentrics essentially being tortured by the suffocating traditions of the estate and the Groan Family that inhabits it.
I learned about this book from a video essay (I unfortunately forgot the name) while researching fantasy books from before Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. This treasure of a book has a unique, dark, yet comical style that reminds me of Tim Burton—and Burton was not even born yet at the time it was published.
I’ve been enjoying this book the most out of all of my reads because it feels new—despite being published in 1946. I enjoy visually stimulating writing, even when it is challenging to read. The plot so far is not clear, but the chapters show glimpses into the lives of people, and a mystery appears to be developing around the uncertainty of the new heir of Gormenghast.
The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 6 by Natsu Hyuuga
I used to be an avid anime fan and manga reader. At this point in my life, I’ve largely outgrown much of it and find myself only re-watching and re-reading my favorites from between 1970 and 2010. I decided to give The Apothecary Diaries a try after learning that it wasn’t just another Shoujo (essentially young adult) story.
This story has three versions: the light novel, manga, and anime. I am reading the light novels alongside the anime since they are further along in the story than the show. This is also my first time reading a Japanese light novel, and I’m finding I prefer them over manga since they add quite a bit of context to the story.
I truly enjoy The Apothecary Diaries and its in-depth political drama and medical mysteries. The romance is extremely subtle and complicated due to the presence of politics and trauma (Maomao, the protagonists, has had it rough). She is unrelenting in her survival tactics, and it is fascinating to watch her navigate a world where she has few rights and a single mistake could result in her demise—all while balancing her obsession with herbalism.
I am not a massive fan of the translation style, but I can forgive it since the target audience is not literary obsessed people. A few quick Google searches also helps to clarify confusion that occasionally appears within the translation.
Don’t be fooled by the colorful art and palace setting. This story gets dark.
