Seven Books for Autumn

The following book list was compiled with the help of the Dappled Things editorial staff. I realize we are a tad late for the beginning of autumn, but in my defense fall weather is arriving rather late here in Texas.

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. Grotesque, gory, and thematically almost aggressively autumnal. "Genuine beauty is always quite alarming."

A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Like many school-boy reminiscences this classic short novel relies on seasonality and the falling of... leaves.

Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark. A strange little novel about someone---or something---ringing the elderly on the phone to remind them of their impending demise.

Dracula, by Bram Stoker. A little obvious, perhaps, but Stoker's reinvention of the vampire subgenre deserves to be read. Or if one is looking for a more Catholic take on vampire fiction one might consider Jennifer the Damned, by (our own) Karen Ullo or The Darkness Did Not, by William Biersach.

Austerlitz, by W.G. Sebald. The acclaimed novel about memory and the holocaust.

Ancestral Shadows, by Russell Kirk. A series of ghost stories inspired in part by Kirk's own spectral experiences. (See review.)

Walking to Sleep, by Richard Wilbur. The late American poet produced a truly voluminous amount of verse, but this small collection is more accessible for the average reader.Please add your suggestions below!