While there may not be proper snow on the ground (yet), winter is here.
I guess I should hope so since it’s almost Christmas, but the official first day of winter isn’t actually until Dec. 22. Crazy, I know.
Anyways, as with any sort of transition between seasons, I always tend to take inventory of what the last has held. And although I didn’t get around to carving pumpkins, I was able to enjoy my fair share of movie nights with friends, seasonal coffee drinks, and past-bedtime snuggles with nieces and nephews.
At the beginning of fall, I captured a similar transition through the music, movies and book I had enjoyed during the previous season. Because I spend my days (and a fair share of nights) focusing on the news, it’s always nice to spend time away with things a little more lighthearted.
So, without further ado, here are some of the things that have become a piece of my autumn 2022.
“Stick Season” by Noah Kahan
In his own words, Kahan describes “stick season” as the time between the leaves reaching their peak in vibrancy until the first snow, as all the trees become bare. Under this motif, this album unpacks his journey of returning to his hometown during the pandemic lockdown(s), feeling nostalgic and sentimental while also processing how things have changed.
Although Indiana contains a few more browning cornfields than Kahan’s hometown in New England, many of the emotions expressed are just as relatable. In a lighthearted moment of “Everywhere, Everything,” Kahan sings, “Drive slowly, I know every route in this county, and maybe that’s not such a bad thing — I’ll tell you where not to speed.”
I can’t recommend it enough if you’re a fan of folk or indie music.
“Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”
As the name would suggest, there’s no simple way to accurately describe this movie. In short, it’s a fantasy-action-drama-comedy movie where laundromat owner Evelyn Wang discovers she is the chosen one to save the world from an inter-dimensional villain and all the many (MANY) oddities that follow.
I recommend this movie with a big caution that its humor and style are not for everyone. That said, I really enjoyed how this movie marries its humor with a message about purpose, hope and family. It directly battles nihilism with whimsy.
I watched this movie on my birthday, and it had my friends and me laughing and crying — sometimes at the same time. I will definitely be watching it again. Hopefully soon.
“Anxious People” by Fredrik Backman
Anxious People follows the story and investigation of a bank robber on the lam who stumbled into an apartment open house and took everyone hostage. The chapters switch between character perspectives, showing the hilarious and heartwarming reasons why each arrived at the open house and unwrapping clues to where the robber has escaped.
Backman writes in the ending (without spoilers): “… this was a story about many different things, but most of all about idiots.”
And though I’ve given my best attempt to represent this book in a few sentences, it is one you’ve got to read for yourself. It’s impossibly funny and incredibly heavy at times but has some of the most wonderful and witty writing I’ve encountered this year.
And you’re in luck — the Wells County Public Library carries it.
In a book I also enjoyed this fall, “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” author V.E. Schwab describes spring and fall as transitions between the absolutes of summer and winter, or “seams between seasons.” While those absolutes are perhaps less so because of Indiana’s indecisive forecasts, I loved the sentiment.
In describing each of these works I enjoyed, each gravitated toward this idea of being a seam between two absolutes. Nostalgia and grief. Discouragement and hope. Serious and silly.
It was something I didn’t notice until I began writing about them — and though my autumn didn’t quite swing to all the same extremes, it had its fair share of balancing acts. And through these works, I can see how those moments were distinctly difficult and uniquely beautiful.
Even so — and I’m sure I’ll grow to regret saying it — I’m looking forward to what winter holds. And, hopefully, all the new books, movies, music, and whatever else I’ll come to enjoy.
holly@news-banner.com
