The Terror of Knowing

There is something of a trend in the book blogging and Booktube world once October rolls around, entirely because of a certain little celebration at the end of the month. Following this theme, most people seem to skew their reading towards the horror or crime or thriller genre. Now, this would be fine, should you enjoy these genres but I have to say they’re probably my least reached-for genre, perhaps only just ahead of, say, erotica or westerns. In fact I don’t think I’ve read a single novel that could belong to either of those genres – and a novel that belonged to both would certainly not be my cup of tea!

So, where does that leave my October reading? See, winter reading is universally accepted as the season of fantasy and winter-related books. You finally get around to reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol after having seen countless adaptations, or you hunker down with a fantasy tome like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, or you struggle your way through a chunky classic like Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. But Autumn? It is a season of transition, when the weather calls for light coats, and steadily more so scarves and gloves. It creeps up on you and before you know it the leaves have turned golden and fallen off the trees and you blink and winter is here.

I think this is why this year I seem to be reaching for books to help ease that transition from summer to winter. Not quite lengthy classics and medieval-style fantasy but young-adult and urban fantasy and historical fiction. If it has a touch of magic or paranormal, why, all the better – almost even apt for Halloween! So, whilst I might not be reading the scariest or spookiest of reads this Autumn, I will be sinking my teeth into some fantasy which will hopefully whet my appetite for getting stuck into some longer more complex tomes of books come winter.

I’m curious, is your reading affected by the season or do you still find yourself able to read summer beach reads in November? (I envy you if so) What are you reading this October and do you have any recommendations for me?