Books That Feel Like Fall

With the weather getting cooler and the autumnal equinox in sight, I set out on a quest to discover books that feel fall-like. I found lists of books on a number of websites claiming various titles to be good reads for fall, but some of the selections didn't encompass the sense of the season to me. So, I turned to my colleagues in the library to see which books feel like fall to them:

• Anna--House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (Libby/Overdrive) This supernatural young adult novel focuses on three sisters who disappear from their home in Scotland. They reappear some time later with no memory of what occurred and strange things start to happen. Anna likes the book's spooky aspects, which makes her think of fall.
• Calise--Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo LeSieg (JE LES) This is a cute counting book for children about a lion, a tiger, and a dog seeing how many apples they can balance on their heads while performing a range of activities. Calise says this book feels fall-like to her because it brings thoughts of apple picking to her mind.
• Eileen--A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (F HAR) To me, this book presents many aspects of fall. Set in September around the pagan festival of Mabon (the autumnal equinox), a tea-drinking scholar-witch studying in Oxford University's Bodleian Library finds a strange manuscript sought by other witches, vampires, and daemons.
• Emma--Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel (ER LOB) The well-loved children's book series about Frog and Toad going on their different adventures while sporting sweaters and jackets speaks fall to Emma.
• Lisa--Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (J FIC EHL) Lisa's pick for a fall feel is a classic children's story. She believes that this picture book, which shows a man made of colorful leaves blowing in the wind, is imaginative and expresses the beauty of fall.
• Victor--Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto (Hoopla audiobook) Coming from Texas, fall feels a little different to Victor, whose family enjoys eating tamales during the season. In this children's book, a young girl helps make tamales but notices that her mother's ring is missing. Did it slip off her finger and into one of the tamales that was cooked?

I thank my colleagues for their contributions to this post, and now I turn to you, dear readers--which books feel like fall to you? Share with us!

Wishing you a wonderful fall season filled with cozy reads and warm drinks from the perch.

College is Not the Only Option

With the start of a new school year comes a newly published book--Rethinking College: A Guide to Thriving Without a Degree by Karin Klein. I recently read this and highly recommend it for parents of soon-to-be high school graduates and airmen considering their future lives after the military.

With the ridiculously high cost of college these days, the daunting prospect of going into debt, and the possibility of getting a low-paying job outside one's field, it's essential to know that there are other options besides college. Klein's book provides alternatives to 4-year colleges, including various work experiences, apprenticeships, and creative self-employment, among others. Additionally, a number of quizzes are offered to help determine one's interests and strengths as well as desired work-life balance.

So many high schools push kids to take the college track (often because the percentage of graduates planning to attend college determines the reputation of the schools). However, they fail to help those students who don't want or are unable to go to college; they offer few alternatives besides vocational schools or the military. Klein shows that people can be well-educated, have successful careers, and enjoy fulfilling lives without a college degree (similarly, she also discusses how a number of people with advanced graduate degrees are underemployed, dissatisfied with their work, and lack job security).

The world today is different than it was decades ago when a bachelors degree meant more. Since the pandemic, skills are becoming more sought by employers than a college degree. Although college is still a noble pursuit (and is required for certain fields, such as medicine), this book provides invaluable information for students and their families to consider in making one of the largest financial and timewise investments they will ever make.

Wishing everyone a good school year from the perch.