Autumn is here and it’s the best time of year, we all know this.

Leaves turning to sunset, crisp morning air, mountains of blankets, oversized jumpers, cosy nights in with hot soup and chilling films.

And I am totally ready for this—whenever I can I’ll be dedicating myself to the sofa and everything gorgeously cosy and creepy. Let’s be honest, I’ve been ready for this for a while.

And there’s loads of things I’m looking forward to. I just finished an ARC of Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw which is a beautifully horrific haunted house tale rooted in Japanese folklore, full review imminent but suffice to say you should grab it and devour it as soon as you can. It has set the standard high for spooky season. I’ve moved on to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier which I’d never read before but is totally giving me great gothic vibes. I’d avoided it in the past because I’d always assumed it was purely a romance novel (not generally my genre of choice), but it’s gradually cranking up the tension and I’m all in for that.

I’m hoping that Midnight Mass on Netflix is gonna fill my spooky binge-watching needs—I’ve been craving something that stands up to The Haunting of Hill House so hopefully this’ll be it. And of course, there’s all the usual classics, the re-watches of Halloween, the comforting horror of Alien (which I must know by heart and backwards by now), The Exorcist always making the bill. And then some new classics like The Witch and Hereditary which are full of unnerving and excellent spooks.

And in between this hectic sofa time, I might even just have to write something a little bit spooky, a little bit gothic.

So I’ve gotta stock up on popcorn and spiced soups and hearty stews and I’m already hungry just thinking about it all.

Happy Autumn to y’all, what are you looking forwards to?

Bonus picture—cats are and always will be the masters of manifesting cosiness, as demonstrated by Diesel.