I've been thinking about this for a while and I feel like nostalgia does not fit into the month of august.
Every other month there is a heaviness- in may it is summer nostalgia and warm breeze and lost memories- in july, there's rain, lilies, and lullabies sung by frogs. In december it is grief and regrets wrapped in musky cologne floating in the air. October is drenched in late nights on the patio, burning candles and fingers dipped in wax.
But august...it is light breeze and daisies. It is crunchy leaves and wilted flowers. No one expects a full bloom. You can wilt and sob and escape and return when the winter winds arrive. You can disappear, because august is a ghost town and the romantics and narcissists aren't at war for once.
You don't have to think, you don't have to be, you can flee for once to somewhere nostalgia cannot follow you.
Before august slips away into a moment in time, I'd like to drift away to another era.
Here are some portals- I mean books- that will transport you to some perfect places that suit the seasonal mood.
The August Collective- books for the fall.
Giant trains. Velvet ballgowns. Secret kisses. A bittersweet affair. And some farming philosophy.
If you haven't already guessed where this is going, then maybe you should pack your highlighters and a bookmark. We are travelling in style to 19th Century Russia to witness the cataclysmic life and love of Anna Karenina.
Leo Tolstoy's much lauded masterpiece, Anna Karenina, isn't your regular love story- there are twists and turns and maybe even a gruesome death or two. If you were waiting for a good starting point to immerse yourself into Russian literature, this should be on your TBR list right now! Leo Tolstoy breaks down Tsarist Russian culture and habits beautifully in this melodrama and before you know it you start living vicariously through the main characters in elite Russia.
Are you a sucker for doomed romances? The ones that leave you shaking with angst and anticipation and an undeniable lump in your throat?
Well, so am I, and maybe fall manifested this book into my life, on to this list and eventually (hopefully) on to your TBR's.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton is a cloud that makes it rain...heartbreak. It is a story of love and betrayal set in early 19th century New York, when the city was brewing into an artsy, sophisticated hub that it is today. Not only do we get a glimpse of New York undergoing its indie enlightenment but we get front row seats to witness ballroom dramas, opera stand-offs and a very mellow supercut into the future.
Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska, the main characters, are the victims of the right person, wrong time trope and their vulnerable imperfections (which were infamous and nearly scandalous during their time) age well and strike a chord with the 21st century audiences- which makes Edith Wharton's book beautifully brilliant. It is a testament to the universality and timelessness of love. We certainly do not love alone, and I have to pinch myself because the thought makes me wobbly beyond belief.
We've covered Russia and New York. The next on the list had to be 19th Century England, the heart of Western literature and poetic prose. I must admit, the portal to this world is slightly unusual, but if you are up for morally grey-dark academia-vibe, then you might find it just fine.
Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence is hailed by many as one of the greatest books to be ever written. But over the years it has also received slack for its misogynistic, colonialist undertones. My judgement of this book lies somewhere over the threshold, because I can't make up my mind about this book. I agree that Sons and Lovers is a seminal book because it outlines the grey shades of humanity rather than pitting light against the dark. It was a sign of modernity when Lawrence picked to make his protagonist morally grey- he is painted by the ominous Oedipus complex. But at the same time it was highly un-relatable for me. Had Paul Morell been morally grey in another sense, perhaps a lover with commitment issues or an artist who would sell his soul to the devil, perhaps I could have related to the content more. However, I did enjoy Lawrence's portrayal of various kinds of love- starting from the lighter shades like motherly love, platonic love to darker shades like unrequited, physical, obsessive, and morally grey. Whether you'd like it or not, I certainly believe that it is a book one must read to be able to appreciate the triumphs of English literature.
Let's take a break from romance and the past now, shall we? It's getting too mushy.
Next on this weird august collective is my personal favourite. Not because of Timothee Chalamet, I promise (maybe) Or Zendaya (I'm totally lying now). Let's move to the future, on to Arrakis- and don't walk in rhythm at all! We don't need the wyrms taking over this list...
What are wyrms, you ask? Well, they are super strange monsters that lurk on the spice planet, Arrakis in the world of Dune, created by Frank Herbert. Even though it is a metaphor for the oil politics of the 60's, and 70's, the book could not have been more captivating! I was at the edge of the seat watching the Atreides house fall and a rebellion rising, with the Muad'dib leading the Fremen to fight for their spice-rich planet.
Dune is said to be the book that started the Chosen one trope, and it has inspired several brilliant authors who have gifted us fantastic adventures spearheaded by altruistic protagonists. What I love about Dune is that it imagines a future that is not West-oriented. The world that occupies this stellar science fiction novel is heavily inspired by Middle Eastern culture. Most of the terms, characters, cultures in the book are shaped after Arab traditions. It is refreshing, as a South Asian woman, to see a science fiction novel looking at a future that is dominated by the Oriental. I will admit that this representation has some issues, like white saviour complex and appropriation, but nevertheless, it is a worthy attempt at picturing a future that is slightly more realistic and universal.
These are four drastically different portals, and probably books that you will never see on the same list ever again XD. I hope you enjoy reading these. For more abstract lists and reviews that are all over the place, subscribe to the blog!! And do follow me on our humble abode- bookstagram @valkyrieland.
See ya soon!!
Love,
Valkyrie M.
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