Fall is finally here. Summer is all bare skin and wild freedom (well, not this summer, but still), but autumn brings the pleasure of layering, retreat and reinvention.
I see September as a fresh start. In Russia, where I grew up, school always began on September 1st, without exception. That rhythm marked the season: the smell of pencils and paper, the first chill in the air, the sense of new beginnings. The back-to-school feeling carried with me into adulthood—new notebooks, new knowledge, new plans.
Even now, far from those schoolyard ceremonies with flowers and uniforms, I feel the same pull. September arrives and I want to reorganize my shelves, sharpen my focus and my pencils, write lists, make goals. But unlike January, it’s less about reinvention and more about renewal. Autumn is for gathering, drawing in, and choosing carefully what to carry forward.
Now, with a baby, it’s harder to plan. Days fold into nights, and time feels less like a straight line and more like a circle of feeding, rocking, and soothing. But planning, however hard, is what’s keeping me sane. I bought a new Princeton Architectural Press Grids and Guides notebook (they make amazing stationary, and this particular notebook is excellent for creativity) and wrote down all the things I want to do, read, watch, write, etc. Those things require time, and I can only hope proper routine and proper sleep are just around the corner.
My big goal this fall is to learn Swedish. I am dreaming of moving there, but even if I don’t, it will still be useful. Bean is half Swedish, after all. Language is a bridge, and I want her to feel at home on both sides of it. I want to feel at home too. It’s daunting, of course. My brain feels full most days, overflowing with new demands. But that is also why this goal matters: it’s something to keep the mind sharp. I took a beginner’s course a few years back so I am not starting completely from scratch.
The rest of the time I am going to slow down. Write a bit here and there, read books and watch movies and tv shows, lean into the quietness of autumn evenings—hot tea, apple pies and all that. Fall is the most literary month, after all, and no doubt, the most hygge— lots of small rituals that make ordinary life feel a little cinematic. The Gilmore Girls rewatch? Absolutely. Baking apple crisps on rainy Sundays? Yes, please. The first pumpkin-spiced thing of the year? Of course. I don’t even like Starbucks or pumpkin-spiced lattes, too sweet and milky, and yet buy one every year. Long afternoon walks just to watch the leaves turn—non-negotiable. “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house," Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, and I tend to agree. I even bought a baby carrier in burgundy so I can bring Bean along on every crisp-weather stroll. Fredrik think it looks very 80s. I think it looks unbelievably stylish.
I am excited to start getting dressed again. I spent the last months walking around in sweat pants and milk-stained bra. A few years back, I bought a vintage Burberry (when it was still Burberrys) camel coat but still didn’t fix the buttons. Three are missing. I am putting on my to-do list to fix it this year. I also got a vintage no-name tweed blazer with elbow patches and flowered lining. I am not quite sure where I can wear it but just owning it makes me feel like a retired professor or a student who fucks one—depending on the mood.
It’s still officially summer, I think, but not for me. The leaves have already started to turn, the equinox is just around the corner. In anticipation of Sunday’s blood moon, I find myself feeling witchy, paying closer attention to the sky and thinking of heirlooms—things passed down, kept close, cherished with use. Fall itself, I think, is the most heirloom season of all. It’s stitched together with tradition and memory. I am thinking about what I’ve inherited, and about what I want to pass along. For the first time in my life I don’t want to buy anything for myself just for the sake of buying it. I ask myself will I want to pass it down to my daughter? Can this become an heirloom? Side note: My house right now is full of colorful baby things, so perhaps it’s all this clutter and not really fall is to thank for that change of character.
Time is measured by cycles older than we are and the memory is kept in our bones, and that’s why we feel what we feel come autumn: a juxtaposition of slowing down and starting over. At least, that’s what I feel. Those are not the easiest feelings to combine, as one requires a sort of serenity and the other—wilful dedication.
Still, I’ve come to see that this tension is exactly what gives autumn its peculiar force. The rituals we repeat each year are how we reconcile the contradiction. These gestures are not arbitrary. They are inheritances, and like all inheritances, they suggest continuity in a world that is otherwise unsteady.
But we must remember that in a world that changes quickly, some things do last. It is our job to cherish them.
Things I like to reread and rewatch come autumn:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt – The ultimate dark academia fall classic.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – Lush, gothic suspense steeped in atmosphere.
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio – Theater students, Shakespeare, and murder under autumn skies.
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh – Nostalgia, class, and youth against Oxford backdrops.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman – Witty, cozy mystery with heart. A movie of the same name just came out, and it’s just as lovely as the book.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith – A layered family and academic novel.
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides – Love, literature, and academia in the 1980s, beautifully written.
The Idiot by Elif Batuman – A semi-autobiographical tale of a freshman year at Harvard.
The Herbalist by Heather Morrison-Tapley - a charming and cozy story full of love and magic.
Weyward by Emilia Hart – A multi-generational story of three women across five centuries, bound by nature, witchcraft, and resilience.
What to watch:
The Best Offer (La migliore offerta, 2013) Absolutely adore this film. The story follows Virgil Oldman, an esteemed solitary art auctioneer, who becomes obsessed with Claire, a mysterious young woman who seeks his help to sell her family's estate. It’s full of art, beauty, and betrayal.
Mona Lisa Smile - Set in the 1950s at Wellesley College, this film stars Julia Roberts as an art professor challenging the societal norms and expectations placed on young women.
Gone Girl - The story revolves around the disappearance of Amy Dunne, and the subsequent media frenzy that turns her husband, Nick Dunne, into the prime suspect. Warning: watch with caution if you are in a relationship! It makes you angry.
You’ve Got Mail – The ultimate autumn rom-com with bookstores, New York in fall, and golden leaves.
When Harry Met Sally – Crisp Central Park walks and witty dialogue.
Julie & Julia – Food, writing, and warmth—perfect for chilly evenings.
Practical Magic – Witchy sisters, spells, and cozy small-town vibes.
Totally Killer - an excellent comedy-horror.
TV-series:
Only Murders in the Building is the perfect fall show—cozy, witty, funny and gorgeous. New season is coming out on September 5th!
Gilmore Girls – Can’t not include it. The ultimate fall comfort watch: coffee, books, small town charm, and endless autumn leaves.
The Chair – Academia, literature, and campus life in the fall.
Big Little Lies – Gorgeous cinematography, secrets, and shifting moods.
Sex Education – Quirky characters and school life, with a crisp British countryside backdrop and stunning Gillian Anderson. Every time I watch it, I want to cut my hair and buy a sexy kaftan.
Derry Girls – Hilarious, heartfelt, and full of school-year energy. About lives of girls in Catholic school in Northern Ireland in the 90s.
Stranger Things – Nostalgic, eerie, and full of 80s fall/Halloween vibes (the new season is coming out in November! I can’t wait.)
The OA – One of my favorite shows of all time. It’s strange, haunting, and mind bending. It was cancelled after two season, and I can’t understand how it was possible. Season 2 ends on, perhaps, the biggest cliff hanger in the history of tv.
Dark is a hauntingly atmospheric series, weaving time travel, family secrets, and the eerie stillness of a small German town. It is just as mind bending as The OA if not more. I believe it is the most well plotted and researched story about time travel.
The Discovery of Witches is a moody series about Diana Bishop, a historian and powerful witch, who discovers a manuscript that pulls her into a dangerous world of vampires and destiny.
What a beautiful post, I really enjoyed reading 🧡 I’m so excited for crisp weather stroller walks!