Autumn: A Spiritual Biography of the Season

I read this several years ago, and apparently it was pleasant enough but didn't make much of an impression on me, because I only remembered one poem when I started rereading it ("October Prayer" by Esther Popel, which is pretty passionate!) This time around, I must have been better suited for it, or it for me, because I definitely enjoyed it.

Fancy subtitle aside, this is an anthology of essays, poems, prayers, and nonfiction excerpts from larger works, all on the subject of autumn. The editors have divided the selections into five parts: change, endings, work, harvest, and thanksgiving. They do a good job of introducing both the parts and the individual pieces, so the entire anthology hangs together well. Only at the end did I wonder show more how well some of the individual pieces reflected their theme, but they were still good to read. The writings mostly come from North America and western Europe, and most of them are modern, but there are also older and/or non-Western selections included. I recommend reading this book at the most autumnal time of year in your area, just to add to the atmosphere of it all. show less

A collection of essays, short stories, and excerpts from longer works all related to the season of Autumn. I enjoyed reading these pieces on slow Autumn mornings, savoring the images and words and reflecting on the changing of the season. There are collections in this series for each season, which should delight introspective lovers of words everywhere.