Autumn Book List
In a season of liminality, our autumn booklist reflects a curiosity for individual and collective transformation: how do we change, how do we stay the same. Focusing on the energies that inhabit our slower and stiller moments, this booklist reflects an upheaval of traditional power, a celebration of intimacy and a deep love of humanity.
A Spy in The House of Love by Anais Nin-
This book is a thrilling and deeply stirring remnant of the shadow self as it decides whether it will entertain hedonism or morality. It uncovers a human tendency for repression and the ways in which it drives us. Typical of Nin, it inspires night frolicking, whiskey bitters and romantic rendezvous.
Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia-
If you have a fascination with eros, the history of sexuality or humankind’s exploration of sexual archetypes, there are fewer books that offer this stature of referential material. Camille Paglia is a formidable writer and activist with undeniable guts who is willing to lay the sexual corpse of humanity bare with great skill.
All about love by Bell Hooks-
A bible for every person interested in relationships that heal and a world where love is the ruling force. bell hooks is a revolutionary who’s work remains omnipotent and deeply relevant. There is not a person who shouldn’t read this book.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini-
A read that will affect you for long after you turn the final page, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story of willpower, endurance and brutality. Delving into the complexity of war torn Afghanistan, Hosseini takes your heart and breaks it several times whilst revealing the spirit of people who survived incredulous hardship. This recommendation is not for the faint-hearted, but one that inspires connection and solidarity above all.
Women who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes-
A collection of nutritious myths, archetypes and wise-woman lores to feed the human soul. Intersecting cultures and time periods, Estes facilitates our personal and collective retrieval of the Wild Woman, urging us to familiarize ourselves with our own reflections. This is the sort of book you consult when you are in the thick of life seeking guidance or to understand the feminine energies in your life. There is something new and sparkling to be found every time you open it.
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb-
Even if you only make it halfway through this book, you won’t miss the lesson on chaos’s nature and how we can learn to embrace it resiliently. Taleb explores a variety of contexts from trauma, the stock exchange and armed conflict to discuss how resistance makes things stronger and more robust. It is a potent commentary on modern hyper-sensitivity, and how we can promote stability within ourselves and our communities.
On Earth we're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong-
An enlivening and urgent recount of a mother, son and life during the Vietnam war, Vuong is not afraid to go to the source of human hurt and pour antiseptic into it. As a critically acclaimed poet, Vuong’s longevity and potency is undeniable, so much so that even Tiktok has gotten their hands onto this one. Peering deeply into masculinity, race and class, this is one to make room for, as it’ll leave you feeling scoured back to your humanity and reeling for something to take its place.
Are there any books you want to see on our next booklist? Dm us at @choose_jonny
