September is here and I've started my annual Gilmore Girls rewatch, so autumn is officially on. Here's a guide to the next three months: a few cosy rituals to make the most of the season, some new films and books coming out, some old but good ones, and an autumn playlist to put on while you bake the first cookies of the season. Save it and come back to it over the next few months.
What to do
Some small rituals, some days in, some days out.
Have an autumn reset day. Start early and give it the whole day. Clean out your wardrobe, sort the flat, sell or pass on anything you won't wear again. Light a candle while you do it. Anthropologie usually have a good autumn selection, and I've got my eye on their Pumpkin Clove one.
Go on an autumn book crawl. I came across a post from Cosy London Bookclub this morning and immediately wanted to add it to this list. You can either join theirs on 12 September in Richmond, or make your own version anywhere. Pick two or three bookshops, take your time walking between them, find your next autumn read, and finish with a hot chocolate or coffee somewhere warm.
Make your autumn playlist. Put together the sounds you want the next three months to have. Or save mine to your Spotify.
Go apple picking, then bake with what you bring back. Peak season is September and October. Go on a Saturday and make an apple pie on the Sunday. Castle Farm in Kent is the one on my list. Always check timings and PYO availability before you travel, since it can change quite quickly.
Book a cinema night. I wrote about 3 cosy London cinemas recently, so pick one from that list and something from the films below.
Half book, half film marathon. Best saved for a properly stormy day. Stay in your pyjamas, read in the morning with a novel from the list below and a soft blanket, and leave your phone in another room. I use Brick to lock mine, because I need the extra help. Then put on your favourite comfort show in the afternoon. Get the snacks in beforehand, or bake them, and don't leave the house. Order pad thai from Rosa's Thai in the evening, trust me.
Go on an autumn walk. When the leaves start turning in mid-October, meet a friend and walk. Regent's Park is my favourite, especially the Broad Walk. Holland Park is beautiful at this time of year too. Pick up a coffee and a pastry at Kuro near Notting Hill Gate, then walk to the park.
Plan a proper cosy Sunday roast. One of my favourite pubs is The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead. Put on your best jumper and scarf, walk around the Heath first, then eat. They're dog friendly, which is worth knowing. This one is best on a cold, sunny day.
Plan a solo autumn escape. Cambridge is top of my list for a short getaway, especially from mid-October when the leaves start to turn. I've got a trip planned this year, so a guide is coming.
What to watch
What's out this autumn and on my list, plus the ones I go back to every year.
Practical Magic 2. The sequel to the 1998 cult film. The Owens sisters are back, thirty years on. You can rewatch the first one on Netflix in the meantime. Out on 11 September. Watch the trailer.
The Love Hypothesis. The adaptation of the Ali Hazelwood book, a fake-dating arrangement between a PhD student and a professor. With Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman. On Prime Video from 23 September. Watch the trailer.
Sense and Sensibility. A new Austen adaptation with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Caitríona Balfe and Fiona Shaw, directed by Georgia Oakley. Out on 25 September. Watch the trailer.
Verity. The Colleen Hoover adaptation, with Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. The dark one on this list. Out on 2 October. Watch the trailer.
Wildwood. A dark fantasy stop-motion animation that looks very whimsical. Out on 23 October. Watch the trailer.
Klara and the Sun. Jenna Ortega as Klara, a solar-powered robot chosen and bought as a companion for a teenage girl with a mysterious illness. Dystopian but somehow still cosy. Out on 23 October. Watch the trailer.
And the rewatches. No need to introduce these anymore, but here’s a short list in case you need some inspiration: Gilmore Girls, Downton Abbey, Virgin River, Stranger Things, Riverdale, You’ve Got Mail, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice.
What to read
Some cosy, easy reads. Pick one of these autumn romances, light a candle, and curl up on the sofa.
The Thoroughbreds. The sequel to The Academy, by Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham. Senior year at a New England boarding school, college applications, secrets. Out on 15 September. Read the Goodreads page.
The Witches of Cambridge. A secret sisterhood of witches at a women’s college in the 1950s. The author Alice Hoffman also wrote the Practical Magic novels. Out on 8 September. Read the Goodreads page.
Grim Tidings. If you want an enemies to lovers romance, this one is for you. Out on 15 September. Read the Goodreads page.
If It Makes You Happy. A friend recommended this one and my copy should arrive any day. Published last year, and apparently the perfect Gilmore Girls autumn read. Read the Goodreads page.
The Midnight Library. By Matt Haig. A woman enters a library and gets to see every version of her life she might have lived. Read the Goodreads page.
And the classics. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Persuasion by Jane Austen. The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
The autumn calendar
A reminder of the key dates between now and the end of November.
Autumn equinox, Wednesday 23 September, just after midnight.
Clocks go back, Sunday 25 October at 2am. Sunset in London moves from 17:52 on the Saturday to 16:50 on the Sunday, so this is the day it properly turns.
Halloween, Saturday 31 October. On a Saturday this year, so bigger than usual.
Bonfire Night, Thursday 5 November. Most of the big displays will be the weekend either side.
Diwali, Sunday 8 November, with the five days running 6 to 10 November.
Remembrance Sunday, Sunday 8 November. The same day as Diwali this year.
Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November.
Black Friday, Friday 27 November.
Tell me what you've got planned this autumn in the comments, and whether anything here made your list.
I did not realize there is a Wildwood movie coming? from the makers of Coraline? OMG I am so excited. I absolutely loved the book(s) and the illustrations and I cannot wait to watch the adaptation. Wishing you much 'cozy' this autumn
I can't believe I've never watched Practical Magic, I need to catch up before the second film is out. Also, I love the half book, half film marathon idea and will put it into practice. The joy of spending a day indulging in a favourite book + film paired with comfort food while it's raining outside!