By Kelsi Nymon of Más Corazón Mercado
Special for CraftyChica.com
Here are five juicy reads for fall that are perfect for alone time this fall season. Literally, take time to curl up with a good book, light a candle, brew up your favorite beverage and indulge in a good book. Wait – more into crafting rather than reading? All of these titles are available on audiobook as well. They’ll work great for dreamy drawing sessions on your tablet, long drives to the craft store, or just feeling spirited while you work magic on your art table!
Click the title links to purchase.
Read something new
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina: A Novel by Zoraida Córdova
If you tend to lean towards the newest reads and fresh off the presses, then I have just the book for you! The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina: A Novel” by Zoraida Córdova is just what the reader ordered. Córdova’s newest novel was released on September 7th 2021 and is the perfect fall read for fans of Isabel Allende and Alice Hoffman with Córdova’s spell binding descriptors and beautiful cultural references to Ecuador.
The story follows a family with many questions that need to be answered by their matriarch, but quickly realize there is a hidden danger and that answers will not come so easily, nor are they so simply received once given. This story weaves magic, love, heartache, and ancestral lessons all into one. The imagery and emotion Córdova carefully and seamlessly crafts together make it feel all that much more tangible.
A beautiful read to cozy up with over your favorite cafecito!
Read something Inspiring
What Would Frida Do? A Guide to Living Boldly by Arianna Davis
This book is for all the Frida lovers out there. Feeling stuck? Aren’t quite sure what your next step is? Or IF you should take the next step? This book may just be the read for you! I originally picked this for myself because I felt I needed a little boost of creativity and a little shove to go find it. At first, I wasn’t quite sure if it was a biography or a self-help book, and now, admittedly, it feels like a little bit of both. It is not blatant in the “If you do this, try that,” – way that some self-help books are, but subtle in that you can feel Frida’s strength in her determination to live her truth. You gain her confidence through seeing her journey, what she overcame, and who she purposely stood out to be.
Davis begins detailing Frida’s life and touches on the impact of feminism, her passions, political views, and outspoken fashion impacted her art and vice versa. Sprinkled throughout the chapters are quotes, notes from the author, more anecdotes about Frida, (such as the fake Vogue Cover) and even some foods and books that were Frida’s favorite.
If you have room in your heart for another beautifully written book about Frida Kahlo, and need a little extra pep talk for your soul, I highly recommend this read!
NOTE: You can also read Kathy’s book!
Read something with a lot of mystery and a little spook
The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
This one is admittedly a darker read, so perhaps I’d suggest saving it if you want a good spook around Halloween! If this back cover description doesn’t pull you in, I don’t know what will! The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ is like a choose-your-own-adventure-book mixed with Groundhog’s Day, set in the mansion of Clue but reads like an Agatha Christie novel. Content warning: it is a murder mystery with some violence and assault. As a true crime fan, and a lover of big reveals, I was sucked in before I even started! I couldn’t put it down for the next 24 hours, until I finished.
There are a lot of names to keep track of in this who-done-it, and therefore if you do decide to venture into this story, I encourage you to get the hard copy instead of a digital copy (if you can) because you can then more easily flip back and forth to the front which shows a key to everyone invited to the dinner party (AKA the suspects!)
Reader beware, you will be dying to solve it! ( see what I did there? )
Read something sweet
A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
This sweet YA read is all about the sweater weather! The main character, a 17 year old girl from Miami, faces a few of life’s heart breaks. To heal her from her depression, her parents decide it’s best for her to spend the summer in London, where there is no place for her tank tops and flip flops that she brings in protest.
It is a sweet, quick read about the impact love and loss has on our mental health, and that we don’t have to stubbornly heal on our own, we can lean on our family members and even learn to love again.
Read something that feels like an old favorite
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
The Lost Apothecary, while not all roses, was definitely something that felt like a pick-me-up for my soul.
Without giving too much away, it’s a story about the bonds between women, what lengths we’ll go through to protect one another, how trusting your gut can sometimes be your best and only compass, and how when all hope seems lost, sometimes a little magick does the trick.
Once I finished, I immediately referred this book to all the women in my family to read. There’s something that feels so familiar about the stories of each woman described. Either you relate on a personal level or you know someone else with a similar story or who experienced these emotions.
It’s a great read to get lost in on a rainy brisk day, and to remind ourselves to believe in the power of friendship between women.
Kelsi Nymon is a part-time crafter, jewelry maker, book reader, and a full-time loud laugher. Mexican-American and raised in Seattle, WA, she now calls the greater Phoenix, AZ area home. You can find her hanging out on Instagram @mascorazonmercado!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CT27zi7F_OF/
P.S. You can preorder Kathy’s upcoming book here!
