Hello! You’re reading Snuggery, a virtual postcard of cozy content capturing the fleeting beauty of the seasons. To join our cozy community, hit subscribe. Light a candle, grab a cuppa, and sit a spell. Stay awhile. ✉️

Before we dive into the cozy goodness, a quick heads up: I’m *still* ironing out a few details, so you might notice a slight difference in how this postcard appears on mobile compared to desktop. Thanks for your patience as I fine-tune things! Now, on to the snug stuff…

🪵 From the Hearth 🪵

Dear friend,

I hope your first week of autumn has been filled with all sorts of magic and mayhem. Mine certainly has. I cooked butternut squash curry, delved into the intrigue of Dexter, purchased the most precious pre-loved dining set, baked pumpkin bread, and read lots of poetry.

Throughout fall, I always seem to devour words with an insatiable hunger. The magic of the written word seeps out of the sheet and into my soul as I gobble up pages of poetry and prose like they’re pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day. I flip through folio ferociously, ever eager to read more, learn more, feel more.

If you’re looking to invite some autumnal joy into your life, the perfect place to begin is in a book. Reading not only engages the brain and fuels the imagination, but it also offers a magical escape into a world of your choosing. And if you live in the South where it’s still warm like I do, being whisked away to a land of 60-degree weather and kaleidoscopic leaves may just be your only source of solace as you ardently await crisper days.

So, the next time you find yourself heartbroken over the humidity and yearning for cooler temperatures, just grab a book. As you step into another dimension, you’ll be reminded that we have the power to make our own magic.

🍂 Seasonal Selections 🍂

• I’m currently on the hunt for the perfect early-autumn book. I haven’t found the one yet, but in the meantime, here are three of my most treasured seasonal reads:

  • The Hazel Wood Series—I only discovered it last year, but this series quickly became one of my favorites of all time. Vivid in its imagery and haunting in its plot, The Hazel Wood is a beguiling must-read for magical realist fanatics.

  • In a Dark, Dark Wood—This is a spooky psychological thriller set in the English countryside. It’s fun, quick, and easy to read.

  • Something Wicked This Way Comes—I mean, it doesn’t get much more autumnal than Ray Bradbury.

• This swoon-worthy video is perfect for today’s bookish theme. I was transfixed after stumbling upon it the other day, watching it on a loop for a good few minutes. One of the top commenters wrote, “I feel sad that this isn’t real,” and to that I say… “A dream is not reality, but who’s to say which is which?” – Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

• Here’s the butternut squash curry I mentioned earlier. It’s one of my favorite meals, but I recommend adding more spices. I pretty much doubled all the seasonings listed in the recipe; plus, I added lemon juice, chili powder, and paprika for depth of flavor. I also used a full can of coconut milk instead of the 2/3 cup the recipe called for.

• This pumpkin bread is divine and so easy to make. My substitutions and additions: homemade oat flour, King Arthur’s baking sugar alternative, oat milk, and my fav: Lily’s dark choco baking chips. If you have a super-sweet tooth like I do, I recommend using the full ¾ cup of sweetener.

☕️ What’s Been Brewing ☕️

• I touched on mindfulness in last week’s postcard. If it resonated with you and you’re looking to continue your mindfulness journey, here are 8 Intentional Activities to Elevate Your Autumn. (Note: I took the intro straight from last week’s postcard. Feel free to skip down to activity #1 if you already read it!)

📙 Spectacular Vernacular 📙

Vellichor [vell-ick-or] (n.)

1. the eerie nostalgia and otherwordly allure that escapes the pages of old books, haunting the hallways of used bookstores

Obsessed with the vintage, vellichor-inducing volumes that permeated her local bookstore, the young woman quickly became a regular at the shop.

🤎 Cozy Conversations 🤎

What’s your favorite book, series, or poem to read during the fall months? It can be any genre or form, so long as it brings you feelings of autumnal delight. Respond to this postcard with your coziest literary suggestions for a chance to be featured in next week’s letter.

Thanks for reading, and I do hope you have the snuggest of Thursdays.

I’m finally off to try my latest batch of Witches Brew! Stay tuned for next week’s thoughts on the flavor profile.

Until next week, stay cozy.

With warmth and whimsy,

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