Fall media syllabus

Setting the mood with the right books, films, and listens

Sep 21, 2025

Recently I’ve been trying to make space for fall so as a part of this self-directed pep talk for the cooler season, I’ve put together a fall consumption syllabus. While I’m infamous for not finishing my TBRs, a seasonal syllabus acts more as a manifestation rather than being a rigid checklist. It’s a way to encourage more downtime and intentional consumption while setting the mood for cozy (and maybe some spooky) weeks ahead.

If you want to create your own fall syllabus, here are the rules (that I made up but are inspired by the format of academic syllabi):

Set the tone before you start. In school, a syllabus sets the learning objectives and tone for the semester. For our own syllabi, ask yourself these questions:

How do you want to feel this season?
Who are you becoming this season?
What’s your seasonal intention?
What characteristics are you looking for in your fall media?

Leave space for discovery and change. We’re aiming for less pressure, more pleasure here so as you’re creating your “required” media list for the season, leave space to add (or subtract) as the season goes on.

Create a suggested structure. Once again, the goal here is not to pressure yourself to finish everything on this list but to create some sort of a cadence that feels easy to follow. I like to think of this as an outline rather than a goal. See below for my structure as an example.

Make time for reflections. Reviewing your syllabus can make creating your next one feel more intuitive so ask yourself these prompts any time throughout the season:

What has this season’s content made me reflect on?
What pieces of media made me feel most “me”? Why?
Is my content consumption aligning with the version of myself I’m becoming?
What do I want more of next season?

Classics

Crime and Punishment by Crime and Punishment (currently reading, maybe I’ll finally finish it)
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Young Once by Patrick Modiano

Fantasy

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Evocation by S.T. Gibson

Horror

House of Beth by Kerry Cullen

Other Fiction

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (currently reading)
What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama
Wild Love by Elsie Silver

Films

Only listing the films I haven’t watched yet. Will most definitely be rewatching the Harry Potter series throughout fall and winter.

Barry Lyndon
Echo Valley
Materialists
Bodies Bodies Bodies
The Phoenician Scheme
Nosferatu

Shows

Alien: Earth (recommended by
Janice Fong
and
Summer
)

Podcasts

Unicorn Girl (recommended by
Summer
)

Music

I love making playlists that trigger a very specific feeling. This fall it’s all about That specific nostalgia that only fall brings.

I also can’t live with out this one

So that’s the shape my fall is taking. Curated, but not confined. I’m giving myself permission to not finish everything, to discover things along the way, and to let the season shift me however it needs to.

If you end up making your own syllabus, I’d love to see it. Think of it like setting a seasonal intention, one page (or playlist or episode) at a time. A gentle way to guide your downtime, reconnect with the version of you that loves to feel, and build a little world to return to when the days get darker.

Here’s to the season ahead. May it be rich with stories, full of meaning, and just spooky enough. 🍂