Tag: Halloween Reads (Page 1 of 2)

Halloween Reads 2023

October 25, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Did I miss last year? Yes. Yes, I did. It was a whale of a year, and I’m not surprised. But I’m baaaack! With another great list of spooky reads. I honestly love doing this list, so I’m determined to get this together and post it this year!

I’m going to eventually post my 2022 Halloween Reads, so I won’t mention those here. There are enough new books to be getting on with! So let’s get started. At the end of this post, you can find the links to all of my previous Halloween Reads posts, so you are sure to find something you like!

Mystery

Yes, we love a good mystery! And I am continuing to enjoy Miss Fisher and the British Library Crime Series. I have finished all of the Agatha Christie mysteries, so now we are reading her Mary Westmacott stories, but that’s another post. (Yes, when I said Reading All of Agatha, I meant ALL!) I have delved deeper into the golden age mysteries, and definitely found some favorites.

Jumping Jenny by Anthony Berkeley

If you are looking for something that is just this side of macabre, with the most bizarre setting and the most excellent ending, look no further! This one was a treat. I cannot rave about it enough. Really. I keep resharing my IG post because people just don’t seem to realize. It is clever and bizarre and just strange enough to feel like fun. I read this months ago and it has stuck in my head (in a good way). This is a classic inverted mystery – with a twist. Twisty twisty, in more ways than one! The linchpin in this whole setup rests on the décor. Jumping Jenny refers to someone who has been hung. It was most often a jumping Jack, as this was the common form of capital punishment at the time. Though women were hung, it was rare. The party atmosphere is the antithesis to the murder, but eerie in its own way – a costume party where guests come dressed as famous murderers or their victims. It starts slow, but stay with it. Another gem from the British Library Crime Classics series.

Take Two at Bedtime by Margery Allingham

Perfectly bite-sized morsels will give you a dose of mystery before bedtime. These are both amazing, intricate, and entirely original. I loved “Someone Innocent,” the first story. It really kept me guessing, and had a great ending. It was my favorite of the two. The second one, “Last Act,” was well done and satisfying. This was a great little nightcap that makes me even more eager to gobble up more Allingham. This was only my second book by her. Lovely. If you love golden age mystery, you have to try some Allingham. This was first published as Deadly Duo.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

I kept hearing good things about this, so I had to bite. It is my first Riley Sager. I know he does a lot of horror, and that’s not my speed. But I had heard this was related to Lizzie Borden, my favorite true crime case (if that’s a thing), and it is somewhat similar. It is like if Lizzie Borden were very rich, and grew old, and needed a caregiver. Plus, lived in a crumbling mansion, and the caregiver had a secret of her own, that she was eager not to reveal. There’s even a playground rhyme that torments the caregiver. This had so many twists and turns, no way did I see that ending coming! It had that gothic, atmospheric bent to it that works really well this time of year. Plus, I can never resist when the house itself becomes part of the story. I’d recommend this if you have been too chicken to pick up any of Sager’s previous work. It had tense moments, but there were also little love stories and mysterious bumps in the night. Let me know if you think the creep factor of this one is similar to his other works. Maybe I’ve been avoiding them unnecessarily.

Witchy Reads

Forget it, I’m just going all in on the witches this year. Coven up! Where are my people? These fall into two categories: witchy romcoms, which appears to be something I need, and truly terrifying witches.

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Simply lovely. This is Practical Magic meets A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon. Down to the attic room in the house, the sisters (plus one), the auntie (minus one), and the magic (in this case, elemental). Then add romance, spice and witches living in plain sight. The story has high stakes, but feels plausible. I loved the MC Sage. She may have felt bad about herself, but she also spent time telling herself that she was not wrong, that it wasn’t fair, and that she was not always the one to blame. She stood up for herself. There was a good balance here that made her very relatable. This is a wonderful story of family, of second chances, of starting over. It’s got happy and sad, and midnight moonshine. The love of mother earth shines through, but in a much more believable way than, say, The Nature of Witches. It doesn’t get up on a soap box and lecture you, but quietly states truths. If you are any kind of hedge witch, you will love this. There is such a fantastic message here, about what’s important, the value of truth, and how the earth deserves our care because it cares for us. It isn’t a big showdown, but just one small human thing, one small surprise, one small heartache, one small bit of love after another.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

I would dearly love to return to this world again. Why isn’t there a sequel? There are many familiar elements in here – a witch in plain sight, hiding her gifts, and then starting over. This is a story about what happens when you have to keep your light under a bushel. This book takes things up a notch with a whole witch governing system, and the one who runs it. The history of the world makes this stand out. I loved Nowhere House, and everything about its inhabitants. Plus, there’s a library. With a hot librarian. ‘Nuff said. If you like grumpy/sunshine and second chance tropes, you will like this. There was also some good solid talk about trauma, and a lot of good witchy potion talk, and a fantastic Solstice celebration (yay for normalizing THIS). The underlying themes of found family and recovery helped ease some of the character stereotypes.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

A friend of mine told me that this was empowering, and man, if that isn’t a fact. This is part historical drama, part witchy women doing life. A multiple-POV story through time – I was on the edge of my seat for all three of our witches. All the threads were tightly wrapped, and all the characters felt good and true. I loved the way the affinity for nature was expressed, and I loved the little cottage (who wouldn’t?). TW for domestic violence. Oh and rape. There’s some ugly here, and a lot of tense moments, but there is so much beauty too. This goes down as one of my top reads of the year. Highly recommend.

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

While this wasn’t as good as Witch of Wild Things, it had similar themes and a vibe, though it felt a little more cutesy. I think it would definitely scratch that itch. I loved how our MC accidentally summoned a demon! And I love the demon. You don’t see enough of them in literature these days. That gets my vote right there.

 

 

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

Wow. This is gritty, dark, stabby and bloody, but also sweet and lovely and full of family and loyalty and heart. This seems to be a vague retelling of Romeo and Juliet (complete with Shakespeare quotes at the beginning of each section), but it also has hints of The Godfather. Think modern day New York City, but almost always at night, and drug running and other hooligan activities amongst two witch families, but the drugs are magical and the witches can kill just by pointing. And then, and then, it gets even weirder. If you liked Empire of the Vampire, this might be for you.

Classic

And finally, a bit of classic lit, because we all love that.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

I realized that my previous review of this was really just more of a recommendation, so I wanted to give it better coverage. This is an epistolary novel, told in a series of diary entries, letters and memorandums. This works really well because it gives the story the immediacy it needs to keep you on the edge of your seat. Because of this format, there are several POVs, which is also good, because lo and behold we get a woman’s perspective, through Mina’s journals. I really liked Mina, and would even have liked to have seen more of her. The story is highest stakes, and the ensemble cast is handled well. You will need to have patience with Van Helsing’s dialect, but it is not too difficult to overcome. Stoker is such a good writer, he can pull it off. I always imagine this as being read by the original readers, when they didn’t have all the baggage of the Dracula pop culture to dull their senses. Also, imagine reading this by flickering gaslight, with all the shadows in the corners. Wonderful! It is not the first vampire novel, but it ignited a phenom that reverberates to this day.

Thank you for reading this far! I hope you find something to enjoy in these recs. I am excited to be back, and hopefully that will continue. But one thing I have learned over the past couple of years is that you can never predict what will happen. Man makes plans, and the gods laugh.

Here are the links to all my previous Halloween posts. I have been writing a Halloween Reads post since 2011. The early ones were on a different platform, that is now defunct, so I have reposted them here. I see I missed posting the 2015 selections here, which were originally posted on my other website, which went away. So that will be coming soon, along with my 2022 post. In the meantime, enjoy these recs!

I posted in 2021 and 2020 and 2019. You can find posts for 2018, 2017 and 2016. In 2020, I also reposted my earliest Halloween Reads, from 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Halloween Reads 2021

October 29, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Hello again! Well. If you’re keeping track (and really, I don’t think anyone is?), then you know I have not posted since March. I thought the first quarter of 2021 was hard. But then the rest of the year said, “Hold my beer,” and kicked me into the mud and stood on my back. So here I am. Still standing, but carrying 2021 around my neck like a millstone. And it’s not over yet. For crying out loud. At this point, I am going to need a very long vacation. Whenever the world allows it, or whenever I can make it happen. Because really, who wants to wait for the universe to give them permission?

I can’t complain too much. This has been a good reading year for me, and I have definitely fed my mystery obsession. But I have also tried to specifically seek out spooky reads, and while I haven’t read them all, these are some that I have enjoyed the most. I have a few more on my list from last year that I just didn’t get to.

This is my 11th year of doing my Halloween Reads round-up, and while this hasn’t been a great year for blogging, I could not skip this post. Gotta keep the streak alive! The good news (?) is that I’ve been working steadily on my novel again, so who knows? That might be done some day. In the meantime, hope you find something here that intrigues you! If you are so inclined, please feel free to check out my previous years’ posts, which are all linked from here. There’s a lot in those links, and if you get a chance to peruse those, I hope you enjoy them. I’d love to hear your recommendations for your favorite spooky reads in the comments below!

Now, without further ado, here is my list of this year’s spooky reads!

Classics

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

Ten thumbs up for pure atmosphere! If you are a fan of Wuthering Heights or Rebecca, this one should be on your stack. The whole story felt so grey and cold, and was perfect for this time of year. In addition to the atmospheric setting, it includes the ominous roadside inn with no guests, the orphan, and the multiple options for bad guys. It will leave you guessing until the very end! I mean, it did me. This is only my second du Maurier, and I liked it even better than Rebecca. I can see why people become such fans of her work. I thought this was a daring story for its time, and the ending was surprising to me. I think that is a du Maurier thing. Do not @ me if you don’t like Wuthering Heights (one of my all-time favorites).

Edgar Allan Poe’s detective stories

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Poe is credited with being the first writer to write a series with a detective, that this detective used deductive reasoning, and that he pioneered the use of locked-room and apparently simple cases being complex. This year I took part in a Poe readalong, and took the opportunity to read several short stories, including “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” which features Augustin Dupin, an outcast type of rake with a possible drug problem who helps out the authorities on occasion (sound familiar?). Then I read “The Mystery of Marie Roget” and the finale, “The Purloined Letter.” These are not in themselves really mind-boggling, to our modern way of thinking, but to think that they influenced Conan Doyle and probably many others, and that there was really nothing like them when they were written, is amazing.

Mystery

The Last Séance by Agatha Christie

This is a collection of short stories, and as with any short story volume, I liked some better than others. I had read a couple of them before, in other collections, but there were quite a few new ones too, so that was nice. The familiar helped temper the creep factor, because I am a complete chicken. And some of these were very creepy! I liked that at the end, there was the original publication information for each story, so you can see what year it was first published and where it appeared. This helps a little because Agatha’s writing certainly changed over the years. I was very glad to see this themed collection. I highly recommend sitting up late by yourself in a secluded cabin and reading this! Ha!

The Deep, Deep Snow by Brian Freeman

This was a fantastic story with twists and turns 20 years apart. It blew me away. From the plotline to the characters (I really loved Shelby!) to the ending. Wow. Not a single hiccup, high stakes all the way, and a slam-bang finale. The kind of book that makes you want to go back and start again once you’ve finished, because you know those clues are there somewhere. Just a tiny hint of romance and a larger hint of domestic drama make this a very well-rounded mystery choice. Freeman is a hugely prolific writer who has done the latest Jason Bourne novel, as well as continuing his own series and several standalones. He’s the real deal.

Adult Fantasy

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

I read this once years and years ago and I remembered nothing, so wanting to continue with the series, I got my hand on a copy (signed!) and decided to get my witchy on for a reread. This is a lovely story, and has its share of spooky moments, plus there are some great twists that make it more than a typical family drama. I loved the depiction of siblings (haven’t seen each other for how long? Doesn’t matter), and the whole family history involved. I loved the little pieces of magic throughout – potions and premonitions and objects coming to light and love at first sight and other things that you may not think of as magic but that really are. If you are looking for a good contemporary type drama that has more than a hint of a magical vibe, this is your ticket. I haven’t seen the movie yet but now I am curious.

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

Okay, look. I haven’t finished this yet. But I’m almost half done, and I’m going out on a limb, and saying if you love anything vampire, get your hands on this epic fantasy. The world (not our world but a facsimile of Europe) has become dark as there was some cataclysmic event that blotted out the sun, and thus vampires (who apparently always existed) have run amok. 27 years later, one of the best (and since fallen) vampire hunters sits in a castle, telling his story to a vampire scribe. It is absolutely brilliant in so many ways: the conceit and structure, the world building, the characters, and the aesthetics of it! I am a huge fan of Jay Kristoff anyway, but this just might be his masterpiece. It is a commitment (700 pages, first in a trilogy), but that’s okay, because I know he is both going to crush my heart and make me beg for more. Note that there is absolutely nothing clean or delicate about this book.
Of course, you should go read the original Dracula by Bram Stoker if you haven’t already, and I have reviewed that briefly in the past. I didn’t do it justice, and I just have to remind you to read it in the mindset of someone who has not been steeped in all the acumen of vampire pop culture. This is where it all started.

MG and YA

Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3) by Victoria Schwab

This latest installment of this excellent spooky middle grade series ratchets up the creep factor just a bit. Each book takes place in a different city, as Cassidy’s parents are hosts of a ghosthunter show. The rub is that Cassie can actually see ghosts. She feels them everywhere, and each of these haunted cities is rife with them. This one introduces new elements of the world of the dead, which are simply brilliant and terrifying. The action is edge-of-your-seat, and the setting of New Orleans is amazing. I loved everything about this! I’m not sure if there are more in this series, but I sincerely hope so. If you want to get started, look for City of Ghosts, which I reviewed here. (I wouldn’t normally review the third book in a series, but here it is, which should give you an idea of how great this series is from the beginning, and how it keeps getting better.)

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

I’m including this even though it was not a 5 star read for me, for pure originality and ultimate execution. The first half of the book was a little spacey and psychedelic, and the characters did not have the reactions of terror that I would have expected. But the second half was a wild ride, and once Jake started to feel that terror, it really took off. The ending was amazing, and really had me fearing for Jake. I loved the little romance bits, and I loved the backstory we see about Sawyer. I feel like the mentor should have played a bigger role, and that some parts of the backstory could have been explained more. The different perspectives were key, and the world building was intriguing. So while it was a wild ride, I feel like some aspects of the ride were in the dark, and the ride was too short. Great BIPOC and LGBTQIA rep.

 

Here’s hoping the world is treating you kindly. As I write this (Thursday), I have just finished a day of talking to healthcare professionals. And tomorrow I will be helping to move my aunt into a new care center. And then I get to go see the grandbabies! And then I come home and collapse for the weekend. Normally, I’d be all about carving pumpkins and handing out candy but I honestly am not sure if I have it in me this year. It has been a lot. I daresay worse than 2020? A death, an injury, weeks of PT, a new grandbaby, a heatwave/drought, a garden decimated, a wedding, a family member injury, and here we are today. It’s not all bad stuff, but even good stress is stress. Still, I find myself longing for those hot (very hot!) summer days when I was racing around looking for a dress for my son’s wedding. The good news is my aunt is getting better all the time, and it has not been a bad thing to spend more time with her. I could just do without all the other people in the mix. So I’m hoping to spend the weekend maybe finalizing yard clean-up and reading EOTV (see above).

While I may not be back next week, I will surely be back soon. Meanwhile, come look for me on Instagram, which takes less brain power than a blog post! LOL You can find me @lindabookmania – see you there!

And if the world is not treating you kindly, just remember, someone else may have it worse than you do. Remember the Golden Rule.

 

Halloween Reads 2020

October 28, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Spooky cemetery illustration

Welcome to my 10th annual Halloween Reads round-up! Ten years! Wow. I first started this in 2011, when I was a columnist on The Examiner website, as the Minneapolis Book Examiner (which I started doing in 2010; I wish I could send you to read all my book articles there, but they have disappeared into the ether).

Halloween Reads are my favorite seasonal reads. Every year, I look for the spookiest reads to capture the atmosphere of this time of year. These are capsule reviews of several titles that I think you will enjoy, if you just want a little taste of something that goes bump in the night. For the most part, these are not horror, because I am a bona fide chicken. These are creepy, dark, mostly fantasy, mystery and classic titles that will fit on any October reads list. I read about a hundred books a year, and I am always on the hunt for books for this particular post, so I hope that you find something here that will grab you (well, not literally, but, you know). You can always find my past Halloween Reads posts – I have housed most of them on this blog now (links are at the bottom). I’ve already got a list of reads going for next year, but if you have any suggestions for reads I haven’t already covered, I’m all ears!

Read on for the spookiest, ookiest, most Addams Family-esque reads I could find!

Fantasy

Cover of Neverwhere by Neil GaimanNeverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Gritty, dirty, otherworldly what-if that is a Wizard of Oz meets The Matrix kind of mind twist. If you like Gaiman, and haven’t read this one, go. If you have never read Gaiman, this is a grand place to start, as it is his debut solo novel (after the Sandman comics and then Good Omens with Terry Pratchett). Just know one thing: anything you thought is wrong. Preconceptions are the last thing that this world honors. There are some truly horrible characters, and some truly horrible things happen, but in the end, it is more steampunk than horror, albeit steampunk with demons (if, indeed, that is what they are), angels, and whatever the heck everyone else is. Highly recommend if you like things to be original and uncategorizable.

 

 

Cover of The Pale Horse by Agatha ChristieMystery

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

An Ariadne Oliver mystery

If you follow along, you may know I’ve been on an Agatha Christie tear for the past two years. I have read all of Miss Marple and I am halfway through Poirot! I veered off course because I wanted to read this in advance of watching the show on Prime that released in the spring. I am glad that I did read the book first, but it really doesn’t matter (I am not going to say why because I want you to have the same experience I did!). If you watched the show, go ahead and get back to the source material. If you have done neither, pick up this occult thriller, an unusual direction for Agatha to take, but one which I think she succeeded at very well. I loved the main character, Mark, and his butting in to the strange mystery he comes across. Ariadne is only a side character in this, but she contributes some important information. I did like her, though. This was a surprise for me and something I would recommend for anyone who thinks that Agatha is a one-trick pony (it is not a locked-room variation, for starters, and one of the few titles of hers that features the occult). It’s decidedly creepier than many of her other works, and I’ve read about 30 of them in the past two years. If you find households of witchy women, séances, tarot and mysteriously dead ex-wives interesting, then this is for you!

Cover of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly JacksonA Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

This was a really intriguing mystery case, complete with case notes and book reports. Pippa is doing a school project, and bites off just a bit more than she can chew. But she doesn’t want to just do a project. She wants to solve a five year old murder case. And disobeying all limitations of her project, she enlists the brother of the accused murderer to help her do just that. It is fast and furious and I loved all the different ways that information was presented. I loved the methodical way this was presented, and the way that not just one suspect was the focus. The twists and turns were everywhere (so MANY suspects!), and I in no way saw the ending coming. A really great October murder mystery, and a good representative of the burgeoning YA Mystery genre.

 

Young Adult

Cover of My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand et alMy Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashton

This isn’t creepy so much as one of those classics reinvented – think Pride & Prejudice and Zombies. There are several things about this that make it more fun than the original version, besides the fact that it is just funny – including the author used as a character (and I really like Charlotte in this one), the authors introducing little asides with information about the society and rules of the time, and best of all, ghosts. It’s all very well done, and the ghosts and Charlotte are not just add-ons. The story is changed to such a degree that it flows effortlessly, and the changes don’t feel tacked on. It is funny with just a little tiny bit of spook, and perfect for anyone who loves Jane Eyre, but you don’t need to have read the original to enjoy this one. A lovely reimagined story of Regency England and the ghosts that only some can see.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Tears were shed. Laughter was heard. Hearts were softened. This was lovely. A really delightful, bittersweet, sad and joyful story. All the adjectives! Heart-warming, fascinating and dark. Thomas has done a service here, to his community, his culture, and his people. This is not only a great story, but it is the first novel about a trans character by a trans author to make it to the NYT bestseller list. I don’t say that for propriety’s sake. This is ground-breaking stuff. And hopefully, that means we will get lots more stories like this, though I think they will have quite a high bar to hurdle. I loved the descriptions of the cultural elements (the FOOD!), I loved the characters, and I loved the story. There was nothing here I did not love. The story is of Yadriel, a gay trans boy who just wants what his culture promises all boys like him – a chance to be a brujo. I don’t want to say too much, other than whoa Julian is a delight and I love Maritza and even little Luca. The ending of this was just knock-your-socks-off and I could go on about the messages but I mean, there are many. Suffice it to say that brujx live in the cemetery and spend their time “healing those who suffer and guiding those who are lost.” This is a great October read and a beautiful nod to Latinx culture and a wonderful addition to trans literature – and really, all literature.

Cover of Anna Dressed in BloodAnna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake

A cult favorite among YA readers, published in 2011, this is one I had been hearing about for a long time. I dismissed it initially as just romantic fluff (I’m snobby like that), but I am so glad that I finally picked it up to read, because a friend gave me a copy at a book swap! I was drawn in immediately by its protagonist – the first chapter is just amazing. Then it just gets creepier and creepier, with a soft hint of romance thrown in. Anna herself is, well, wow. What can I say? This is one that I had to put off reading at night – I could only read it during the day, and still, it was creeptastic. It has a dreamy quality, with just a hint of sympathy for our ghost, that made the ending pop. Those who easily get the jitters may not care for its haunted house setting, but if you are looking for a really spooky read, this is it. Fans of Supernatural and Ghost Adventures will eat this up. Published in 2011, there’s a reason it has stuck around. PS There is a second one in this duology!

 

Classics

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

This was another one for a readalong and it was a tiny little novella! I was so surprised it was so short. But man, it packs a punch. We get mystery, murder, intrigue, nefarious characters, mysterious letters and will codicils, and inexplicable happenings. It really did rivet me from beginning to end. What was going on? What was going to happen? Who was this Hyde? What was wrong with Jekyll? If you are looking for a quick classic to round out your reading, I can recommend this one. Better if you have someone to discuss it with (as most classics are). There’s a reason these have stuck around so long.

Ray Bradbury – 100 years

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite modern classics, and I was all set to read at least one of his other books. But I couldn’t get my hands on either of the titles I wanted for this post (Something Wicked This Way Comes or The Halloween Tree). There is at least one other fall-themed book in his oeuvre, and I hope to read one of the three before next year. So this isn’t a review, just a nod to one of the masters of fantasy and science fiction who paved the way for so many others. If you haven’t already, go pick up one of his works. Here is a story that ran on NPR in August, which gets to the heart of why his work still matters, and how close it is to all of us (includes an audio link).

Children’s Books

I always try to include children’s picture books in my Halloween Reads, but this year, with no book events, no trade shows, no indie bookstore browsing, I am at a loss for what the new releases even are. And since this is the type of things you like to take a look at before recommending, I cannot really recommend any spooky kid titles. I did buy my grandson two books, but they are more for the idea of the book than the story (he is only 15 months). However, I have a blog post here from Janssen Bradshaw, a blogger I’ve recently begun following, who has her finger on the pulse of all things kids and books. She has a list here of 31 Halloween books for kids that will surely help you find some kind of spooky or ooky reading for this time of year!

Ten for Ten

Ten years deserves ten more books! I am also sharing a post that rounds things out nicely. Check this post if you are looking for more YA witchy reads. YA tends to fit better in my wheelhouse of spooky but not too scary. I have worked with these bloggers (Briana and Krysta) in the past on Tolkien celebrations, writing guest posts for them. I know they never recommend something they wouldn’t enjoy themselves. So here is a list of 10 YA titles that feature witches. I have not read any of these! Several of them are on my list (I prefer the fantasy titles to the romance). There is a wide assortment here, from contemporary to fantasy to manga. Enjoy!

Finally

I always end up with a stack of half-read books that I had meant to include in this post, and it always goes up later than I had hoped. But this time, I’m going to save some of those for next year. I hope you have been able to read some spooky reads this month, and if you haven’t, I hope that this gives you a few ideas for something you can run out and grab.

I want to thank you for stopping by. If you have read previous posts (and here and here and here) (and here and here!), thank you very much! I don’t know if there is anyone out there who has been with me this entire ride. But when I realized this was my ten year post, I just got all misty. So thanks to anyone who reads, and those who comment, and the bloggers who have given me good content to link to, and the publishers who have sent me review copies (none for this post, but a girl can hope), and all of the other bookworms out there who know how it feels to just love books so much that it is hard to surface sometimes. This world is a mad, mean place and we can all use an escape from time to time.

And finally, I know it has been a long time since I’ve posted. I spent the spring and summer working in the dirt. It was the only way I could process all of the things going on in the world. I live near Minneapolis, so the death of George Floyd hit hard and close to home. My city is still healing. And the anxiety induced by the pandemic has taken its toll on an already fragile mental health situation (I received a depression diagnosis in February). So I planted. And now we have early snow so I am back at my desk. This is my favorite post of the year, and I had always intended to do it. But maybe now I can be present here a little more often. I hope this finds you well, and safe. Happy reading!

Halloween Reads 2014 Redux

October 28, 2020 / / 0 Comments

 

Welcome to my fourth annual round-up of Halloween reading (even though I’ve been doing this column since 2009, I apparently didn’t get this idea until 2011). This isn’t hard-core horror – I can’t sleep if I read things like Stephen King. I prefer something with a creep factor. It’s not hard these days to find creepy literature, focusing on macabre or ghastly subjects. The proliferation of ghost hunter shows (some of which I’m a fan), the apparent zombie craze and a sudden uptick in interest in cemeteries attest to the public’s appetite. I don’t see the attraction to zombies, myself, but I do find many aspects of macabre subjects fascinating. My favorite TV shows are Grimm and Sleepy Hollow. And of course, I love Halloween. Check out my previous years’ posts from 2011, 2012 and 2013.

You might find something you like on this year’s Halloween Reads list. In the past, I had always included one classic, a couple fiction pieces, and maybe a kid’s book or two, or a middle grade if I could find one. This year, I’m grabbing whatever strikes me that might put someone in mind of a creepy time of year. It’s a bit of an eclectic mix, and includes my first nonfiction selection.

Nonfiction

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

My first nonfiction selection, this is not for the squeamish. And even though her later title, Spook, might seem more appropriate for Halloween, I got to this one first. On the surface, it is an examination of what happens to bodies after people die. The terminology is very explicit – they are cadavers, they are bodies, rarely people or corpses. From Victorian grave robbing (the “resurrectionists”) to uses for bodies donated to science (including decay measurement and surgical education), to use of human body parts for medical and culinary preparations – yes, a bit of a discussion of cannibalism – to a very interesting discussion of ecological funerary practices, Roach covers a lot of ground (and truth, makes me not want to end up buried under it). It’s less a grotesque look at dead bodies than it is a thoughtful, intelligent, and good-humored look at all the ways we have left to go once we’re gone. And the surprise? It’s funny – often laugh-out-loud funny. Roach is a good writer, and her explorations are always humane and comprehensive. I know, you may think this is just ooky. But in the hands of Roach, it’s fascinating.

Mystery

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

This was Wendy Webb’s first novel, and she nailed it. She is now being billed as the Queen of the Supernatural Mystery! A woman finds out after her father dies that her mother, whom she had thought was dead, was actually still alive until very recently. A very strange and mysterious trip follows, back to her childhood home on Lake Michigan. It’s a wild, old place, and she finds ghosts there of all types.  The townspeople think that she and her father died, so her reappearance is pretty surprising. The ghosts of the past don’t give up, though, and she must try to find out what really happened to put them to rest. That, however, proves not to be so simple. There are many ghosts who do not wish to rest. In the process of solving the mystery, she finds that she has special powers and talents. I loved the ending of this story, the setting, the atmosphere of it.
A great read for blustery fall days. Something to put you in the mood for Halloween!

YA Fiction

Series, The Hollow by Jessica Verday (The Hollow, The Haunted, The Hidden)

If you can get past the angsty and entitled teenager, this is a solid good story about death, dying, and being left behind. It’s also about first love, true love, honor and doing what’s right. I initially looked at this in preparation for a panel I was on about the TV show Sleepy Hollow at a Con. But I got hooked and read all three books. It’s not creepy, though – at least it didn’t feel that way to me. It’s imaginative about what we might encounter – what is really happening on the other side. From creepy Reverants to soul mates to death days, there is a whole world there. The hobby of our heroine was interesting, too – perfume making. Her dreams and hopes are understandable, and the loss of her best friend all-encompassing, which I can truly relate to. The story takes great liberties but also has a smooth reverence for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and I love that. It was, on the whole, a good story with a satisfying ending – not easy to do after three books. Just suspend disbelief, enjoy the twists and turns, fall into it for an hour or three.

Classics

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

I hadn’t really had Henry James on my radar before, had never read him. This title was brought to my attention through an article about Her Fearful Symmetry, one of my all-time favorite books. You know those You Might Also Like algorithms on GoodReads? Yes, that’s where I found this. Perhaps the success of this story dwells in the ominous sense of foreboding that permeates it. This was written, after all, in 1898, in gaslight days, when there were shadows everywhere. In fact, that is basically what the book is comprised of: foreboding. Governess takes over secluded manor with two children who appear to be haunted. Not the manor – the children. Seemingly by the ghosts of her predecessor and the old valet. This is a governess with one heck of an imagination. Were they having an affair? Are they trying to come for the children? And more importantly, do the children want them to? It was so creepy at first, that I actually didn’t want to read it when I was home alone at night. I found, too, that the language can be difficult for our modern sensibilities. This book was part of a huge Gothic tradition that included Bram Stoker and others (see below), and if you can wade through the syntax, it may just get your heart pumping. Just don’t ask me what actually happened.

Classics I couldn’t find anywhere

The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux
Said to be the perfect mystery story, this is the classic locked-room murder by the author of The Phantom of the Opera (last year’s classic). A young woman cries out and upon bashing the door in, her father and brother find her nearly expired. How did it happen? I love this classic motif, from The Orient Express to Sherlock Holmes. And I’m dying to read the prototype.

The Shadow of Ashlydyat by Mrs. Henry Wood
Also mentioned in the article about Her Fearful Symmetry, I am determined to find this one, too. I am also quite curious about the indomitable Mrs. Wood. It would seem that this was her own favorite of her 30 novels, and in a distinctly un-Victorian turn, “an unscrupulous woman is left unchecked at the end.” The description in the article was, in fact, so alluring that I am grasping for this one as well.

 

I know, Abe Books. I just haven’t gotten that far yet. I am afraid I can’t get enough of creepy reading. Earlier in the year, I was reading The Corpse Reader (about the ‘father of forensics’ in China), Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (highly recommended!), The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood, and We’ll Be the Last Ones to Let You Down: Memoir of a Gravedigger’s Daughter by Rachel Hanel. Anyone looking at my GoodReads Challenge page would sense a definite trend. Hope you find something you like that puts you in the appropriately creepy state of mind for this time of year. Let me know what works for you – or what your own favorite creepy read is!

Halloween Reads 2019

October 27, 2019 / / 1 Comment

It’s time for another installment of spooky reads, folks! If you are looking to get some chills and thrills from your reading, look no further. However, note that I don’t do horror, so you probably won’t get any jump scares out of these selections.

If you’re counting, this is the ninth annual Halloween Reads list. I’ve been on the hunt since 2011. Since before this blog, when I posted on Examiner.com. Check the links at the bottom for the posts for previous years. This year, there seems to be a bumper crop of spooky reads! So without further ado, here is my list for your spoopy reading pleasure!

Continue reading

Book Review: Last Things by Jacqueline West

May 7, 2019 / / 1 Comment

Last Things is the newest YA from New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline West. Her award-winning The Books of Elsewhere is one of my favorite MG series. I was excited to hear that she was writing another YA, especially after reading her most recent book, The Collectors, last fall.

This story simply hummed! This story kept me turning pages well past midnight. *cough 2am cough* Not that reading this in the dead of night is the best idea. Because no. It is creepy, it is heebie jeebie, it is deliciously spooky. It might make you rethink the wisdom of reading alone at night next to an uncovered window. Just me? Oh, okay.

Continue reading

Halloween Reads 2018

October 29, 2018 / / 4 Comments

Need a good book that will send chills up your spine? I have a great selection this year! If you are not familiar with my Halloween Reads posts, I have been doing this since 2010 (first on Examiner.com, where I was the Minneapolis Books Examiner, and now on my own blog. Look for links at the end to these past posts for more recs!). I love it when the weather turns chilly and gloomy, leaves blowing across the grass, and a slight mist in the air. Join me! I’ll wait while you get your hot beverage of choice, a pumpkin latte? A hot cider? Good old hot chocolate? Mulled wine? Here we go!

Quick recap: these are not horror. I don’t have the nerves for that. I try to find a couple different genres, but really, I just post whatever I find that appeals to me!

Let’s start with a classic! Continue reading

Halloween Reads 2017

October 31, 2017 / / 3 Comments

Every year since 2011 I have done a round-up this time of year of spooky and creepy reads that I have enjoyed. I have sometimes included horror recommendations from other people (like in last year’s post from Alison at Little Bookworm), but I haven’t read those because I am a chicken. This year, though, I am happy to supply several titles that seriously fit the bill. I personally know a couple of these authors, but honestly, that has no bearing on my recommendation. They are all great stories.

At the bottom you will find links to my previous years’ posts, and an apology from me for falling off the radar here for so long. First, on to the books! Continue reading

A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander

October 26, 2017 / / 0 Comments

As October quickly zooms by, I am hard at work trying to get my Halloween Reads post done. This title will go on that list, but I wanted to do more than a capsule review on it. It deserves its own space.

I knew it would be good, having read Will’s previous books. But it was better than good. Here we have another stellar story from the indomitable Will Alexander. Continue reading

Halloween Reads 2013 Redux

October 31, 2016 / / 1 Comment

The third installment in my repost of my previous years’ Halloween Reads! Hope you enjoy this tidbit from the vault…

At the beginning of October, I was stumped for Halloween reading. Then I realized I had both of Will Alexander’s books, and they were rather breath-taking. Then I picked up a copy of The Graveyard Book that I had bought a couple of months ago, and was pulled right in. And then another book I was waiting for came in at the library, and I found a copy of The Phantom of the Opera in the spare room.

All that to say, there’s plenty to be had for spooky reading, folks. I’ve previously done up lists that included children’s books and a classic. I came up with a classic, but no children’ s book this year – if only because I found too many recent YA and adult titles that I wanted to read.

phantomoftheoperaThe Classic
Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
I saw the stage show here years ago, and of course the music is haunting. But I’d never read the book. I’m glad I did. While yes, this is a dated novel, and yes, it is undeniably a romance underneath it all, it is still spell-binding and suspenseful. Even having seen the stage show, I couldn’t remember all the plot elements that give this story its power. It has all the trappings of a good story: a glamorous setting at the Paris Opera (plus, it’s Paris!), and the mysterious below-decks world under the Opera, plus opera singers, counts and exotic foreign characters. And a mysterious dark man.

It’s all delivered in that typical turn-of the century style, addressing the reader directly (as is done in Dracula and Frankenstein). Which can detract from the modern enjoyment of the story. But it’s a classic story, and the dramatic style of the narrator can be overlooked, or might even add to it for you.

In addition, there’s that peculiar gaslight element, which is described so well – a hundred black butterflies flying just out of the corner of your eye. I think that the gaslight era was what gave us some of these great horror stories. It was certainly a factor in Dracula. Because the world looked different by gaslight. There were more shadows, more unknown things. Even the state of the Phantom is part of that. What really is his condition? Why must he wear the mask? How did he get that way? He is in the shadows, he is only half revealed ever – as anyone with any deformity was in those times. That is another element of the story that would have scared people back then – without so much of an understanding or a tolerance for the Other as perhaps we have today.

But it is still a good ghost story. (Note: if you have not read this original, you may want to pick it up and give it a go before you dive into the retelling by A.G. Howard, Roseblood!)

Two by William Alexander

Goblin Secrets (Zombay #1) and Ghoulish Song (Zombay #2)
Goblin Secrets, Alexander’s first novel, won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. That’s a tough act to follow. But in Ghoulish Song, he has done this delicious thing. He has used some of the same characters, and shown the scene from a different perspective, and then enlarged it so that we are seeing the whole day from someone else’s point of view. This serves to remind us that the world belongs to everyone, and our bit is only a small part of it.

In Goblin Secrets, there is Rownie, a sad orphaned boy who wants only to be reunited with his brother. This boy has the gift for wearing masks, which his brother had also. Sadly, that is illegal in Zombay. The gear-work guards will come cart you away if you so much as put on a fake nose. The boy is taken in by some goblins, and he hopes that they will not Change him. This boy, he has a lot to worry about.

ghoulishsongIn Ghoulish Song, we see the same days, most of them, from the point of view of a girl, who has somehow lost her shadow. And the different ways that a ghoul is dealt with are interesting – in some areas, they are burned. In others, they are dismembered and buried in separate pieces. And if you’ve lost your shadow, you’re a ghoul. This book has a lot to do with music, which tames real ghouls, and may just help her get her shadow back. In the meantime, she ends up stranded on a beach, trapped in a museum and facing a ghoul in a burned out house. This girl, she too has a lot to worry about.

I loved the duality of the same things meaning beginnings and endings: waving good bye and hello; the Name Day song and the funeral song; what holds it together can also tear it apart. True of so many things. Firmly grounded in worldwide folklore, both of these books are worlds built that you will somehow recognize but that are so original and surprising that you will just want more.

And the one thing these books are full of, other than imagination and a love of language, obviously, is truth.

graveyardbookTwo by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Sort of like a macabre version of Mary Poppins, which is to take nothing away from its originality. Except our young boy has run-ins with ghouls and witches and Hounds of God, among sundry other beings. But in the same way, he is shown an alternate, a parallel world, and this is where the original bits come in. Not only do we get that delicious British turn of phrase every so often, but the plight of the poor boy, whose family is murdered prior to the first pages, is bittersweet, and at once heart-breaking and heart-warming. His name is Nobody, Bod for short, and he is being raised in a cemetery by an assortment of ghosts and other-worldly creatures that give him quite a unique take on the world – and life. The illustrations are beautiful, spare and dare I say, haunting. This book just goes to show that not everything that looks scary is bad, not everything stupid is harmless, and not every monster is evil. This is one book that I wanted to revisit almost immediately, the kind that makes you sad that no, you can’t go back again and read it for the first time.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Okay, sue me, two Neil Gaimans. But I read this first, and it was scary! It is honestly no children’s story. There are beings in here that we cannot even fathom – and that can’t be explained. It is frightening, it is mind-blowing, and highly, highly magical, lovely and original. In this latest outing, Gaiman explores memory, childhood wonder and sacrifice, among other issues. I read this months ago, and the confrontation in the field still makes me shrink back. I loved our little hero, and I loved his darling friend, and we should all be so lucky as to have an ocean at the end of our lane.

Help for the Haunted by John Searles
I was probably more affected by what I expected from this book than from what actually happened in it. The ‘Don’t go down in the basement’ vibe will definitely feed you some chills, as will the inexplicable always-burning light bulb and for sure the creepy doll Penny. Searles is a bit too vague as to what actually goes on sometimes, though, in terms of the spooky stuff. It’s all a matter of being afraid of what you don’t know. The real story here is a murder mystery compounded by a young girl whose parents had a rather unusual occupation, and who left her dealing with the aftermath of it. The scariest part involves a very real psycho, but I will leave it to you to discover just who that is. It’s a sad story that is highly charged with all the right particles to make a believable masquerade as a ghost story.

Recommended but Not Read

This House is Haunted by John Boyne
I did not get a chance to read this one, but it goes on my list due to a wonderful review by a mystery writer that I respect very much, as well as other good buzz. It’s a good old-fashioned Gothic ghost story, complete with isolated manor, intrepid governess and things that go bump in the night (in Victorian England, of course). I do wish that I had read it for this year’s column, but it will have to wait for next year, along with House of Leaves, Mrs. Poe and some others.

To find out more about what I’m reading, look for me on GoodReads. Sometimes my reviews there are lengthy, and sometimes they are really my notes for writing reviews elsewhere. But my To-Be-Read shelf overfloweth. You can also find me on Tumblr as Imagining Things, where I post pictures of cemeteries, among other things.

 

This article first appeared on Examiner.com in October 2013. All copyright retained by author.

« Older posts

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© 2024 BookManiaLife

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑