The Legend of Sleep Hollow by Washington Irving

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

Reread (Listened on audio): here.

This story seems to stick with me, and I tend to want to reread it this time of year. I was glad to find an audiobook version on Youtube paired with some lovely paintings. It's a nice short listen, but full of atmosphere. Irving describes the scenery so well. It's pretty creepy to put oneself in the shoes of poor Ichabod Crane trying to get home on a dark night, traveling through a dark forest. For a book that is about 200 years old, this reads very smoothly. The language is a little more flowery and formal but it's not archaic and confusing to a contemporary reader, in my opinion.

As far as the characters, my sympathies did lay with Ichabod. I feel like Brom and Katrina deserve each other and Ichabod can do better than her. Yes, he's being materialistic in his pursuit of Katrina in part, which isn't great. However, Brom is a jerk, and Katrina is a very spoiled and immature person. If indeed Brom was playing a joke on Ichabod, it was very mean spirited, even cruel.

I confess I prefer the movie version of Katrina, played by Christina Ricci. (and yes, Ichabod is my favorite character that Johnny Depp has played). Plot-wise and story development wise, I did like how Burton's movie fleshes out the story. He takes some creative liberties, but honestly, I liked most of them.

But I digress. This is a very short read, so even if your schedule is busy, I recommend taking the better part of an hour to read or listen to this story.

Check out my review on Goodreads!

 

Tales for Spooky Season

 The October Country by Ray Bradbury

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

I really wanted to finish this in October.  Sadly, I finished it on November 1st.  I love Ray Bradbury, but I was a bit underwhelmed with this collection. Honestly, I disliked the first few stories intensely.  As I got further along I found I did start to like some of the stories.  It was so weird, because I normally eat up Ray Bradbury's prose, but some some reason, the audiobook narration was not working for me.  Maybe it was the narrator.   For sure, a bad narrator fit to the story can definitely mess up a reading experience.  The reader did capture the feel of the Early 20th Century to Mid-Century, which is the setting for the build of these stories, but he was a bit, I don't know, dry for me.  It could have been my mood as well.

I won't go through all the stories, because the ones that I didn't like, didn't impress me at all. I'll talk instead about the ones I appreciated the most.

"The Lake"

A sad story about regrets.  3 stars.

"The Emissary"

I really liked this story.  There are unanswered questions that make you think about the story long after it ends.  4 stars.

"Touched With Fire"

Wow, this story is timely for the particular era we live in.  3 stars.

"The Small Assassin"

Very dark, but I loved it.  The thought is so scary!  Why don't people listen to women?  5 stars.

"The Crowd"

This one was super creepy!  3 stars.

"Jack-in-the-Box"

Very fanciful in a characteristically Ray Bradbury way.  3.5 stars.

"The Scythe"

I liked epic scale of this novel. It goes to some truly existentially dark places. 4 stars.

"The Man Upstairs"

This was weird and kind of creepy.  I don't know whether to be more afraid of the man or the boy!  5 stars.

"There Was an Old Woman"

I loved this story. It has a really good sense of humor that had me chuckling.  5 stars

"Homecoming"

I liked the Addams Family vibe to this story. I need to check out the full-length novel based on these characters.  3.5 stars.

My overall impression of this volume is disappointment.  I wish I had read it instead of listening to it.  I have it on my Kindle and a paperback copy stored away, so I'll try to reread the book without the audio and see how I like it in the future.  I could see these as vignettes in a tv series.   Perhaps some were on the Ray Bradbury show back in the day.

I'd have to give this one <b>3.5 stars</b>.

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Once Upon a Tale of Terror

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys Anthology

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

I really should have taken notes as I listened to this, but I did not. So my review will be a bit slapdash. I had very low expectations for this because I don't like slasher movies at all. However, I do enjoy a good anthology and I wanted something to continue my spooky reading into November. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. I think pretty much all the writers in this collection are very good at what they are doing. There are some stories that are just plain beautiful. Even though the subject matter wasn't always to my taste, the writing was so good, I was transfixed. Another thing I really liked is every single story is different. While the name of the collection is a good heads up, you would find so much more than the title suggests.

I admit I ended up not finishing "Sleepless" because I really triggered on a personal level by the content. But I listened to all of other stories.

"The birds of Azalea Street" / Nova Ren Suma

What a start to this anthology. It was so weird and ugly and beautiful at the same time. 4 stars

"In the forest dark and deep" / Carrie Ryan

I liked and hated this one. It was twisted and disturbing and almost dream/nightmare-like. I didn't like the ending, so I took off a star because of that. As an Alice in Wonderland acolyte, I did get a kick out this interesting take on the story. 3.5 stars

"Emmeline" / Cat Winters

I wasn't that impressed with this one, to be honest. I love a good ghost story, but this one didn't work for me. 2.5 stars

"Verse chorus verse" / Leigh Bardugo

What a creepy story. It's a twisted look into the stage mom/mother manager and star daughter take. I have questions that didn't quite get answered. If you like vibes and the dark feel of a story more than a story that lays everything out clearly, you'd like this one. I feel like it ended too soon. I think it should have been a novella and not a short story as there are plot-lines that weren't developed that really needed more page time. 3.75 stars

"Hide-and-seek" / Megan Shepherd

This was one of my favorites. I loved the heck out of this story. I am crazy about Applachian folklore based stories and the atmosphere was immaculate. Also the story keeps moving along with no drags or pacing issues. I definitely want to read more from this author. 5 stars

"The dark, scary parts and all" / Danielle Paige

If Carrie and The Omen had a baby pretty much sums this one up. It was hard to take this one seriously. It had an almost "Is this supposed to be funny" kind of feel like the new Sabrina show on Netflix. It wasn't bad, it just didn't have that much of an impact on me other than for obvious reasons. 3 stars

"The flicker, the fingers, the beat, the sigh" / by April Genevieve Tucholke

This story was so beautiful and heartbreaking. The imagery is as exquisitely rendered as Jung Hoseok's face. This will stay with me for a long time. 5 stars

"Fat girl with a knife" / Jonathan Maberry

I love Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger series, and there are aspects to this story that make it feel like a cousin to that series. It was a bit too short for my tastes, but I really liked what was there. I would like more from this character. 4 stars.

"Sleepless" / Jay Kristoff

I didn't finish this one because I was triggered by the subject matter. It's a me thing based on my own family dynamics. You might like it. Not Rated

"M" / Stefan Bachmann

Loved, loved, loved it! I hate bullies, and I appreciate books where the predator becomes the prey. Hope that's not a spoiler. So well written and the setting and storyline hits me in my Gothic-loving soul. 4.5 stars

"The girl without a face" / Marie Lu

I wasn't that keen on this story. It's well done and I like the twist in plotting. It just had a yuck factor with the main character I couldn't get past. 3 stars

"A girl who dreamed of snow"/ McCormick Templeman

Unique story that is completely unpredictable. It's such a divergent turn in this collection. 4 stars.

"Stitches" / A.G. Howard

Absolutely loved this story. It has a Southern Gothic/Rural dark fantasy feel that always sucks me in. There's something so beautiful about the tale, even with some ugly subject matter. It feels like a fairy tale. 5 stars

"On the I-5" / Kendare Blake

So many times, I thought I knew where this was going, and I was so very wrong. It reminded me of the movie Freeway. I am not a big fan of the movie overall, but Reese Witherspoon's character was awesome. This just had a bit of that feel with the character, but it's so unique. It was really dark and twisted, and I loved it. 4.5 stars.

I was so impressed by this collection. I'm glad I got the audiobook because the narrators were excellent, and listening to the collection added so much more to the experience. I definitely recommend this volume to dark fantasy and horror lovers. There's little of everything in here with consistent quality throughout the collection. That's what I look for in a good anthology.

I'd give this an overall rating of 4 stars.

 

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HP Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural: Classic Tales of the Macabre by Various 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

 This is the review of the Audiobook, which I listened to in the month of October for my October Scare Fest challenge. Here is the list of the stories in order, which I got from the editor, Stephen Jones' website:

INTRODUCTION: SUPERNATURAL HORROR IN LITERATURE Stephen Jones
FOREWORD: NOTES ON WRITING WEIRD FICTION H.P. Lovecraft
THE TALE OF THE GERMAN STUDENT Washington Irving
MARKHEIM Robert Louis Stevenson
WHO KNOWS! Guy de Maupassant
THE INVISIBLE EYE Erckmann-Chatrian
THE TORTURE OF HOPE Villiers de l'Isle Adam
MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE Edgar Allan Poe
WHAT WAS IT? Fitz James O'Brien
THE MIDDLE TOE OF THE RIGHT FOOT Ambrose Bierce
THE TURN OF THE SCREW Henry James
THE DEAD SMILE F. Marion Crawford
THE WIND IN THE ROSE-BUSH Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER Charlotte Perkins Gilman
THE RECRUDESCENCE OF IMRAY Rudyard Kipling
THE HANDS OF KARMA (INGWA-BANASHI) Lafcadio Hearn
THE BURIAL OF THE RATS Bram Stoker
THE RED LODGE H.R. Wakefield
THE CAPTAIN OF THE POLE-STAR Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
THE VILLA DÉSIRÉE May Sinclair
THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT William Hope Hodgson
NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER Arthur Machen

I will list my thoughts on each one as much as I recall or my impressions I had of the stories. Several are rereads.

I would begin by saying that I have complicated feelings about HP Lovecraft. He was a very bigoted, racist person. While he had some good ideas and I do like a few of his stories, I find his writing very overwrought and formulaic. That is just my personal opinion. I know many people love his work. Clearly Lovecraft has had a lasting influence on the genre of horror, and I respect that. I feel that I prefer works that interrogate Lovecraftian themes and look at his concepts through the view point of a multicultural society and from the vantage point of overlooked and often marginalized people.

Lovecraft was a scholar of the horror genre. He read widely and considered himself an educated person on the formative stories in the genre. This collection is from his perspective and includes works that he believed stood out and are formative to the genre. I think that readers who are getting into older horror would get something worthwhile out of this collection. I have a huge interest in classic horror, and I've read quite a bit of it. Not surprisingly, I've read several of these through my years of digesting the genre. I did not personally enjoy all the stories, so it's questionable to me how formative they are. I believe that is probably an eye of the beholder.

I would love to hear others' thoughts on the stories he chose and if you agree that they are standout tales. I feel like there are some noticeable absences in this volume that I would most definitely have added to my list.

(Cracks fingers) Here we go!

INTRODUCTION

Sadly, I don't remember my impressions of the Introduction. I probably tuned it out, to be honest, as I am not that big of a personal fan of Lovecraft. I think it told me as much as I already know about him.

THE TALE OF THE GERMAN STUDENT Washington Irving

I think I've read this one a couple of times before, and I enjoy it. I found it very atmospheric and gothic, with a bit of romance thrown in. It's one of my favorites by Irving (along with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). 4.5/5.0 stars

MARKHEIM Robert Louis Stevenson

This is also a reread. I think it reads between than it works as an auditory experience. I found it rather tedious. A long, drawn out beginning but a tight ending. RLS was very good at psychological horror and this is one of those stories that about the horror inside of the human mind and heart. 3 stars.

WHO KNOWS! Guy de Maupassant

This is an odd story. It almost made me want to giggle a little. What if something stole all your furniture but brought it back, leaving no explanation of either event? I guess that's pretty much what this story is about. I take gaslighting scenarios very personally, so it was bit triggering. 3 stars.

THE INVISIBLE EYE Erckmann-Chatrian

Yikes, this one was creepy. It's kind of about being obsessed with solving a puzzle, if not unquenchable, all consuming curiosity. I feel like Hitchcock's Rear Window was inspired by this, or perhaps it comes from that Collective Unconscious. It feels like that timeless kind of story that they are still making horror movies about. I was holding my breath near the end. Legitimately, this story could have gone any way. 4 stars

THE TORTURE OF HOPE Villiers de l'Isle Adam

How aptly named Conte Cruels are. They are a storytelling that "is any story whose conclusion exploits the cruel aspects of the 'irony of fate," according to Wikipedia. This fits this short and nasty story very well. I have read it before, and it wasn't any more feel-good as last time. Well written, though not to my tastes. 3.5 stars.

MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE Edgar Allan Poe

As an Edgar Allan Poe aficionado, it's shameful to admit I zoned out on this one. I was distracted by other stuff when I was listening, so it's probably not even fair to rate it.

WHAT WAS IT? Fitz James O'Brien

I've read this one before. One part about this story made me feed really bad and seemed unnecessarily cruel, so that diminishes my liking of the story. Is this a ghost story, isn't it? 3.5 stars

THE MIDDLE TOE OF THE RIGHT FOOT Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce is a craftsman in the short horror (often psychological) story. There's a really sharp edge to this one, but it ends perfectly. 4 stars.

THE TURN OF THE SCREW Henry James

This is my second reread and it's official. I do not like this story. I know, I know, every one likes this story. Not me. Ugh! 10 words when 2 will suffice-check. Beating around the bush-check. Refusing to get to the point-check. No. I feel like I'm being generous giving it 3 stars. It's more like 2.5 stars. See my longer review of the story here.

THE DEAD SMILE F. Marion Crawford

Wow, this was an intense book. It has some seriously dicey subject matter. It's super creepy too. I can't really say much about the plot because it would spoil everything. I will say it has a very Gothic feel. Just imagine having someone give you weird, evil smile like that. Nightmare fuel. 4 stars.

THE WIND IN THE ROSE-BUSH Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman

I've read this story before. I liked hearing it as an audiobook, and I appreciated the narrator. This book has a gaslighting element as well. It really frustrated me, and I felt bad for the protagonist. The good news is that secrets and dark deeds always come to light. It's a very interesting approach to a ghost story. I read a lot of ghost stories. I can honestly say that it's one of my favorite genres. So it's nice when an author takes a different path with a ghost story. 4 stars.

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER Charlotte Perkins Gilman

This is my third time reading this story, and I think every time I read it, I notice something different. I honestly think that there is no one way to interpret this story. It's a brilliant look at mental illness, how harmful medicine has been to women's health largely (and still is) to a distressing extent. It's also about sexism and misogyny, but I do feel there is a legitimate supernatural angle as well. It just so much to unpack with this story. I recommend reading this in October if you want a longer short story to put you in the mood, but also has an impactful message. 4.5 stars

THE RECRUDESCENCE OF IMRAY Rudyard Kipling

I question that this is a supernatural story. I'd classify it as a thriller/murder mystery instead. Very steeped in colonialism and there are some dated and racist elements. 3 stars.


THE HANDS OF KARMA (INGWA-BANASHI) Lafcadio Hearn

There is something about Japanese folklore stories that will make your head stand on end. This story was horrifying to listen to, and the more I think about it, the more I shudder. It's very short, but the short horror stories almost seem to pack a stronger punch when they are well done. 4.5 stars.

THE BURIAL OF THE RATS Bram Stoker

I definitely took issue with Lovecraft's derisive comments about Stoker in the foreword to this story. I think Stoker was a very good writer. Interestingly, Lovecraft chose this story, which is more of a thriller/suspense than a supernatural horror. Having said that, it is very suspenseful! 4 stars.

THE RED LODGE H.R. Wakefield

Malignant hauntings are the ghost stories that mess with me. It's not so bad if there's a ghost in your house, but it's not actively trying to kill you. But the ones that are bent on destroying any who stay in the place, or so scary. It's the fact that you should be safe in your home, and there is an unseen force determined to cause you harm. I loved the plotting on this one and things build to a terrifying conclusion. My only question is, why did it take you so long to leave that place? 4.5 stars.

THE CAPTAIN OF THE POLE-STAR Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This story felt long and drawn out, but it's good. Kind of on the melodramatic side (which is probably why Lovecraft favors it). I like how the skeptic is slowly brought to the point of accepting the truth that there is a supernatural cause to their trobules. Along with the very real threat of the elements as their ship is iced in at the North Pole and they are running out of food. I haven't read The Terror yet, but the story reminded me of the premise of that book. Overall, I liked this one. 3.5 stars.

THE VILLA DÉSIRÉE May Sinclair

You had to wonder why she didn't clue in that something was not right about this guy. He has a creepy smile and he's really pale. I mean, come on! Anyway, this was a very short story, and not much happens until the very end. But it has a really intense moment towards the end. Definitely has some Gothic kind of elements, but also what is going on? 4 stars.

THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT William Hope Hodgson

I've read this one before, and I'm similarly impressed with it. How creepy! It's not a ghost story, and I will not spoil it for you. It has a whole other equally frightening type of horror that hits those of us who are, let's say, germaphobes, where we live. Kind of melodramatic, but it works for the story. 4 stars.

NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER Arthur Machen

This last story is probably one of the scariest in the collection. Machen just has a way of creating these occulty kind of horrific/weird fiction stories that get under your skin. This one definitely gave me an itch under my skin. It also reminds me a little of The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories, but from the viewpoint of a loved one. It has a build towards the climax that is deftly accomplished as things get increasingly unnerving for the main character as he views his brother's changes in character. The ending, oh, goodness gracious. Makes me want to read more of Machen's stories. 4.5 stars.

Final Thoughts

This was a long review, and I thank you for taking the time to read it. Overall, it was an entertaining listen. The narrators did a good job. As I stated above, I didn't love all the stories. I am surprised which ones are missing and curious about some that were included. If you just want a volume of preselected classic horrorish stories to read, it's probably worth your time. If you don't like HP Lovecraft or anything associated with him, many of these stories have been anthologized multiple times, and with the digital age, it's very easy to find almost all of these books for free or for cheap in electronic format. I didn't think Lovecraft's forewords before each story added much to the volume, but that's just me. I'm always happy to read a good anthology, so it definitely wasn't a waste of my time. It was deliciously creepy to read some of these as I drove home from work on a cool October night.

Overall rating (as a collection): 4 stars!

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The Power of Roots

 

Root Magic by Eden Royce

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

I love to read spooky middle grade books, and this is definitely that. But it's also more than that. It's a coming of age story and a book about the importance of family, embracing and being strengthened by one's heritage and culture, and making good decisions that are often tough. Young Jezebel is the daughter of a family that has strong Gullah traditions, including root magic. It was never something to feel weird about until she started school and she was bullied by the other girls in her grade. Her twin brother Jay seems to fit in very well and has friends, but she has none, except Suzie, a new girl. Jezebel is mourning her grandmother whom she was very close to, and is learning root magic from her uncle Doc. Her mother is a hard working single parent as their father disappeared years ago. Her mom instills strong values in her children that have clearly taken root in Jezebel. However, she is in a period of struggle and change, and a dark force seems fixated on her. Along with a racist deputy bent on causing trouble for the black families in their area, particularly the root magic practitioners.

There is a lot of complexity to this novel. The writing is very good. I think that readers going into it, should understand that while there are some thrilling and very supernatural moments, this story is more focused on Jezebel's character arc. With that in mind, I can't imagine a reader not being sucked into this earnest and beautiful narrative. The narrator captures the young lead character very well, and adds a sense of pathos to her struggles. I was bullied when I was a kid, and it's really hard to see kids getting treated like that by others. This book also deals with racism as the family is literally being harassed and abused by a law enforcement person, and they seem to have no protection from him. Sensitive readers will definitely find themselves being impacted some some aspects of this storyline. There is a sympathetic member of the sheriff's department, but his ability to help them is practically nil. Sadly, not much has changed in that scenario.

Royce is excellent at building tension. The suspense-filled scenes totally drew me in. The uncanny aspects are both fascinating and at times deeply creepy. I absolutely loved some of those aspects of the story, which I cannot talk about because it would spoil the story.

Root Magic is a great book to read in October, or really any time of the year. I loved the descriptions of the food and culture of Jezebel's family. The setting is so well-described, I could feel the heat of the swamps and hear the sounds of the animals that lived there. This book made me so hungry. I love rice, so I definitely got into that aspect of the story. But the characterization is the star of the book. Every one of the main characters and the pivotal secondary characters are well developed and distinct. As much as I would have liked the bullying issue resolved more definitively, I realize that things happened the way they should have. I highly recommend this book.

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The Tree of Life and Death

 

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

 I picked this one up as an audiobook from my library because I love middle grade books and I am quite drawn to horror books in this age genre. I feel like authors can be so creative about crafting a scary tale for readers of this age. I went into it knowing nothing, just wanting a creepy tale, and definitely got that.

The author nails the gothic atmosphere. It felt very grounded in the 19th century. The narrative isn't preachy, but it's clear that the author did research and understood his characters and the world they lived in. For me, that makes for great storytelling because their motives, choices and struggles are intrinsic to the story. Instead of being pulled out of the narrative by an interlude where you feel like the author is giving you tidbits on historical events, the history notes are fully part of the story. Now I love history, and I enjoyed reading a good fictional tale and learning more about the period it's set in. But I also think it's important to keep things organic, and that was done really well.

The story is about two orphans, Molly and Kip, who are Irish and have had terrible experiences. They are homeless and things are desperate for them. Molly is at the age where she might have to do some questionable things to provide for her younger brother. And Kip has a leg that is disabled, which limits what he can do to bring in money to help them. Sadly at this time, there are no lawes preventing children working and they have no other options. They end up traveling to a small town in the English countryside and seeking employment at a house that the locals avoid. But they are so desperate for a safe place of shelter, they are willing to take the chance. Molly is a born storyteller, a craft that she has used to insulate Kip about some tragic truths about why they are separated from their parents. Molly also uses her stories to keep her own hope alive. When she convinces Mrs. Windsor to hire her, Molly's gift of persuasion comes in handy, as the lady is reluctant to hire children as servants.

The story is from the viewpoint of both Molly and Kip as they encounter life with the Windsors in a house that feels deeply off. While Molly is highly resourceful and insightful, Kip also has a gift for seeing the essence of a situation and has a very strong compass that guides his actions. He has such a strong sense of determination and is both kind and practical. Their Irish heritage is looked down upon by many (a time when Anti-Irish bigotry was rampant), however, it is a strength for them as they draw from their upbringing (and the lessons their parents instilled in them) to navigate their difficult circumstances.

As I mentioned earlier, Auxier builds wonderful atmosphere as the story progresses and more become clear about the house and the dominating force of the large tree that is actually growing through the house. Each one of the Windsors has fallen under its spell as the tree has both enthralled and entrapped them. Molly and Kip are not immune, and that ratchets up the sense of threat for readers. It's very much a case of being careful what you wish for (that's all I'll say).

I appreciate how the true malevolent force was revealed and even that was entwined with the ongoing theme of storytelling. As a lover of books and stories, that resonated with me.

This story has some genuinely scary moments. It was also very thrilling. I got very involved in the plot as I listened. I cared about the characters and I wanted them to be safe. I like that Molly, Kip and the Windsors, the father Bertram, mother Constance, and kids Penny and Alastair, are all flawed humans, with good and bad points. While some of the characters may seem unsympathetic at some points, their inner vulnerabilities are revealed and it's clear that they have hurts and anguish, hopes and dreams that drive their choices. The theme of family and what you would do to protect yours, but also how much family matters to you is a huge part of the narrative.

I was glad I finished this one in October although I started it at the end of September, because it really fits the spooky mood of the month. Yesterday I was driving to and from work, and it was a blustery, rainy day, and it was just the perfect atmosphere. I think this book would be perfect to read on such a cold, rainy day curled up with a hot drink, wearing wool socks and a fleece blanket. Even better if you have a cat or dog hanging out with you.

The narrator was really good. Her accents were gorgeous. I loved her Irish accents for Molly and Kip. It was very involving and thrilling to listen to this story.

This was a solid four star read. I think I would have rated it higher if it hadn't take a while for things to get going. Initially I wasn't sure what I was reading and where the plot would go. It's not necessarily a bad thing if you want a story that slowly builds up. I think I wanted things to get spooky a little more soon. It appeals to me as a lover of classic and gothic horror stories, and I think the concept was very interesting, and it felt unique to me.

I do recommend this book to middle grade readers who like the spooky and creepy, and older folks like me who enjoy this theme and reading books for this age range.

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October Scare Fest 2021

 

As I actually have time this year to do some thematic reading, my goal is to dive in full steam to pick up my tradition of October spooky reading.  so, here we are... October Scare Fest 2021!

Here is my tentative list.  I am very certain I won't have time to read all these books, but go big or go home, right.

E-Books 👻

Horror on the High Seas:  Classic Weird Sea Tales Selected by David A. Sutton

Dark Dixie II: Tales of Southern Horror by Ronald Kelly

Amongst Screaming Things: A Collection of Cozy Horror by Various

The Platform Edge: Uncanny Tales of the Railways Edited by Mike Ashley

Tales of Terror: from the Tunnel's Mouth by Chris Priestley

Audiobooks🧛

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

Scary Tales to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

HP Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural by Various Authors

Yeah, I know I'll be lucky to read three or four of these, but at least I'll try!

Happy Spooky Halloween!🦇

I'd love to hear what you're reading this month. Feel free to post in the comments section.