The Month in Reading - Spooky Books for Fall

I love Halloween! It's my absolute favorite holiday, which is why I always reference it in my books :)

Here's me with my brother one Halloween. I'm Minnie Mouse. 

Growing up, I regularly dressed up my pumpkins and named them.
Meet Ernie and Fred. Lol.

There is certainly something about fall that makes me want to curl up with a good book - especially one that's dark and brooding.

If you're looking for something to read, here are some of fall favorites:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

 

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

Ghost Stories by M.R. James

What are you reading this fall? Share below.

What's On My Nightstand - Reading Recommendations

Curious about what I'm reading? Here's what's currently on my nightstand:

A Monster Calls: I had such high hopes for this book, especially given its gorgeous artwork, but ultimately I was disappointed. I thought it was going to be able actual monsters, secret worlds, spooky things...magic. At least that's how it was presented. Instead, it was a depressing middle-grade book. The protagonist is picked on at school, his dad is ass, he hates his grandma and is forced to live with her, oh, and his mom is dying an extremely painful death. The story is really sad and at points gut-wrenching, especially if you've ever had anyone close to you die of cancer. I can appreciate what the author was attempting to do with this story, and some parts were genuinely creative, but ultimately I found it increasingly difficult to stay motivated to read it.

Tuck Everlasting: I remember when this came out in theaters back in the day and never knew it was a book until recently. A free copy recently landed in my lap and I've been reading it at night before going to bed. It's an extremely easy read with an intriguing concept. The best word to describe this book is cute. It's definitely geared towards a younger audience, or for people who just want something light and whimsical to read.

Collected Ghost Stories: This book is seriously creeping me out! The use of descriptions and story concepts are haunting, and dare I say reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft (yay!). James does an incredible job of transporting you into the story in just a few short lines. The biggest surprise about this book is that it's a lot easier to read than most Gothic horror stories, but it has just as much bite.

Suspended: This is a mysterious, fun, and easy to read story that is full of imaginative and vivid imagery. The Dream Travelers are an interesting and original concept, and the story’s many twists and turns keep you hooked until the last page. This story reminded me of The Night Circus meets Alice in Wonderland. I enjoyed getting to know each of the unique characters and their equally unique magical abilities. Noffke has written a delightfully whimsical book that is sure to delight fantasy and YA readers.
 
What's next? I just got The Chaos of Stars and am really looking forward to reading it. The concept of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses living in modern times sounds really interesting.

~~~

What's on your nightstand at the moment?

Have any books you want to recommend?

Please share below.  :D

Five Books You Need to Read for Halloween

Looking for some spooky stories? You’ve come to the right place. :) I recently shared my horror movie recommendations, and this week I’m sharing my favorite scary books. Before you start reading, here's what you need:

• A nightlight
• Funny show or movie queued up on Netflix to watch after 
• A good cup of tea (preferably chamomile) to help you sleep

Here we go…

In a Glass Darkly: I don’t know how this one slipped my radar for so many years, especially since it’s considered a classic, but now that I’ve picked it up, I can’t put it down! Although a bit slow at first, this book has developed into an extraordinarily creepy tale about a metaphysical doctor’s experiences with the supernatural. Each story creates an atmosphere of mystery and dare I say anxiety. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that I’ll never look at a monkey the same way again. This is easily one of my favorite books of all time. This quote pretty much sums up what to expect:

“My memory rejects the picture with incredulity and horror. Yet I know it is true. It is the story of the process of a poison, a poison which excited the reciprocal action of spirit and nerve, and paralyses the tissue that separates those cognate functions of the senses, the external and the interior. Thus we find strange bedfellows, and the mortal and immortal prematurely makes acquaintance.”

Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children: I read this book before it became a sensation (and a movie). It’s an interesting concept and I love the creepy vintage photographs that accompany the story. The one with those twins in the white outfits on the back cover takes the cake for the scariest picture. For a brief time, I started collecting creepy Victorian pics too, but they freaked me out so much I had to get rid of them. Although I didn’t really care for the ending, it’s still worth a read if you’re looking for spine-tingling fantasy.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone: This was a random buy, primarily chosen for its beautiful cover. The description about a devil’s shop of human teeth was equally as intriguing. This story is incredibly imaginative and descriptive, although at times, so descriptive that I felt a bit nauseous.

M.R. James Collected Ghost Stories: Considered to be the most terrifying writer in English, his classic supernatural tales draw on the terrors of the everyday, in which objects unleash terrible forces. Muhahaha.

H.P. Lovecraft’s Book of Horror: I know what you’re thinking. She’s recommending another thing of H.P. Lovecraft. Yes and no. This books is actually a collection of works that inspired Lovecraft. There are stories by Charles Dickens, Robert Luis Stevenson, and Edgar Allen Poe to name a few. I chose to include this book because it's an excellent collection of the masters of horror.

Have a scary book you're reading at the moment? Give me a shout below. I love recommendations. :)