Recommended Reads: Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

On this most spooooooky day of the year I thought it would be a great (and completely original) idea to give out some recommended reads for this Halloween.  I don't know about you, but since Halloween is on a Tuesday this year I won't be going too crazy - just me, Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix, and some creepy reads.

Since this is my first list of recommended reads I thought I would quickly lay out the groundwork for how I plan to do this - I figured I would give recommendations for Classics, YA and Adult Fiction because I think that way there is a read for EVERYBODY.  I may even throw in some Non-Fiction recommendations sometimes!

Here are my Recommended Reads for Halloween:

Classics

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - Obviously, Harry Potter has to be the first recommended read on the list of Halloween reads, and I consider it a modern day classic so it will be in the classics section. For those who haven't heard of Harry Potter (which I find hard to imagine), the books follow the adventures of a boy wizard as he discovers the wizarding world of Britain, and attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with his friends Hermione and Ron, as well as battling the evil Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter is the best fun fall read in general, as it has such an amazing setting, and obviously has witches and wizards, which are very Halloween-esque.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - I just finished this on audio book for the first time just before Halloween and I actually really enjoyed the rendition read by Dan Stevens (aka. Matthew Crawley from Downtown Abbey). It definitely wasn't as scary as what I was thinking (I blame all the movie renditions for putting that into my brain), and I found it was a much more philosophical read. The story follows Victor Frankenstein's journey to discover the secrets of life,  his creation of a humanoid creature when experimenting with the secrets, and the ultimate tragedy that befalls Frankenstein and his monster after its creation. The story really explores notions of who is the man and who is the monster, and the limits of science and ambition. It's a quick classic to read but definitely one everyone should get to.

Edgar Allen Poe - I highly recommended reading some of Poe's short stories and poetry this Halloween. They are usually pretty short, and most are definitely VERY creepy. I highly recommended The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado or The Black Cat. I can't summarise these short stories without giving away the creepy details but Poe is definitely a great read for anyone into horror. For those who liked Rowling's Tales of Beedle the Bard, Poe's short stories have similar fantastical and creepy settings.

Young Adult 

The Diviners by Libby Bray - This is, for sure, my #1 read this Fall. I read the first book in the series (The Diviners) in the beginning of October this year and then marathoned the second and third books in three days. They were absolutely addictive. The Diviners follows Evie O'Neil, who, after a party-trick gone wrong, is banished to New York City to live with her Uncle Will in 1926. Evie's party trick turns out to be the ability to read objects just by touching them - which is a good thing too since there appears to be a serial killer on the loose in New York and her uncle is helping the police to investigate the occult-like killings. Along with the help of a delightful cast of characters like Jericho, Sam, and Mabel - Evie sets out to find a killer using her powers, and encounters some ghostly activity in the process. The book is slow moving but completely addictive, the setting was so atmospheric that I practically felt like I was in the 1920s with Evie and the gang. In fact I even went through a little 1920s kick after finishing the series and grabbed as many books as I could get my hands on set in the same period. The writing was also fantastic, and actually really creepy -  I don't usually get scared reading books (granted I don't read many horror novels) but I actually had to read this series with the lights on in some scenes because the ghosts are SCARY. I highly recommend the whole series - they are perfect for some spooky Halloween fun.

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman - Another historical read with a paranormal twist. The Dark Days Club follows Lady Helen Wrexhall, who discovers the dark side of regency London while investigating the disappearance of her missing maid with the help of the intriguing, and possibly dangerous, Lord Carlston.  I absolutely adored this book, which was heavy on the action and light on the romance, and had a great take on demon lore. I especially like Lady Helen, who was the complete opposite of a Mary Sue in every way it was such a delight to read about her. For those who are tempted by pretty cover buys, let it be known that I absolutely HATED the book covers and avoided picking this series up for a while because of it, but fortunately I was convinced otherwise by a book seller who told me it was worth it.  And it was! I can't wait to read the next one in the series. (I just need it to go on sale somewhere so I can get it!)

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd  - Juliet Moreau is living life as a maid in London, trying to forget the scandal that ruined her family. However; Juliet discovers that her scandalous father is still alive, and living on an island continuing the experiments that caused such scandal. Accompanied by her father's assistant Montgomery, and a castaway named Edward, Juliet heads to the island and there learns the true depth of her father's madness. The books in the series are all retellings of  famous classic horror tales like Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and this first book retells the story of the Island of Doctor Moreau. I found the story pretty creepy, and gruesome in some parts, especially the ones detailing the experiments. It definitely has a great Gothic horror vibe. While there is a love triangle (groan I know),  I found the books overall to be well-written enough and intriguingly creepy enough to make up for that one unfortunate trope. This is a very underrated YA book, and I think more people should read it, especially around Halloween!

Adult Fiction

Gardella Vampire Series by Colleen Gleason - Vampires stalk the streets of 19th century London and it is up to one girl, Victoria Gardella, to accept her family legacy and rid the streets of the vampire scourge. This is literally regency era Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I LOVE IT. This is a very fun series about vampires, with a lot of action and a lot of romance. I especially love that the vampire hunting society - the Venators - are female led, and female dominant.  Victoria matures a lot through the novels, and the first one is my least favourite in the series - they only get better from there. And Colleen Gleason will keep you guessing about the love interest until the final book - which is maddening but helped to cement one of my favourite OTPs. It definitely isn't scary, but what is more Halloween than a vampire read?

Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - Answering the above question, what's more Halloween than a vampire read? How about a book with witches and vampires? The setting of this book is at Oxford University, and follows scholar (and reluctant witch) Diana Bishop, who accidentally calls up an old alchemical manuscript while working on her thesis research - setting of a chain of events that will change her life, and introduce her to horde of witches, vampires and demons. This book was an absolute delight - and the direction it took towards the end was completely unexpected. It wasn't your traditional urban fantasy romance novel - there is paranormal aspects, including a vampire love interest, but it was so well written and thought out that it was much less formulaic than many other paranormal fantasy reads I've read over the years. Also the love interest - YUM. I, unfortunately, have only read the first two books in this series but I own the complete trilogy and hope to finish it soon!

Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris - This is the series that inspired the TV show True Blood, which for its first four seasons was one of my favourite campy TV guilty pleasures. Now I must admit that I saw the TV show True Blood before I read the books (bad bibliophile move, I know), but once I found out the show was based on a book series I picked the first four up.  These are easy, fun, reads which also pack a punch in that they deal with real world issues through metaphors.  The books follow Sookie Stackhouse, a Louisiana waitress who can read peoples thoughts, and the mysteries she gets entangled with when she begins to become involved with newly revealed vampire population (who have "come out of the coffin" so to say). I loved the first 4 books of this series but I stopped reading after book 7 and I've heard that the many fans were pissed with how the series ends after book 11. So much like the TV show I like to pretend that the books end with book 4 (and season 4 of the TV show) - when all the focus is on the glorious vampire Eric (Alexander Skarsgard plays him in the show and he is my favourite character and dream human).

Non-Fiction

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson- This was a recent read I finished this Fall and it was SO CREEPY. It's a non-fiction, or as some call it "narrative fiction,  following the year of build-up to the Chicago's World's Fair from 1892-1893. While following the construction of the White City under the direction of Daniel Burnham, the book simultaneously follows the story of America's first serial killer H.H. Holmes. Both the men followed in this story are building their dreams, one for the glory of America, and the other to fulfil his twisted desires. Erik Larson has a great narrative going in the story, and really interweaves the story of the American dream, expressed through Burnham's Chicago, with the seedy underbelly of that same city - as shown through Holmes' "murder palace".  While it is a true story and is non-fiction, the book is written like a true narrative fiction - and would be a good place to start for those who aren't huge fans of non-fiction books but want to try some historical reading. It was an addictive read that I finished in a few days, and was sufficiently creepy that I definitely did not want to read it alone in the dark.