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OCTOBER - Spellbinding or Spooktacular

“Read a book that involves something spooky or magical or both.��

Comment below with the name of the book you read this month and what you thought of it

Finished reading Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams. This is the 3rd in the Charmed Pie Shoppe series. MC is a witch.

Just finished “Into the Forest: Tales of Baba Yaga�� by Lindy Ryan (editor), a book of short stories by multiple authors. A good creepy read with many different perspectives on the legend. See my review here: /review/show...

October Challenge Complete: Spellbinding or Spooktacular
“Read a book that involves something spooky or magical or both.��

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig

I love Wendig’s writing, though most of his book that I’v read have been science fiction. But having read The Book of Accidents, I knew he could write horror, too. And, boy, can he. Who would have thought that apples could be so terrifying?

But they are, especially as some of the residents of Harrow come under their spell. But why some and not others? That question is a big part of the fight that those not taken in by the fruit must wage. It’s a bitter battle, as it’s often against people that they know and love.

There’s a fairly large cast of characters, which is something I’ve come to expect from Wendig. In that, his writing is very much like King’s and McCammon’s, two of my favorite horror writers. So no surprise that Wendig has been added to that vaunted list.

Something I found rather odd, the mentioning of two characters who play large parts in Wendig’s Wanderers and Wayward, making this book almost a prequel to those two. If so, the town’s problems aren’t over.

CHALLENGE COMPLETE: Back to a favorite for spooky month - Broken Homes (Rivers of London #4) by Ben Aaronovitch �� not the best in the series but we get to see more of Nightingale’s power & Peter’s potential. Plus what the heck is up with Molly & the computer?!

Completed the October Challenge: I chose a spooky read, Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. A woman becomes the nanny of a young boy with very disturbing secrets. It was a quite interesting and thrilling ghost story that I really enjoyed reading.

�� I Am Behind You - John Ajvide Lindqvist
/book/show/4...

I’ll keep this very brief.
1. What the fuck?
2. Amazing.

Keeper of enchanted rooms

Challenge complete!
I read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and I was thoroughly creeped out! (And I'm probably the last one to read this.)

Book: Jogie, Johnnie and Rosie and the Ocean Rescue! By Michael Panzner
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the unconventional type of magic but this book has unicorns and they have powers that help keep the environment clean. It’s a really cute children’s book and the illustrations are beautiful. Just some words that I think may be too complex for little kids.

I read Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth.

Squeezed in two more for the month, one good and one so-so.

First one was Phantoms by Dean Koontz, this was a winner in the creep factor! An older book that did not lose any points for being older. Review: /review/show...

Second one was Conjuring the Witch by Jessica Leonard. This one would have been better with some better writing, the plot and setting were good, but the writing was somewhat amateurish, at least through most of the first part of the book. It was a short book, so stuck with it anyway.

I read the Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.

I really liked this book and I am excited about the sequel.

Cecil wrote: "Squeezed in two more for the month, one good and one so-so.

First one was Phantoms by Dean Koontz, this was a winner in the creep factor! An older book that did not lose any points fo..."

I also remember enjoying Phantoms back in the late 90s when I read it. However, l haven't been enjoying his newer books. He used to be my favorite author but I keep getting disappointed.

The following books read in October have that spooktacular and magical element.

- As Old as Time - 4 stars - retelling of Beauty and the Beast
-Vampires of El Norte - 4 stars - Vampires in the wild west
-Payback's a Witch - 3 stars - book 1 - all about witches
-From Bad to Cursed 3 stars - book 2 - all about witches
-Back in A Spell - 3 stars - book 3 - all about witches
-In Charms Way - 3 stars - book 4 -all about witches
-Carrie - 3 stars- telekinetic powers at bay
-Duma Key - 3 stars - Ghost story and mythical beach feel
-Firestarter - 3 stars - firestarter gift
-Joyland - 3 stars - ghost story and haunting murder mystery
-Our Shadows have Claws - 4 stars - collection of ghost stories, vampires and shapeshifters
-Powers of Darkness- 4 stars - retelling of Dracula
-The Haunted - 4 stars - part 2 of the Sleepy Hollow retelling and forbidden love story
-The Witch's Daughter- 3 stars - witches, faeries and magic
-The Return of the Witch - 3 stars - witches, faeries and magic
-Shadowfires - 2 stars - when the dead can't die
-Monstrilio - 4 stars - modern Mexican Frankenstein
-Ordinary Monsters - 4 stars - special talents at play
-The Hunger- 4 stars- zombie twist on the Donner Party tragedy
-Pinata - 4 stars --creepy ancient demons and Mexican folklore
-The Haunting of Alejandra - 5 stars - based on La Llorona
-Old Country - 5 stars- Indian spirits spook new settlers in the Grand Teton Country - haven't enjoyed an horror story for the longest and this story delivered.
-A Touch of Darkness - 4 stars- Hades & Persephone love story
-The Lie Tree - 4 stars - a tree that feeds on lies
-The Haunting of Blackwood House - 5 stars a satisfying haunted house with scary ghosts story.

I forgot to post my October read! It was The Empty Grave which is the final book of the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud. I loved this series. It was my favorite series this year and I would highly recommend it to anyone! It's spooky and keeps you on the edge of your seat but it also has a wonderful group of characters that are engaging and lovable. Two thumbs UP!

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix.

Challenge complete!

The legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving