2024 October Reading Challenge

[Elizabeth]

I have the Spooky Scary Skeletons song stuck in my head, which means you all get a spooky challenge for October! Read a book that's spooky or scary this month.

There are so many great types of options, clearly horror counts, books that lean into paranormal type things count, nonfiction books about hauntings or ghosts count, silly and scary kids books count. There are so many options!

For kids books I would recommend Creepy Carrots!. There's always The Celery Stalks at Midnight and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark for some classic options, and Scary Stories for Young Foxes for a newer kids option.

I feel like horror is having a bit of a resurgence in teen fiction, you could try some of these newer titles The Black Girl Survives in This One, or Cursed Cruise, or Our Wicked Histories.

And of course, with the adult fictional titles there are stalwart horror authors Stephen King, Dean Koontz, but you might want to try Chuck Tingle's Camp Damascus (which is also a Reader's Choice Nominee). You also might enjoy these slasher type titles Clown in a Cornfield, Final Girls, You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight.

You could be more interested in more supernatural horror like Piñata or The Hollow Places, or The Haunting of Velkwood.

For psychological horror, you can try: She Is a Haunting or Portrait of a Shadow or Rock Paper Scissors.

Have fun!

[Teresa]

A cute children's graphic novel is "Garlic and the Vampire". The little garlic is afraid of meeting the big bad vampire.

[Brittany]

Yay! I already have a bunch of spooky books lined up :)

Some of the books I've got planned are

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche

[Clancy]

I'm going to read (probably both) A Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari and/or Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker.

[Debbie]

I'm reading a real horror story right now, though it's so long I doubt I'll finish it before the end of the month: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer I'll have to look for something a little more achievable. Maybe I'll do a re-read of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House or maybe The Lottery.

[Em]

I will be reading Séances are for Suckers by Tamara Berry. I'm not big on scary reads, and the description on that one makes it sound like it just lightly dabbles in the topic. Completed Oct. 12.

[Greg]

Debbie wrote: "I'm reading a real horror story right now, though it's so long I doubt I'll finish it before the end of the month: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by [..."

I've read that book. Good. So long! And while the topic is horrible in a way, I don't know that it's horror. Unless you count politics as horror...

[Elizabeth]

Brittany wrote: "Yay! I already have a bunch of spooky books lined up :)

Some of the books I've got planned are

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

[book:Jurassic..."

I love Jurassic Park. I think it's one of my favorite Crichton books. Although, I've only read a handful.

[Elizabeth]

Em wrote: "I will be reading Séances are for Suckers by Tamara Berry. I'm not big on scary reads, and the description on that one makes it sound like it just lightly dabbles in the topic."

Me neither. Were I to do this challenge, I'd definitely do the books I picked from the picture book category. lol.

[Linda]

I am going to read Anya's Ghost

[Em]

Elizabeth wrote: "Em wrote: "I will be reading Séances are for Suckers by Tamara Berry. I'm not big on scary reads, and the description on that one makes it sound like it just lightly dabbles in the ..."
Haha. I'm using these monthly challenges to force myself to read things I might not have chosen myself, so I'll commit to trying one spooky book.

[Audrey]

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark are the kind of stories you can tell little kids around a campfire.

I recommend Odd Thomas and children's ghost stories by Betty Ren Wright.

[Carolyn]

I am going to read The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche

I would also recommend The Graveyard Book by
Neil Gaiman and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

[Deborah]

I an going to read Scary Stories for Young Foxes. Bonus, it checks off a Newbery book for me. I also have Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray in queue.

[Greg]

I read The Inmate by Frieda McFadden.

It's a thriller, which can be scary. I've done more horror than I care to, recently.

[Audrey]

I read Small Spaces, MG story perfect for Halloween.

[Brittany]

I finished Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

[Deborah]

Brittany wrote: "I finished Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"

How was it?

[Brittany]

It wasn't really my thing... but it was quite the experience

[Teresa]

So far, I've listened to the radio adaptation of 1. Ray Bradbury's short story, Zero Hour, originally broadcast in 1950 and
2. Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery, from 1951.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I'm reading a nonfiction about plagues right now so that seems fitting 😜
Anything by T Kingfisher is a great choice for the lighter side of horror!

[Carolyn]

I realize that this may be a stretch and definitely out of the box, but I'll explain why thought this would work. I read Wrath of the Triple Goddess which is the latest Percy Jackson. Halloween is important in this story; zombies; ghosts; witches; potions; magic.

[Deborah]

I just finished Scary Stories for Young Foxes. I will never look as Miss Beatrix Potter the same ever again...Shiver.

[Linda]

I finished Anya's Ghost It was an OK book. Not what I expected.

[Mary]

I finished Don't Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders. It was fine.

[Teresa]

I listened to Orsen Wells War of the Worlds, from 1938.

[Teresa]

And an adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Btw, did you know that the headless horseman is a Revolutionary War soldier?

[Alicia]

I just finished The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden. It is definitely a thriller

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Finished The Plague Cycle

[Debbie]

I just realized I never posted that I'd finished my re-reading of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ( Review )

[Teresa]

I listened to a radio play of Ray Bradbury's 'Mars is Heaven'.

[Debbie]

I don't know if you've already chosen a topic for November but I have an idea. The Constitution, it's formation, it's changes, it's history, the people involved in creating it. And why the Articles of Confederation, the governing document before the creation of the Constitution, didn't work.

Many are saying this election is the most determinative of our lives. But how can you know where you are going if you don't know where you've been?

[Carolyn]

I finished reading The Stone Witch of Florence. It was really good. I recommend it.

[Brittany]

Another idea for November - The 18th is Mickey Mouse's birthday. So the theme could be illustrations and cartoons. A book with illustrations and cartoons, or a book that has been adapted into an animated movie or TV show.

[Teresa]

Oh, I like your idea.

[Angelica]

I finished the audiobook version of We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer.

[Linda]

Do you have a challenge picked for November yet?

[Elizabeth]

Deborah wrote: "I just finished Scary Stories for Young Foxes. I will never look as Miss Beatrix Potter the same ever again...Shiver."

I LOVE that book so much!

[Elizabeth]

Hello everyone!

Don't forget to let me know what you've read this month before the clock strikes midnight to be entered into the drawing.

Happy Halloween

p.s. There were some excellent suggestions for next month's reading challenge, but I had already picked one out. But, I've put them in the idea folder for the future.

Thank you!

[Elizabeth]

Teresa is our prize drawing winner for October’s reading challenge for reading War of the Worlds by Orson Welles, along with many other titles.

Congratulations!

[Debbie]

Woo hoo, Teresa! Good going!

[Teresa]

Thanks!