All About Books discussion

In honor of Halloween, we will be hosting a challenge during the month of October to read spooky books.

I will be adding this to the group home page in a few minutes but you may not be able to "join" until October 1. In any case, you can just comment here or keep a list if you want.

Here is the blurb from the challenge, just in case anyone didn't see it on the home page:

In honor of Halloween, we are challenging you to read spooky books during the month of October. Read about ghosts, ghouls or goblins -- whatever makes you quake in your shoes!

How many spine-tingling thrills and chills can you take? Set your own goal in this challenge.

I'd like to join, except I don't have anything on my yearly tbr that I think would fit in (left). And I don't seem to see any read-a-longs I'm desiring to read that would fit either.

I've got 2 vampire books that are humorous; and I could work on a series about immortals possessed by demons out of pandora's box, but neither of those make one quake in their (pointy) shoes.

I'm going to try and read Hollow City & Doctor Sleep. I love to be seasonal with my reads! Great idea. I'd love to fit more in, like The Haunting of Hill House- maybe this challenge will help.

www.allhallowsread.com

This is an interesting site - the idea was Neil Gaiman's to encourage more people to read.

Terry wrote: "www.allhallowsread.com

This is an interesting site - the idea was Neil Gaiman's to encourage more people to read."

Wonderful! :) Thanks Terry!

I'll be reading something for this Halloween, though I'm not sure exactly what yet.

I am so in! It'll go great with the challenge I'm doing with another group.
I'm aiming for 8 books.
So far I've got:
Misery by Stephen King
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Duma Key by Stephen King
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Horns by Joe Hill
Coraline by Neil Gaiman

I'll be giving it a go, maybe:

Horns by Joe Hill
The Troop by Nick Cutter

Nice to see this challenge here :)

I have 3 books picked out I already own, though I might end up reading more:

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West in paperback, and in audiobook form:
A Darker Shade of Magic
Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad

Seeing a couple people with Joe Hill on their lists reminds me that my local library has his 20th Century Ghosts which could be my short story book for October...

I plan to finish:
It
And to begin:
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Welcome to Dead House (Some childhood horror :)
The Shining
Doctor Sleep

Charbel wrote: "I am so in! It'll go great with the challenge I'm doing with another group.
I'm aiming for 8 books.
So far I've got:
Misery by Stephen King
[book:Something Wicked This W..."

I read Misery many years ago when my children were small. I was home alone with them and I picked up the book once they were asleep for the night. Big mistake! I could not put the book down, I tried once, around 2am, but I had to get up again and finish it. I finished it at 5am and my boys who were 3 and 5 at the time, were up and raring to go at 6 am.....

Evelyn wrote: "Charbel wrote: "I am so in! It'll go great with the challenge I'm doing with another group.
I'm aiming for 8 books.
So far I've got:
Misery by Stephen King
[book:Somethi..."

I can't wait! I'm reading it with a friend from uni, and we'll be starting on the first.

@Primadonna- The Shining and Doctor Sleep are great. I hope you enjoy them.

I'm in:)

I will read Dracula again and pick something dark from my tbr pile. Thanks for a great idea.

I will hopefully join and try to read at least one book.

Charbel wrote: "I am so in! It'll go great with the challenge I'm doing with another group.
I'm aiming for 8 books.
So far I've got:
Misery by Stephen King
[book:Something Wicked This W..."

I'm thinking of Misery myself, that's something I have always wanted to read.

I had wanted to read it for a while now myself. I'm very excited that I now have the opportunity to do so.

I think I'm going to read The Telltale Heart (I think I've read it before GR, but can't remember) and Interview with the Vampire. I'll also read At the Mountains of Madness if I get time.

I will read It, Carrie, Frankenstein, The Haunting of Hill House

I loved Carrie, that book got me really interested in the rest of King's novels. Enjoy that one.

Alannah wrote: "I loved Carrie, that book got me really interested in the rest of King's novels. Enjoy that one."

Thank you =) I plan to read Misery too.

Pink wrote: "I think I'm going to read Interview with the Vampire"

I love this one! I think I'll join you once I found mine

I'm hoping to read The Mist in the Mirror, The Winter People, Miramont's Ghost, and possibly Rawblood - to be honest I don't think I'll manage all of those, but I'll give it a go!

I'm in but don't know what I will pick to read yet .

Leanne wrote: "I'm hoping to read The Mist in the Mirror, The Winter People, Miramont's Ghost, and possibly Rawblood - to be honest I don't think I'll..."

Miramont's Ghost was a good read for me. History with a ghost story and engaging heroine.

I'm currently reading Lady Audley's Secret, which appears to fit with this challenge. Well, I don't find it very scary, but I can see that its target audience in Victorian times, would have found it so.

Siewjye wrote: "Alannah wrote: "I loved Carrie, that book got me really interested in the rest of King's novels. Enjoy that one."

Thank you =) I plan to read Misery too."

Misery is great! I can't seem to put it down! Enjoy It and Carrie

Pink wrote: "I think I'm going to read The Telltale Heart (I think I've read it before GR, but can't remember) and Interview with the Vampire. I'll also read [book:At the Mountains ..."

Do let me know about Interview with a Vampire. I've seen the film, but the book is one those maybe-I-should-I-shouldn't type of books.

I'll let you know, but probably won't read it until the end of the month. I've seen the film, but it was a long time ago and I can't remember the plot at all.

I have updated message 8.

I'm in. I will attempt 3 books. I used to only read these books, but have since found I really enjoy historical fiction. I have read quite a few mentioned above already. I will start with Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.

I'm going to try Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children as I have it on my kindle and I believe it's meant to be a bit creepy...

I'm going to read The 13 Best Horror Stories of All Time, Hollow City and possibly Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

I'm adding Bird Box, just checked the library and they have it in.

Shirley wrote: "I'm going to try Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children as I have it on my kindle and I believe it's meant to be a bit creepy..."

It's been on my TBR list for ages. I could give it a try if you do. Second half of the month?

LauraT wrote: "Shirley wrote: "I'm going to try Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children as I have it on my kindle and I believe it's meant to be a bit creepy..."

It's been on my TBR list for a..."

Yes, that sounds good to me!

I'm figuring it out as I go.

So far I've read:
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey - was horror oriented but not really as Halloweenish as I'd hoped

In the middle of reading:
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury - fun so far but a bit YA
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill - I'm loving this one .. perfect for the season!

I'm getting some great ideas from this thread. :-) Although one incredibly weird quirk of mine is that I love reading these type of books during the winter, closing to the Christmas season.

I wonder does our seasonal author qualify here? He is 'Southern Gothic' after all and 'dark and disturbing' isn't really far off spooky I suppose. So here it goes:

I'll read

Ghostly: A Collection of Ghost Stories by Audrey Niffenegger and
Twilight by William Gay
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I'm hoping to be able to start on my list this week. Just have to finish up a definitely unspooky book then I can join in and catch up! So many great reads this month and a few that will go on the TBR. I'm sure I'll be able to push it into November a bit, then I'll need a break. :)

I finished one on my list, Bird Box. This one had my heart racing! Loved the dedication to his mother. 4 ****'s! My next read will be Hollow City.

I wish it wasn't hot and sunny here. I keep watching the weather hoping for rain. I read late at night and would love some thunderstorms!

I read my first 'spooky story' The Telltale Heart. I thought this was a great short story, very atmospheric but also some touches of dark humour. I thought Poe made great use of language within a short word limit, something that I don't always find with him.

just added Frankenstein by Mary Shelley to my challenge, which I've been meaning to read for a while now.

Shirley wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Shirley wrote: "I'm going to try Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children as I have it on my kindle and I believe it's meant to be a bit creepy..."

It's been on my..."

Jenny wrote: "just added Frankenstein by Mary Shelley to my challenge, which I've been meaning to read for a while now."

Laura, I'm going to start Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children this weekend!!

Looking forward to starting Doctor Sleep tonight! Happy Halloween - the colors are out in MN!

Pink wrote: "I read my first 'spooky story' The Telltale Heart. I thought this was a great short story, very atmospheric but also some touches of dark humour. I thought Poe made great use of lan..."

One of Poe's best short stories, I think.

I am listening to the audiobook of A Darker Shade of Magic, which I thought would be good for this. While it is a decent fantasy book so far it isn't really spooky...

I've read Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin and now I'm with We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. So far so good!!

Well, my first book for this challenge wasn't really spooky at all (A Darker Shade of Magic). The audiobook short story Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad was perfect for me -- spooky without being unendurably scary. My current audiobook Locke & Key is based on a graphic novel so I checked the graphic novel out of the library (Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft), figuring the art would be a significant part of the experience. I am barely started (3% in) and have already cringed a couple of times -- this one might be too scary and/or graphically violent for me.

I want to read something really scary but I don't know what yet. Have to think about it :)