Stunning Abandoned Homes Are Surprisingly Full Of Life
“Abandoned homes are the kind of thing you typically only happen upon when your GPS leads you astray. Unless, that is, you’re author Ransom Riggs, who’s on a mission to find them.
weird noises: happen in the wee hours
me, unaffected: the only supernatural and ominous force in this place is me and i was here first, so whatever and whoever you are you need to Go
It’s spooky, it’s smart, thematic and has splashes of the otherworldly but it’s mostly a historical mystery
2. Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan
This is a collection of twelve fairytale retelling it’s Witchy, subversive and lyrical, it’s a bit dark but not to bad, it’s an ideal autumn read.
3. The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
This is a retelling inspired from the classic horror stories of: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sherlock Holmes, Van Helsing, Dracula (Mr. Renfield,) Frankenstein, Rappaccini’s daughter, and Dr. Moreau. it’s a very Interesting read if you love the Classics and a perfect read for Halloween.
4. The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
This is a ideal book for reading and re-reading every autumn, Come October, seventeen-year-old Cara and her family – including her mother, older sister and ex-stepbrother – board up the windows and hide the sharp implements in preparation for the Accident Season, a month in which mysterious and dangerous things seem to constantly befall them. A spellbinding magical realism standalone, it’s full of tarot cards, masquerade balls, fortune-telling, dreams, hallucinations and hazy, stylish prose. If you’re looking for an atmospheric autumnal read, this is absolutely the book to go for.
5.Harry potter by jk Rowling
Let’s face it you can’t have Halloween with out harry potter, with it’s wizards and witch’s, it’s magic spells and potions, it’s monsters and just overall feeling of autumn in this series it’s a must read.
6. Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
The Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries are one of those series you know is relatively recent but which seems like it’s been around for ages. It has that classic but accessible touch which makes it appealing to kids and brings something older readers or adults can appreciate, too.
7. All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater.
Here is a thing everyone wants:
a miracle; here is a thing everyone fears:
what it takes to get one.Enchanting writing and complex characters interwoven into a tale of love, darkness, fear and redemption.
8. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Why so perfect for fall? The emphasis on education makes this feel especially appropriate to read during back-to-school season.
This turn of the century coming-of-age story is an American classic for good reason. The beautifully crafted tale pulls you into Francie’s story and has you rooting for her as she grows up in challenging circumstances. There is an undercurrent of hope that buoys everything
9. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
One of Agatha Christie most famous mysteries, the eerie setting, and countdown of survivors makes for a satisfying mystery with a slightly Halloween-inspired feel. Add in the narrative following the children’s verse, and the disappearing soldiers mimicking the fallen guests and there is a decided sense of menace to the text.
10. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
This is a fast-moving, eerie…tale set on Halloween nigh. Eight costumed boys running to meet their friend Pipkin at the haunted house outside town encounter instead the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud. As Pipkin scrambles to join them, he is swept away by a dark Something, and Moundshroud leads the boys on the tail of adventures. This book is actually for kids but I read it last year at the age of 18 and I loved it and learned a lot about Halloweens history.
(Also I loved the movie as a kid)
Bonus
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
It’s an ideal choice when you’re looking for something to read while curled up under a blanket, sipping a hot drink. From the famous opening line to the dramatic conclusion, Rebecca is also perfect for a discussion title, if you’re looking for one for your book club to read this fall. The atmospheric novel is a modern classic, blending Gothic romance and mystery.
Perhaps I’m feeling macabre, but tonight I’m digging out my favorite spooky classical pieces and listening to them. So I thought putting together a top ten list of these would be fun while I drink my scotch. Note: These are not really in any particular order. I love them all.
1. Beethoven: Piano Trio in D major, op. 70 no. 1, “Ghost” – 2nd movement. Rattling of chains, shrieking of spirits; the nickname of this trio fits it well. The first and third movements are good as well, but only the second movement is really spooky. 2. Schubert: Der Leiermann (from Winterreise). A heartbroken young man sings about the hurdy-gurdy, an outcast who sits just outside the village and plays his instrument while dogs snarl at him and people ignore him.
Particularly chilling is that this is the last song of an hour-long cycle, and it drones on without clear resolution, ending with the line: “Strange old man, should I go with you? Will you accompany my songs on your hurdy-gurdy?” 3. Mussorgsky: Night On Bald Mountain. You may know this one from Disney’s Fantasia, which is featured during the Witches’ Sabbath sequence. 4. Schubert: Der Erlkönig. Based on a poem by Goethe, this song tells the chilling story of a father and his ailing child riding through the woods on horseback, while a malicious spirit tries to lure the boy away, unseen and unheard by the father. 5. Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre. Death plays his fiddle in the cemetery, rousing all the skeletons from their graves and dancing with them until they have to slink back at the first light of dawn. 6. Brahms: Ballade in D minor, op. 10 no. 1, “Edward.” Based on a Scottish ballade, the story is of a mother who knows that her son has murdered his father – she just wants to hear him say it himself. 7. Shostakovich: Viola Sonata. Shostakovich composed during the height of Soviet censorship, and his music almost always has a hunted, almost panicked feel to it. He composed this viola sonata just a month before his death. 8. Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 8 in C minor, op. 110. Between the frenzy of the second movement and the insistent “knocking on the door” of the fourth, this quartet can really put you on edge. What makes this music even freakier is Shostakovich’s musical signature (D E-flat C B) throughout the work. 9. Mussorgsky: The Hut of Baba Yaga the Witch (from Pictures at an Exhibition). This one always sounds like Baba Yaga’s “Hut On Chicken’s Legs” is chasing me through the woods, but that might just be my wild imagination. 10. Scriabin: Piano Sonata no. 9, “Black Mass.” Some of the directions that Scriabin writes in the score are “mysteriously murmuring”, and “with a sweetness that becomes increasingly poisonous,” which is a pretty apt description for much of this work. It begins mysteriously, then builds in tension until it all explodes in some kind of orgiastic climax. It ends just as enigmatically as it begins.
I-want-my-IWTV 