Spooky time reading (and watching)

By Liz, getting ready to celebrate the BEST holiday!

It’s that time of year again – spooky season, which means I’m binging on spooky content! I love to revisit favorite books, shows and movies every October and find new ones to add to my pile. 

Here are some of my spooky book pics:

A Head Full of Ghosts, Paul Tremblay – I found this book a few years ago when it was on one of Stephen King’s lists of best horror books, and it doesn’t disappoint! It’s a story that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. If you like creepy ghost stories, reality shows and the unexplained – along with a twist ending – this is a great book for Halloween.

Episode Thirteen, Craig DiLouie – This is a new one for me and I’m just digging in, but I LOVE the premise. It’s a little like the book version of The Blair Witch Project – the story follows a ghost hunting crew in a reality TV show as they visit the former site of the Paranormal Research Foundation in Virginia. Of course, creepy mayhem ensues. I’m loving it so far and presume I’ll be adding it to my spooky season faves.

The Dead Romantics, Ashley Poston – Julie has been talking about this book for a while now and swearing I need to read it, mostly because of my obsession with funeral homes and the fact that I’m working on a new project based on a funeral home. I’m so glad I finally did – it is a DELIGHTFUL mashup of romance, ghost story, star-crossed lovers, humor, and more. I am a fan of Ashley Poston forever now. 

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop, Emmeline Duncan – Emmeline is a friend of mine and this is her new series, and it’s a lot of fun. Set in a fictional Halloweentown during a spooky season festival, the fun turns deadly when one of the keynotes gets murdered. I can’t wait to visit Halloweentown again soon!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my own Nine Lives and Alibis, a Cat Cafe Mystery set during October on the fictional Daybreak Island. There’s a Halloween celebration complete with a psychic medium – who unfortunately ends up dead. A couple of 40-year-old cold cases also come back to haunt residents and guests. Also, there are cats. 

And when I feel like cozying up on the couch with my dogs, a blanket and a spooky show, here’s what I’m watching:

The Haunting of Hill House – Mike Flanagan’s haunting version of this classic is my absolute favorite. As much family tragedy as ghost story, this version of Hill House is one that I will keep returning to every year. 

Nightmare on Elm Street (the original, of course!) – Freddy Krueger will always be my favorite horror character, full stop. The first movie was the best one. 

Halloween (also the original) – Scared the living crap out of me as a kid and still does. 

The Fall of the House of Usher – another Mike Flanagan gem. This is a brilliant mashup of Edgar Allen Poe, supernatural elements, social commentary and dysfunctional family. It has an uncanny resemblance to the real life story of the Sacklers, who manufactured and marketed Oxycodone to the detriment of our society, and spins that story off into a lot of what-ifs. Brilliant. 

I’d love to hear what you’re reading/watching this spooky season! Tell me in the comments.