Sunday 22 October 2017

Fear and Reading in London

It's that time of year where autumn leaves are losing their crunch and we're moving into the soggy, mulchy, grey/black of winter. Suddenly, the seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness hands over to something more depressing and more sinister. Death, ghosts, magic and frost is definitely in the air.

Halloween of course looms at the end of the month, the day when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is pierced by those that dwell on the other side. You can tell I've been reading...

I have never got into horror as a genre because I give my self nightmares don't see the point in gratuitous fear. But a few years ago I set my self a challenge that for Halloween I would be reading something fitting for the season. This year I am reading The Woman in Black, and it is early days in the book. It's not too bad yet, though I fear something bad may happen to Spider. Don't tell me anything.

The point is I have loved almost all the books I have read so far, but still do not make an effort to make horror/thriller/gothic books part of my everyday diet. People like what they like, and while I think everyone should branch out occasionally, to get a taste of something different and change habits and ruts in their reading, there is nothing wrong with having a favourite or least favourite genre.

Telling ghost stories is an old tradition of celebrating the success of the harvest and buckling up for a long winter. A mindful preparation for the darkness in the world that is coming for us... Telling us to stay close to bonfires and family during the coming months and to treasure them. It is also a fun party game at Halloween to tell a tactile ghost story.

Have fun everyone! Whhooooooohhooo

Thursday 5 October 2017

Reading List for Halloween

This year I am reading The Woman in Black for Halloween. Since I started this blog I have made sure to read a gothic/scary novel during October to terrify my self as much as possible. Every year I have to think about what to read and so I've decided to put together a reading list to refer to.

I don't usually read horror or scary books, because I am a wimp. I always choose this time of year to make an exception and change my reading habits.

Read
Dracula.
Frankenstein. Read my review of Frankenstein here.
The Monk

TBR
Mrs Poe
Heartshaped box
Seven Gothic tales
The Turn of the Screw
The Printer's Devils Court
Poe's short stories


Bonus Podcast. 
I can't listen to this podcast at Halloween or late at night because it is too spooky so if you want chills, down load an episode of LORE.

If anyone has any suggestions of other, perhaps more modern, books to read for Halloween please recommend them to me on twitter @storiesinbooks or in the comments below.