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Chapter 38 - The October Country




As the days get shorter and night creeps in quicker, this is a great time of the year for spooky books. I always love the classics like Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and Edgar Allen Poe stories. Other masters of the macabre include Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and his son, Joe Hill.


As you know I also like follow on stories. Books which tell a little more about the original characters are so intriguing to me. I love when an author imagines what has become of other characters in the book or even fleshes out the main characters' back stories.


Here then are some spooky stories to add to your October reading.


Suicide Forest by Jeremy Bates - There is a forest in Japan, Aokigahara by name, which is called the suicide forest. It is said that people go there to commit suicide and then stay there as ghosts. A group of friends, who are prevented from climbing neighboring Mount Fuji because of bad weather, decide to camp in the forest overnight. In the morning there is one less friend and lots of questions.


Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women by Kris Waldherr - This is the story of the three women who were closest to Victor Frankenstien. First there is Caroline, Victor's mother. Is she responsible for creating the monster that is her son? Then there is Elizabeth, Victor's fiancee. Does she actually yearn for someone else? Finally there is Justine, the maid. Does she play into the hands of the monster who wants revenge above everything? This is a crazy good read if you enjoyed Frankenstein.


The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - As a young woman combs through her father's letters to find out why he disappeared, her discovery of her family's past ties to the infamous Vlad the Impaler give her more questions than answers. Does Dracula really exist? Should she follow in her father's footsteps to end his reign or is it all a hoax?


All Hallows by Christopher Golden - For fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, All Hallows is the story of Halloween night in a small New England town in 1984. As the trick or treating commences, two families are falling apart and four children who don't belong to the town are with the other children asking to be protected from the Cunning Man. You won't view Halloween the same after reading this page turner.


Lone Women by Victor LaValle - Part historical fiction, part horror story and part western, this novel takes place in Montana in 1915. Adelaide arrives to homestead with a large steamer trunk which is always locked. Why you might ask. It seems that whenever the trunk is opened, someone dies. What is the story behind the trunk as well as all the secrets Adelaide harbors?


Do you have any great spooky books to recommend? Let me know!






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