Spooky season started for me at the end of August, where I decided I would read nothing but spooky books until Halloween. But first, a quick catch-up on other recent reads from the summer.
I listed to Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe as an audio book. It was amazing. You probably know that I have a long obsession with Chicago’s public housing. This book takes place in the Robert Taylor homes before they come down. I loved every minute of it. The story is fantastic. The reading was fantastic. I highly recommend it. One of the best books I’ve read/listened to in a long time.
I had read reviews about Big Bad Wool, by Leonie Swann, which is the second in this series, and it sounded fantastic. I wanted to read Three Bags Full first though. It’s super cute, cleverly written book and I enjoyed it. It is a murder mystery, but I think that part is the least interesting part of the book.
I’m not entirely sure how you would classify Come Knocking by Mike Bockoven. It’s clearly a thriller. Is it horror? Maybe. I absolutely loved FantasticLand, which I listened to on audio last year. I wrote on my calendar when Bockoven’s next novel would be released and I picked it up to read right away. Like FantasticLand, each chapter is an interview. I understand they’ve just settled on starting the audio book and I bet that will be great, too. There’s quite a bit of body gore, so if you’re at all on the fence about that, maybe his books aren’t for you as the descriptions are quite graphic. I loved it though.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due is excellent. I guess it is a “ghost story” but the only horror of it is the way life was lived in Jim Crow south. That is beyond horror. It was a very fast read for me, despite being a good sized book, and I cried at the end. Highly recommend.
T. Kingfisher’s A House With Good Bones is a super fast read. It’s not super long, and the writing just makes your eyes dance over the page. As I was reading it, I instantly thought of my friend Kat and the way we talk, and I thought she has to read it. It’s fun and spooky. A nice read.
I’ve read a physical copy of one of Simone St. James’ books, The Sun Down Motel, and I really liked it. I listened to the audio book of The Haunting of Maddy Claire, and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it. I was not a huge fan of the narrator. Unfortunately, The Other Side of Midnight is narrated by the same person. If you’re going to give one of her audio books a try, I’d do a sample and listen to the narrator before you commit to it.
I’m currently about halfway through Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie. It’s a book that follows a reality tv ghost hunting show. The book is written through journal entries, emails, show notes, etc. which is a really interesting way to get the story out. I’m enjoying it so far.
My coworker lent me Weyward by Emila Hart, so I will likely take that on next, followed by Kylie Lee Baker’s Bat Eater. I’ve been reading more than crocheting in the evening, so I would expect I’ll get through a few more books after those two before Halloween.
What’s on your TBR?
