Hey guys!
Happy October! And ya know...Halloween because for me at least it's like a month long event because why not!
This October, for the entire month myself and Becca (The Brunettes Bookshelf) will be bringing you guys Spooktober! We're going to spend the entire month reading all Halloween reads all the time, and we'll be bringing you guys discussions, rec posts, reviews, giveaways and more for the entire month! You can check out our TBR's and read along with us if you like! On the discussion front, we'll be talking about the classics we're reading, so feel free to join in with us! I'll probably do a discussion for most if not all of them, because why not!
So today, I'm bringing you my Spooktober TBR! I got a little bit carried away and chances are I won't get everything read, but I'm gonna try my best! Stalking Jack the Ripper is missing because it hadn't arrived when I made this post, but it's on there too! Becca's going to be doing classics and a mix of other reads, YA and adult, but she's totally doing the more murdery, scary books because I'm a total pansy! I'll be doing mostly YA with the odd other book. So first up is what I'm going to be reading and what I'll be watching is after that ;)
The Classics
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Obviously Dracula had to make the list, it's not only a classic but it's also kind of a Halloween specific classic. Like you can't have Halloween without Dracula! This'll be a re-read for me!
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I still haven't read this, and after watching the movie a couple of years ago, I'm curious to read the book it was based on! Plus everyone raves about this book, and I feel kinda left out!
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Even I'm ashamed of myself that I haven't read this yet. I can't even. Frankenstein is such a huge Halloween monster, there's been multiple movies and it's finally time for me to read the book!
Daisy Miller and the Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Daisy Miller isn't such a Halloween read, but it's the other story in this volume that screams Halloween. A governess goes to take care of two orphans...and gets a sense of intense evil within the house. Then she's all like "aaahh the malevolent forces are stalking the children"...but are they!?
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
This is Dickens last novel and it's actually incomplete which is probably going to drive me up the wall because I NEED TO KNOW. This is going to contribute to the murdery type books in my Halloween TBR!
Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Okay so, I still haven't read this either, because I suck. But I vaguely remember going to see the musical version of it when it was on in London, I think I actually have the soundtrack somewhere? Anyway, I need to finally read this, and it's not like it's a huge book!
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
I've read a couple of the shorter Holmes stories, I'm not a really huge fan but I do watch the odd episode of Sherlock! I picked Baskervilles because it sounded the most creepy of the ones that I have AND when I was a kid I watched the film version of this with Peter Cushing because it used to be on TV a lot and my dad would watch it and for some reason I really loved it :')
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Yes....I haven't read Coraline. Shocking I know. I'm a terrible bookworm! I feel like Coraline is a modern Halloween classic, not going to lie!
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Again...I really should have read this by now, and it's another Halloween type classic! I also got to review the graphic novel for this, or at least the first half, and I need to know what happens next!
Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson
I'm going to be reviewing this for Penguin! It's a collection of creepy and gothic stories, that are perfect for Halloween! I've not read any of Jackson's stories before, I've been eyeing up "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" for a while, but never gotten around to it, so I'm excited to finally read her work!
The Trilogy
Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
Strange and Ever After
I've been itching to get to the Something Strange and Deadly trilogy for ages, I managed to grab the hardcovers before they started to be really hard to get hold of! There's brand new covers for these, and I'm fairly certain you can still get the ebooks if you want to join in reading this! I loved Truthwitch so I'm excited to read Dennard's earlier works and these sound like the perfect Halloween read!
The Series
Jackaby by William Ritter
Yes. Having Jackaby as a paperback does bother me. Book Depository sent me a paperback instead of the hardback that I ordered and I'm in the process of getting the hardback to match the others, never fear! I love the sound of this series, and I figure seeing as there's the whole murder aspect going on, I can get away with putting this down for Halloween!
The Hardcovers
The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
I picked this book up ages ago because it sounded fun and I liked the cover, I need to actually buy the other two in the series but for now the first book is all good for my Spooktober TBR! There's murder and a girl who feeds on your nightmares.
Shutter by Courtney Alameda
This has been on my TBR for ages so it's about time I got round to it! Our main character is from the Van Helsing line and she can see the aura's of the undead! It sounds awesome, there's some ghost exorcising going on, and a fun group of kids doing the whole..well....exorcising!
Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs
HELL YES MORE PECULIARITY! I got so excited when I heard this was being released and I'm so excited to get to review it for the publisher! I loved the Miss Peregrine's trilogy, even the pictures that totally creeped me out and this book is completely gorgeous!
These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
Again, this has been sitting on my TBR for what feels like forever, and the whole murder aspect made me add it. Sure it's not like OMG SO CREEPY TOTALLY HALLOWEEN but murder mystery is enough for it to make my list! I'm actually really excited to get to this one finally because it sounds totally awesome!
The YA
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
Another "has been on my TBR forever" book. I'm a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong so I'm excited to read this trilogy opener! There's gonna be a tonne of ghosts, and ghosts freak me out so this'll be good!
Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
I started to collect Death Note not too long ago, I've got the really cool black editions with the sprayed edges, and then I've got these regular editions! Now, I don't have ALL of the volumes, I've got the first four and then I'm missing a couple in the middle, but for Halloween I'm definitely going to read at least the first four volumes, if not all of it if I get hold of the other volumes! I know everyone loves this manga so I'm excited to finally jump on the band wagon.
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
I love Alyxandra's books and have for a few years now, and Haunting Violet is the only one I haven't read yet! It's been sitting on my TBR because I've been busy with review books and haven't had the chance to read much from my regular TBR, and when I have I've always shied away from this one and decided to leave it for Halloween...and now it's Halloween! I'm expecting this to be a really good read!
Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Super Halloween-y title am I right?! I though this sounded like a good Halloween read, creepy, but should make for a nice break in between classics! Wicked Lovely is still on my TBR, but I did get to read Made For You the other year and it was SO GOOD, so I'm expecting good things from this!
Team Human by Sarah Rees Brennan & Justine Larbalestier
Pretty much the only SRB book I haven't read yet, and this has seriously been on my TBR for ages, I've just never gotten round to it! Vampires are totally perfect for Halloween and this sounds like it's going to be a nice fun read, as well as being great for Halloween!
House of Ivy and Sorrow by Natalie Whipple
I can't remember when I picked this up, I think it was not too long after it was published? The synopsis intrigued me, and Witch's are another classic Halloween staple!
The Adult Fiction
The Sight by Chloe Neill
The first book in this series was awesome, it was original and fun and a great read, so I'm excited to get to review this for the publisher and just in time for Halloween! Nothing like a good paranormal/supernatural read for Halloween!
Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
I picked this up at a used book store, as I'm sure you can tell! I loved the sound of the back of the book, I thought it sounded original and fun and so it's been sitting on my TBR waiting for the perfect opportunity for me to read it! I got to review Drearcliff and it's made me really excited for this! I've got the sequel sitting on my TBR and I may or may not get to it this month too!
The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian
Okay so I only looked at this because I loved the cover and then I read the synopsis and I was like, okay I need this book. Gargoyles and alchemy and a tonne of originality...perfect read for me! And perfect for Halloween! I really need to pick up the sequel though!
The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood
I was sent this for review, and it sounds like it's going to be a good read, and possibly the creepiest of them!
What I'm Watching...
Like I said, Halloween is a month long thing for me and I usually watch Halloween kinda films all along, before having a huge marathon on Halloween itself! This year, I've gotten really in to anime, like I'm fully obsessed! I've just finished watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and honestly? I think it might be my favourite anime and I'm kinda having withdrawals from it, all I really want to do is rewatch it like straight away, but I've told myself I'm not allowed to until after Halloween at least! SO for Halloween I'll be getting over my FMAB withdrawals by watching Death Note, Tokyo Ghoul and possibly Soul Eater!
Yep. I'm well aware by watching Death Note I'm going to spoil the rest of the manga for myself, but I did the same thing with Fairy Tail and it doesn't really bother me! Plus if I don't manage to get the other volumes to read this Halloween, it'll bug me not knowing what happens next because I'm super impatient!
Tokyo Ghoul is a manga that I've been eyeing up for ages and uhm-ing and ah-ing over, I usually prefer the more fantasy type manga's, like SDS and Fairy Tail and Arslan etc, but seeing as it's Halloween, I figured I'd finally watch the anime adaption! And I know what's going to happen...I'm going to end up loving it and then buying the manga as well!
Soul Eater I debated but wasn't too sure on, when I first started to look for manga to read. I know a lot of people rave about it and while I can't buy Soul Eater to read for Halloween, I thought I might take the plunge and watch it and see what everyone's on about! I say might, because I might not have time after watching both Death Note and Tokyo Ghoul, but I'm hoping I'll be able to get to it!
On the film front, I'll be watching such classics as Hocus Pocus, Nosferatu, The Addams Family, Van Helsing, Casper, Ghostbusters, Black Cauldron, Sweeney Todd, Burke and Hare, Nightmare Before Christmas, Gremlins, Teen Wolf, Sleepy Hollow, The Universal Monster movies, and whatever else I've forgotten to write down in this little mini list thing! Let me know if you're going to be watching any of these, especially the anime because then we can buddy watch!
What I'm Listening To....
This is a quick little playlist that I made up the other day, it's not even complete yet and there's a couple different versions of some songs on there, because why not? I'll probably add to it over the month, but this is what I'm starting with! And yes...two of those songs are from a Scooby Doo film because I loved that movie as a kid okay!
Let me know what you're going to be reading, watching and listening to this October! To see what Becca and I are up to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow the hashtag Spooktober! Feel free to join in with us as we read and discuss throughout the month!
