October – Booklist
Nothing is quite so delightfully spooky and comforting than a candle glowing in a freshly carved pumpkin. October invites us to embrace both the cozy nostalgia of the harvest season as well as the eerie thrill of the dark and unknown. This month’s book list is carved to perfection whether you are looking for an autumn mystery, something truly horrifying, or an adventure through the real magic of the season. Settle in for a great read!
Fiction
Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
In 1963, in a small Midwestern town, the local teenage boys have a Halloween ritual. They compete to confront the October Boy, a creature who rises from the cornfields each year with a butcher knife in his hand. Contains violence and some strong language.
Pumpkin Roll a Culinary Mystery by Josi S. Kilpack
In volume 6 of the Culinary Mystery series, Sadie Hoffmiller is visiting Boston around Halloween babysitting her boyfriend’s three young grandsons. The boys insist that the Mrs. Wapple across the street is a witch, but when Mrs. Wapple is attacked in her home, Sadie finds herself embroiled in a series of unexplained events with life-or-death consequences.
Shadow Over the Pumpkin Queen by Megan Shepherd
Return to the magical world of Halloween Town in this novel featuring the classic characters from the Nightmare Before Christmas. After several Halloween Town residents disappear, including Sally’s beloved Jack Skellington, she embarks on a quest to Shadow Town to face a mysterious prince bent on revenge and to save Halloween Town from utter destruction. For readers of all ages.
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
A nostalgic classic for readers of all ages, this evocative adventure begins on Halloween night when eight boys gather at a crumbling haunted house, unaware of the dark forces waiting in the shadows.
Nonfiction
A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts by J.W. Ocker
An outsider’s lively, firsthand chronicle of moving his family to Salem, Massachusetts, to experience the wild spectacle, eccentric history, and modern madness of its October Halloween season. Contains some violence and some strong language.
The Spooky Halloween Cookbook: 26 Fun and Easy to Make Recipes that Your Kids Will Love by Manny Sullivan
Trade boring treats for eerie, crowd-pleasing party fare. The Spooky Halloween Cookbook features 26 fun, wholesome recipes—including festive deviled eggs, artisan pumpkin soup, and show-stopping desserts—perfect for your next October gathering.
Autumn Across America: A Naturalist’s Record of a 20,000-mile Journey through the North American Autumn by Edwin Way Teale
In this reflective memoir, first published in 1956, Teale chronicles a cross-country journey with his wife beginning on a Cape Cod beach looking out over the Atlantic and ending on a windy point high on a cliff above the Pacific. Along the way, they both observe the wonder of this special season.
Haunted Heartland by Michael Norman
A chilling collection of more than eighty regional ghost tales, uncanny legends, and eerie folklore from across the American Midwest.
Image Description: Traditional carved pumpkins glowing with candlelight sit on an old wooden porch strewn with autumn leaves in the foreground. In the background the porch railing and bushes are adorned with glowing lights.