A few more months have come and gone, and even with the release of Night of the Living Toilet Paper, there’s always time for at least some reading. It’s almost always spooky season for me, which makes most of the books on this list great choices for Halloween. You can always follow me on Goodreads to see everything I’ve read! Here are my favorite reads from the last few months.
Middle grade reads:
Grin, by D.W. Gillespie
Okay, this is probably my favorite book I’ve read this year — and it’s perfect for spooky season! Danny is excited to spend a week at his Uncle Bill’s arcade, but when they get a mysterious new game called Grin, things quickly start to go wrong — because the game contains the trapped soul of a dead serial killer. I loved all the creepy things that go on throughout the book, and Gillespie uses the arcade setting to great effect. I also enjoyed all the video game references (including a lot of the games I loved to play growing up). If you have any interest in middle grade horror, this should be at the top of your to-read list.
Empty Smiles, by Katherine Arden
So, I am really bad at getting through series. I’ve read (and really enjoyed) the previous three books in the Small Spaces Quartet, especially the first two. But for some reason, it took me a long time to get to this one. Happy to report that the conclusion to the series, set in a creepy summer carnival, does a great job with the scares. While the final ending feels rushed (especially for a four-book series), I would highly recommend the series overall for anyone looking for great middle grade horror reads.
Alone, by Megan E. Freeman
Alone is a terrific novel in verse that tells the story of Maddie, who is left behind in her Colorado town after a mysterious evacuation. With only her neighbor’s dog for company, Maddie has to figure out how to survive in an increasingly desolate scenario. This book works as a great quick read, and is great for fans of classic survival stories like Hatchet. A companion book, Away, came out this year that sheds light on the reasons behind the evacuation. While also a good read, I’d say Alone is stronger overall with its focus on survival and leaving the dystopian elements in the background.
For adults:
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
So this was a re-read for me, but this time around I was able to read where I compared Mary Shelley’s revised 1831 edition with the original 1818 text. And that was pretty fun to do! It was very interesting to see what kind of changes the author made — sometimes, it was just a matter of changing a few words. Other times, entire paragraphs were completely replaced and revised. No matter how you read it, Frankenstein is a horror classic, but I greatly enjoyed getting to see how certain elements of the story were changed.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie is called the “Queen of Crime” for good reason. Even though And Then There Were None is one of my all-time favorite books, I’d never read this early Hercule Poirot mystery. As the title gives away, Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the murder of Roger Ackroyd, who dies under suspicious circumstances the day after the passing of a wealthy widow. I was actually able to predict who the murderer was, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of this book — considered by many to be one of Christie’s best.
