One of the spookiest things about Halloween is that adults now enjoy it as much as the kids. If your costumes are ready and your party plans already in place, a good dark book may be just the thing to get all the people in your house in the right frame of mind for next weekend.
Here, courtesy of the Tucson Festival of Books, are some recently-released titles that should do the trick ... and are a treat!
"The Book of Accidents” by Chuck Wendig: A family returns to its hometown -- and the dark past that haunts them still – in this masterpiece of literary horror by the bestselling author of “Wanderers.” — Gwen Harvey
“Zombie CSU” by Jonathan Maberry: What if zombies were real? And folks started climbing out of their graves to terrorize people who had done them wrong? Maberry brings his considerable talents to bring modern forensics, science, police practices, and humor to investigate the crime scenes and identify the suspects. Creepy! — Tricia Clapp
“There’s a Ghost in this House” by Oliver Jeffers: This is a captivating new picture book with interactive, transparent pages about a girl who lives in a haunted house with the famous artist Oliver Jeffers. As she walks through the house, searching for the ghost, turning the transparent pages allows ghostly images to appear in unlikely places. More fun than scary, children will enjoy being in control of when ghosts appear. — Kathy Short
“The Death of Jane Lawrence” by Caitlin Starling: Jane Shoringfield thinks she has found her perfect husband when she proposes to him. She mighta known something was up when he accepted … on one condition. That she never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling manor outside of town. What could possibly go wrong? — Jessica Braithwaite
“Certain Dark Things” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: The author of “Mexican Gothic” now brings us a pulse-pounding neo-noir that reimagines vampire lore. — Gwen Harvey
“Nina Soni, Halloween Queen” by Kashmira Sheth. Nina is an Indian American girl who loves to make lists and is so busy celebrating Diwali that she forgets to plan for Halloween. She doesn’t have her costume planned, her sister wants to create a haunted house for the neighborhood, and her friend Jay is acting strangely. This is the fourth chapter book in the Nina series for ages 7-9. — Kathy Short
“When the Reckoning Comes” by LaTanya McQueen: Mira was hoping to forget her past when she left her small, segregated town in the South. Then she decided to attend a friend’s wedding at a resort that had once been a plantation. — Jessica Braithwaite
“Paola Santiago and the River of Tears” by Tehlor Kay Mejia: This is a middle-grade novel set in Silver Springs, Arizona, near the Gila River where Paola goes at night to look at the sky through her new telescope. When her best friend disappears, she gets caught up in an alternative world where dark creatures of Latinx folklore threaten the safely of her friends and family. — Kathy Short
"My Heart is a Chainsaw” by Stephen Graham Jones: In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town, Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for. This is the latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones. — Gwen Harvey
“The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova” by Ruth Hogan: Billie has lost her job, her husband and her place in the world when she makes a discovery that makes her wonder who she even is. Hoping to learn more, she begins a journey that takes her to a tarot-card reader on the pier in Brighton. — Jessica Braithwaite
