The 10-day weather forecast for Tucson does not include a single dark and stormy night, but with Halloween coming the forecast is definitely scary.
Just ask any child you know … or any parent who is still scrambling to find the costume little Luis can’t live without.
If you’re just not feeling it yet, maybe a fright-night novel would help. There are definitely lots to choose from. Predictably, volunteers with the Tucson Festival of Books were happy to recommend some of their own favorite dark-and-stormy-night reads. All of them will get you warmed up — or chilled down — for Halloween:
“Misery” by Stephen King terrifies readers and writers, alike. The book features bestselling author Paul Sheldon, whose own recent book included the death of Sheldon’s most beloved character: Misery Chastain. His fan base is up in arms about it, and after a near-fatal car accident Sheldon learns his rescuer is one of those readers most upset by what he has done to Misery. Published in 2016, “Misery” still keeps us awake at night. — Lynn Wiese Sneyd
“The Icarus Girl” by Helen Oyeyemi follows Jessamy, an 8-year-old neurodivergent girl who struggles to fit in. She has a new best friend named TillyTilly, a confidant she met while visiting extended family in Nigeria. Trouble is, no one else seems to be able to see her. It’s spooky, all right, but something else makes this book noteworthy. Oyeyemi was 17 and in high school when she wrote it. — Jeaiza Quinones Ivory
“The Black Queen” by Jumata Emill is a young adult novel by a Black author whose plot is called “unputdownable” by Barnes & Noble. We meet Nova, a high school’s first Black homecoming queen. When she is murdered the night of the big game, her best friend then joins forces with Nova’s white rival to search for her killer. Emill will attend the Tucson Festival of Books March 9-10. — Kathy Short
“The Island of Dr. Moreau” by H.G. Wells was first published in 1896, but it remains a science fiction classic. The tale is narrated by Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man whose rescuers leave him on an island owned by Dr. Moreau. There, the good doctor creates human-like hybrids using body parts of animals. What better gift set for Halloween than this selection … and the next one. — Tricia Clapp
“The Daughter of Doctor Moreau” by Silvia Moreno Garcia reimagines the Wells’ original version with a tale set in 19th-century Mexico. All is well at Dr. Moreau’s luxurious estate until a handsome stranger appears: the charming and careless son of Moreau’s patron. — Tricia Clapp
“Murder in G Major” by Alexia Gordon features Gethsemane Brown, a classical musician who finds herself stranded in Ireland after losing a gig … and her luggage. Soon, she finds herself living in a cliffside cottage once owned by her favorite composer. Did we mention his ghost still inhabits the cottage? When the ghost persuades Gethsemane to help clear his name, the musician finds herself on a different kind of hit list. — Thea Chalow
“Jackal” by Erin E. Adams was published last month — just in time to haunt us on Halloween. Meet Liz Rocher, who is returning to her hometown for her best friend’s a wedding. Her memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, are not good. Among them: the grisly murder of a friend. Then, during the wedding, the daughter of the newlyweds disappears, leaving only a piece of blood-cover fabric behind. Adams has agreed to attend the Tucson Festival of Books in March. — Shannon Baker and Kim Peters
“Rouge” by Mona Awad is a fun, creepy novel set in a world constantly pursuing youth and beauty. You know, the one we live in now. It features Belle, a lonely dress shop clerk who returns to Southern California to manage her mother’s funeral. The fun begins when Belle meets a strange woman in red who leaves a clue about her mother’s mysterious death. Awad will also be part of our book festival this spring. — Anne Gardner
“Vampires of El Norte” by Isabel Cañas is partly a Western, partly a romance, partly science fiction — and totally fun in a dark and stormy way. It features Nena, the daughter of a Mexican rancher in the 1840s. Life is hard by day, and terrifying by night after something starts draining men’s blood and leaving them for dead. — Jessica Pryde
“Shutter” by Ramona Emerson was one of the 2023 Southwest Books of the Year as selected by the Pima County Public Library. Like the author, the main character here is a crime scene photographer. Rita Todacheene has cracked many a case for the Albuquerque Police Department. Her secret? She sees the ghosts of the victims, and they point her to their murderers. The pursuit puts her in the crosshairs of a dangerous cartel. — Thea Chalow
