Spooky Scary Book Tag

Thanks so much to Twirling Merry Book Princess for the tag! Check out their answers here and also the original creator of the tag Shelby Masako. I'm tagging anyone who wants to give it a try.

What Goes Bump in the Night? Name a book that legitimately scared you while reading it

Nightbooks by J.A. White. This was extremely creepy and even the film adaptation was good!

Jack-o’-Lanterns & Classic Costumes: A book you always reach for during Halloween time

I don't re-read much so I don't really have one but if I have to pick I would say some of my spooky graphic novels.

Black Cats & Magic Mirrors: A book you love that is laced with superstition and/or magic

Threadneedle by Cari Thomas was absolutely full of superstition AND magic!

Witch’s Brew: Favourite witch character in any book/series

I was thinking and thinking of all the many witches in many books but when I thought of this there was no doubt of my favourite! Mildred Hubble from The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy

Ghouls & Ghosts: A book that still haunts you to this day (good or bad)

I read Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr as a child and never forgot it. I was so happy to find an old library copy being sold and snapped it up.

Haunted Graveyard: You’re all alone in a haunted graveyard; you get one book to give you comfort. Which is it?

Mort by Terry Pratchett was the first Discworld book I read and its one of few books that I have re-read many times. I think it's probably my favourite of the series.

The Undead: Favourite supernatural creatures to read about

This has to be ghosts, I've really enjoyed lots of spooky ghostly books recently and I love that there are so many types. They can be good, evil, misunderstood and anything in between!

In the Dead of Night: Pick a book with a black cover

I have to say this is quite a common colour for my creepy books but I've chosen The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel for this one.

 

Spooksmiths Investigate: The Cinderman by Alex Atkinson

Book Summary

Indigo and Rusty might live in a funeral parlour, but they don't believe in ghosts. That is, until Indigo knocks over an old urn, accidentally releasing the Cinderman: a terrifying ash monster, who will smother their town in ashes and turn everyone into zombies, unless they can stop him by sunset.

Using their newly awakened Spooksmith skills, Indigo and Rusty set out to enlist the help of other ghosts. But can the Blasted Banshee and Chuckles the Phantom Toddler really help them find the Cinderman's true name and put him in his grave for good before Ashmageddon strikes?

Despite living in the creepiest town ever (Greyscar) and creepiest street (Deadman's Drive) in an actual funeral home, Indigo still doesn't believe in the supernatural. Even ghostly whispers can be mostly ignored. It takes the whole town covered in ash to finally convince her that something is not normal!

Here is a monster so terrifying that even the banshee is afraid of it. The most chilling thing is how everyone just carries on, as if they're all in a trance and only Indigo seems to really notice how strange it is. Luckily not all ghosts are so scary and the other ones in this book might try to be spooky but they're actually pretty funny.

Phrank the pheasant is probably the star of the show. I don't know what anyone would do without him. The ending might have been very different if he wasn't around.

I was intrigued by the hints about the relationship between Indigo and her twin, Rusty and really wanted to find out more what exactly happened between them.

Author Bio

Alex Atkinson loves scary books filled with oddball characters. She blames her idyllic North Yorkshire childhood spent playing murder-in-the-dark and listening to her dad's blood-curdling bedtime stories. After studying English and Politics at Newcastle University, she worked as a website content editor. She now lives in a village in Hertfordshire with her husband, kids, dogs and tortoise, but dreams of abandoned buildings, ghosts and zombies. SPOOKSMITHS INVESTIGATE: THE CINDERMAN is her debut novel.

I've mad a Basil (Sm)Ash. Muddle a bunch of basil in your cocktail shaker, then add ice and 60ml gin, 20ml lemon juice and a dash of sugar syrup. Shake well and pour into an ice filled glass. I actually like the bits of basil so I didn't bother to strain into the glass but you're probably supposed to if you're being strict!

In Universes by Emet North

Book Summary

Raffi works in an observational cosmology lab, searching for dark matter and trying to hide how little they understand their own research. Every chance they get, they escape to see Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them for reasons they also don’t—or won’t—understand. As Raffi’s carefully constructed life begins to collapse, they become increasingly fixated on the multiverse and the idea that somewhere, there might be a universe where they mean as much to Britt as she does to them…and just like that, Raffi and Britt are thirteen years old, best friends and maybe something more.

In Universes is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what life would be like if events had played out just a little differently. The universes grow increasingly strange: women fracture into hordes of animals, alien-infested bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But across them all, Raffi—alongside their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham—reaches for a life that feels authentically their own.

Raffi is looking for dark matter, but really I think she's looking for solutions to all the problems she's ever had in her life. The idea of infinite parallel worlds takes her into the possibilities of endless universes.

At the beginning if feels a bit like the rambling of someone's mind, but I related to so much of it and found it so interesting that I didn't care. However I did feel like maybe I was missing some deeper meaning. This is probably the most surreal thing I've ever read. Some chapters more so than others, in some universes everything is very normal, while in others, people turn into hordes of bees or falcons. At first I wasn't sure if it was a metaphor, but it is actually really what she says!

I can definitely relate to Raffi's bewilderment at the start of the book. The feeling that you should know what you're doing but just don't, like you've been left behind in a lesson sometime ages ago and have no idea how to catch up! I also liked how the universes are so different in some ways but usually have some thread continuing from the previous ones, people or themes. 

Some of the stories are so harrowing that I kept hoping for something happy. Some do end quite hopefully, but many... not so much. I was also waiting for something that might pull all the stories together at the end but I think it's more like a collections of essays.

To make a Parallel Universe cocktail, mix 30ml (equal measures) of rum, Cointreau and grapefruit juice in a shaker with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I couldn't find any grapefruit juice so instead bought a red grapefruit and made some fresh juice. For that reason the cocktail is probably not quite the right colour. I also think it could do with a little sugar to sweeten it.

PAX and the Forgotten Pincher by David Barker

Book Summary

Cut off from the rest of the country, New London life is tough, the truth is slippery and friendships are vital.

Pax has made it through the trials of his first year at Scholastic Parliament, but any hopes of a quieter second year are quickly dashed when he makes a shocking discovery in the school’s basement. A new student also joins the school, acting suspiciously and muscling in on Pax’s friendship with Samuel. At least being reigning champions in the Parliamentary Polls allows Pax and his friends the freedom to explore the city at weekends. But drone raids and cyber-attacks disrupt life in New London while a paranoid mayor cracks down hard on terrorism.

The second book in the Pax series is even better and more gripping than the first! Adventurous and emotional with just a little touch of romance.

The characters are more defined now and Pax, Samuel and Megan have built up a great friendship after the events in book one, but the introduction of a fourth student to their little group mixes everything up and causes havoc.

I love the references to what was the distant past for them. An iPhone is an ancient bit of technology to Pax, but still looks modern to Albert. And the way words are contorted, Pincher sounds far more sinister than pensioner. No wonder people are terrified of them!

Today I've made a Bee-Bop's Knees (renamed for the robot Bee-Bop, you'll see why when you read the book). In a shaker with ice, add 60ml gin, 22.5ml lemon juice, 15ml honey syrup (reduce if you don't want it too sweet) and 10ml orange juice.