Halloween Picture Book Favorites: Johnston, Williams, Mueller, Boynton

 

Years ago, it seemed that Halloween was mostly a holiday for children, one that you outgrew in the teen years.  Nowadays, it’s more of an all ages holiday, but I still have fond memories of favorite picture books for the season.

For older listeners, I love Tony Johnston’s The Vanishing Pumpkin.  A little old man and a little old woman discover their prize pumpkin, intended for pie, has disappeared so off they go to track it down.  Vibrant illustrations by Tomie de Paola make for a fun and exciting search to a satisfying conclusion.

Shorter but just as satisfying is the somewhat spooky The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams with illustrations by Megan Lloyd.  A little old lady is walking home at night when strange sounds start following her.  This is a great book for audience participation as listeners can help make the sounds.

For very young listeners, A Halloween Mask for Monster by Virginia Mueller is one of my absolute favorite books.  Little Monster is not sure what he wants to be for Halloween.  He tries on various masks—a dog, a cat, etc.—but deems them all “too scary.”  Finally, he finds just the right one.  With illustrations by Lynn Munsinger, this book is no trick but a real treat.  It’s also very reassuring for young trick-or-treaters who have their own doubts about dressing up and don’t want to be “too scary.”

Finally, a book I have given to most small children I know, Spooky Pookie is a board book written and illustrated by the one and only Sandra Boynton.  Pookie is a little pig-child who is trying to figure out what to be for Halloween.  Boynton’s art is a delight for all ages, and her style is instantly recognizable.  Also "Spooky Pookie" is just fun to say.

-Jeanne

Nevermore: Island of Dr. Moreau, How Stella Learned to Talk

 

Nevermore 9-8-26               Reported by Rita

 

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

First published in 1896, this is the story of Edward Prendick, an Englishman who finds himself stranded on a remote island in the South Pacific after being shipwrecked. The island is home to Dr Moreau, an eminent physiologist from London who has fled England after his ghoulish experiments in vivisection had been publicly exposed. Prendick soon learns that Moreau has continued his experiments on the island of transforming animals into men with monstrous results. Worrying that he may be next on the list of subjects, Prendick flees into the jungle trying to escape whatever gruesome plan Moreau may have in store for him.

It was oh, so scary, but it was a well-written story. It has taken some time to get back to breathing normally.     -CD         5 stars

 

How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog by Christina Hunger

When speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger first came home with her puppy, Stella, it didn’t take long for her to start drawing connections between her job and her new pet. During the day, she worked with toddlers with significant delays in language development and used Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to help them communicate. At night, she wondered: If dogs can understand words we say to them, shouldn't they be able to say words to us? Can dogs use AAC to communicate with humans? Christina decided to put her theory to the test with Stella and started using a paw-sized button programmed with her voice to say the word "outside" when clicked, whenever she took Stella out of the house. A few years later, Stella now has a bank of more than thirty word buttons, and uses them daily either individually or together to create near-complete sentences. How Stella Learned to Talk is part memoir and part how-to guide. It chronicles the journey Christina and Stella have taken together, from the day they met, to the day Stella "spoke" her first word, and the other breakthroughs they've had since. It also reveals the techniques Christina used to teach Stella, broken down into simple stages and actionable steps any dog owner can use to start communicating with their pets.  

The author is excited to use her expertise in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) as a speech pathologist to help her puppy learn to communicate. One of the best books I've read in a long time.     -AH      5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

American War by Omar El Akkad

One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

Inside Alcatraz by Jim Quillen

Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

When Never Comes by Barbara Davis

The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian

The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

 

New Books

 

Trash! A Garbageman's Story by Simon Paré-Poupart

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey

The House of Boleyn by Tracy Borman

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

It may just be an urban legend—it certainly sounds like one—but it’s said that under certain conditions, a go-between can arrange a meeting between a living person and dead person. Each is only allowed one meeting; if either party refuses, the meeting will not take place. The meetings ideally take place on the night of the full moon, which allows for the longest time to meet.

Four stories follow.  Each person finds the go-between and each arranges a meeting: a young woman wants to meet a celebrity who recently passed away; a son wants to meet with his late mother; a school girl wants to meet with her best friend who died in an accident; and a man approaches with mixed emotions, asking to meet with his missing fiancé.

The fifth story is about the go-between himself, and not only gives the reader his background but also gives glimpses from his perspective about the other characters.

I’ve read a number of these books and enjoyed most.  I’ve recommended a number of them, too.  This one is a real standout for me.  The translation is very smooth; and it reads well in English. The stories themselves are memorable and emotionally complex.  The resolutions vary: some bring relief, some comfort, or understanding, but not always. Also, each story holds up well as a self-contained short story, with strong characterization; I could see them individually being included in a short story collection.

One story I found especially compelling.  I’m still thinking about it. 

The final story gave me some new perspectives on the previous tales, and slight updates on some of characters.

In fact, I found the book so intriguing and thought-provoking that I did something I almost never do:  I reread the entire book right after I finished it.

If that isn’t a good recommendation, I don’t know what is.

The Halloween Movie Cookbook: 65 Hauntingly Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Spooky Movies by Ryan Alverez and Adam Merrin

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

I came to this cookbook with two strikes against me:

I don’t really like horror movies and I don’t cook.

But I was intrigued by the concept, especially because the recipes are tagged as belonging to specific movies, including some not so scary ones like Coco, The Addams Family, The Haunted Mansion, Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic and, yes, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  They even have It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  Of course, they also have classic horror pictures like The Shining, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween.

The book is arranged by Bewitching Breakfasts; Spooky Snacks and Sides; Monstrous Mains; Potions, Drinks, and Boo-zy Cocktails; and Devilish Desserts. Each recipe gives the movie that inspired it, with a brief description of the scene.  Pumpkin Pancakes come from a scene in Casper and genuinely sound delicious, with pumpkin puree, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.  Even though it doesn’t start out with “Buy a box of pancake mix,” I almost think I could make these.  There is not a calorie count, but then I fear it might be truly terrifying.

Another good-looking dish is Crispy Baked Scrod with Lemon and Parmesan from Hocus Pocus, inspired by the scene in which Mary’s child-sniffing nose gets confused by scrod.  With two kinds of cheese, lemon zest, and panko breadcrumbs, this is another dish that looks and sounds so good that I would like to try them, providing someone else did the cooking.

The section on drinks is robust, and often alcoholic.  The IT Bloodbath Punch really does look bloody, what with the cherry juice, grenadine, and red food coloring.  It also has pineapple and lime juice—not to mention two kinds of rum and peach schnapps. However, the photo of Lestat’s Bloody Mary creeped me out.  I’m not going to describe it. You have to see it.

Which brings me to the photos, which are gloriously staged, appearing both delicious and ghoulish.  They are fabulous. 

To me, the recipes skewer more toward adult tastes, which is fine—they are a number of recipes out there for kids’ spooky treats. I also like the way the recipes are introduced and written; these guys have a sense of humor.  They are also careful to point out ingredients that could be confused, like evaporated milk vs. condensed milk.

The thing I think I love most is that there are several lists.  You can do the recipes by the movie or by the theme—witches, ghosts, vampires, killers, undead, monsters and misfits, or family friendly.  They have suggested menus, like Spooky Musical Party or Tim Burton Tribute. There’s even a list of movies in chronological order.

This is a fun, entertaining cookbook sure to inspire cooks during spooky season, which now appears to be all year round.  I thing they missed a bet, though, by not including a roast chicken for The Birds.

Nevermore: Fox & I, Homeland and Other Stories, Things We Never Say

 Nevermore 9-1-26      Reported by Rita 

 Fox & I by Catherine Raven 

Catherine Raven left home at fifteen, fleeing an abusive, disdainful father and an indifferent mother. More comfortable in nature than among people, she worked as a National Park ranger, eventually earning a PhD in biology. She built a house on an isolated plot of land in Montana, teaching remotely and leading field classes. One day, she realized that the mangy-looking fox who had been appearing on her property was now showing up every day at 4:15 p.m. She had never had a regular visitor before. How do you even talk to a fox? So, she brought out her camping chair, sat as close to him as she dared, and began reading to him from The Little Prince. Her scientific training had taught her not to anthropomorphize animals, but as she grew to know him, his personality revealed itself--and he became her friend. But friends cannot always save each other from the uncontained forces of nature. Fox and I is a poignant and dramatic tale of friendship, transformation, and coping with inevitable loss--and of how that loss can become meaningful. It is also the introduction of an original, imaginative, stunning literary voice. It showed that "wild" animals can become attached to humans. 

Great descriptions of the wildlife and plants. -WJ 5 stars 

 Homeland and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver 

Homeland and Other Stories offers comic, often heart-warming but always true to life tales told as only the author can, creating a world of love and possibility that listeners will want to take as their own. A rich and emotionally resonant collection of twelve stories of hope, momentary joy, and powerful endurance. Beautifully written portraits of unforgettable characters. -CW 5 stars 

 The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout 

Artie Dam is a man with a secret. He goes about his days teaching American history to high schoolers, correcting their casual ignorance, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. He spends his free time sailing the beautiful Massachusetts Bay, or with his adult son and his wife of more than three decades - and as Artie does these things, he plans the event that will forever change the world he inhabits. But when a startling accident awakens a new perspective in Artie, and he realizes that life has its own secret it's been keeping from him - along with a lot more to say on the weighty matters of fate and freedom in his home and his country - he charts another course full of grief, hilarity, and heart, to a place where the end marks the beginning. 

 I love the way she writes and develops characters. Easy to read. -CD 5 stars 

 Other Books Mentioned 

 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff 

I Am Not a Robot by Joanna Stern 

Curves: Flowers, Foliates & Flourishes in The Formal Decorative Arts by Lisa DeLong 

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky 

West with Giraffes by Lynn Rutledge 

The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow 

Ordinary Magic by Gregory Walton, M. PhD 

 New Books 

 Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern 

When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston 

The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michelle Richardson 

The Halloween Movie Cookbook by Ryan Alvarez 

Stories From a Stranger by Hunter Prosper

Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Liz Ireland

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Halloween night can be creepy enough—adding murder really takes it up a notch! Kensington Publishers have a holiday-themed collection of cozy mystery novellas featuring some of their better known authors.  This is a good way to sample a new to you author or to just enjoy a visit with characters you already know and love.

In Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meier, reporter Lucy Stone is surprised by a a late-night trick-or-treater who seems a bit old to be ringing doorbells, but she loads him up with candy anyway. The next day she is shocked to learn that a teenager died as the result of a hit and run—and it sounds just like her visitor.  She decides to look into the incident and discovers a complex family situation with some dark secrets.  Reading one of this novellas convinced me to try the novels. I like Lucy; she’s no-nonsense, but curious and compassionate, and I like her relationship with her husband. These stories just feel very grounded.

Lee Hollis’ Death of a Halloween Night Stalker is definitely the most atmospheric of the three.  Hayley Powell and her friends are trying to make it home after a concert but a detour leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere.  The only house around is one that could be used as the setting of any horror movie, and while they’re warmly greeted by a woman, her son is a different story.  Speaking of movies, the son could star in one—and not as the hero. I wasn’t as enthralled with this story but then I didn’t know the characters and their relationships, or the conventions of the series:  sections were interrupted by essays by Hayley which I found distracting—probably because this was a novella with a lot of ground to cover in a small space.  Laura Levine uses hilarious emails from Jaine Austen’s parents to break up her novels and I don’t mind that at all.

Finally, Mrs. Claus and the Wily Witch by Liz Ireland has a more fantastical setting:  the North Pole.  April was just an Oregon innkeeper when she was swept off her feet by handsome Nick—who turns out to be the real Santa Claus.  Ireland has created a whole world of elves, living snowmen, reindeer, and other creatures who live for Christmas—but the new Mrs. Claus keeps introducing new holidays.  Halloween, for instance.  The first sign that things are going wrong is that one of the snowmen is really and truly frozen.  The suspect is a recently returned exile who insists he’s innocent, and April is starting to believe him.  These are fanciful and humorous. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief, but I find them charming.

In short, this is a wonderful selection of treats!

New Fiction in October!

 Readers have reason to rejoice in October, because there are many, many, many new books coming out from popular authors! Books by Barbara Kingsolver, Michael Connelly, James Patterson, Lee Child, Stephen King, Debbie Macomber, and Philippa Gregory are all scheduled for October.  There's a little something for everyone this month!

Adams, Ellery  The Liars’ Book Club (Secret, Book and Scone Society)

Andrews, Donna  Jay to the World (Meg Langslow)

Archer, Jeffery Adam and Eve

Armstrong, Kelley  Dive Bar at the End of the Road

Beaton, M.C.  Dead Before Tea Time (Agatha Raisin)

Bunn, T. Davis  The Christmas Hourglass

Chambers, Becky  As You Wake, Break the Shell

Child, Lee Chain Reaction  (Reacher)

Clarke, Susanna The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City

Connelly, Michael  The Hollow (Harry Bosch)

Cosby, S.A.  Truth to Power (Luke Cage)

Cosimano, Elle & Hannah Morrissey Home for the Homicides (Holly & Mark)

Davis, Fiona Samantha:The Next Chapter (American Girls)

Eason, Lynette Deadly Charade (FBI New Recruits)

Evans, Richard Paul  Mercy’s Child

Freeman, Brian  Where the Road Ends

Garmus, Bonnie Peck & Peck

Gilmore, Laurie Wild Wicked Mate

Gregory, Philippa Royal Witch

Haines, Carolyn  Joy to the Bones (Sarah Booth Delaney)

Hazelwood, Ali  Bound and Unbound: A Paranormal Novella Duology

Jimenez, Abby A Married Little Christmas

Jones, Stephen Graham  Off the Reservation

Kelly, Julia The Queen of Roses

King, Stephen and Peter Straub  Other Worlds Than These (Talisman)

Kingsolver, Barbara  Partita

Klavan, Andrew Find Me Nowhere (Cameron Winter)

Kleypas, Lisa Queen of Lombard Street

Macomber, Debbie  A Date with Santa

McKinlay, Jenn Witches of Questionable Intent

Michaels, Fern  Blood Money

Morris, Heather The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse

Mosley, Walter Hanging and Burning (King Oliver)

Murakami, Haruki Abandoning a Cat: A Personal Story

Niffenegger, Audrey Life Out of Order

O’Connor, Carlene  Bury the Wren

Patterson, James The Family Cross (Alex Cross)

Patterson, James The Girl in the Lake (Holmes, Margaret, & Poe)

Penny, Louise  Miss Wolcott’s Ghost

Rosenfelt, David  Bark, Humbug (Andy Carpenter)

Stephenson, Neal  D: Heavy Water

Swanson, Peter Do You See What I See?

Thayne, Raeanne Cozy Little Christmas

Willig, Lauren  What Happens at Nightfall

Young, William Paul  Return to the Shack