New Fiction in October

 

Adams, Ellery  The Tattered Cover (Secret, Book, and Scone)

Albom, Mitch Twice

Andrews, Donna  Five Golden Wings (Meg Lanslow)

Armstrong, Kelley  The Haunting of Payne’s Hollow

Banville, John  Venetian Vespers

Beaton, M. C. Sugar and Spite (Agatha Raisin)

Brett, Simon Mrs. Pargeter’s Past

Briggs, Patricia  Blind Date with a Werewolf

Brunstetter, Richelle  The Amish Ballerina

Carr, Jack Cry Havoc (Tom Reece)

Child, Lee  Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories

Coben, Harlan & Reese Witherspoon  Gone Before Goodbye

Colgan, Jenny  The Secret Christmas Library

Connelly, Michael  The Proving Ground (Lincoln Lawyer)

Cornwell, Patricia  Sharp Force (Scarpetta)

DeMille, Nelson The Tin Men (Scott Brodie & Maggie Taylor)

Freeman, Brian  Photograph

Gish, Jen Bad Bad Girl

Graham, Heather The Sword of Light

Gregory, Philippa The Boleyn Traitor

Grisham, John  The Widow

Hannah, Sophie  The Last Death of the Year (Hercule Poirot)

Hannon, Irene  Out of Time

Hazelwood, Ali  Mate

Hill, Joe  King Sorrow

Hunter, Stephen  The Gun Man Jackson Swagger:  A Western

Karon, Jan  My Beloved (Mitford)

Kashiwai, Hisasi  Menu of Happiness (Kamogawa Food Detectives)

Kellerman, Jonathan & Jesse Coyote Hills (Clay Edison)

Klavan, Andrew  After That, the Dark (Cameron Winter)

Lee, Harper  The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays

Macomber, Debbie A Ferry Merry Christmas

Mackesy, Charlie  Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse, and the Storm

McFadden, Freida The Intruder

Mizushima, Margaret  Dying Cry (Timber Creek K-9)

Newman, Catherine  Wreck

Patterson, James  The Picasso Heist

Penny, Louise  The Black Wolf

Peterson, Tracie  A Moment to Love

Reich, Christopher  The Tourists

Rose, Jeneva  Dating After the End of the World

Sparks, Nicholas  Remain: A Supernatural Love Story

Stevens, Chevy The Hitchhikers

Halloween Night and Halloween Night II by RL Stine

Reviewed by Christy H.

            There is a podcast called Teen Creeps where two comedians read and discuss “young adult pulp fiction” (lots of thrillers and horror) from their youth – the 1980s and 1990s. It is hilarious and nostalgic and quickly becoming one of my favorite podcasts.

            I read the Halloween Night series specifically for this podcast, although I remember reading the first one many, many years ago. In Halloween Night, Brenda is struggling with the recent addition of her cousin Halley to her household. Halley’s parents are going through a bitter divorce and Brenda’s parents graciously offer to let her stay with them while it blows over. Relegated to a guest room while Halley gets her room, Brenda is seething. To make matters worse, Halley is a flirt. Especially with Brenda’s boyfriend. So Brenda and her friends hatch a plan to kill Halley. Well, in their creative writing assignment anyway. But Brenda keeps getting pushed to the breaking point until she finally snaps. She decides to kill Halley for real.

            This was a really fun read for October. It made me want to get together with my friends and carve pumpkins (which I did!) and throw a Halloween party (Eh. Too lazy). One thing I vividly remember from my RL Stine lovin’ years is the description of clothing. I don’t know why but I always loved that, and reading it now made me want to buy more tights. The book does get a little repetitious with the formula of Something Scary Happens, Brenda Blames Halley, Halley Denies It, Nobody Believes Brenda. With the second book essentially being a rehash of the first, expect lots more of that. And there are plenty of fake out cliffhangers as well which I’m sure can be irritating to some. I really enjoyed reading these though. It was fun to shut off my brain and worries and just be a kid again trying to get spooked.