“Spooky Reads: Top Thrilling Tales for the Halloween Season”
"Dive into Haunting Narratives and Supernatural Adventures to Elevate Your Halloween Spirit!"
“What Moves the Dead” by T. King Fisher
They rush to the Ushers' family house in the isolated Ruritania countryside after retired soldier Alex Easton learns that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying. They discover a pitch-black, throbbing lake surrounded by a nightmare of fungal growths and demonic animals. Madeline speaks in weird voices and is sleepwalking at night, while her brother Roderick suffers from an enigmatic nervous disorder. With the help of an incredible British mycologist and a perplexed American physician, Alex needs to discover the House of Usher's mystery before it destroys them all.
Get 100% free access to "What Moves the Dead" here.
“Tender is the Flesh” by Agustine Bazterrica
Agustina Bazterrica's dystopian novel "Tender Is the Flesh" imagines a society in which humans are bred solely for meat and animals have gone extinct. The protagonist of the tale is Marcos, the manager of a processing facility who loses his ability to recognize the horrible truth of this cannibalistic society. He begins to wonder about the morality of this gory business and his place in it, which leads him to some startling realizations about how vicious people can be. Deep topics of dehumanization, morality, and the fallout from deity-play are all explored in this book. It is a terrifying indictment of the moral decline of civilization and the possible fallout from unbridled industrialization.
Get 100% free access to "Tender is the Flesh" here.
“The Wicked Unseen” by Gigi Griffis
It follows Audre as she makes an effort to blend in at her new town and centers on the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s. Audre's arrival in rural Pennsylvania makes it obvious that she will not fit there. Ultimately, her nose ring, her fascination with horror films, and her family's collection of Ouija boards are unlikely to make her popular in a community that believes a covert Satanic sect is performing rituals in the adjacent woods.
The village quickly places blame on Audre when Elle, the preacher's daughter and Audre's crush, disappears over Halloween weekend. Audre knows she might be the only one who can locate her companion while the police are occupied tormenting her family for not believing in the existence of demons and everyone else is certain that demons are to blame.
However, things get stranger the further Audre goes. Is there something even more terrible hidden behind the town's fascination with the occult, or has Elle fallen prey to a Satanic ritual?
Get 100% free access to "The Wicked Unseen" here.
“Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery” by Brom
The grim dark novel Slewfoot is set in a small Puritan community in New England in 1666. The townspeople are afraid of what lies ahead as an ancient evil entity emerges in the eerie woods. Abitha is devious folk herself, descended from a long tradition of crafty folk. She witnesses a half-human, half-horned beast figure after her husband vanishes inexplicably. She falls in love with the man-beast, naming him Samson because she doesn't know who he really is. Samson is who? Is he a killer or a protector? Is he a monster or a virtue? Is he the actual devil?
The incredible and terrifying story of Slewfoot revolves around a demon searching for his soul and an amazing friendship. It is a trip through paganism, misogyny, witchcraft, and piety.
Get 100% free access to "Slewfoot" here.
“The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and other Yuletide Monsters by Jeff Belanger
More often than not, Christmas, Yule, Saturnalia, and other winter solstice celebrations convey messages of hope and redemption coupled with the prospect of punishment for misbehaving or acting in an antisocial manner. One of the more well-known punishing figures in history is Krampus; Krampus Runs have been resurrected all over the world recently. Unknown characters, however, such as the cannibalistic sorceress Gryla and her Yule Lads, also live during the chilly, dark evenings. Even seemingly joyous customs like wassailing and mumming mask a more sinister past of societal injustices that needed to be addressed, with wine, masks, and good cheer ushering groups into the New Year.
This book, which showcases a wealth of research spanning historical sources and interviews, also includes historical photos and macabre and humorous graphics. There are also many pop culture tie-ins to movies and even the 1931 Coca-Cola advertising that popularized Santa Claus's cheerful appearance.
A fascinating tour through holiday history, The Fright Before Christmas explains the whys and whens of beloved winter traditions/rituals/celebrations.
Get 100% free access to "The Fright Before Christmas" here.
Some links in this article may pay commisson.
About the Creator
Michelle Mirabelli
Hello everyone! Michelle here. I'm passionate about understanding the intricate details of life. I hope the knowledge I convey to you serves as a lighthouse, illuminating your path while providing enjoyment as you traverse this life.
Keep reading
More stories from Michelle Mirabelli and writers in BookClub and other communities.
"Love in Prose: Exploring Timeless Romance Novels"
"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austin Introduction: Jane Austen's 1813 novel "Pride and Prejudice" is regarded as a classic of English literature because of its wit, social satire, and ageless examination of love, class, and human nature. The story follows Elizabeth Bennet, the second oldest daughter of the Bennet family, as she negotiates the difficulties of relationships, societal expectations, and personal development in this Regency-era novel set in rural England.
By Michelle Mirabelli7 months ago in BookClub
Why Mānuka Honey Is So Expensive ?
Manuka honey is expensive because this isn't just any old honey it's manuka honey and in its purest form it can cost up to 99 per 100 grams that's more than a hundred times the price of normal honey so why is it so expensive [Music] Manuka Honey is known for being earthier richer and more viscous than many other Honeys it comes from the nectar of the flower leptospermum scaparium also known as Manuka which is only native to New Zealand a manuka in fact is a Maori word foreign the fact that it comes from New Zealand that gives it a premium just to start with and because the bee travels up to about six kilometers to collect this honey and so this honey is representative of the environment and that environment is of New Zealand the plant itself and the Honey is very very rare out of all the Honeys in the world it probably represents one percent of all the world honeys it's difficult to harvest it's only a two to six week harvesting period and the flower is only open for any for 12 days and in New Zealand we have wind and we have rain and all the rest of it so there's a lot of luck involved in getting the bee or a lot of effort from The Beekeeper and for some years there are no there is no honey production for some beekeepers and we have to go to the big extent also using helicopters to collect this honey although Manuka bushes can also be found in Australia New Zealand accounts for almost all of the world's production with exports worth 204 million dollars and expected to quadruple to 800 Million by 2028. New Zealand's honey is protected by a quality standard that safeguards manuka's special properties honey is an expensive honey and anything that is expensive people will try and copy people will try and mimic or people will try and cheat so a lot of the cost here isn't actually in the protection of it all the research so we know it's Unique we know it's from New Zealand we can identify it we've fought labs around the world to be able to do this identification the New Zealand government has set up a standard to say what is manogani so how does the grading system work and what exactly are you looking for in Manuka Honey we spoke to Dr Adrian Charlton from ferriscience a lab in the north of England where Manuka Honey is tested to identify its unique compounds as standard we will test for three compounds dihydroxyacetone which is known as DHA methylglooxal known as MGO and hydroxy methylferol HMF these are the basic tests that we we would undertake to make sure that Manuka Honey contains the antimicrobial characteristics that the consumer would expect we could detect them but we can also measure the concentration of them and that's done using UV light to detect a particular wavelength the individual compounds each compound has slightly different properties but because of the issues in the past with potential fraud there's a suite of other tests including test stress compounds such as leptosparin which is a marker that's unique to the nectar of leptospin and scaparium we can trace then the honey back to its its botanic Lodge in the plant that it came from the jar of Manuka Honey the markers can be confusing so how do you know that it's the real deal so in some cases they're laboring for the concentration of a compound so MGO 300 would indicate 300 milligrams of methyl in that particular pot of honey per kilogram to NPA which is non-peroxide activity now that's that's related to the methodological concentration but it's a more direct measure at the antimicrobial activity of the honey other other marks such as umf a quality mark But if you can see a particular stamp on a product that has been tested and assured to a certain standard so that's different to actually labeling it with the concentration of a particular compound another Factor that's driving up the price is the use of Manuka honey in health and beauty products it's antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties are said to soothe and nourish the skin and it's also said to help with blemishes and acne.
By Rebekah Wagener5 days ago in BookClub
I Am Grateful For So Many Things
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to experience _________. Rupi Kaur's Gratitude Writing Prompts I am grateful that I had the opportunity to experience my children growing up to be kind and loving human beings, that are raising families and work in areas that are making a difference.
By Denise E Lindquist4 days ago in Writers
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.