110 Days of Halloween....More Great Halloween Reads!

I've compiled a nice little list of books that, I think will keep me reading well past Halloween and, may even become a yearly read!

Paulette at Art Dust reccommends:
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Halloween Party by Agatha Christie

Victoria at Brushstrokes reccommend:
The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Both Paulette and Victoria recommend:
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Other books that I forgot to mention in my last post:
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Little Witch by Elizabeth Anna Bennett - have read this book since I was about 8 years old when I got it from the school book club
The Witches by Roald Dahl

I'll try to do a review as I go through the books. I'm looking forward to many a cozy evening with a great book.

Happy Reading!

100 Days of Halloween....Halloween Reads

I'm a big movie watcher during the Halloween Season. Harry Potter, Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Sleepy Hollow all must be watched sometime during October, usually at night or on a gloomy day with popcorn, hot chocolate and under a blanket with the dog. But, I also love to read. I don't have a big list of Halloween books that I read year after year but, I'd like to grow that list, so please respond and I'll post your favorite reads.

The one book I do read right around Halloween is The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs. It's the first in a series of books about Lewis Barnavelt. If you haven't read it, here's a sysnopsis from Goodreads:

"Lewis always dreamed of living in an old house full of secret passageways, hidden rooms, and big marble fireplaces. And suddenly, after the death of his parents, he finds himself in just such a mansion--his Uncle Jonathan's. When he discovers that his big friendly uncle is also a wizard, Lewis has a hard time keeping himself from jumping up and down in his seat. Unfortunately, what Lewis doesn't bank on is the fact that the previous owner of the mansion was also a wizard--but an evil one who has placed a tick-tocking clock somewhere in the bowels of the house, marking off the minutes until the end of the world. And when Lewis accidentally awakens the dead on Halloween night, the clock only ticks louder and faster. Doomsday draws near--unless Lewis can stop the clock."

Yes, it is a book for elementary aged children but, a good book is a good book! I love the characters, especially Rose Rita Pottinger and I really want a neighbor just like Mrs. Zimmerman. The second book in the series is The Figure in the Shadows, followed by The Letter, the Witch and the Ring which I've yet to read as it's really hard to find...I might have to go over to Amazon for a splurge for a Halloween treat....

Please let me know what you like to read during Halloween so I can grow my list and share with everyone.

Thanks!

When the Root Children Wake Up

A perfect book for spring...I need to dig it out of my bin to re-read....

The author is Helen Dean Fish. This books illustrations are by Sybille von Olfers. What is your favorite book to read in the springtime?

I've Been Reading....

I've felt so guilty lately because I haven't blogged, knitted, crochet, created jewelry or done anything crafty for the last several months. Initially, I had the excuse that I was busy moving. And, I was. From June through November of last year we relocated to Nevada from California. But, we're settled in the house now and I've organized all my craft stuff so why aren't I being crafty?

I didn't realize that I've been spending most of my spare time reading. I haven't read this much in years. Good books too. I've forgotten what a wonderful escape reading is. As much as I love my crafts, they can be frustrating sometimes. With knitting, crochet and jewelry making you do have a wonderful end result but, along the way with each craft there is some frustration - skipped or dropped stitches, a pendant that doesn't adhere correctly or has a bubble stuck somewhere, frustration with patterns, not to mention keeping up with my etsy shop, the list goes on.

With reading there is no end result. Yeah, it can be frustrating reading a book that doesn't turn out like you expect but, you just close the cover and pick up a new book.

I've felt such an escape with my reading. I've been to Forks, Washington getting to know the Cullen family in the Twilight series. I've also mentally visited England in the 1940's by reading  Kate Morton's "The Distant Hours". I'm now reading "The Forgotten Garden" also by Kate Morton. Both of her books are mysterious and go back and forth in time and have wonderful main characters. I'm also reading "The Dark is Rising" series by Susan Cooper. I just finished the third book in the series and am looking foward to the next.

There are also several books that I re-read each year. Every year in the spring I re-read "The Secret Garden", in January or February I read a book called "The Snowstorm" by Beryl Nethercliff. I've had that book since I was about 10 years old. Unfortunately, it's out of print but, I think it can be purchased at Amazon. I'm also looking foward to re-reading "Kona" by Marjorie Sinclair. A sweet and tender story about two generations of women in Hawaii.

As I look at the list of books I've read, it seems like my mind was thirsty for the escape of reading. I also feel really good about the fact that I've been getting most of the books from the public library.

I'll get back to the crafting eventually. My fingers will get antsy to create something. But, right now I'm escaping, at least mentally, to different times and places and meeting characters that I will come to know and love and consider friends.

What are you reading?