Happy Halloween!

Image by satit_srihin at freedigitalphotos.net

Happy Halloween, Operation Awesome! I hope you have super fun plans for tonight, whether you will be trick or treating, headed to a party, or curling up with something nice and creepy. If you're planning on the latter, here are a few recommendations to get your night started.

 

Some free things:

 

- CLICK CLACK THE RATTLEBAG, a short story by Neil Gaiman presented in the classic, read-out-loud tradition of the creepy stories of our childhood. It's a free download from Audible today, so be sure to snatch it up. 

 

- HIS FACE ALL RED, a stunning horror comic by artist Emily Carroll. Carroll's comics are masterworks of the genre, lyrical and spare and brimming with unspoken dread. I highly recommend devouring all the other free comics on her page, and then checking out her anthology, THROUGH THE WOODS.

- WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE, a serialized podcast drama that's a delightful fusion of sci-fi, satire, and cosmic horror, all in the style of a small desert town's community radio broadcast. 

 

And here are a few lightning-fast book recommendations: 

- THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, by Rick Yancey: The first of a stunning, devastating quartet of literary horror YA. Not for the faint of heart.

 

- THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, by Claire Legrand: A wickedly clever and deliciously creepy MG horror. Particularly good for those of you who loved CORALINE and want something similar.

 

-  LONG LANKIN by Lindsey Barraclough: The atmosphere in this debut is perfect. And the titular monster is freaky as hell.

 

- THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson: It's usually best to let Jackson's words speak for themselves.

 

 "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."

 

And that seems like the perfect note to leave you on. Pleasant dreams!