Halloween Special!
BOO!
It’s spooky season, and what better way to spend it than cosying up with a haunting book and some tasty snacks? Next year I’m actually looking to plan out my reading in terms of seasonally appropriate, but for now you’ve got a triple threat of spooky just in time for Halloween (or Samhain if that’s more your bag).
All three of these books are available at Burnley Library.
I’ve always meant to get into reading more Constantine content. I got pretty into the short-lived TV show a few years back, and I liked the few episodes I saw of him on Legends of Tomorrow. He’s hardly a hero, but he is great fun. Thankfully, this isn’t the one where he sleeps with King Shark, so that isn’t something I have to contend with.
John Constantine: Hellblazer Volume II: The Best Version of You by Simon Spurrier, Aaron Campbell, Matías Bergara, and Jordie Bellaire sees England entering turmoil as strange magical occurrences are popping up. Monstrous births are taking place and Constantine is trying to get to the bottom of it while possibly being at the centre of it.
I love the art styles in ‘Britannia Rules the Waves’ part one and two. It looks like court room illustrations, but also like grimy old photographs. It’s tonally perfect, and I adore it.
I always think ‘magic comes at a price’ tales are so fun. It’s all about the darkness that comes with seemingly unending power that hooks me in. There’s mermaids and unicorns in this, but there’s nothing sweet and fluffy about it at all. They’re truly messed up, and I just love it when it’s done as well as it was here. The unicorn design in particular was everything.
The political commentary in this is done in such a wonderfully bitter way. There’s a sense of exhausted anger about tories. It’s a deep-seated resentment that I can very happily get on board with. I mean, what’s more haunting than the prospect of another ten years under a tory government? Perfect for Halloween!
The formatting in ‘Wake Up Call’ is so cool. There’s something incredibly dynamic about it with a mix of classic panelling and standalone pieces that’s super enticing.
If you’re looking for something creepy and dark with a little bit of gallows humour thrown in, then I have just the book for you. I absolutely recommend this book, and I do believe I’ll be back to it in the future if I’m in the right mood.
I love being so close to such a huge part of British history. of course, witch trials were taking place up and down the country, but it’s the Pendle witch trials that we all remember. While I don’t consume a huge amount of non-fiction, I’m always interested in learning more about my local history.
Pendle: Witch Country by Alastair Lee is a photography collection all about the Pendle area including a decent whack of history about the area for good measure.
Lee’s photography is incredibly beautiful, with many of them somehow looking more like paintings than photos. There’s something about it that warms my heart. The day I move from my hometown, I’ll be taking a copy of this book with me in case I feel home sick.
I wasn’t sure how Lee would strike the balance between the photos and his writing about the area, but he does so really well. His tone is also just so good because it manages to be both accessible without ever feeling dumbed down.
I think my favourite thing is that he focusses on the small details as much as he does on the vast landscapes. He often talks about how there’s more to Pendle than what we first think of. There’s more than just the witches, and there’s more than the hill.
This is such a beautiful book that I know I’ll go back to over and over again. I really need to get my own copy because it just makes me so happy.
There truly was something in the water in the Victorian Era. They spoiled us with all things ghostly. I feel like to really capture the spirit 😉 of the spooky season we need just a little bit of camp, and who better to provide that than Oscar Wilde?
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde follows the family of an American ambassador as he moves to a supposedly haunted country house in England. They struggle with the haunting at first, but things don’t quite work out as you’d think.
I love that the ambassador comes in with all the sense of Jonathan Harker being handed a crucifix. He’s just like “yeah I’ll buy this house with a ghost because I don’t think there is a ghost” (not a real quote by the way). It’s laughable, but it isn’t clear at this point if it’s supposed to be. It’s a staple of the genre to have a kind of stupid protagonist, but it isn’t always supposed to be funny. Here it definitely is, though.
The frequent mention of brands is really interesting. I never figured out if Wilde had some kind of affiliation or it was a commentary about the way some people do talk about brands as if this one particular product is perfection. I think it’s funnier to think of Wilde like some kind of Victorian influencer though. Use code Oscar for 20% off Paragon washing agent.
I am OB-SESSED with how this ghost is just like:
Can you believe this man has the audacity to throw a pillow at my head? I have been haunting this house for centuries.
I don’t think I was expecting this story to be funny, but it really is. It’s a little bit Scooby Doo, but I absolutely mean that as a compliment. Should I have expected camp from Oscar Wilde? Maybe! But I didn’t and I was really pleasantly surprised. They go around bullying this ghost and you almost end up feeling sorry for him (until he says that the death of two people because of his hauntings are a job well done).
I love this story so much. This might become a yearly read for me. You know, just that perfect thing to get me into the spooky mood. It’s so much fun, and I cannot recommend it enough. It’s also probably available online given the age of it, so I really do think you should find a version of this somewhere.
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