Bookish: Our Monthly Book Club

BOOKISH...

Join us for our monthly book club!

BY JOEL FRANCIS

It's October, which is my favourite month of the year! The weather is getting cooler, the colours on the trees are aesthetically pleasing and, of course, it's Halloween. Here are 3 spooky books that I recommend you read this month!

NOS4A2

Joe Hill

Genre: Horror/Thriller

For Fans Of: Stephen King

What’s in the pages? Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things, all she has to do is go on her bike across a rickety covered bridge, and she will find whatever you are missing. Charles Manx is excellent with children; he takes them for long rides in his RollsRoyce Wraith with a NOS4A2 vanity plate. He takes them to the mysterious Christmasland.

When Vic goes looking for trouble one day, she finds Manx and becomes the only kid ever to escape his grasp. But now Manx is out for revenge and is after Victoria's own son.

Why should you read it? This book is such a ride, but an enjoyable one, not like being in the back of Manx's Rolls-Royce. As a horror author, Hill has a lot to live up to considering he is Stephen King's son. However, he is a fantastic horror writer in his own right.

This book feels like Stephen King at his best, without the disappointing endings or massive plot holes that King's writing has been known for. The story is fun, perfectly paced and impressively creative. Joe Hill must adapt his books so that they have claws because this book had me hooked and dragged into the story from the very first page. NOS4A2 is filled with charismatic characters in a world similar to our own but at the same time very, very different.

The most impressive part about this book is that you live alongside Victoria McQueen from the first page until the very last, even when you aren't reading it. Her adventure is always on your mind, and that is the mark of a fantastic book!

THE GIRL IN RED

Christina Henry

Genre: Horror/Fantasy/ Retelling

For Fans Of: Stephen Chbosky & Rory Power

What’s in the pages? Red is alone in the woods; she is heading to her grandmother's house. But it's not safe in the woods, some predators come out at night. However, Red doesn't have a choice, she's just a woman trying to survive in a world gone mad, a world that was perfectly normal until three months ago.

It's not only animals that stalk their prey in the woods at night; there are also men. Men with dark desires who take advantage of who they find and take what they want. There are also men in uniform who are just taking orders from their commanders, no matter how bad those orders may seem.

Red is not a killer, but she will do what she needs to do to survive.

Why should you read it?

When it comes to retellings of classic stories, especially fairy tales, they can be very hit and miss. This horror retelling of Little Red Riding Hood is incredible, it's one of the few books that has been able to keep me up at night (the last one I read was in January).

Although it was written in June 2019, the subject matter is very timely (no spoilers), it feeds on genuine fears felt around the world right now and shook me directly to my very core.

Unlike in the original Red Riding Hood story, Red isn't a little girl but a young woman having to navigate the world by herself, through the trials and terrors of the aftermath of The Crisis. She is travelling through the woods to get to her grandmother's house, all the while trying to avoid wolves and the other dangers around her. I usually really dislike apocalypse novels because the survivors tend to make stupid decisions all the time. Not Red, she has read all of the right books and seen all of the right documentaries to be ready for The Crisis.

When it comes, she is prepared, and she will survive.

HORRORSTÖR

Grady Hendrix

Genre: Horror/Humour

For Fans Of: Paul Tremblay

What’s in the pages?

Orsk is a beige wanna-be Ikea store, filled with workers who don't want to be there, going through the motions, getting through the day so they can get their pay checks. Until one day, their whole lives change.

The Orsk store they work at is haunted. Strange things start happening. Furniture in the wrong place, shattered water goblets and broken wardrobes. Amy and her co-workers are tasked with sorting it out during one night shift before head management come to survey more damage in the morning.

Why should you read it?

Horrorstör asks the question: What is scarier, ghosts or working in retail?

I loved this book, it's a fantastic idea with an amusing and engaging execution. While it's not one of the most well-written books in the world, it is very relatable, especially if you have worked in any type of retail.

What makes this book great is the dedication and care taken in researching Ikea's branding, and applying it to Horrorstör. Each chapter starts with catalogue items that are fullcolour advertisements for fake products (such as Kjerring bookshelves).

I highly recommend picking up the physical version of this book from Amazon or Bookdepository (which has free and speedy delivery to Gibraltar) to get the full experience. Because reading it on a Kindle just won't do justice to the softcover binding and beautiful French flaps this book is designed with!

Happy Halloween!