All Booked: Happy Halloween
The original version of this newsletter was sent out on Tuesday, October 22.
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Hello, fellow bookworms!
I love a spooky, creepy read at any time of the year, but we’re fully into spooky season now and the horror recommendations keep coming! I can’t add them to my reading list fast enough.
This week, Richelle Boyd brings us some recommendations, from the classics to the kooky, to get us in the Halloween spirit! Get cozy, grab some candy and cider, and dive into something spine-tingling. Happy reading!
—Tessa, allbooked@independent.com
Though I’ve been busy with big projects like Best of Santa Barbara® and Best Fest, I always find time to squeeze in a good read. And for the past couple of months, I’ve been diving into my favorite genre of horror more than usual. Spooky season is one of my favorite times of the year, and some haunting stories to go along with it have kept me in the right mood for Halloween. Though I’ve got my nose buried in some nonfiction at the moment, I wanted to share my favorite scary and wacky stories that keep me in the Halloween spirit!
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
If you haven’t yet read this cult classic, or are looking for an excuse to crack it open again, now is the perfect time. I always crack this open around Halloween to relive the monstrous story again firsthand, and dive back into the mind of the deranged characters inside. I love this novel for not only being a feminist breakthrough — thank you, Mary Shelley — but also for the twisted and goading morals it pokes at throughout the novel.
While we must remember that Frankenstein is the doctor — and that his monster is actually left nameless, shamed, and cast aside — we must also remember that he is the true monster of the story. The resurrection of a body from the dead is frightening, and the concept of an electrified zombie walking around is right on par for classic horror lovers. However, this story plays on the concepts of good and evil and right and wrong, too.
If you don’t leave the novel questioning who is truly evil, you may have misinterpreted Shelley’s intentions. Through the insanity, mayhem, and murder of the novel is the tale of a being who is learning about a cruel world that makes him even crueler in return. A great read to keep you up at night for more than one reason.
The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar (2002)
Though it’s not specific to Halloween, this graphic novel will make you laugh, question morality, and ask, “What would I do if my cat started talking to me?” I love to plug graphic novels into my reading lists because they are a fun medium that not enough people spend time exploring. This one in particular is an all-time favorite since I’ve picked it up, and it is a much easier read than Frankenstein.
The Rabbi’s Cat — originally a French novel — is raunchy and hilarious, and has a fun art style to match the kooky concept. When the rabbi’s cat gains the ability to speak, he goes through his own trials and tribulations, including questioning religion and authority, nighttime adventures through the streets of Algeria, and contending with real-life issues, big and small. The cat and his rabbi are great reflections of each other, and Sfar contrasts the two beautifully while also showing some great similarities in their love of characters and their fierceness in their respective beliefs.
Gerald’s Game by Stephen King (1992)
From one of my favorite twisted authors comes the twisted tale of a marriage gone wrong in Gerald’s Game. Though it’s not one of his most popular novels, it did get a Netflix movie adaptation that didn’t (and couldn’t) match the horror that main character Jessie experiences in the story. During a trip to a remote cabin with her husband Gerald, he kicks the bucket.
And that’s not even the scary part. Met with the haunting of her past, forced to face her real feelings for her husband and their relationship, Jessie’s mind begins to unravel — all while handcuffed to her bed with her dead husband lying on the ground. Surprises hit her at every corner, and each page feels like another helpless cry from her as she tries to find a way to make it out, or even just to get some water while strapped to the bed.
King’s attention to detail and overzealous dive into a deranged, driven mind make it one of my personal favorites from him, alongside other classics like Cujo, The Shining, and Carrie (to name a few).
—Richelle Boyd
UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS
Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.
Storytime at Solvang Library
Tuesday, October 22, 10:30 a.m. | Solvang Library
Bilingual Songs & Stories for Kids
Tuesday, October 22, 11 a.m. | Eastside Library
S.B. Reads: Montecito Book Club Discussion of Funny Story by Emily Henry
Tuesday, October 22, noon | 1469 E. Valley Rd., Montecito
Baby & Me Storytime
Wednesday, October 23, 11 a.m. | S.B. Central Library
Area Author Book Talk: Montecito Noir: True Tales of Murder and Mayhem in Paradise
Wednesday, October 23, 3:30 p.m. | 1469 E. Valley Rd., Montecito
Book Talk: Conscious Grieving: A Transformative Approach to Healing from Loss by Claire Bidwell Smith
Wednesday, October 23, 6 p.m. | Godmothers, Summerland
Stories After Dark
Wednesday, October 23, 8 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Wiggly Storytime
Thursday, October 24, 5 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
Baby & Me Storytime
Friday, October 25, 10:30 a.m. | Goleta Valley Library
UCSB Arts & Lectures Presents Percival Everett
Friday, October 25, 7:30 p.m. | Campbell Hall, UCSB
Book Reading: Lucy! How Lucille Ball Did It All by Brigette Barrager
Saturday, October 26, 11 a.m. | Godmothers, Summerland
Preschool Storytime
Monday, October 28, 10 a.m. | Carpinteria Community Library
Bilingual Songs & Stories for Kids
Tuesday, October 29, 11 a.m. | Eastside Library
S.B. Reads Book Discussion: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Tuesday, October 29, 4 p.m. | Farmers’ Market (State St. and Canon Perdido)
Book Talk: Unlock Your Leadership Story by Pat Wadors
Tuesday, October 29, 6 p.m. | Godmothers, Summerland
UCSB Arts & Lectures Presents Yung Pueblo
Tuesday, October 29, 7:30 p.m. | Campbell Hall, UCSB
Baby & Me Storytime
Wednesday, October 30, 11 a.m. | S.B. Central Library
Wiggly Storytime
Wednesday, October 31, 10:30 a.m. | Goleta Valley Library
Wiggly Storytime
Thursday, October 31, 5 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
Baby & Me Storytime
Friday, November 1, 10:30 a.m. | Goleta Valley Library
Chaucer’s Books 50th Birthday Bash
Friday, November 1, 5 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
S.B. Reads Book Discussion: Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose
Saturday, November 2, 11 a.m. | S.B. Central Library
Book Talk and Signing: Kendra Adachi
Monday, November 4, 5:30 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Preschool Storytime
Monday, November 4, 10 a.m. | Carpinteria Community Library
LOCAL BOOK SPOTLIGHT
We at the Independent get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!
The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us. Click here for a more comprehensive list.
Outer Space Mystery Pizza Club: Elvis Is Missing by Bruce Hale
If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “Local Author Spotlight.”
Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*
Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include:
No Machos or Pop Stars: When the Leeds Art Experiment Went Punk by Gavin Butt; review by George Yatchisin
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout; review by David Starkey
*At the present time, all of the Independent’s book reviews are provided in collaboration with California Review of Books (calirb.com).
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