The Saints Go Dying:

The Saints Go Dying: Arthur Beautyman Mysteries book 1 by: Erik Hanberg
Fiction: mystery, E-book
E-book Count: 19
Book Count: 33


Arthur Beautyman is a detective in LA.  He gets a case involving a serial killer that is killing, shaving, and draining their victims of blood. Also, they are only killing people that might be called a saint; people that give to charities, volunteer, teach, etc.  In fact, they are using calling cards with Bible references to The Whore of Babylon in reference to themselves, causing the FBI profilers helping with this case to note that that is very unusual.  Also there is a local TV show that does news/true crime stories that is airing episodes on the Babylon killer that the police have to carefully work with for PR reasons.

Chasing Secrets:

Chasing Secrets by: Gennifer Choldenko
Fiction: mystery, historic, YA 274 pagrs
Physical Book Count: 16
Book Count: 32

Lizzie is a teenage girl in San Francisco in the year 1900. But unlike the other girls at her finishing school she loves science, wants to be a doctor like her father, and hates dancing.  So when her Chinese cook goes missing and is thought to be stuck in the quarantine for the plague she sets to work on finding him and getting him home, against the desire of her aunt, who wants Lizzie to act like a proper lady.

CHF: The Messengers

The Messengers - 2007

* Kirsten Stewart
* Black and white flashback
* Cigarette smoking man
* So many jump scares
* Out, damned spot!
* Murder of crows
* The Birds

Who Done It?:

Who Done It? Investigation of Murder Most Foul, an anthology edited by: Jon Scieszka
fiction: mystery, short stories, YA, 352 pages
Physical Book Count: 15
Book Count: 31

This book has a premise much like the Clue movie/game, a collection of people, all with reasons to kill a man, are invited to the some out of the way place, and after he is murdered the rest is about who did it.  In this case the suspects are 80+  young adult authors and/or illustrators who each write their own alibi, on why they didn't kill their hated editor.  It is clear from the stories that each author involved were given a short outline of information on the premise of the book and details about the "victim" and event.  It is also clear they they didn't give them the info on how the murder took place as a number of ones accidentally confess of: poisoning, freezing, bludgeoning, and otherwise killing their editor in different ways.    Also the sale of the book helps a charity, which is why all of these popular writers worked on the book.

CHF: Maniac Cop

Maniac Cop - 1988

*  Bruce Campbell
*  Broken down car
*  Mysterious phone calls
*  What do you expect to find following someone to a cheap motel?
*  Revenge
*  Don't bother with names, vague descriptions work just as well

The Fireman:

The Fireman by: Joe Hill
Fiction: Sci-fi, 749 pages
Physical Book Count: 14
Book Count: 30

First, this book is more then a book.  It is divided up into 9 smaller books within it's pages, each with a title and a reset of the chapter count.  Of course 749 pages isn't enough for 9 whole books, but each mini book does follow a story arc within the larger arc of the whole book.
The storyline of this epic is based on a worldwide breakdown in society caused by a fungus known as dragon scale that infects people and causes spontaneous human combustion.  It starts out as a beautiful tatoo looking pattern on the skin, but as it goes deeper into the brain people smoke, smoulder, and then set on fire.  There are a few stories of people that can control it, including a mysterious fireman.
The story centers around nurse Harper.  She starts out as a Mary Poppins loving school nurse who witnesses one of the first cases of a burner in her area. Then after the schools close down she works at a hospital. It was at the hospital where she meets a fireman carrying in a deaf boy in need of surgery.

CHF: The Houses October Built

The Houses October Build - 2014

* Documentary
* Found footage
* Creepy clowns
* Mysterious film
* Clues

Suspicions Minds:

Suspicious Minds: Why we Believe Conspiracy Theories by: Rob Brotherton
Nonfiction: Science, History, 244 pages
Physical Book Count: 13
Book Count: 29

This book is on the psychology of how and why people believe conspiracy theories.  It points out the evolutionary factors that would be useful for staying safe that also would increase people's willingness to believe conspiracy theories.  It points out that intelligence,  or political leanings have no bearing on if you believe in conspiracy theories but might affect which ones you believe.  However, some things that would increase your likelihood of belief in a theory include believing other conspiracy theories, belief in the supernatural, belief in pseudoscience and being a member of a group who had a conspiracy theory sounding thing actually proven to happen to them. For example, researchers found African Americans had a higher belief in theories involving the government doing secret medical testing on people due to the Tuskegee Study, where the government secretly gave African American men syphilis to study it.
Also, it points out that tin foil hats can actually amplify some radio wave frequencies, ones used by the US government for GPS communications.

CHF: The Chosen

The Chosen - 2015

*Religious Iconography
* Dead twin
* Deadline
* Lilith
* Creepy ghost nun
* Murder list

CHF: Most Likely to Die

Most Likely to Die - 2015

* High school reunion
* Slutty girl dies first
* Perez Hilton
* Revenge plot points
* No cell phone reception or landline

Ghostly Interests:

Ghostly Interests ( A Harper Harlow Mystery book 1) by: Lily Harper Hart
Fiction: Mystery, Paranormal, E-book
E-book Count:18
Book Count: 28

First, I give this book bonus points as it both takes place in Michigan, and points out Trixie Belden's role in children's mystery series, with somewhat implying that she was better then Nancy Drew.

Now about the story, Harper sees dead people and has since she was a child.  Now she runs a ghost hunting company with her best friend Zander.  One day she happens on a new ghost, a college co-ed who had just been murdered, and found washed up on the shore nearby.  There is also a new police officer on the local force who got the case.  Harper feels compelled to help the ghost by finding her killer, as she can not remember her death as she blocked out the event.  Jared the new police officer, at first doesn't believe she can see ghosts, and has problems with Harper's interest in the case.  This results in humorous situations as his partner is family with Zander and both Zander's and Harper's families are gossips who are very involved in the two friend's lives.

CHF: The Wicker Man

The Wicker Man - 2006

* Nicholas Cage
* Alternative Ghost Rider Back story
* Mysterious letter
* Secretive private island
* Bees
* Creepy twins
* Could you just pick a time period for your old timey clothes?
* Book of convenient plot points

CHF: Bleed

Bleed- 2016

* Hillbillies
*  Birthmarks
* They see dead people
* Butterflies
* Haunted prison
* Evil folk beliefs
* Baby

Room with a Clue:

Room with a Clue (Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery) by: Kate Kingsbury
Fiction: mystery, history, e-book
E-book Count: 17
Book Count: 27

This book takes place in Edwardian England in a resort hotel for the rich and famous.  One of the ladies visiting the hotel was found dead, it looked like she fell off of a crumbling wall on the third floor, but as there was a large sign missing from the wall warning of the danger, the owner of the hotel thinks it was murder.  As the owner was a widow, the local police officer discounts it to the excitability of women, so she feels the need to find out what happened herself.  There is also a missing python and a mystery guest.

CHF: Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead

Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead - 2014

Note: this film was in English, I believe the first film was only in Norwegian. Also the entire first film is summarized in the first 5 minutes of the film.

* Nazi gold
* Nazi zombies
* Blood, guts, and gore
* Zombie arm
* Magic zombie powers
* Nerds
* Hardware store zombie fighting supplies run
* Self referencing
* Commie zombies
* Bumbling cops

Tales Around the Jack O'Lantern 3:

Tales Around the Jack O'Lantern 3 - A Mary O'Reilly Series Short Story By: Terri Reid
Fiction: Paranormal, Short Stories, E-book
E-book count: 16
Book count: 26

A collection of short stories, all about ghosts.  It is part of a series of books, but there is no need to read any of the other ones first.

CHF: The Secrets of Emily Blair

The Secrets of Emily Blair - 2016

Fun fact according the the international movie database this film is not out yet.  (Insert creepy sound effects here.)

* Movie is all a flashback
* Possession via kiss
* Creepy dream world
* Priest is family friend
* Demon eyes
* Puke
* Creepy Latin sounding whispers
* Its just Pregnancy brain, stress, the flu, mental illness, etc
* Abandoned church

A Witch's Guide to Murder:

A Witch's Guide to Murder (A Book & Candle Mystery book 1) by: Aubrey Harper
Fiction: Mystery, Paranormal, E-book
E-book count: 15
Book count: 25

Rory and her friend Scott go back to her small hometown for her grandma's funeral.  She didn't know her grandmother well as she wasn't allowed to talk to her after her mother moved out when she was still a kid.  But she had inherited her house and her store "Book & Candle."  When there she learns that her grandma didn't just run a store of occult/witchcraft supplies but was a real witch, and Rory is too.  Both things she learns from the ghost of her dead grandma who wants her to solve her murder, although the police ruled it an accident.  She isn't too sure about how she feels about being a witch or solving a murder that may or may not have happened.  But then more people die, a mysterious man who turns out to be the son of her grandmother's rivals comes to town and she isn't so sure that something horrible didn't happen or won't happen to her.

Brooklyn Bartender:

Brooklyn Bartender: A Modern Guide to Cocktails and Spirits
Non-fiction: food 280 pages
Physical Book Count: 12
Book Count: 24

Not only are new recipes a fun part of the holidays, but this book is on spirits, so totally a Halloween book.
This book is a collection of cocktail recipes based off of bars from Brooklyn.  It is divided according to the main alcohol like many books, but it goes beyond the main clear/brown bases and includes brandy, beer, wine, and Amari.  It also has short sections on all of the bars and maps of their location.  They also have a section on infusions and syrups that you can make at home with more ideas on how to use them.   The recipes range from twists on classics to the hot new drinks of New York.  There is even the story behind the creation of the pickleback.  

CHF: They're Watching

They're Watching - 2016

*found footage
*Eastern Europe location
*superstition locals
*history repeating
*red haired witch
*bad special effects

Cheesy Horror Films

As Halloween is the perfect excuse to watch cheesy horror films, ( other good excuses include I was home alone, it was raining, and I wanted some popcorn,) but links often change, this year I though that instead of linking classic I.e. public domain horror films to the blog I would just review the ones I watch for their cheesiness/cliché factor. These reviews will be short, so as not to put more effort in then some of the creators of the films.

Holiday List:

October:
1: Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux
     International Coffee Day
2. International Day of Non-Violence
     Islamic New Year
     Rosh Hashana
4. World Animal Day
     Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
5. World Teachers' Day
     International Day of No Prostitution
     Feast of St. Faustina Kowalska
6. German-American Day
7. Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
8. Indigenous Peoples' Day
9. Leif Erikson Day
10. World Mental Health Day
11.  International Day of the Girl Child
12. Freethought Day
     Yom Kippur
13. International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
15. National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
     Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
     White Cane Safety Day
     Feast of St. Teresa of Ávila
16. Boss's Day
     World Food Day
     Sukkot
17. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
20. World Statistics Day
21. International Day of the Nacho
22. Feast of St. Pope John Paul II
23. Mole Day
24. United Nations Day
     World Development Information Day
     World Polio Day
     Food Day
     Shemini Atzeret
25. Simchat Torah
26. Intersex Awareness Day
27. Black Cat Appreciation Day
28. National Chocolate Day
29. National Cat Day
30. Mischief Night/ Devil's Night
     Diwali
31. HALLOWEEN aka Samhain/Beltane, Start of The Day of the Dead, All Hallow's Eve, Allhalloween, All Saints' Eve,  Allantide, Hop-tu-Naa, Calan Gaeaf, & Nos Galan Gaeaf
 

Happy Month of Halloween!

It is October 1st, which means it is the start of the last 3 months of the year, a non-stop holiday party!!!!!