💬Friday Thread🧵: What is Your Favorite Spooky Read? & What Are You Reading Now?
Plus how I've been inspired to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene
Hello! Happy Friday📚 As always, I look forward to the book chats and recommendations that take place in this Friday Thread. Today, I’m especially excited to get your spooky season recommendations for a couple reasons. One, I’m on the hunt for a truly scary book- a jump scare type of read. When I was a teenager growing up in the 80s, I loved to watch all the scary movies- every Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street - I loved to be SCARED. When I was 16, I read Pet Sematary by Stephen King and I still have a vivid memory of being home alone on a dark fall night and reading under a blanket, feeling so scared and jumping at every sound in the house and being convinced there was creepy happenings in the woods behind our house. And over 30 years later, that remains one of my very favorite reading experiences and is also the reason I won’t reread Pet Sematary- I want the reading experience of that book to stay the same in my memory. Many of you can relate to being a mood reader and for some reason, this month, this year (verses previous years) I’m feeling such a big pull to find just the right scary book that I can read at night.
This brings me to the second reason I’m excited to get your spooky/scary recommendations because I’m planning on ordering a couple books from Bookshelf Thomasville, the bookstore owned by Annie B Jones. You may know Annie from her podcast From the Front Porch and/or on her Instagram. I was watching her Instagram stories last night and she was talking about the fact that while her store has been impacted financially from Hurricane Helene, it’s still up and running, they’re open and have power and internet etc. She talked about an independent book store in Western North Carolina called Sassafras on Sutton that has been directly impacted by the hurricane. Without power, water, internet and having been damaged, and their employees in the area (who are all ok) unable to make it to the store, they have to remain closed. Annie shared an Instagram message from the owner of Sassafras and she also explained how she would like to help that store which I thought was so gracious of her. One small business owner helping another, it’s inspiring and led to me deciding I could also lend my help.
Like so many of you, I’ve been watching and reading the news about the devastation that Hurricane Helene has caused and it’s shocking. To see and hear what’s happened to people, animals, and communities in the south is heartbreaking. Annie’s message spoke to me because I’ve been trying to figure out how and where I could send some financial support (paid subscribers, I thank you for helping me help others:) This morning I sent online financial donations to Sassafras Bookstore, The Red Cross , and The Humane Society of the United States (for the Red Cross and The Humane Society you can choose to directly support hurricane relief efforts). As for Annie’s Bookstore, I want to help her by ordering a scary book or two, so this is where your recommendations come in! If you don’t have a scary book rec, feel free to share your favorite fall vibes book recommendation. 🍁📚
Question Time…..The questions I ask in weekly threads are meant to be fun and help us connect, so please know you don’t have to answer each question, if you only have the time/desire to answer one, great! Please put book titles IN ALL CAPS for easy reading:)
What is your favorite spooky/scary read? (if you don’t have one, how about your favorite fall vibes read?)
What do you want more (or less) of in your October reading?
What are you reading now or planning on reading this weekend? (or finished reading this week)
Have a great weekend! 📚👻
I already shared one of my favorite scary reads - PET SEMATARY - another super scary read I loved is the true crime book I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK by Michelle McNamara - I STILL check the window locks at night and won't go to the mailbox in the dark after reading this. And this is why I need your help, I haven't read many other truly scary books. I would love some recommendations that aren't supernatural:)
I just finished listening to HOW TO READ A BOOK by Monica Wood and I LOVED it so much!! Katie from Basic B's Guide (here on Substack and Instagram) told me awhile ago that she thought I'd like it and then lately several of you here in this group said you read it and thought I'd like it and you all were right! This is a book lover's book, that is it's a book about books but also about what it means to be a reader and who "deserves" access to books, reading, and literary discussion. It's also a story about forgiveness, grief, moving on, love and finding oneself whether you're in your 20's or in your 60s and beyond. The audio was excellent.
I, too, have a visceral memory form reading a popular Stephen King book. I was sitting on my couch late at night-it was windy. Things were rattling. I was sure that Pennywise the clown was on my backporch trying to get into the house. I was really scaredand just started bellowing for room mate to help me. She came running out of her bedroom-it was late, she'd been sound asleep. She was not vibing with my freak-out! I can still remember how scared I felt...I can literally still feel that massive anxiety-rapid heart rate, etc. Great book but I will not ever reread it plus I have never seen and will not see any of the adaptions. Pennywise scares the 'crap' ouutt' me!