Highlights: October 2024

October is here! It’s the month of Kate…we mean, Halloween! So far, it’s been on the warmer side, which Serena is happy about, but the trees are definitely changing color and the cooler weather will soon be here. Kate, of course, has her Horrorpalooza books to cover, and even Serena will get into the spirit of the season a bit. Check out our picks for the month!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “How to Help a Hungry Werewolf” by Charlotte Stein

Publication Date: October 1, 2024

Why I’m Interested: See? Look, a Halloween-related story! Well, sort of. It does feature paranormal creatures like werewolves and witches, but let’s be real. This is a cozy fantasy/romantic comedy book at its heart. I also won’t lie that I wasn’t immediately drawn in by the simply adorableness of the cover image. The story follows a young woman who returns to her home town (you know, like almost all romcom plot lines…) and finds herself re-connecting with her childhood best friend who had betrayed her in high school. This seems like a fairly straightforward story, but I’m excited to see how it all comes together with the magical elements.

Book: “Monstrous Nights” by Genoveva Dimova

Publication Date: October 22, 2024

Why I’m Interested: “Foul Days” was one of those magical reading moments for me. I went in knowing very little about the story, having never heard of the author before, and really having zero expectations. And then it blew me away and became an instant favorite! While the book wrapped up in a satisfying way, I was thrilled to discover the second part was coming out so soon afterwards. And here we finally are! I can’t wait to return to this world and continue following the story of our favorite witch and her police officer side kick! A bit more romance would also be appreciated!

Book: “Pride and Prejudice in Space” by Alexis Lampley

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Why I’m Interested: It’s impossible to keep up with all of the Jane Austen retellings and adaptations out there. But this one had two major factors working in its favor. For one thing, it included beautiful artwork throughout. For a second, it re-located the story of “Pride and Prejudice” into space, merging the story into the science fiction genre, a favorite of mine. I’m so curious to see how this historical romance is changed by this massive shift in genre. Could go either way, but I have high hopes!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “This Cursed House” by Del Sandeen

Publication Date: October 8, 2024

Why I’m Interested: We all know that I love a haunted house story, and if it also has a family drama with it AS WELL AS social commentary, I’m very much going to be all in. So I was definitely interested in “This Cursed House”, as it has all of those things! In 1962 a Black woman named Jemma leaves Chicago for New Orleans in hopes of starting over, banking on a promise to be a tutor for a wealthy family. But when she arrives, she realizes that she’s not there to be a tutor, but is expected to break a familial curse. To make matters more complicated, the cold and intimidating Duchon family has some secrets not only about their actual intentions, but also about their identities. In multiple ways. And what else? Jemma can see ghosts. And there are MANY around. I am very excited for this one, what a perfect Halloween read!

Book: “American Rapture” by C.J. Leede

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Why I’m Interested: Well for one, the cover is pretty freaking cool. That was the first thing that caught my eye. But I also LOVE an apocalypse story, and “American Rapture” sounds like a VERY unique apocalypse story, involving sexuality, religious trauma, and hoping to find something left of humanity at the end of the world. The description is holding some things a LITTLE close to the vest so I don’t have much more information than that, BUT there is the hilarious tagline ‘the end times are ‘coming”, which is…. I mean that’s just perfect. I’m very much looking forward to this one.

Book: “All The Hearts You Eat” by Hailey Piper

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Why I’m Interested: First and foremost, I still haven’t read anything by Hailey Piper, even though she has been making waves in the horror genre for a bit now. So I thought that this was the time to jump in with her newest novel “All The Hearts You Eat”, a story about a dead woman, a notorious island filled with rumors, and ghosts upon ghosts. A woman named Ivory stumbles upon the dead body of Cabrina on the seaside, and it looks like she had been trying to swim out to a close by island that has lots of secrets and rumors that fly about it. And then when Ivory starts seeing Cabrina’s ghost, she wonders if Cabrina is trying to tell her something. I love a haunting Gothic tale that’s steeped in sadness, and it sounds like this one will be exactly what I want.

What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!