Halloween Recommendations

Happy Halloween! If you're anything like me you might be debating what to do tonight. Halloween is on a weekday this year so most parties or events happened on the weekend. You might be looking forward to a nice evening in watching a scary movie, or reading a scary book between passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters that come to your door.

I am offering up a few of my personal recommendations for last minute Halloween entertainment.

If You're In The Mood For Something Not At All Scary I Recommend .... 

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

It's a classic and perfect family viewing fun! It captures the spirit of Halloween without being scary.

Casper

I am specifically talking about the 1995 version that stars Christina Ricci. It's sweet, surprisingly romantic, and has plenty of humour.

If You're Looking For Something More Scary I Recommend .... 

Practical Magic

A story of magic, sisterly bonds, and offers up the best use of the song 'This Kiss' in a movie ever. It's perfect for those wanting something a little bit darker but not really scary.

Scream

My favourite scary movie. It's fun, scary, and is basically a love letter to the genre. It is one I make sure to watch every October because I love it that much.

The Craft

While may not scary in the traditional sense, this is a darker option for those wanting something with witches this Halloween. It's delightfully campy and is one of my favourite witch movies.

Stranger Things

This Netflix series is family friend, but with a darker vibe (maybe older children). It's filled with characters you'll fall in love with, 80s nostalgia, and is entirely charming. If you haven't watched this I highly recommend it.

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins (goodreads)

Scream in book format is how I pretty much describe this one. It's both fun and unsettling. It's a great one to pick up if you're looking for something with the same vibe as Scream but with Stephanie's addictive writing.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (goodreads)

A boy worries that he'll end up being exactly like his serial killer father in this creepy, and entirely addictive read. It's a three book series which means you'll have something to look forward to during the dreary month of November if you start this series on Halloween.

If You (like me) Are More Scared By Real Events Than Anything Hollywood Could Come Up With I I Recommend .....

Mindhunter

This Netflix show focuses on the start of what we now call criminal profiling. Two detectives begin to interview jailed serial killers when they realized the information from these interviews could provide scientific merit. It's a great character study of both the detectives and the serial killers. It's also a book (for those who would rather read)

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (goodreads)

This is a fast read that focuses on Jeffrey Dahmer as a middle school/ high school student told through the perspective of someone who was friendly with Jeffrey during this time. It's graphic novel format would also be perfect for constant interruptions (to answer the door).

Those are my picks for your Halloween entertainment this evening. What are some of yours? Let me know in the comments as I am always excited to find more spooky books, movies, and television shows to add to my list.

My Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week:

BOOKS

Cover for Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

I really like this cover. It's simple, and yet very striking. The offset of the dark colours with the white feather adn that splash of red really pop out. Super excited to read this one as the synopsis sounds amazing too!

TV

I Hunt Killers TV Show

ABC Family, the network behind the Pretty Little Liars TV show, are adapting Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers. I am very excited, and can't wait to see how they cast as Jasper. For more info, Hollywood Crush has the details.

OTHER

DisneyWorld

I will most likely be on my way to Disney when you read this post (well possibly, I leave at 7 am on Saturday). I am going to be gone for a week, but the blog will continue as normal (some what normal anyways). If you are curious, the blog will look as follows for the week that I am gone -

Sun Dec 9 - New To My Book Closet
Mon Dec 10 - Best of 2012 - Top 5 Swoon Worthy Book Guys
Tues Dec 11 - My Top Ten Books I want turned into movies
Wed Dec 12 - Waiting on Wednesday selection for the week
Thur Dec 13 - Real Mermaids Love the Holidays Blog Tour Stop
Fri Dec 14 - Day off on the blog
Sat Dec 15 - Falling Kingdoms Blog Tour stop

I will be back on Sunday and the blog will resume regular schedule from there.

So what are you obsessed with this week?

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Release Date –  April 3, 2012
Publisher Website –  Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -  359 pages
My Rating- 4.5/5
**obtained from the publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad? 

Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say. 

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminal's point of view. 

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod. 

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

This novel really should come with a warning - beware when and where you read. There is a high chance of spine tingling scares if read in the right environment. Barry Lyga does not flinch from the horror, and depravity of serial killers, and he delves into the mind of them with what feels like chilling accuracy.

The writing is one of the stronger points of the novel. I liked the taunt, suspense filled chapters and the mixture of humour was a great touch. A lot of the novel is Jazz's inner dialogue and it could have ended up being predictable, and off-putting but Barry's writing makes it work.

Nature vs. Nurture is something that is often debated. What if both were a factor? Genetics, upbringing and the fundamental elements of Jazz’s childhood are all factors in making Jazz who he is today. The question Jazz is asking himself though is who exactly is he. The haunted, almost desperate way Jazz tries to cling to anything that makes him nothing like his father is heart pulling. He wants so badly to not be his father, but the urges are there, and Jazz isn’t sure he wants to fight them. Jazz’s character keeps you intrigued because you don’t know what he is going to do. You can’t predict him, and that makes for refreshing character development. I wanted to get closer to him, as much as I wanted to run away. He’s charming, chillingly so, and comparisons to Dexter Morgan are spot on. You’ll root for him, but being alone with him would set you on edge.

I adored Jazz’s friend Howie. Providing a dash of humour and someone that cares for Jazz while knowing everything makes us relate not only to Howie, but Jazz himself. Howie having hemophilia make me worry about him and hold my breath whenever he got involved. Jazz's girlfriend Connie was someone who challenged Jazz and he needed that.

The hunter vs. prey, cat and mouse game that Jazz and the serial killer play throughout the novel is fascinating, and the identity of the killer is shocking. It’ll keep you holding your breath and anticipating what is going to come next.

The ending left me wanting a sequel, as Barry Lyga sets up the next book perfectly. With plenty of childhood secrets for Jazz to unravel, and a new determination to go down a different path, to not continue Jazz’s story would be the ultimate crime. I look forward to hunting with him again, and hopefully soon.

This book will chill you, give you nightmares and leave you wanting to spend some more time with Jazz. Just make sure to read it in the daylight…

In My Mailbox.....

This is a weekly meme hosted by the awesome Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives us a chance to showcase the books we got during the week.

I have two weeks worth of books to show you! My mailbox was pretty awesome this week.

*Can you spot my Mockingjay pin?!

My library book haul -

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand (goodreads)
A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford (goodreads)

For review

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (goodreads)
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (goodreads)

Purchased

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross (goodreads)
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (goodreads)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (goodreads)

A special thank you to Harper Collins Canada for Tiger Lily. I squealed and danced around when it was delivered. I am so excited to start this one. I adore Peter Pan (especially Tinkerbell) and I am curious to see the story from Tiger Lily's point of view!

A big thank you to Hachette Group Canada as well for I Hunt Killers. I have heard some amazing things and Kelly from KellyVision's review made me want to grab it immediately. Hoping to fit it in before I leave for NYC in about 6 weeks!

I won a Mockingjay pin from Chapters/Indigo. It's Canada's large bookstore chain. They had a contest when the movie came out on Twitter. The pin is awesome and I will be wearing it when when I go see Catching Fire!

The cover of Kill Me Softly is GORGEOUS! So stunning. I am excited to start this one. I have heard Catching Jordan is cute, so decided to give it a try.

What did you get in your mailbox?