Halloween

Book Review: ‘All Hallows’ by Christopher Golden

18th Jan 2026Leave a comment

Christopher Golden’s ‘All Hallows’ is my first read of 2026!

I started it in October 2025, but life got in the way of my usual reading habits. I managed to get back into it shortly after NYE, and then I tore through Golden’s eighties throwback novel.

And man, what a novel it was.

‘All Hallows’ follows a host of characters living along Parmenter Road, Massachusetts. The story takes place on Halloween, 1984. The evening starts with some domestic issues, which begin to escalate. And then the spooky bits sneak in while folks fight with adultery and other matters. From there, Golden takes us on a joyful 80s thrillride, with a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.

‘All Hallows’ felt like classic Stephen King in some ways, but not in a way that I’d call it a ripoff of style or anything. Golden writes with his own flair. The multicharacter, 80s vibe was reminiscent of King. Oh, and Golden’s willingness to kill off characters without a second’s warning. It felt dangerous, like any character we cared about could bite the bullet next.

If you enjoy ‘Stranger Things’ or King’s writing, I can 100% recommend ‘All Hallows’ by Golden.

I would love to read more from him; I’m excited to have discovered his writing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Review: ‘A Night in the Lonesome October’ by Roger Zelazny

31st Oct 2023Leave a comment

Roger Zelazny’s ‘A Night in the Lonesome October’ is my thirty-sixth read of 2023.

People in the horror book communities had recommended Zelazny’s book a few times. Several people read ‘A Night…’ every October. Zelazny has divided the book into day-by-day diary entries leading up to Halloween. The idea is to read a chapter every day in the countdown to Halloween.

‘A Night…’ gives the reader excellent autumn vibes. The book follows Snuff, a dog who belongs to Jack the Ripper. Along the way, we meet all the classic monsters, such as vampires, werewolves, etc. We also meet their familiars—other animals with whom Snuff converses. We keep hearing about “openers” and “closers”, but Zelazny holds his cards to his chest. He drip-feeds us information in a way that is intriguing without being frustrating. All becomes clear by the time that final dawn comes to pass.

I won’t spoil much here, but I loved this story. It’s horror, sure. But it’s also wholesome. It’s not scary, per se. It’s more akin to a cosy murder mystery. Most chapters are short (the book is under 300 pages), so it’s easy to read. If you have less time to read than you’d like, ‘A Night…’ might be the perfect book.

I can see why ‘A Night…’ has such a cult following, and I imagine that I will reread it one Halloween in the future.

Book Review: ‘Der Fluch der Kuscheltiere’ by R. L. Stine

31st Aug 2023Leave a comment

R. L. Stine’s ‘Der Fluch der Kuscheltiere’ is book thirty-one of the year.

I’ve lost track of the number I’m at for German book reads now, but that’s good. When asked, ‘How many books in German have you read?’ I can now answer: ‘Several.’

As usual, I had a blast with Stine’s kid-focused horror. This book follows Greg and his friend Liv as they go trick-or-treating on Halloween. My favourite time of year! Greg leads Liv into the dreaded Shadyside to one-up his nemesis in the candy collection. There, they find a house with a strange young boy and an even stranger older woman, who turns out to be a witch. They walk away with an enchanted bag that copies whatever you put inside tenfold. Dreams of money and candy float around the kids’ heads, but chaos isn’t far away.

Like most of Stine’s work, the horror is tame because of its target audience. Yet, one section in this book gave me the creeps: the cockroach section! It was pretty terrifying. I can only imagine how much that would freak little kids out—well, got to give them a genuine scare now and then, right? Great stuff.

On to the following children’s book in German!

31 Days of Halloween #31

31st Oct 2021Leave a comment

Happy Halloween, everyone!

It’s finally here! Here’s to horror movies, pumpkin carvings, and too many sweets. I hope you’ve enjoyed this month-long onslaught of two-sentence shockers. I’ve had an absolute blast!

P.S. Stay tuned for something special…