There’s still a few days left in the month, but Spooky Season Week Four is already in the books! Here’s the reading I got done during the last full week before Halloween.

@halliday.nelson The fourth week of spooky season is already #inthebooks and I got a lot of fun reading done! #booktok #reading #reviews #recap #horror #dnf #everythingisgoingtokilleverybody #robertbrockway #kissofshadows #merrygentry #laurellkhamilton #seachange #jamespowlik #october #halloween ♬ original sound – Halliday Nelson

1. Dead Man’s Fugue – Casey Neumiller (DNF)

I had just started reading this one last week when I posted my last recap. At that point, I wasn’t certain whether or not I was going to push through all the way to the end because the story hadn’t yet captured my attention. Because I want to be sure I’m giving a book a fair shot, I’ll always push through the first hundred pages even if I’m not convinced yet. After that, I keep going if I’m enjoying it or I at least have reason to believe it will pick up. This didn’t pass the test, so at page 100, I put it down. I wasn’t invested in the characters, world, or story yet, and bad science was the nail in the coffin.

This is the first book that I decided not to finish since I started doing these reading recaps. Truth be told, it’s very rare that I don’t complete a book. It’s a practice that I’ve been wanting to become more comfortable with, and this is the first novel to fall victim to that intention. I do feel a bit guilty about it, but I’ll get over it. Overall, I wouldn’t say it was a bad book. I didn’t hate it. It simply didn’t engage me enough to keep me away from the rest of my to-read pile.

2. Everything is Going to Kill Everybody – Robert Brockway

This is the second non-fiction title of the month. It’s a series of essays all by Robert Brockway (a name you’ll likely recognize if you ever frequented Cracked.com because he was a writer and editor there). The topics share a common theme of endangering the human race and/or life as we know it. I probably would have been a lot more shaken by it if I had read the book when it first came out. That was back in 2010.

It’s a lot harder to get worked up about danger that was “imminent” 14 years ago. Some of the frightening theories in the book have been debunked. Other threats fizzled out long ago, and still more went in a direction the author never could have expected. On top of that, in the intervening time, humanity has faced a few crises head-on that no one would have dreamed up at the time this book was written. Toxoplasmosis isn’t quite so terrifying in a world that knows COVID.

Brockway still has a humorous voice that pairs well with existential dread (though it does veer into frat humor at times), but the book has lost its relevance. Without that, the horror of it falls flat. Still, it was fun to read through with the perspective of time, as it often can be to read past predictions of a doomsday that didn’t come to pass.

3. A Kiss of Shadows – Laurell K. Hamilton

This is the first book I’ve covered in my recaps that has any notable spice in it (although Christopher Moore’s Bloodsucking Fiends had a couple very awkward scenes done for comedic effect). While I did enjoy it, it’s not one I would widely recommend. In addition to legitimate spice, there is also content that could be extremely triggering for some readers. This is absolutely a dark fantasy title.

Something that I found very refreshing that I don’t see often enough in dark fantasy is that Hamilton is very clear about when relationship dynamics are unhealthy and harmful. A lot of other authors – whether intentionally or unintentionally – end up glorifying toxic or outright abusive behaviors. I don’t enjoy that. While there were a couple points where I might have drawn the line in a different place, I truly appreciated the narrator drawing lines between healthy, harmful, and contextual interactions and exchanges.

4. Sea Change – James Powlik

I’ve only just started this one; I’m not even 20 pages in yet. That being said, the writing style is already extremely engaging and it has very successfully tapped into my thalassophobia (fear of deep, dark waters). If the book continues to live up to its beginning, I’ll likely have some very positive things to say next week.

That’s My Spooky Season Week Four!

That’s the recap for Spooky Season Week Four! We’re starting to get close to the end of the month and Halloween. I’ve got a few more books queued up that I’m excited for, and I’ll be keeping y’all updated as I go.

As always, I want to hear from you! What have you been reading lately? Are you having fun with it? Have you read any of these titles, and if so, what did you think of them? Tell me everything, and follow along for more!