Now that it’s officially fall for half of the world and the weather has turned cold and crisp for half of the world, it means it’s also time to welcome the Halloween season! It’s that time of the year to get spooky, to spend your nights watching and reading horror until Halloween ends, and of course, to put up crazy decorations and wear costumes! To help you spice up your Halloween reads, we are here to suggest a few books and themes that would be perfect for a Halloween binge!

Read A Classic

There are many options you can choose for this prompt, including Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Inferno by Dante.

Read A Book About Witches

What’s Halloween without a few witches? The obvious choice for this prompt would be Harry Potter, but if you want something different, you can read Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, How to Hang A Witch by Adriana Mather, and Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. Or you know, you can always read the book adaptation of Hocus Pocus!

Read A Book About Curses

Any kind of curse will do! You can read Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, Compulsion by Martina Boone, The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw, and Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton.

Read A Book About Foreign Myth/Folk Stories

For this prompt, you can read The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and obviously Rick Riordan’s books. If you want something new, you can read an East Asian stories anthology, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings.

Read A Book About Grim Reapers/Death

I really love reading death as a personification, as death/grim reapers always have such a unique voice. They can be really had to find as there are rarely books about them, but you can read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, and Death or Ice Cream by Gareth P. Jones

Read A Book With An Unreliable Narrator

Unreliable narrators is defined as a narrator whose credibility has been compromised, either because they are the culprit, didn’t remember what happened, or something else. Some of the books with unreliable narrators are The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins, and The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich.

Read A Book With A Creepy Cover

I think we can agree the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series have creepy covers! Other options include Daughters unto Devil by Amy Luckavics, Say Her Name by James Dawson, and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

Happy October! Let us know if you plan on reading any along with the books you will be reading this Halloween in the comments below!

The post Read Some Spooky Books This Halloween appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Although each story was short, they pulled you right in to their world, and I feel that everyone will leave this book with a favourite retelling of their story. What I also feel this book gives to the reader is that while the authors have retold this story to also how they’ve explored the characters, it seems that the reader is able to interpret them as they would like. After each story, the author summarises the original tale and their reason for choosing it, something that I really enjoyed reading. It feels like you’re able to make a deeper connection with the author as well. This is an excellent novel for young adults and teens who are interested in Asian mythology and folklore retellings, with a great list of young adult authors that they can look up if they like a particular story.

Now, let’s get into some of my favourite tales in this gorgeous anthology, although all of these stories are amazing, but I am excited to see what stories others might fall in love with. My personal favourite was The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon, a funny and sweet tale about the seventh daughter of the Jade Emperor, and her chance sighting of a young man and his ox. What ensues is a hilarious tale of magic, romance, and talking oxen, and I love that the story is retold as a memory, directly addressing the reader.

If you’re looking for something a little more heart wrenching, Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa tells the story of Takeo and the Yuki the kitsune. After saving a fox as a young boy, he encounters the little fox again as a young man. It’s a cautionary tale of love and loss, with mystical elements added into the story and I would definitely have my tissues ready for this one. It’s beautifully written, and makes a fitting end to the anthology. The anthology also starts in a similar manner with Roshani Chokshi’s Forbidden Fruit story. This is the tale of the spirit of the mountain, and what happens when she gives her heart to a man.

The tones in this anthology all have a hauntingly and mythical quality, I really felt like I had entered another world as I read these stories. Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee and Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong were stories that gave me chills as I read through them, both for different reasons. Steel Skin is set in a dystopian future where androids were recalled, while Olivia’s Table is the story of a young girl who makes food for those not on this earth anymore. I cannot emphasise enough just how talented each of these authors are, and if you’re familiar with their works already, you’ll fall in love with these stories too.

Something that I interpreted in these stories were how the women in these tales faced some hardships, yes, but more importantly, it is how they overcame and conquered their struggles that I feel is especially empowering for women. These women (mythic or not) forged their paths within their respective stories, which I admired. These are not the wilting wallflowers from love stories of old, but these are the women who’ll kick some ass and take some names as you sit in awe of their fearsome beauty.

No story in this anthology was the same and you never know what will happen from one page to the next. Stories are set in both the past and present day, and dystopian futures. Readers will get a range of genres, so there’s a little something for all appetites. There’s nothing explicit about these stories, so I think that the anthology would be good for a range of ages, not just for teens or young adults. The only downside to the anthology are that the stories are short, but that won’t stop the reader from enjoying them. I was able to enjoy this in an afternoon, but they would definitely make good stories to read before bed. There wasn’t a story that I didn’t enjoy in this anthology, and my rating for this anthology is 10/10!

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and at other good book retailers.

Have you read A Thousand Beginnings and Endings? Or will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. These are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.

Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

Compiled by We Need Diverse Books’s Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Renee Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong.

A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish. For fans of Neil Gaiman’s Unnatural Creatures and Ameriie’s New York Times–bestselling Because You Love to Hate Me.

The post Review: A Thousand Beginnings and Endings appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you feel like getting whisked away into an incredible fantasy world, try Kristina Perez’s Sweet Black Waves or Sara Wolf’s Bring Me Their Hearts. There’s also The Mermaid by Christina Henry or if you’re after something a little darker, Peril In The Old Country will be perfect for you!

Or if science fiction is more you thing, A Big Ship At The Edge of the Universe by Alex White or Adrift by Rob Boffard may be more your speed!

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you’re excited for any of these titles!

A Big Ship At The Edge of The Universe by Alex White
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Boots Elsworth was a famous treasure hunter in another life. She makes her meager living faking salvage legends and selling them to the highest bidder, but this time she might have stumbled on something real–the story of the Harrow, a famous warship, capable of untold destruction. Nilah Brio is the top driver in the Pan Galactic Racing Federation and the darling of the racing world–until she witnesses the murder of a fellow racer. Framed for the murder and on the hunt to clear her name, Nilah only has one lead: the killer also hunts a woman named Boots. On the wrong side of the law, the two women board a smuggler’s ship that will take them on a quest for fame, for riches, and for justice.

Adrift by Rob Boffard
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

They are embarking on a tour around Sigma Station – a remote mining facility and luxury hotel with stunning views of the Horsehead Nebula. During the course of the trip, a mysterious ship with devastating advanced technology attacks the Station. Their pilot’s quick evasive action means that the tour group escape with their lives – but as the dust settles, they realize they may be the only survivors . . . Adrift in outer space, out of contact with civilization, and on a vastly under-equipped ship, these passengers are out of their depth. Their chances of getting home are close to none, and with the threat of another attack looming they must act soon – or risk perishing in the endless void of space.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Ellen Oh, Melissa De La Cruz, Julie Kagawa, and more
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. These are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries. Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

Sweet Black Waves by Kristina Perez
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Two proud kingdoms stand on opposite shores, with only a bloody history between them. Inspired by the star-crossed tale of Tristan and Eseult, this is the story of the legend’s true heroine: Branwen. For fans of Graceling and The Mists of Avalon, this is the first book of a lush fantasy trilogy about warring countries, family secrets, and forbidden romance.

Lancelot by Giles Kristian
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Set in a 5th century Britain besieged by invading bands of Saxons and Franks, Irish and Picts, Giles Kristian’s epic new novel tells – through the warrior’s own words – the story of Lancelot, that most celebrated of all King Arthur’s knights. It is a story ready to be re-imagined for our times.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters. Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly. Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

The Mermaid by Christina Henry
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

From the author of Lost Boy comes a historical fairy tale about a mermaid who leaves the sea for love and later finds herself in P.T. Barnum’s American Museum as the real Fiji mermaid. However, leaving the museum may be harder than leaving the sea ever was.

The Completionist by Siobhan Adcock
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

A young Marine, Carter Quinn, comes home from war to his fractured family, in a near-future America in which water is artificially engineered and technology is startlingly embedded in people’s everyday lives. At the same time, a fertility crisis has terrifying implications for women, including Carter’s two beloved sisters, Fred and Gardner. Fred, accomplished but impetuous, the eldest sibling, is naturally pregnant—a rare and miraculous event that puts her independence in jeopardy. And Gardner, the idealistic younger sister who lived for her job as a Nurse Completionist, has mysteriously vanished, after months of disturbing behaviour.

Peril In The Old Country by Sam Hooker
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

What terror lurks in the shadows of the Old Country? Well, there are the goblins, of course. Then there are the bloodthirsty cannibals from nearby Carpathia, secret societies plotting in whispers, and murder victims found drained of their blood, to name a few. That’s to say nothing of the multitude of government ministries, any one of which might haul one off for “questioning” in the middle of the night. The Old Country is saturated with doom, and Sloot is scarcely able to keep from drowning in it. Each passing moment is certain to be his last, though never did fate seem so grim as the day he was asked to correct the worst report ever written.

The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

She believed in the mission with all her heart. But that was sixty million years ago. How do you stage a mutiny when you’re only awake one day in a million? How do you conspire when your tiny handful of potential allies changes with each shift? How do you engage an enemy that never sleeps, that sees through your eyes and hears through your ears and relentlessly, honestly, only wants what best for you? Sunday Ahzmundin is about to find out.

Check out what other books are coming out this month on our Goodreads list!

What book are you most excited to read this month? Tell us in the comments below!

(P.S – The Nerd Daily occasionally makes profit from the links included in this post, however, all earnings go back into running giveaways for our followers!)

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