And so to celebrate, I thought I would share some books I’ve read over the years that I think are the perfect choices for this time of the year.
First, I’ll recommend three spooky and suspenseful reads.
The Beautiful Strangers: In 1958, Kate Morgan’s life looks pretty mundane—destined to work in her family’s San Francisco restaurant until she’s old or marries a longtime friend. She dreams of a life like the one she sees in the movies and longs to do more with her life.Then her grandfather, who suffers from dementia, charges her to go to the Hotel del Coronado and find “the beautiful stranger.” Kate does so and manages to secure a job working on the set of the new Billy Wilder movie, Some Like It Hot. Kate finds herself surrounded by faces she’s only seen on a movie screen—Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe herself. But she doesn’t have time to be star struck—she has to find the beautiful stranger and fast.Her first clue comes when she finds out she shares the name of the hotel’s ghost. Is there a connection between her family and the ghost? And is she the beautiful stranger? As Kate digs deeper into the mystery, she learns more about her family’s history—and herself.
The End of Temperance Dare: After suffering a setback in her career as a journalist, Eleanor Harper agrees to become the new director at Cliffside Manor, a renowned retreat for artists. Its previous director, Penelope Dare, greets Eleanor and prepares her for the incoming artists chosen to spend a couple weeks at Cliffside Manor. Eleanor looks forward to what she expects to be a stress-free job…until Penelope Dare commits suicide hours after Norrie’s arrival, leaving behind an ominous note. Though shaken, Norrie pushes ahead and welcomes the next group of artists, including dashing British photographer Richard Banks. Weird things begin to happen around Cliffside and Norrie soon realizes that everyone gathered at Cliffside has a connection to it. Its past as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients has dark secrets and Norrie needs to solve the mystery of Temperance Dare if she and the artists want to survive their time together.
Lost Amongst the Living: After losing her husband in the First World War, Jo Manders becomes a traveling companion to his aunt. She travels around Europe as the woman buy art to sell back home in England. When they return to the family home, Jo learns about the death of her husband Alex’s young cousin. Jo believes she’s being haunted by the girl’s ghost and is determined to solve her murder—just as someone returns home.
Next, I’ll recommend three fun and magical reads:
Housewitch: Alison Darling just wants to be like the other moms in her small New England town of Monrovia. She wants to wear nice clothing, go to yoga and drink lattes as she carts her perfect children around. Instead, she’s barely holding it together as she and her husband raise their three children – Gillian, Henry and Sophie. When the mother who abandoned her as a child dies, Alison finds herself swept up in a strange world of witchcraft. At the same time, she is invited to join the Glamor Girls – Monrovia’s version of Mary Kay or Avon. She soon learns that all their beauty products are just potions and that they use magic to attain their perfect life. For the first time, Alison feels like she finally belongs. However, Alison soon learns there is a price to pay for all of that and she wonders if it is worth it. Will she give in or will she find the strength to embrace her true heritage in time to protect her family and town from the Glamor Girls?
Not the Witch You Wed: Violet Maxwell is a member of the most powerful family of witches and should be next in line to inherit her grandmother’s title of Prima. But her own magic is a dud and so she lives a relatively unremarkable life in the magical side of New York City that makes her happy. Her life and happiness though is threatened when the council that governs all magical creatures decide that since she is the first born of a Triad, she still needs to get married in accordance with ancient law even though she has no magic. Enter Violet’s old friend and former boyfriend Lincoln Thorne, the leader of the North American Pack of shapeshifters. He is working to make the pack system more democratic while also facing his own decree to get married. Despite the hurt that still lays between them, Lincoln and Violet agree to date each other to buy themselves time to get around the laws governing them. But will their romance always be fake or will it become very, very real?
The League of Gentlewomen Witches: Charlotte Pettifer is the heir apparent of a group of witches living amongst the upper echelons of British society. When an amulet said to belong to their founder goes on display, Charlotte tries to steal it. But the pirates of the WIsteria Society are also after it as well. When it is stolen, Charlotte must team up with pirate Alex O’Reilly to retrieve it. Will she be successful? Or will she find something more powerful along the way?
I hope you enjoy your weekend and have a Happy Halloween!
