The Book Bit: October 2018 Ed.

Let me start with an apology. I'm so very sorry for my absence this month! For those of you that are regular readers, I haven't been very active with my posts this month. We've done quite a bit of traveling, I was pretty sick for about two weeks, and we had doctors appointments we had to travel for. So. Sorry. I did manage (barely!) to read three horror books this month and do a special review for an Indie author. You guys know I love to theme October as an all horror month. It's my favorite month. I wait all year for it! So many exciting things seem to happen in October, I like to call it the magic month. Anyway. Let's talk about what I read!


"172 Hours on the Moon"- Johan Harstad

I was a little skeptical about this book when I first came across it, but the reviews sold it to me. I was worried it wouldn't be scary enough for me since it's a Young Adult, but I was pleasantly surprised. I slept with the closet light on the night I finished it. I'm sure my husband thought I was crazy. Well. Crazier than usual.

Have you ever wondered why we've never returned to the moon? Why the moon missions suddenly stopped? Well, Harstad has some answers. In this book, NASA decides to reinvigorate the public towards the space program by holding a lottery. They will send three teenagers on the trip of a lifetime. A trip to the moon. Though the three chosen have very different reasons for wanting to go, after only a few hours on the moon has them ready to leave.

Uncover NASA secrets and extraterrestrial activity in this spine-chilling novel. You won't be able to distinguish what's real from conjecture. And the ending will leave you asking questions you might not want to be answered. Sci-fi lovers will thoroughly enjoy this one.


"Disappearance at Devil's Rock"- Paul Tremblay

I had high hopes for this book. Tremblay wrote one of my top five favorite horror books, "Head Full of Ghosts," (find the review here) so I was jazzed about this. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. I think Tremblay had a fantastic opportunity with the storyline but ended up muddling it by going in too many directions. It wasn't adequately reconciled for my taste, but that doesn't mean it didn't scare me.

Elizabeth goes to bed waiting for her son's confirmation text that he's safe in bed at a friends house. But that message never arrives. Instead, she's woken by a phone call hours later. Her fourteen-year-old son, Tommy, is missing. He was last seen in the woods of a nearby park, and his friends have no explanation for his disappearance. When search parties turn up empty, Elizabeth's long nights of waiting start to get interesting.

In this unique mix of psychological torment and supernatural horror, Tremblay leaves you on your toes and guessing through the entire book. The journey unravels into a wild ride as detectives and Elizabeth search for answers about Tommy, only to be met with more questions.

Did this book scare me? Yes. But I didn't care for the ending. It wasn't what I wanted, and I thought Tremblay could have gone a different way with it. But. In true Tremblay fashion, that last page was really something.


"The Haunting of Hill House"- Shirley Jackson

I chose this book for our book club to read this month. It's rather old, but it's still getting a ton of buzz. This book has been called "the master of all horror books" but many talented writers, including Stephen King. It seemed like a solid choice.

Hill House has always been a little off. Residents have never lived there long after the original owners passed away. At first, it seems like an old mansion, but after a few days, everyone is reluctant to stay. Dr. Montague, desperately trying to prove that supernatural forces are real, finds three willing participants to inhabit the mansion for the summer. He hoped to fuel his research enough to write a book. Luke, who stands to inherit the house someday, must attend to ensure the house is not harmed. Theodora has some experience as a medium. And Eleanor. Well, she's the key to Hill House.

After a quiet few days with Hill House, things start to go bump in the night. And after almost a week, everyone in the house is on edge. When Hill House begins invading the mind of Eleanor, we start to see how far she will go to stay.

This book fell a little short for me. I was expecting a lot more considering how popular this book is. My sister realized shortly in that the movie "The Haunting" is (loosely) based on this book. And I have to say, I enjoyed the movie more. Overall, not a total loss, but I wanted a little more silent screaming on my end.


There are my scary reads for this month! I was pretty happy overall, but I don't feel like I had a winner this year. Do you have any horror suggestions for me? Maybe an all-time favorite scare? I'd love to know! The lineup for next month is considerably tamer, but also exciting. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!