Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges discussion

The Motif (theme) for October is ... “The Dark Side”

Read a book with a 'dark' story OR read a book with a mostly black cover. "Dark" is up to interpretation. This could be dark academia, horror, difficult subject matters, creepy settings, books that take place at night, etc.

Share with us! Which book did you read and what did you think of it?

A little long but much better than the movie

Challenge complete!

Not only did this have a dark cover, it's also a dark horror story line, albeit infused with unexpected humor as well.

• The House That Horror Built - Christina Henry
- Horror/Mystery/Suspense
- Finished: October 22nd
- 4 stars on Goodreads *SPOILER*
Gah, this was so close to a 5 star rating! But that ending…exciting, but a bit predictable. Plus WHAT HAPPENS TO HARRY AND GABE? That ending leaves Harry without a job, and both of them with nowhere to live. I mean, maybe Daniel would take them in? But there is ZERO resolution concerning the problems that led them to move into that house in the first place. So that’s why this lost one star.

Book: When Things Get Dark, edited by Ellen Dalton.
This is a book of short stories, with a theme of the type of horror written by Shirley Jackson. Multiple authors, some were better than others. Many stories seemed to stop rather abruptly, more so than is typical of some horror stories. My favorites were “Take Me, I’m Free”by Joyce Carol Oates (of course), “Special Meal” by Josh Malerman (shades of Farenheit 451), “In the Deep Woods, the Light is Different There” by Seanan McGuire (beautiful prose) and “Skinder’s Veil” by Kelly Link (longer, but mystifying). Altogether a good grouping of horror for the spooky season.
Should also mention I finally got to see “Kwaidan”, a Japanese film from 1965 that includes 4 Japanese folk tales based in horror and mysticism. It was well done for its time period, cinematography was exceptional.

The Motif for October is ... “The Dark Side”

Challenge Complete: Curfew by Phil Rickman

Rickman has a way of slowly building up the tension, the pieces of the puzzle dropping into place as the horror ratchets up. So it goes in the town of Crybbe, where people have learned to keep their head down and not make waves.

Unfortunately, the millionaire, Max Goff, has set his sights on the town. He wishes to remove anything he thinks is interfering with the power he believes Crybbe holds. And unluckily for many, he may get his wish. Just not in the way he thinks.

On the other side is the writer, Joe Powys, someone who has felt the effects of unleashed power and lived to regret it. He doesn’t know for sure what may happen, but he’s willing to bet that it won’t be good. And the reporter, Fay Morrison, whose father may or may not be succumbing to dementia. Or is it the town that is affecting him?

A book of horror, in its truest sense. One of Rickman’s best.

Challenge complete!

I read three books that apply:

Gothic Revival by Michael Mullin: kind of a locked room thriller that's inspired by the event that lead to the creation of the book Frankenstein.

Lies We Bury by Elle Marr: a dark psychological thriller about a girl that is born into captivity in a basement and eventually escapes. Then murders start happening around her town with trinkets left behind that remind her of items in the basement. How is she connected to these murders?

Putting An X through Anxiety - Breaking Free from the Grip of Worry and Stress by Louie Giglio: this book has a black cover and anxiety definitely can be a dark subject.

I am catching up on 2025 posting. CHALLENGE COMPLETE with City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab. From the stark book cover to the main character (almost died, best friend is a ghost, parents are paranormal investigators) this story is just spooky and heavy - dark in a way horror is not. Will definitely read the next book in the series.