You’re Psyched Spooky Season is Here, Part 3

Three reads perfect for the season

Hi book lovers,

Thanks to everyone who shared a favorite mystery series in response to my Q&A with Richard Osman last week. If you want to enter to win a copy of The Last Devil to Die, head on over to the interview and leave a comment by midnight on Friday.

This week is the third annual Spooky Season Spectacular— I have three reads to get you in the mood for Halloween. Even if you’re not a huge Halloween fan, I think you’ll find something to like with at least one of these books.

And, now, what to read if …

You’re Ready to be Spellbound

White Magic by Elissa Washuta

Toward the beginning of  her memoir-in-essays, White Magic, Elissa Washuta writes, "The truth is I'm not a witch, exactly: I'm a person with prayers, a person who believes in spirits and plays with fire.” She’s also a writer who plays with structure in the most interesting way, simultaneously crafting brilliant essays while deconstructing and critiquing the form.

Over a series of a dozen or so essays, Washuta, a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, examines the ways Native American spiritual practices have been co-opted and repackaged in cheap, kitschy kits, and dives into her struggles with PTSD and addiction as well. She weaves together these observations with history and pop culture references ranging from The Oregon Trail computer game and “Twin Peaks” to Stevie Nicks and Pokemon Go. The combination of the deeply personal and the cultural makes White Magic my favorite kind of memoir — one that is simultaneously universal and specific.

White Magic is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in the past few years, and I’ve found myself reflecting on it since finishing it a year ago. It’s remarkable how much Washuta fits in without the book buckling under its own weight. If you’re looking for a non-fiction spooky season read, this is your pick.

You Want Scare Yourself

Jackal by Erin Adams

I don’t read a lot of horror (I’m kind of a wimp), but I grabbed Erin Adams’s Jackal thinking it was more of a thriller and I’m so glad I did.

As the book opens, Liz Rocher is reluctantly returning to her small Appalachian town for her best friend Melissa’s wedding. Liz, a newly-single Black woman, is not looking forward to an awkward weekend. Melissa’s racist family tolerates her best friend but is openly hostile about her plans to marry a Black man. The night of the wedding, the couple’s nine-year-old daughter disappears while Liz is supposed to be watching her, leaving behind a bloodied piece of white fabric.

As Liz searches for her missing goddaughter, she’s haunted by memories of the disappearance of the only other Black girl in her high school class. When she learns a Black girl has disappeared from the region in late June every year for decades, she sets out to find out who — or what — is behind the attacks.

Jackal is creepy, and I would not have been able to read it alone in my dark apartment — I definitely had multiple lamps on for this one. But more than just a frightening, stressful read, Adams delivers a searing social commentary about our society’s tendency to ignore cases of missing or murdered Black women, while over-reporting on cases of missing white women.

You Want to Visit a Haunted House

A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers

I recently stayed up too late finishing A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers, needing to know if I had identified the twists properly (I got some, but not all of them — an ideal outcome that let me feel smart and surprised).

A Dreadful Splendor stars Genevieve Timmons, a con artist posing as a spiritualist who steals from wealthy families while conducting “seances.” After her latest scheme lands her in jail, a lawyer offers to represent her if she’ll perform a fake séance capable of providing the lord he works for comfort over the loss of his young bride, Audra. Genevieve quickly agrees, but her plans are complicated when she learns the handsome Lord Pemberton believes his wife was murdered — and wants Genevieve to find the culprit. The plot grows even more complex when a series of strange occurrences cause the fake spiritualist to wonder if Audra’s ghost really does haunt the manor.

A Dreadful Splendor is a delightful blend of mystery, romance and the classic gothic novel, with the female characters trapped in the creepy manor. Excerpts from Audra’s diaries add to the sense of claustrophobia and create a feeling of paranoia, as both women struggle with the sense that someone is out to get them. I had multiple people pushing A Dreadful Splendor on me after it came out last year, and after reading it, I can see why. If you ran out to see “A Haunting in Venice” you’ll want to read this one.

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Thanks for reading! If you have a favorite spooky season read, let me know. For more seasonal reads, check out lists compiled by

Crooked Reads

here and

Sarah Miller

here.

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