You're Enjoying Spooky Season, Pt. 4

Witches, ghosts and the spirit of Emilio Estevez! Oh my!

Hi friends,

Hope you’re doing well. I sat down to write my annual Spooky Season edition this weekend and realized I haven’t read any any appropriate books lately. So, I’m highlighting a few favorites from previous Spooky Season issues.

Quick programming note: Next week’s newsletter will come out on Tuesday because of the holiday.

Have a favorite read for this time of year? Let me know!

And, now, what to read if…

You’re Feeling Witchy

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

I love a weird book — and Quan Barry’s We Ride Upon Sticks is weird in the best possible way. Barry writes about the 1989 Danvers High School field hockey team on their quest to win the state championships. Located just a few miles from Salem, Massachusetts, the team decides to turn to witchcraft for some help winning. Each team member signs a dark pledge in a notebook adorned with Emilio Estevez’s smiling face (one of dozens of delightful ’80s details included in the book).

The team members vow to follow any dark urge “Emilio” sends their way. They begin to sneak smelly fish in the teachers’ lounge and swap water for bleach in the home ec classroom. Their once innocent pranks escalate on Halloween in downtown Salem, when they use their hockey sticks to destroy a car. Their team, once the worst in the state, starts an unbelievable winning streak.

We Ride Upon Sticks is narrated by an omniscient and collective “we,” demonstrating just how enmeshed the young women are in each other’s lives. Yet, each player is given time to shine and to have their character developed. There’s Abby Putnam, team golden girl and descendent of a notorious Salem accuser, Julie Mihn Kaling, a Vietnamese girl adopted by white religious zealots, and Jen Fiorenza, whose giant bangs even develop a personality of their own. (Like I said, it’s weird.)

At its core — in between the bizarreness and the ’80s references — We Ride Upon Sticks is a moving coming-of-age story and a raucous celebration of female friendship. It was a joy to read and often had me laughing out loud.

You're Looking for a Ghost Story

Shutter by Ramona Emerson*

Forensic photographer Rita Todacheene excels at capturing the details of a murder scene that allow detectives to solve cases. She's a talented photographer, but she also has a secret that gives her an edge. Rita is visited by the spirits of the victims, who point her towards clues that others miss. It's a skill Rita has had since she was a child, terrifying her grandmother and earning her a reputation as a disturbed young girl among her neighbors on the Navajo reservation.

As Shutter opens, Rita is visited by the ghost of Erma Singleton, whose death on a highway was ruled a suicide, but the spirit insists she was murdered. While the photographer can typically shut out or ignore the ghosts who haunt her, Erma is particularly strong-willed. She follows Rita everywhere, demanding her death be taken seriously. The ghost's actions push Rita into increasingly dangerous situations as she attempts to uncover the truth.

I'm surprised Shutter didn’t getting more buzz. It included on the 2022 National Book Award Longlist for fiction, becoming the rare crime novel to earn the distinction, yet I haven't seen many reviews of it. It's a shame because all kinds of readers — fans of coming-of-age stories, horror or mysteries — will find a lot to appreciate in it. Read it now and then grab the sequel, which came out last week.

You’re Looking for Something the Whole Family Can Enjoy

Sheets by Brenna Thummler

Did my post on When You Trap a Tiger inspire you to launch your own family book club? Or are you looking for a heartwarming graphic novel you can read in one sitting? Either way, Sheets by Brenna Thummler is the book for you.

Summer tells the story of Marjorie Glatt, a thirteen-year-old grieving the loss of her mother and struggling to keep the family laundromat open, and Wendell, a ghost of a boy who died far too young. Wendell, feeling like he doesn’t fit in, leaves ghostland and begins to accidentally wreak havoc on the Glatt’s laundromat. Over the course of the graphic novel, Marjorie grows stronger and more confident, while Wendell learns to accept his fate as a ghost.

Sheets is one of those books that breaks your heart and then puts it back together again. The art, also done by Thummler,  is warm and inviting, adding to the reading experience. It’s a moving depiction of grief, loss and friendship that readers of all ages will find something to appreciate in.

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