Usually, I do a weekly report of all my fun Halloween shenanigans in October, however this year is proving difficult to get anything done blog-wise. Outside of that, I have been watching the crap outta some horror movies. I started that over two weeks ago so this incoming list includes only what I’ve watched in the last 2 weeks:
Head over to Sugar and Scream for our joint reviews of Rawhead Rex and Puppetmaster.
Nightbooks might not really be a horror movie but it was spooky and we enjoyed it so it makes the list. My favorite out of all of these movies was Demons. There is barely a plot line but the practical effects were incredible and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Books

4 out of 5 stars – I very much enjoyed this book. As with the first one, it’s a fun and sassy ride. I just did not feel like reviewing it.
Recipes
In case you missed it – Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with Vanilla Chips.
Lastly, it’s been almost 2 years since our last concert. Work has been hell with Covid vaccines, flu vaccines and Covid testing so we decided we deserved a win. We went and saw KISS. It was an outdoor venue so we felt a little better about going and it was worth it. We had so much fun and they played a great set list.
How has everyone’s October been treating them? (Or tricking them?) What spooky madness have you gotten up to??
Busy.
45+ weeks every week so far. Plus all that real life stuff.
Honestly? I’m ready for New Years,now…
Ooooof. That’s a lot going on. It’s like the world went from a stand still to over working everyone who’s working. I am feeling the burn out and really wanting a new career. Alas, I cannot open the book shop yet. D:
Yeah, I see EVERY SINGLE STORE with a help wanted sign. And when I overhear the employees talking, they’re all overworked without enough help. It’s nuts.
Looks like I will be traveling/working for Halloween this year. I only had tentative plans anyways.
Yay for Kiss! That’d be fun. I also saw an outdoor concert. I showed up last minute and watched Dropout Kings and Shinedown. I want to see all the shows.
We have really missed concerts. We usually go to a lot throughout a year. There was another show that my husband really wanted to go to however it was indoor and we just weren’t ready for that yet. KISS was the perfect choice. Yay for concerts! How was your overall experience at the concert?
This was a smaller fest so not too jam packed. Oh! Candlebox did a cover of Motörhead. It was good. I was there for Shinedown and they didn’t disappoint.
I plan to go to an indoor event at the end of the year. They have COVID protocols in place.
I haven’t seen many shows. I don’t prefer going alone but I’m starting to say eff it more (but I’m not up to like Hellfest solo lol sold out anyways).
The other place we were thinking about going originally had zero protocols in place so we decided that one was not worth the risk. That’s probably going to be the name of the concert game for awhile. We’re triple vaccinated now but some bands just are not worth possible death or even severe illness.
I am officially much spookier now that I have a squeaky rat and adorable spider in my decorations! Nick and I are listening to a Brian Evenson audiobook called Immobility. He is such a master of cerebral horror.
Haha, I’m glad you’re enjoying your new ghoul friends. 😀
I haven’t tried audiobooks at all yet. I have many reservations about them BUT I could totally understand horror audiobooks and maybe that’s where I need to start.
I love them for commuting especially. What are your reservations?
That I’m not going to like the character voices. That I won’t like the voice of the reader. That I won’t fall as deep into the story. That my attention won’t allow it. I struggle to pay attention to my podcasts most days. That it will take me even longer to get through a story when someone else is reading it at their own pace.
Those are valid concerns. If you hate the audiobook narrator, that’s them, not you. Just send that one back to the library and try something else. As for falling in deep, I find I do better with current commercial fiction or nonfiction because those are written in a more straightforward way that helps me focus. Anything that leans literary I can’t do while driving. And it DOES take longer to get through an audiobook unless you speed it up, which I know my mom does.
I did not think about trying those two genres but that makes a lot of sense. I only have a 25 minute drive (one way) to work each day so I feel like it would take forever and a day to get through one. (Unless I listened at home which means a lot more distractions.) I know Dani likes to do it while doing tedious chores like cleaning.
My drive to the library was 25 minutes, so I got in 50 minutes a day. Not bad. I also had a different book with text I would read at home.
The second Parasol Protectorate book is on my radar, too. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book even though I didn’t think I would at first.
I really enjoyed it. The end pissed me off but because of the story and probably in a good way because I am definitely going to pick up the third book.
Ahh I’ll keep that in mind!