'The Hallowe'en Tree by Ray Bradbury - what a delight this book is. I had never heard of it until Chris at Stuff Dreams are Made Of made a reference to it sometime in the past year or so. At some point after I picked up a copy, and finally read it last weekend. This is a true Hallowe'en story book. A visit to the imagination of Bradbury, the history of Hallowe'en from the beginning of time, and a life and death quest, all told in the gentle voice of Bradbury. As it's written for children, it balances scary parts with fun adventures through time and space. Plus, illustrations and for me, a book cover I love. This is a fine story to read to get into the Hallowe'en spirit. The Day of the Dead will never be quite the same for me. A remarkable story, and highly recommended.
Rating: Read with a cup of hot chocolate and cookies/brownies, for a truly delightful Hallowe'en adventure, served with shivers.
***The best I can find is a comment Chris made in 2012's RIP opening post comment he made here: http://susanflynn.blogspot.ca/2012/09/rip-vii-scary-fun-begins.html
A non-RIP book,for a change: To Darkness and To Death, #4 in the Clare Fergusson/ Russ Van Alstyne mystery series by Julia Spencer-Fleming. After Book 3 and the dark story at the heart of it - a truly horrifying story that has the horror muted by telling it through flashback, so it's only in realizing what the story is about - what happened - that the horror is really felt. After that, I wasn't sure what to expect in Book 4. Could it be better? I think this one is. It is told as 24 hours in the life of Miller's Kill, a small town in New York State. 24 hours where there is a kidnapping, a murder, and a surprise twist at the end. Very good mystery. For once too, Clare is not involved in the danger so much as on the outskirts of it, helping in the search for the missing woman. We the reader are on the inside, following the various people drawn into the search, the missing woman, what happens to her next, the fall-out from an assault on someone else, all because of a land-deal that is going to happen that evening. It's told straight-forward, no flashbacks, and is as ever utterly gripping. On top of that, Clare is preparing for the visit from her Archbishop, who has heard some things about her......At the heart of it, a novel about sacrifice, love, and bravery. It also managed to make me cry at the ending. Not bad for a Book 4 of a series! One of my favourites in this series.
Rating: Unputdownable. Read it when you have an evening clear to curl up in a chair and relax the night away.
Note: this series is so good. I already have Books 5 and 6 bought for my Christmas box. I enjoy the mysteries, the supporting cast are fun, and especially, Clare and Russ as they wrestle and come to admit how they feel to each other adds an emotional depth to each novel in the series. I am very glad that in this one, they are not cast off alone somewhere in the wilderness again with one another. This time, the danger is different.
So what are you reading for RIP? Now that there is a month left, have you discovered a favourite book yet for this challenge? I have several more on my pile to read, starting with Mind of Winter, for next weekend in between cooking our turkey for our Thanksgiving. Happiness is dark scary books in amongst celebrating life - kind of what Hallowe'en is, about, death and life.
