Tag Archives: All Hallow’s Read

Fortnight of Fright: Not As Creepy Halloween Recommendations by Lauren

by

FoF2014

Today we have my dear friend Lauren helping you all out with some not so creepy Halloween recommendations!! Though Halloween is indeed my favorite since I love being scared (and the Halloween decor is the type that I keep up all year round) I still know that a lot of you don’t love the whole horror vibe! So I am going to let Lauren take it away and help you guys out with some things to read, watch, and eat!!

I have to say, I think it’s kind of funny that I ended up here on Alyssa’s blog, with my post full of non-creepy Halloween things. Alyssa is probably the first person I think of when I think of scary things, skulls, and anything else along those lines (that I tend to avoid). Regardless, I’m happy to be here on her blog because Alyssa is one of my favorite people even though she’s like the Lucille Bluth-iest.

SO today, I’m here to share some Halloween fun from a person who usually doesn’t get into the scary, horror-filled books or movies of the season. I love fall more than most people (my birthday and football and pumpkin things!), but just… not the scary stuff. My mom is the complete opposite so it’s kind of weird that I turned out this way. Regardless, here are my picks for how to enjoy the Halloween vibes of October without getting scared.

title

I’m not opposed to being scared every once in a while, but horror or mystery books are usually not the first ones I reach for. Fall is a great time for getting a little creeped out by what you’re reading… but I usually prefer not to be looking over my shoulder thinking there’s a ghost. (Reading in the dark apartment while my boyfriend is asleep makes me too nervous sometimes.) I’ve curated a list of books that are FAIRLY creepy or have a cool mystery/thriller vibe to them, but probably won’t cause you to be afraid of the dark. I also included a TBR of some of the books I hope to read this season. In addition to all of the Halloween-y books, I included some movies and recipes to get you in the spirit!

what to read Continue reading →

Fortnight of Fright (4)

by

FoF2014

Wow. We are back here for a FOURTH year for Fortnight of Fright and I can hardly believe it!! As many of you know, September – January is my very favorite time of year and Halloween is my one true love! Therefore, it is no question that Fortnight of Fright is something that I love hosting along with Brittany (The Book Addicts Guide) and Amy (Tripping Over Books)!

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about (hello, and welcome!) Fortnight of Fright is a time in which we host and share different posts related to fall and Halloween! We work with you guys and some amazing authors to showcase some creepy books, interviews, movies, and SO MUCH MOAR! There is no limit on what you can post about! Do you have a signature Halloween or Autumn cocktail recipe? Pinterest board filled with DIY decorations? A book recommendation for those of us who love to be scared? We want it all!! JOIN US!!

Sign ups will be open from 9/9-9/20 and you will be notified the following week to confirm your post topic, and so on. We are going to ask that all posts get to us the week of 10/12 as we will be hosting you during the event which runs from 10/19-10/31! As always, the more the merrier, so scroll on down to our Google Doc and sign up to help us out!

Also don’t forget about All Hallow’s Read and the giving of books in lieu of candy!

Wondering what we had going on from years past? Check it out:

Fortnight of Fright (3)

by

FoF2014

Heyyyy friends!!

I’m sure you guys remember that for the past TWO (ahh two already?!) years Brittany from The Book Addicts Guide and I have hosted a two week event called Fortnight of Fright, where we shared different posts on all things Halloween! This year we have decided to host it under our collaborative name, Gals on the Same Page which means we get to host with Amy from Tripping Over Books as well!

This means MOAR space for you guys to share and read awesome content! We will be working together with you guys and some fabulous authors to showcase some creepy books, interviews, movies and anything else Halloween and Autumn related that you can think of! As always, the more the merrier so scroll on down to the Google Doc and sign on up to help us out, friends! There is honestly no limit on what you can post about! Have a signature Halloween or Autumn cocktail or recipe? Pinterest board we should be checking out? A book recommendation for those of us who love to be scared? Or even something to lighten up those spooky Halloween nights? We want it all! JOIN US!

For some reference, here are some awesome posts that we had here on Books Take You Places over the past few years: Continue reading →

Fortnight of Fright: Halloween Facts

by

Welcome friends! Thanks for joining me for A Fortnight of Fright over here on Books Take You Places! Fortnight of Fright is an event hosted over two weeks, by myself and Brittany from The Book Addicts Guide, we will be featuring some fabulous posts on all things Halloween!

Today I am going to share some “true” facts about Halloween!

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to enjoy some more Halloween fun!!

*Before we get started I wanted to share that today is the LAST day to download Neil Gaiman’s FREE audiobook, Click Clack the Rattlebag over on audible.com. For every download, audible will donate $1 up to $100,000 to charity. It’s part of All Hallow’s Read and take it from me, the story is awesome. It was scary and intriguing and just…Gaiman. So I highly suggest that you go HERE to download the audiobook TODAY before it goes away and if you want to read more about Neil’s story or All Hallow’s read I provided some info at the bottom of this post! Happy listening!*

Halloween has always fascinated me, it is my mother’s favorite holiday and therefore we always went all out on decorating and celebrating the holiday. Additionally, many of my family members on my father’s side loathe the holiday. They believe it to be a “day of evil” and being the precocious gal that I am I spent ample time educating myself on the origin of the holiday so that I could argue with them at every chance! I’m not going to bore you with lectures or paragraphs but I thought it would be fun to share some quick info on what Halloween really represents, past the candy and costumes.

Halloween is believed to have originated from the Celtic festival of Samhain, the last day of harvest before the “dark days,” more commonly known as “winter.” It was believed that on Samhain (and Beltane) the door to the Otherworld was open and therefore spirits were able to roam the Earth. 

It was believed that some were fearful of the spirits so they carved faces into things such as turnips and placed them in their windows to ward off evil spirits. This is of course, why we carve Jack o’ lanterns today. This is also why some wore costumes, the people believed that this would trick the walking spirits so that they would not possess the living.

There is much contemplation on the origin of trick or treating. It is believed that it comes from the celebration of All Souls Day in England. On this day, the poor would go door to door asking for food and once received would pray for the souls of the givers dead relatives. This was called going “a-souling” and replaced the practice of leaving wine and cakes out for the spirits of their dead.  Additionally, the term “Trick or Treat” can be translated to “give me a treat or I will cause some mischief,” there was a time that those requesting treats would perform some “trick” also known as a song and dance as “payment” for their treat.

Other traditions, such as certain foods that were eaten, bonfires and bobbing for apples goes along with the Samhain tradition of (the end of) harvest. These things are all symbolic to the culture and it was believed that peeling apples assisted in telling the future or answering questions asked while peeling.

That’s it for me for today, do you have any traditions for Halloween? Anything I may have missed?

Thanks for reading, friends. I really hoped you all enjoyed A Fortnight of Fright over here on Books Take You Places!

While you’re all here, have you heard of All Hallow’s Read? Basically, Neil Gaiman is behind it and the gist is that during the week of Halloween, or on the night itself, you give someone a scary book. Skip the candy and GIVE OUT BOOKS, PEOPLE!! Want more info (you shouldn’t because, did you see about NEIL GAIMAN?!) go to the website and READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Happy Halloween!