Notable New Releases | Oct. 7 - Oct. 13

This was a light week of new releases for me. That may be a good thing since my TBR pile is out of control, and it makes me sad that I will never get to read them all. These are the books that caught my eye this week:

Ghost Town by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Tim Waggoner
Publication Date: October 9, 2012

WELCOME TO EXETER, THE “MOST HAUNTED TOWN IN AMERICA,” thanks to a deadly flood that unleashed an army of ghosts decades ago. And when ghost trackers Amber, Drew, and Trevor attend a conference during Exeter’s spookiest week of the year, the ghouls grow restless. First, an innocent bookstore worker is mysteriously killed, setting off a string of strange deaths that point to a shadowy spirit known as the Dark Lady.

With a paranormal revolution ensuing, the team must stop the twisted bloodbath. But a past horror involving the death of a former teammate has them spinning faster than a specter in a storm, especially when they learn that it’s his ghost who awakened the Dark Lady. Now, with their lives on the line and the entire town at stake, the three must decide whether to trust the spirit of their old friend or to finally put a stake through his heart.

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In the Tall Grass by Stephen King and Joe Hill
Publication Date: October 9, 2012

Mile 81 meets “N.” in this eBook collaboration between Stephen King and Joe Hill.

As USA TODAY said of Stephen King’s Mile 81: “Park and scream. Could there be any better place to set a horror story than an abandoned rest stop?” In the Tall Grass begins with a sister and brother who pull off to the side of the road after hearing a young boy crying for help from beyond the tall grass. Within minutes they are disoriented, in deeper than seems possible, and they’ve lost one another. The boy’s cries are more and more desperate. What follows is a terrifying, entertaining, and masterfully told tale, as only Stephen King and Joe Hill can deliver.

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Additional new releases that caught my eye this week:

Did I miss anything awesome this week? Let me know or link me up!

Book Review | Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Jenny Pox is a paranormal dark fantasy from J.L. Bryan.

Book Description

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the "Jenny pox." She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town.

Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

I enjoyed Jenny Pox every bit as much as I thought I would. Realistically I don't think a girl like Jenny would last until she was 18 without her secret being discovered, but I was able to suspend my disbelief and lose myself in Jenny Pox.

Jenny Pox is a cross between J.E. Medrick's Icarus Helix series and Stephen King's Carrie. That's a pretty sweet mashup. If you love either of those, you might want to check out Jenny Pox. It was a fast read that kept me glued to the pages. I enjoyed the characters, and I was anxious to find out why Jenny possessed such an awful power. I'm pleased to say there were enough red herrings to keep me from even considering the ending to Jenny Pox.

Jenny Pox is the first book in the The Paranormals series, but I have great news. Jenny Pox was a complete story. Let me say that again. Jenny Pox was a. complete. story. and I can't wait to read the next one.

I recommend Jenny Pox to adults who enjoy reading YA books. It's very much a YA book in terms of the characters and drama, but the explicit sex and drug use may make it inappropriate for readers younger than 18.

8/10: Great Read 

If you have a Kindle or use any of the Kindle apps, you can get Jenny Pox for free from Amazon.

Have you read Jenny Pox yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Wishlist | Spook House by Michael West

This week I am pining after Michael West's new book, Spook House. It's set to be released October 27, 2012 - just in time for Halloween.

There are some places in this world that go far beyond any normal definition of “haunted.” These places are so evil, so diabolical, that they become gateways to Hell itself. The Fuller Farm is one such place.

It is said that old man Fuller conducted unspeakable acts, blood rituals and human sacrifices, all in an attempt to gain the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate power. And then, he was killed–horribly murdered on his own lands, leaving the house to stand as a vacant monument to his wickedness. But once a door is opened, it can never really be closed.

Now, the stars are right. The gateway is ready to once more unleash unspeakable horror upon the town of Harmony, Indiana. And this will be one Halloween that they will never forget!

I love reading Halloween books for Halloween! Spook House is part of Michael West's Harmony, Indiana series, but they are all stand alone novels. You can read my review of Cinema of Shadows here.

Do you have any Halloween books lined up for the end of October? What are you waiting for this week?

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's "Waiting on" Wednesday.

Currently Reading | Ashen Winter, Ghost Town

I finished up Jenny Pox last week which turned out to be a great read. I will probably post my review on that tomorrow. I decided to DNF The Casual Vacancy for now. I understand it has a good ending, but I'm not sure I can make it that far.

I finally started reading Ashen Winter! I loved Ashfall, and I'm so happy to be back surviving a volcanic winter.

I also started reading Ghost Town by Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, and Tim Waggoner.

These two books will probably last me through the whole week, but if I happen to get in a great chunk of reading time in, I'm going to try to catch up on the Salem's Lot readalong.

Be sure to let me know what you're reading this week!

This post is being shared as part of Book Journey's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Storybook Sunday | Halloween Books

It's Halloween time! I am very fortunate that my boys love reading Halloween books just as much as I do. We have already taken all of the Halloween books off the shelves (as well as ordered a couple of new ones for this year).

These are some of the books we will be reading through the month of October:



I wasn't able to find images for several of our board books and lift-a-flap books. I guess those are all out of print now.

My kids' favorite is probably Five Little Pumpkins. As a result we tend to read that one year round. I love Goodnight Goon pretty hard core, but I will have to devote a post later in the month to explain why.

Ten Creepy Monsters and Ten Little Pumpkins are new to us this year. I came across Ten Creepy Monsters this past week and had to have it. Ten Little Pumpkins is one of the books my son picked from the Scholastic Book Club newsletter. (For some reason I can't find a link to Ten Little Pumpkins that doesn't require you to login to Scholastic.)

If you need an awesome children's Halloween CD, Wee Sing Halloween is unbelievable. It's my favorite kid CD ever. It also comes with a book of all the songs and poems so you can read them as well.

Are we missing any great Halloween gems? Please let me know if you have any favorite Halloween children's books!