It's The Most Bestest Time Of The Year

It's October people and that means it is happy fun time.  This is the best month of all for so many reasons, lets list them shall we.  First off it is my birthday month and that pretty much makes this the coolest month ever, also I am the boss of all things awesome and fun so that is good.  The weather usually starts to finally cooperate full time and I really can snuggle into my sweaters and boots.  Fall TV starts and I can find ways to correlate my TV watching to my books (this year Dr. Who, Sleepy Hollow, Downton Abbey, Once Upon A Time and Sherlock are being very literary friendly).  All kinds of yummy foods are available (think apple cider and donuts!). Of course we can't forget about Halloween, a time where you get to dress up, eat junk, scare yourself silly and pretty much live in a fantasy world of your own creating...kind of like a book.  Here are some of the creepy, dark and stormy night, shivery books that I am reading this month if you would like to read along (I'm hoping to scare myself so bad I can't sleep with at least one of these).

Doll Bones by Holly Black-A story of three friends who are caught on the edge of being children and growing up.  Along comes an antique doll they call the Queen who figures into there imaginary games...until the ghost of the girl who's bones were used to make the doll sends them on a quest to find her grave and bury her in it.  Hear lot's of great reviews and sounds like the right mix of creepy and good story.

Under My Hat edited by Jonathan Strahan-edited by the same guy who put together one of my favorite anthologies The Starry Rift this collection is full of tales of those Halloween staples we call witches.  The list of authors is pretty stellar and I am looking forward to catching a few thrills in between work stuff.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman-A boy is raised in a cemetery since infancy, living among the ghost and ghouls and whatever other creatures live in graveyards.  He must learn how to cope with both the world of the living and the dead.  Full length novels by Neil Gaiman have been hit or miss for me, but I love his short stories and his work for kids has almost always hit the sweet spot so here goes nothing.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson-This supernatural tale is a classic haunted house story, complete with malevolent spirits, hidden secrets and hopefully plenty of scares.  When I asked around to find out which book people considered the scariest, this one popped up more than any others, so here is hoping it lives up to it's scary reputation.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving-The classic story of Ichabod Crane and his experiances in the small town of Sleepy Hollow, was it really the Headless Horseman or just a prank?!?  This classic mad it on my list 'cause a) it's awesome and b) so many movies/tv shows/etc... had to catch up with the original story.

What is your favorite part about October (besides it being my birthday month of course)?  What are your favorite books/movies/tv shows to creep you out?  How are we supposed to make this month a national holiday when the stupid government is shut down?