Only around 20 days to go until it’s autumn! The cosy vibes, spooky season and pumpkin everything! I may or may not have already started decorating with pumpkins all over my room and crocheting new comfy scarfs for my growing collection. That would be silly!
…
Moving on.
It goes without saying but this time of year is when I thrive. I also tend to read a lot more in the colder months. Something about wrapping up in a cosy blanket with a mug of tea lets me devour books. I often hoard books specifically to read them in the darker half of the year, often with darker themes to match. Hell, I have a notebook full of all the books I want to read during autumn, separated into genre/subgenre of course.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
This novel is a classic written by a titan in the gothic horror genre, for a good reason.
Dr Montague, a man with a passion for the occult, is looking for strong proof of a real haunting at the foreboding manor. Along with three associates they hope to find something spooky, but it seems they may have gotten more than they bargained for.
Before you ask, no, I haven’t seen the Netflix adaptation. I might after reading the original.
A Fatal Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon
Don’t ask me why, but autumn is peak historical reading time. What’s more historical than ancient Rome?
Murder was so commonplace in Rome, that hardly any story we read about that period doesn’t have at least one. Did you know that, in one 50-year period, 26 emperors were murdered?
Southon explains how Roman culture viewed the crime, the victim and the red-handed killer as well as what life and death meant to them.
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
This book had me from the tagline, A work-from-home comedy where WFH meets WTF.
As told via Slack chat, Gerald and his fellow PR agency employees are subject to a new AI in the Slack channel. At first, they deem it nothing more than a stupid gimmick from HR, but things take a dark turn in this absurd yet fully-relatable novel.
The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell
The Case Against Satan is the precursor to both The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby.
Sweet Susan Garth is your typical teenage girl, if not kinder. Well, until she starts having fits, using horrific language she would never have dared before and having an unusual aversion to churches. After attacking a holy man, Father Gregory Sargent is tasked with saving her soul. The recent events are only the tip of the disturbing iceberg.
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
Nineteen short yet horrifying stories penned by one of the masters of modern Scifi.
Can I just rant for a moment?
Alright, this book was a pain to get my hands on. I have wanted to read this classic for ages and I finally found it. I know it will be worth the trouble, but I am going to try and resist reading it until next month.
Nerd Rambles 
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