A Carnival of Bookworms

Welcome to the October edition of the Bookworms Carnival! Even if this weren't the month of Halloween I'd want to read scary stories. There's just something about the chill in the air, the falling leaves, the patter of rain on the roof that invites me to curl up with a book that is deliciously thrilling. I'm so thrilled by the range of titles represented in the reviews submitted for this carnival. There are classics like Dracula, Beowulf, and Northanger Abbey. There are books that I consider new classics like Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrel, The Historian, and The Handmaid's Tale. I'm excited that there are children's and young adult books represented in this carnival and really enjoyed reading both the author interview and the book excerpt. My to-read list has definitely grown and I hope yours will too! So, without further ado, here are Thrills and Chills: Spooky Books That Keep You Up at Night:

Callista at SMS Book Reviews says she doesn't usually read horror novels but she loved Joe Schreiber's zombie novel, Chasing the Dead.

Valentina at Valentina's Reading Room reviews Verdigris Deep by Frances Hardinge, a children's thriller.

Karen at Miscellaneous Adventures of an Aussie Mum read the ultimate gothic novel, Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Chris at Book-a-rama read The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier.

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf read Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrel by Susanna Clarke.

Linda at Vermeulenblog recommends The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. She even got to meet Tom Gordon in person once!

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews gives The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova a somewhat mixed review.

Heather at Errant Dreams Reviews read Vintage Vermont Villanies by John Stark Bellamy II. Even the title gives me the chills!

Book Nut at Melissa's Book Reviews reviews The Rest Falls Away and Rises the Night both by Colleen Gleason. These are books 1 and 2 of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. She reviewed both books as a guest reviewer on Book Binge.

Joana at The Symposium read Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, from a series of books that has been very popular at my library.

Tea Party Girl read The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein.

Annie at Reading is my Superpower read The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall.

Suzanne at Adventures in Daily Living shares her review of Beowulf as translated by Seamus Heaney.

Ana at Things Mean A Lot reviews The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.

Jenny at The So Called Me compares four different books in her Four Books Battle. The winner of this battle was Law & Order: Dead Line by J. Madison Davis.

Verbivore Reader reviews both The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

James at Nearly Nothing but Novels read The Unquiet Night by Patricia Carlon.

Eva at A Striped Armchair read The Ghost Writer by John Harwood.

Philippa at Zed Sounds reviews I am Legend by Richard Matheson.

John at The Book Mine Set read In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka.

Zen-Mother read The Reincarnationist by MJ Rose.

artThailand reviews but doesn't exactly recommend The First Casualty by Ben Elton.

Gautami Tripathy at My Own Little Reading Room recommends a classic, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

Book Lists

Scott at College and Finance shares a list of the Top Ten Most Popular Books in College. It's no surprise that the number one book is Harry Potter, a thriller of the best kind.

Host Bee at Busy Bee Lifestyle has a list of great Book Ideas for a Mother-Daughter Book Club. Sounds like a fun book group idea.


Author Interviews

Linda Jo Martin at Perspectives on Writing shares a very interesting interview with Donna Alice Patton, author of The Cattle Rustling Catastrophe, an adventure story for children.

Book Excerpts

Mark A. Rayner submitted an excerpt from his novel The Amadeus Net.