"A little special. A little strange. Not quite alive but definitely not …"   It's that time of year, spooky friends! The spookiest season of all. Let's tell ghost stories!   Gather round the fire for "City of Ghosts" (2018) by Victoria Schwab, the story of a strange girl with a dead best friend, the ability to see ghosts, and parents who move her to Edinburgh, Scotland. Part Lydia Deetz, part Lyra Belacqua, and all her excellent spooky self, Cassidy Blake is your next weird best friend.  No spoilers in this one!   Find more from Victoria Schwab at https://www.veschwab.com/books/   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Spooky Sisters Book Club

Screams and whispers: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

"It's impossible. But it’s here. Can we keep it?”   Grab your canoe and meet Aurelien at the secret lake for "A House At the Bottom of A Lake" (2016) by Josh Malerman.   Let yourself be swept away in this weird dreamy story of first dates, summer love, and the thrill, and horror, of discovery.    Listen for the spoiler warning around 19:50!   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Wet dreams: A House At the Bottom of A Lake by Josh Malerman

"I can't decide if the effect is beautiful or creepy or something in between."    Throw on a deerstalker hat and join Aurelien in the library for "The Stitchers" (2020) by Lorien Lawrence. It's a spooky middle grade mystery where amateur detectives Quinn and Mike try to find out just what is up with their strange  neighbors who don't seem to age, and the eerie pond at the end of the lane. Are they ghosts, immortals, vampires? Is it all connected? And what is in the pond, just under the water?  No major spoilers in this one! Episode covers up to chapter 9.    -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Who wants to live forever? The Stitchers by Lorien Lawrence

"Josie Schuller is a picture-perfect homemaker, wife, and mother - but she's also a ruthless, efficient killer"   Join Aurelien for a recap of the darkly funny (and fully bloody) Lady Killer vol 1 by Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich. This bold graphic novel tells the story of a mid-century American woman trying to have it all: a loving husband, adorable children, killer style, and successful career as a hit woman.    Buy Lady Killer from Dark Horse comics: https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/26-356/Lady-Killer-TPB Read it before it hits Netflix: https://boundingintocomics.com/2021/05/07/netflix-to-adapt-joelle-jones-lady-killer-comic-series-with-blake-lively-and-diablo-cody/  -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Dangerous woman: Lady Killer vol. 1 by Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich

"“Please help . . .” His voice was faint, but it was there."   Avoid the roads at night and keep your wits about you for "58 Rules to Ensure Your Husband Loves You Forever" (2019) by Rafeeat Aliyu. It's a deep dark story that asks: what are you willing to do (to someone else) for love? And it's a little gross.    Read the story at Nightmare Magazine: http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/58-rules-to-ensure-your-husband-loves-you-forever/ Read more from Rafeeat Aliyu: https://www.rafeeataliyu.com/publications/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Behind closed doors: 58 Rules to Ensure Your Husband Loves You Forever by Rafeeat Aliyu

What has eerie red eyes, a pronounced widow's peak, surprisingly fang-like fangs, and a soft pink nose? It's "Bunnicula" (1979), a spooky cute middle-grade comedy adventure written by Deborah & James Howe. This time, Aurelien is joined by Dustin, fellow podcaster and magical library elf! Find Dustin's podcast episodes and social media: https://linktr.ee/DustinCanRead Explore the Bunnicula series:  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43326-bunnicula  -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Midnight feast: Bunnicula by Deborah & James Howe - with Dustin!

Hey, spooky friends! Aurelien astral-projected over to the new horror deep dive podcast Autopsy of a Horror Movie to discuss the straight from quarantine horror hit, Host (2020).    Brucker and Aurelien get into how impressive the editing is, the different types of fear, the scariest scenes, and Aurelien invents a new subgenre. If you're a horror movie fan, give it a listen!    Follow Autopsy of a Horror Movie:  Instagram: @bruckerhorror Twitter: @bruckerhorror Email: bruckerhorror@gmail.com Linktree: https://linktr.ee/autopsyofahorrormovie   Host (2020) was directed by Rob Savage, written by Jed Shepherd, and stars Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline Ward, and Seylan Baxter.    Music & Sound Effects: Cancun by Topher and Grace Mixkit (thunder ambiance) virtualambiance (Haunted Halloween Mansion Fireplace with Thunder Rain and Howling Wind) Big Sound Bank (glass, ice, drink pour) 

Bonus! Aurelien talks "Host" on Autopsy of a Horror Movie

“Sour candy trumps chocolate.”   Celebrate Valentine's weekend with Aurelien and a creepy horror story that will make you happy to be alone. "Sour Candy" by Kealan Patrick Burke (2015) starts with an everyday encounter and quickly devolves into more nightmares than you can count.   Buy the book and read more from Kealan Patrick Burke: https://www.kealanpatrickburke.com/books   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Be mine: Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke

"Creatures of the night, they get along just fine in the darkness."   Happy new year, spooky friends! Join Aurelien for a dark modern horror tale of unconventional friendship,  the beauty of the night, and some light murder: "The Night Cyclist" by Stephen Graham Jones (2016).    Read the story on Tor.com: https://www.tor.com/2016/09/21/the-night-cyclist/ Find more from Stephen Graham Jones: https://www.demontheory.net/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

After midnight: The Night Cyclist by Stephen Graham Jones

"I asked how many days it took before she was aware of the ghost."   It’s time for another flash fiction roundup! Join Aurelien for a quick tour of the latest sweet, spooky, supernatural, super weird, and, of course, super short fiction she's loved lately. No spoilers!    "Not the Pizza Girl" by Michelle Ann King: https://everydayfiction.com/not-the-pizza-girl-by-michelle-ann-king/ "Ghost Collecting" by Sheila Massie: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/ghost-collecting/ "Larry" by Elsa Richardson-Bach: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/larry/ "How to Confront the Sphinx Haunting Your Garden" by Alexei Collier: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/sphinx -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Flash Fiction Featurette, vol 2!

This week for book club, let's go on a spooky tour of Aurelien's horror shelf, from teen witches and the perils of friendship, to creepy haunted houses, dark family secrets, and suspenseful short stories. No spoilers!   "A Head Full of Ghosts" by Paul Tremblay “And the Trees Crept In” by Dawn Kurtagich “The Twisted Ones” by T. Kingfisher “The Scapegracers” by Hannah Abigail Clarke “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” by Grady Hendrix “Slasher Girls & Monster Boys” edited by April Genevieve Tucholke “The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares” by Joyce Carol Oates   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Spooky shelf: Aurelien's to-read horror

“Haunting is an art.”   Find us in the secret room for a hauntingly good time with "Open House on Haunted Hill" (2020) by John Wiswell. Autumn isn't only spooks and screams; it's also about loneliness, change, and the warmth of home. Warning: this story might melt your horror-loving heart.    Read the story: http://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-64a-open-house-on-haunted-hill-by-john-wiswell/   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Welcome home: Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell

"What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night!"   Let's meet at the spooky old church for book club to talk about a classic American ghost story: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820) by Washington Irving. Featuring superb descriptions of fall foliage, an excellent spooky atmosphere, and ghostly, mysterious ending, this story will immerse you in autumn.    And if you can't get enough Sleepy Hollow, check out the latest episode of of Film on the Rocks: https://pca.st/zobwnl5i   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Forever autumn: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

“But he couldn’t overcome the feeling that he was trapped, while things slowly fell apart around him.”   It's time for book club, and for the exciting conclusion of Michael Crichton's "Sphere" (1987)! Packed with thrills, chills, and more giant squid than you can shake a stick at, Aurelien covers the second half of this mysterious scifi adventure. This episode is full of spoilers!   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Hidden depths (2/2): Sphere by Michael Crichton

"What they find defies their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation..."   Something has been found on the ocean floor, something intriguing and impossible. A group of scientists are sent 1000 feet down to investigate - and there, they find something even stranger. Aurelien covers the first half of "Sphere" (1987) by Michael Crichton, a paranoid, weird sciencey horror thriller.   Episode references "Packing for Mars" by Mary Roach: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9542311-packing-for-mars Learn about the Drake Equation: https://seti.org/drake-equation-index   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Hidden depths: Sphere by Michael Crichton (part 1)

Come join your spooky sisters, Aurelien & Catrina, in the book club of your weird dreams... We read poems, short stories, books, graphic novels - creepy, spooky, or just weird, we're probably reading it. Find your next weird read!