RESERVED OCT 12th

Nanny Ogg's Cookbook by Terry Pratchett #countdowntoHalloween2026 #magicalbeings #humor

About the book:

They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach which just goes to show they're as confused about anatomy as they gen'rally are about everything else, unless they're talking about instructions on how to stab him, in which case a better way is up and under the ribcage. Anyway, we do not live in a perfect world, and it is foresighted and useful for a young woman to become proficient in those arts which will keep a weak-willed man from straying. Learning to cook is also useful.

My review:

This is not just any old cookbook! Oh, no, this is a cookbook wrapped up in old time advice, and good ole' fashion humor. I loved it! Nanny Ogg is one if the local witches, from a fantasy world unknown to this reader, that dishes out some fine recipes around her town that honestly, she has pinched from other people...um, and other creatures. I do respectfully use this term loosely.

The "dishes" if you can really call them that, range from deep-sea blow fish (sans the blow fish) to recipe for a cheese sandwich that call to order out pizza.  She has no problem describing the people that are contributed to these delights' sans at times, not giving proper credit.

In addition to this already humorous book, one finds themselves learning about proper etiquette at different settings and who is to be invited to such events. She is clear to say that witches do as they like but that others must adhere to certain rules. These rules may include a good ole' fight complete with weaponry.

Overall, I laughed out loud many times as I read this book and maybe learned a thing or two. I especially learned that if you meet a troll, do not shake his hand. Rather you are to pound him on his head. I will then have a friend for life! Make sure you always bring a good ham roll.

5 Pumpkins!

Disclosure: The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network

Where to find the author:

Amazon

The Ghost Train by Cath Jones #review #chapterbooks #CountdowntoHalloween2026

About the book:

Dan loves trains, so when he and his mom move into an old railway station it's a dream come true! he's even more amazed when, one night, an ancient train signal flickers to life...and a ghostly steam train chugs by his window.

My review:

I am certainly a train lover and a ghostly Halloween enthusiast, so reading this book was a delight. What fun it would be to live in an old train station!

It was cute to find out how the kid, Dan, discovered family that he was related to by riding the ghost train that came every night. The whole story was about family, friendship, and somewhat about responsibility.

I would have liked to have seen a little more substance to the story but considering it is a chapter book; it was okay too. The pictures were cute and added to the story.

I give this book 3 1/2 pumpkins.

Disclosure: I obtained this book at a local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ with yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network.

Find the author:

Amazon

A Light in the Autumn Night by Frances Tosdevin and Sophia O'Connor #childrensbooks #countdowntoHalloween2026 #Autumn

About the book: 

A gentle tale about overcoming fear, the comfort of friendship, and how even the smallest light can shine the brightest when it's shared.

My review:

This book is totally about facing your fears, in this case what goes bump in the night. The character of mole shuts himself in his cozy home in order to block out his fear of the dark. However, creatures arrive dressed in costumes not only asking for treats but for light to find their way. This shared experience prompts mole to go out and at the same time, face those fears.

What a beautiful book this is!  Even though the book is Autumn and Halloween centered, it gives such a greater message of being kind, sharing your wealth, and more importantly sharing yourself (the light) when possible. Children will certainly get the dual messages. It is a book to be shared by all.

Done in muted colors and Autumn colors this is a terrific book to add to your home and school collections. Such a winner of a book and great lessons!

5 big lighted pumpkins!

Disclosure: This book was obtained at a local library. The views here are 100% my own opinions and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network

Find the authors:

Amazon

Beastopia by Chrissie Sains #middlegrade #countdowntoHalloween2026

 

About the book:

The curse of the 10th birthday is about to strike when family pets disappear. But where do these animals go and why? Digby Griffin, his sister Mog, and best friend, Tai are about to find out and discover Beastopia.

My review:

When I began reading this book, it started out a bit slowly. It described the family and their pets and that they simply disappeared on the happenstance of a 10th birthday. Weird! As pages went on, a weird washer turned portal and kind of an underworld became apparent as to where these animals had disappeared to.

I enjoyed finding out about their alter status and how they remained it what was called Beastopedi The children had special roles and how those came about is the meat of the book. Of course I am not going to reveal that. Read the book!

A few illustrations in black and white are dispersed throughout the book. They do not really lend much to the book but are well placed. This book is meant for upper elementary. If you or your kids like fantasy creature and what they do, this book is for you!

I give this book 31/2 pumpkins.

~Michelle, Reading Authors Network 

How to Scare Blue Monster by Petr Horadcek #review #childrensbooks #countdowntohalloween2026 #monsters

About the book:

When something HUGE comes clumping through the forest, all the animals are scared. But it's only their friend, Blue Monster. 

My review:

This has to be the most non-scary book about being scared that I ever read. The monster in the book goes around and scares all of his friends because, well, he is a monster. However, he has no idea what being scared means. So, his friends help him learn in a most unusual way.

Is it horrifying? Absolutely not. If anything, it is simply cute and that is what makes this book so adorable. As a soft Halloween kind of book, it can certainly fit the bill. I loved monster and all of his animal friends in the forest.

The illustrations for this book were large and in autumn kinds of colors which adds to the feel of the season. What makes them interesting and stand out is they are also done in a crayon resist and pencil drawing. The character colors do not necessarily stay in the lines as you would expect from children's books illustrations. It is different and I like it!

Go Blue for 4 pumpkins!

Disclusre: This book was obtained through a local library. The view here is 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network

Find the author:

Three Shades Called Horace by Jinx James #guestpost #spotlight #fantasycomedy

 

Hi everyone, I want to welcome to my blog author, Jinx James as a guest poster on my blog about the new book. Welcome!

About the book:

Fame is a curse—and on the Isle of Man, that’s literal.

 

Max Dalvert is a romantic at heart with a very simple plan: become a knight and avoid anything involving the word “viral.” But when he’s thrust into the mystical fog of the Isle of Man, he discovers that saving the girl means saving the “craziest paranormal show on earth.”

 

Pansy Peony and her witch mother have a hit on their hands with The SuperMoon Show, a viral sensation featuring three famous (and hilariously opinionated) ghosts. But where there’s a massive audience, there’s a shark. Ruthless media mogul Rollo Mansell wants the show for his global empire, and he doesn’t care who—or what—he has to crush to get the contract.

 

Now, Max must navigate a gauntlet of hitmen, corrupt empires, and a voodoo queen who didn’t sign up for this corporate circus. In a world of witchcraft, modern magic, and supernatural suspense, Max is about to learn that true serendipity is just a fancy word for narrowly avoiding a public disaster.

Q: Your new edition of your novel, Three Shades Called Horace, is set on the

mystical Isle of Man, but you live in Tasmania. How does living at the edge of

the known world; influence your writing?

A: There’s a distinct atmospheric magic to living on a rugged island like Tasmania.

When you are surrounded by untamed wilderness and the vast ocean, the line

between reality and the supernatural feels a little thinner. Even though Three Shades

Called Horace takes place on the opposite side of the globe on the Isle of Man, that

sense of island isolation and mystical fog felt entirely familiar to me. It allows me to

lean into both the eerie dread and the dark comedy of being stranded with things that

go bump in the night.

Q: Three Shades Called Horace blends paranormal thrills with corporate satire

and sharp comedy. What inspired you to mash up these genres?

A: I’ve always believed that the terrifying and the ridiculous go hand in hand. Think

about it—if a real ghost showed up on live television today, a media mogul wouldn't

run away screaming; they’d try to monetize it and make it go viral! I wanted to explore

that corporate absurdity. Giving a psychic medium a hit TV show featuring three

hilariously opinionated, ghosts felt like the perfect canvas to poke fun at modern media

culture while still delivering a high-stakes, fast-paced thriller.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration for your ghosts and supernatural

elements? Are any of them based on real experiences?

A: Absolutely! I actually spent about a year living in a haunted house in a place called

Pratt’s Bottom, in Kent, England. The house was built on top of an old Roman burial

ground, and sometimes the energy there got incredibly heavy and bad. But we also

had a resident house ghost we called Fred.

Fred was a bit of a character—he actually took a massive liking to my partner, who is

Irish. We later found out that before Fred passed away, he had a wonderful Irish

nurse, so he clearly retained a fondness for the Irish accent and presence even in the

afterlife! Living with that mix of heavy, ancient history and a quirky house ghost with

personal preferences is exactly what inspired the tone of Three Shades Called

Horace. I love exploring how the paranormal can be simultaneously unsettling,

historic, and yet completely normal, in a funny kind of way.

Q. How did you choose the three ghost characters who play such a big role in

Three Shades Called Horace?

A: I chose Horace Walpole, who is the first to appear to Pansy, because I enjoyed his

novel Otranto, the first-ever gothic novel to be published, and his 18th century gothic

revival house was the inspiration for the look-alike house that the ghosts inhabit on

The Isle of Man.

I also enjoy reading the classics, Socrates, Suetonius, and other ancient great men of

letters. Poet and satirist Horace Flaccus is up there with the best of them, plus he had

a wicked sense of humor.

Horace Silver is one of my all-time favorite jazz musicians and composers. When I

read his autobiography “Let’s Get to the Nitty Gritty”

I discovered his family originated in Cape Verde (another island story) and that he had

a keen interest in spiritualism. So, another personal choice to complete the trio. Sadly,

he died in 2014.

Q: Tell us a bit about your free reader magnet short story, and how it connects

to your main release.

A: The free short story follows a top fashion model named Silvia who accepts a

mysterious assignment at a secluded mansion, only to find her passion for dance

twisting into a feverish supernatural obsession. While Three Shades Called

Horace leans heavily into dark humor and corporate satire, this short story explores

pure gothic suspense and atmospheric tension. I wanted to give readers a bite-sized,

high-stakes introduction to how I handle supernatural threats before throwing them into the comedic rollercoaster of the main novel.

Thank you for visiting and talking about your book.

To find the author:

Bestselling dark humor fiction author Jinx James was born in the UK and lives in Australia. He

has worked in music and advertising, and has always been fascinated by charisma, satire, and

what makes people laugh He used to write comedy sketches for a well-known Australian TV and

film star, but that was after he was in the music game, as a performer. Later came writing and

producing music for advertising, and for big events like the Sydney Olympics. All that time he

was trying his hand at writing fiction, mostly humorous. Eventually it became his new way of

living while having fun. He writes under two author names. As Jinx James his dark humor draws

on his life in show business. As dog lover Kit James, his Mutt to Megastar series features Elliott,

a rescue dog who becomes a TV star.

Amazon

Giveaway:

The House on Via Magliocco

by Jinx James

Genre: Supernatural Dark Fantasy

To be beautiful forever. Would you turn down that offer?

A mesmerizing one-hour dark fantasy short read.

Silvia is a top fashion model who lives for the spotlight, but the camera's love is fleeting. When

she’s offered a mysterious assignment at the secluded House on Via Magliocco, it feels like the

ultimate canvas for her creativity and passion for dance.

But inspiration quickly twists into a feverish obsession.

As the mansion's haunting music bleeds from her dreams into her waking life, Silvia realizes she

hasn't just accepted a job—she has stepped into a beautiful trap. The house demands a

performance, the wealthy owner demands perfection, and the price of eternal beauty might

just be her soul.

Get this exclusive supernatural short story delivered directly to your inbox.

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https://dl.bookfunnel.com/fdp3yqd8v7