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My reading list for the Halloween season — and yes, I consider it a season, rather than just one day of celebration, is comprised of an old favorite author, a new author and some short stories that I’m looking forward to reading as the days get shorter and the nights cool down.

One short story I highly recommend everyone add to their reading list for September/October is Rad Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree. In under 200 pages, Bradbury explores our history of Halloween and how it’s been influenced by history, myths and from a variety of locations and cultures throughout the world. I listened to this as an audiobook on the Libby app, this version of the story was adapted and performed by the Colonial Radio Players. The actors, accompanying music, and sound effects made this piece of literature come to life. I felt like I was listening to a pre-cursor of The Nightmare Before Christmas, with the images of jack-o-lanterns, and the Halloween tree.

As we ramp up for Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated annually from Sept. 15 – October 15, I am looking forward to reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This story is a Gothic horror reminiscent of Jane Eyre, but set in 1950s Mexico. Side note: I am a huge fan of Jane Eyre and anything influenced by it, so I also added Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Earlier this year I decided that as a Latina and a writer, I should be supportive of other Latina writers and added several books to my reading list including Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras and Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera. Last year I read Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, which I borrowed from the library and I absolutely loved so much that I bought it in paperback this year to enjoy over and over again.

Obviously, some Stephen King is in order to help get into the mood of the season. I am cautiously looking forward to If It Bleeds, a collection of novellas by Stephen King. The last King book I read was Mr. Mercedes, which was definitely cringey to say the least. However, I didn’t want my reading list to be too heavy, so I also threw in a paranormal romance that was recommended by a friend. Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson will be a palate cleanser between all the planned horror stories.

And what is Halloween Time without a little magic? To wrap it all up, I plan to read Neil Gaiman’s M is for Magic, which I admit, just seeing the cat on the cover swayed me to add this collection of stories to my To Be Read list immediately. My own black cat turns 11 on Sept. 4 and we’ll be celebrating by hanging out together, and watching movies featuring black cats like Hocus Pocus and Coraline.

All of these books are available through my local library. If I get through this reading list, I’m sure there are more titles to explore, including The Return of the Witch by Paula Brackston, the second book in the The Witch’s Daughter series and many others. What are your favorite Halloween-time books to read?

Cost: $0, borrowed through the Libby app.

Drink of Choice: Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew

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Being ghosted is the ultimate silent treatment. It’s strange when it happens to us, whether we’re on the receiving end of being ghosted by friends or love interests. It leaves a feeling of confusion and loss, and even embarrassment. The questions loom overhead: What did I say? Why don’t they want to respond to me? Did they get my message? Surely, they can’t just be ignoring me. It’s a struggle to understand why this has happened. Ghosted: A novel by Rosie Walsh explores that topic in her intriguing and beautifully written novel.

Sarah Mackey has just met the love of her life. In her 40s, and on the verge of a divorce, Sarah meets Eddie David, in the one place she never thought to find love: her hometown in England. Sarah and Eddie spend six wonderful days together. But, alas, it cannot last, because Sarah’s work and Eddie’s planned vacation are pulling them in two different directions. They make plans to meet each other’s families and promises to find a way to live together, even though Sarah is just visiting from Los Angeles. When Sarah returns from her work event, eager for Eddie’s flight information so she can pick him up, she’s surprised that he hasn’t responded. It’s unexpected. Didn’t they just promise to spend the rest of their lives together?

Sarah doesn’t hear from Eddie again: no response to texts or calls or even calls on his work phone. The line still rings, so it’s not like he’s changed his number. There are no updates on Facebook either, Eddie hasn’t been visible online in weeks. What happened? Convinced that their week together was special, Sarah refuses to believe Eddie would have ghosted her. Something must have happened, something serious. He must be in trouble, or hurt, or – dead? Her friends try to keep Sarah calm and reassure her that Eddie is probably not hurt, but Sarah is so overwhelmed with grief that she feels like she is in mourning. Sarah won’t stop trying to contact Eddie until she finds out what happened to him.

Sarah herself is a very complex character, carrying her pain and simultaneously trying to maintain her leadership in a charity she runs alongside her soon-to-be ex-husband. She is a transplant from England, now living in L.A. We are introduced to her work life, colleagues, and friends and then again to her British friends and family, and the contrasts in each group. The author perfectly captured the L.A./beach-life scene and at the same time, I could easily imagine laying under the stars in a small town in England as well. The love story between Sarah and Eddie is beautiful. The conversations they had made me smile and laugh. As each day of their short one-week lived relationship was revealed, I started to believe Sarah’s claims. She and Eddie were ready to take a next step and there was no way Eddie would just abandon her.

I finished this book in about two days. Half of myself was mad with wanting to know what happened and the other half wanted redemption and closure for Sarah. With all the information available to us, surely, there would be some way to track down his whereabouts? One thing I found confusing was that Sarah didn’t go back to his house to look for him. She had spent a week there, surely he would be home and she would get her answer? Was that too much to wish? Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s all those cozy mysteries I read with nosy amateur sleuths, but I feel like that would have been my first move if I thought something serious happened. Ghosted is a romantic mystery, different from the usual mysteries I read and I loved it. I highly recommend this book.

Cost: $0.00 on Overdrive

Drink of Choice: Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte

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Once Upon a River on my nook.Of all the great books I’ve read this year, this one was my favorite. It is a story of hope that resonated deep within me as I struggled to cope with some painful, personal issues. Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield lets the patrons of The Swan do the story telling as they resolve to explain and analyze exactly just what happened one Winter solstice night.

At the center of the story are two main characters: the first is a mysterious child of four who was pronounced dead, but now lives and no one can decide who she belongs to, and the second is the River Thames, which is set as the background for this incredible story set in Victorian times. At first glance, this may seem like a fairy or folk tale, but the fantasy is just a way to ease the reader in the deeper truths and hopes we all feel as humans on this earth, whether it’s in 1800s Britain or any other time and place. The occurrences of the solstice and equinox influence the series of events that follow.

The lingering mystery throughout the book is, is the little girl Alice, Amelia, or Ann? Three families will each make a claim that the little girls belongs to them, although no one can be certain. There is Mr. an Mrs. Vaughan, the grieving couple, whose daughter was kidnapped two years earlier, Mrs. White, a widow with a mysterious past, and Mr. Armstrong, half-convinced that the child may be a relation of his.

Once Upon A River draws you in with characters that are likable, others that are not, and all with complex and incredible back stories. On the surface, these characters seem straightforward and stationary, but as the story progress, the heartache and experiences revealed provides a deeper understanding to how each characters acts and reacts to the changing and mysterious situation surrounding the girl who was dead, but now lives again. There is Rita, the nurse; Henry Daunt, the photographer;  Mr. Armstrong and his amazing gift of knowing how to talk to people, several pigs that just know how to figuratively “speak to you” and cast of patrons and employees of the Swan, including the owners, Margot and Joe.

The ending will delight, and possibly, surprise you. I highly recommend this book and cannot express enough the strength of storytelling.

Cost: $0.00 on Overdrive

Drink of Choice: Lemon and Ginger tea

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Walking around the disc golf course gets me to my step goal rather quickly.

Walking around the disc golf course gets me to my step goal rather quickly.

I was standing at the top of the stairs, excited that after two weeks of physical therapy for my knee, I was finally walking without pain. It wouldn’t last long. My new kitten was sitting on the stairs, his first day out of the safe zone we created when we brought him home from the shelter five days earlier. I tried to step around him, but stepped on a worn spot on the stairs and slipped down the whole flight. The pain following that fall would continue for months. And just like that, my Zumba days were over.

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Everyone I know who owns a French press raves about the intense, delicious flavor of the coffee, unlike the burnt taste of a coffeemaker. When I worked from home for three months earlier this year, I imagined waking up early, doing a yoga routine, and making coffee in my first French Press, a gift I received for Christmas and really wanted. Unfortunately, I didn’t do any of those things.

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Sitting by myself, anticipating Afternoon Tea to start, a familiar tune flows in from the Piazza. The Romantic Strings Trio opens with Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt” and my worries start melting away. My shoulders relax, the tension releasing. The live trio of two violins and a cello are lovely on the ears and the perfect accompaniment to Royal Afternoon Tea on the Regal Princess cruise ship.

Tea on the Regal Princess

I felt like a queen sitting by myself and getting the royal treatment just for one.

I adore High Tea: the fun finger sandwiches, cream puffs, scones, and delicious tea. If you checked my pantry, you’d think I was running my own tea shop. After trying different treats in what I like to refer to as “The Hall of Desserts,” I was curious to taste the samplings offered in this exclusive event — well, as exclusive as you can get on a cruise ship.

I missed the first sign up day and had to go on a waiting list until a spot opened up on the final sea day of the cruise. For an additional $10, fellow passengers like myself could sit down to enjoy three rounds of tea matched perfectly to a coordinating tier of featured treats. 

Table setting

The table set up was just delightful! The single, live rose on the table smelled amazing.

The first tea was a black Darjeeling designed to pair with the sandwiches on the bottom tier of the serving tray. Of course, sitting by myself meant double the delights. I tried a chicken salad sandwich and then a cucumber sandwich. I was surprised that the cucumber sandwich, the one I had been looking forward to the most, and have made several times over the years, was the least appetizing. Everything about it was wrong. The cucumber was more of peelings, rather than slices, and the peeling consisted mostly of it’s hard outer layer.

Definitely the worst item on the tray, I didn’t even finish it.

The good news was, if you really liked a sandwich, you could ask for another one. I had plenty to spare. The passenger to my left asked for another tuna sandwich, but I think she meant chicken.

The second tea featured was a tropical green tea that was meant to compliment the sweets on the middle tier. Whoops!  I already got a head start on that one. The cream puff was exactly what I hoped it would be and it was luscious. With no hesitation, I then went straight for the chocolate roll with the strawberry swirl.

I skipped ahead to the cream puff after that cucumber sandwich disaster.

I was only half-listening to the history lesson on the background of afternoon tea when my eyes focused in on the fruit tart, which actually looked like a little fruit canoe. It was so good that I started dribbling drool as I took a tiny bite and I thought, “I’ll definitely be eating another one of these!”

I could eat these fruit canoes all day.

There was a break in the music as the lead musician announced that they would be playing two pieces by Strauss next. I took a minute to examine the other offerings on the table. I wasn’t sure what to do with the glass of mixed berries next to me, but the couple at the next table poured some cream into theirs, so I decided to try the same, just to see what it tasted like.

When the waiter walked around and placed new cups for the third round of tea, I couldn’t help but feel like I was in Alice in Wonderland with the Mad Hatter shouting, “Clean cup, clean cup. Move down, move down!” The Strings began playing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Memory.” I noticed the 20 people accompanying me all happily chatting among themselves in the roped off area. It was definitely the most relaxing common area on the ship.

I had a second helping of each of the teas, in addition to double snacks.

The third tea was a white orchard tea with hints of melon and peach. The peach scent was strong from the moment it was poured into my cup, very aromatic. The scone — like heaven. From the first bite, I experienced soft, sweet, buttery baked goodness. Too much?  

I tried one side with just butter and the other with just jam. Both were winners!

And then it was time for dessert. Oh yes, there was a dessert on top of all this great food. It was a traditional English pudding. I couldn’t help myself from bringing the cup close to my face and inhaling its sweet scent. The taste, however, was not as amazing. The fruity layer under the marshmallow clashed with the cold cream under it. 

The English pudding was maybe my least favorite thing, next to the cucumber sandwich.

I was stuffed. Impressively, the meal concluded on time at 4:45 p.m. as a pianist sat down in the Piazza, ready to start his set.

Cost: $10

Drink of Choice: Tropical Green Tea

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Time for the L.A. County Fair again, one of my favorite times of the year. For the 3rd time in a row, I purchased a season pass. Debuting this year is Mi Poco L.A., a section of the fair dedicated to celebrating Latin-inspired food and drink, vendors, music (including a DJ), every Thursday – Sunday of the fair. I had been following the L.A. County Fair on Instagram when I learned of Mi Cafecito, a local coffee shop with a Latin flair. My tongue tingled in anticipation of the flavors of cinnamon and spices. I knew I had to sample their tasty offerings right away!

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With new posts up on the blog, I feel like I’m getting back into the rhythm of writing. It makes me wonder, what kept me away all these months? Part of it was inspiration, but the other part was an overwhelming influx of social events. Here’s a highlight of some of the “Life” events that kept me from updating this blog.

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My reading journey has taken me to a number of places around the U.S., backwards and forwards in time, and to alternate realities. Reading can be a great escape for those of us interested in retreating from the stresses of everyday life. However, after months of dystopian fiction, memoirs, an even a one-off fiction story about the complications of marriage, I need a break from all the reality.

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When I set out to write my novel last year, I never intended to stay away from my blogging for so long. Back in October, I was so excited to start writing my novel that I burrowed myself into a cave for all of October, outlining and brainstorming how my novel was going to take shape. On November 1, I thought I was ready. I was so not ready.

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