Reading Sanctum Potpourri #20: All Hallows Month Book Goal (Part I)

Posted on by The Mustache

When the Beard and I received an email in August from WordPress asking whether we were going to renew our site, the Beard and I had to do some soul-searching. Were we going to allow our five years of work to drop by the wayside? (It’s now six and we renewed for two more years.) Spoiler Alert: we decided to keep on doing what we have done, regardless of the obstacles.

The Beard is still navigating some challenges, and my laptop is not loving me in return most nights, but I wanted to return in October. To my understanding, All Hallows Month has largely been successful. I posted over ten posts with several videos included. Our audience has grown and we’re approaching 25,000 views.

Most of you know that I read more than I watch television and movies. I set a goal to read only Horror novels for October, and tried to read 20. I only read 19, but have finished the 20th, today. So, here is a quick gander at what I read, and how I felt about them.

#1

Whenever I set a goal, I usually plan my steps (books in this case), but I also make allowances for change. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells was a reread for me, but I had not read it in decades. In my opinion, it was the perfect way to start the goal. It was a definite 5 Grey Geeks. The novel is a classic, and is available for free on Amazon Kindle.

#2

The Afterlife with Archie trade paperbacks were great because aspirationally Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was attempting something new that went against the Archie Comics business model. However, it was extremely successful. Having an alternate horror universe is what allowed for the Riverdale and Sabrina TV series to find audiences via different media. Another perfect 5 Grey Geeks and I read them for free via Read Comic Online.

#3

The third novel I read was a horror classic from another horror master, Robert Bloch. Obviously, everyone knows Psycho. It really is pretty gruesome with Mary Crane’s death and her sister Lila’s independent investigation. Although it’s great, I give it 4 Grey Geeks. It’s too damn short. I bought it a while ago (years) for my Kindle. I think I paid 99 cents for it.

#4

Aliens: Earth Hive written by Steve Perry has also been on my Kindle for easily ten years. I get offers for free books all the time and when the offer is too good to say no, I just get it for free (along with the other two trilogy books) and keep them on my Kindle until I get around to reading them before pressing delete. The book is really kind of a retelling of Newt’s story, without calling the character Newt. 4 Grey Geeks, despite being derivative AF.

#5

Afterlife with Archie: Betty RIP is a comic that is never completed. It said stay tuned for Archie’s wedding and it is never completed. Issue #10 halts and it has never been completed. Disappointing? Of course, but it really was a cool idea. The explanation goes that Aguirre-Sacasa was promoted to Creative Director, but never finished the graphic novel. Still, a pretty good read with 3 Grey Geeks. Read for free on Read Comic Online.

#6

The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler is a true-life horror novel that I received for free during October. It so intrigued me that I decided to drop one of the H.G. Wells novels I planned to read. The novel deals with true crime, terrorism, and the horror of child abduction. Definitely, a damn fine horror novel that deserves the 4 Grey Geeks it received.

#7

This is a re-read from when I was newly married. I’ve had it on my Kindle for ten years, but I remember paying only 99 cents for it. (I refuse to pay top dollar for something I intend to one day delete.) Jurassic Park is truly a great novel, well-deserving of its five stars. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ve read the book.

#8

My reading of Space Hysteria should set aside the notion that I am Obsessive Compulsive without the ability to make changes to my plans. This is another novel that I received in October for free to review and I’m very happy to have done so. This is a horror comedy, offbeat tale written about vampires by a woman that is using her writing for catharsis and so there are heavy nuanced aspects to the story that made me love this book more. 5 Grey Geeks. It is also the most recently published in 2023.

#9

Halloween Night on Monster Island reflects my eclectic tastes in horror novels. This is a kids book about a weird rich uncle that invites his nephews and nieces to his very own theme park. He has a bit of a mean streak that he reveals through pranks designed to scare the crap out of his relatives. Not a really scary story, but a fun read to share with children. Four Grey Geeks for the audience I mentioned. 99 cents on Kindle and quite possibly free.

#10

The Food of the Gods and Where it Came From is another really good H.G. Wells novel. The movie focuses solely (I believe) on giant rats, whereas the novel communicates various eaters of this food that turns ingesters into giants. Scary story about the mad scientists and the crazy $#!+ they do. 4 Grey Geeks for this novel published in 1904. I listened for free on YouTube audiobooks.

Well, that’s it for me, the Mustache, with my All Hallows Month book goal (Part I). I hope you find something that strikes your fancy. As always, I thank you for checking out the post. The Mustache and the Beard are grateful. Stay safe. Take it easy. See you later. And Peace!

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My name is Louie Matos and I’m a geek. I’m such a geek that the week my best friend moved to Puerto Rico, I asked him to co-write a blog. Of course he said, “Yes!” because I’m SOOO flipping interesting, and because since we’ve known each other, we collaborate even when we don’t know we’re doing it. For the purposes of this blog, I’m the mustache. I’ve had a mustache since I was 12 years old, and I’ve never shaved it off. (We Puerto Ricans love our facial hair.) I was born into my geekdom. My Mom was a collector, and my Dad was a huge reader. So early on Dad would read to me and when he was done with the book, I would keep it until I learned to read for myself. And then I read everything, inhaling books from our school library 5 or 6 per week. When we moved to a new, safe neighborhood, I began to walk to the library, weekly. That’s when I became obsessed with books in general, and horror in particular. In Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, my brother, Marc, and I moved into the basement together. We had our own TV and because we were in the basement, Mom and Dad pretty much left us to our own devices if we let our little sister, Dee, tagalong. There in that basement we would watch creature features, chiller theatre, and horror marathons. We collected comic books, toys, and books. When we could afford our own VCR, we collected movies. So if I were to communicate my geekdom, I would say I’m a horror guy, former collector of Fangoria magazine. I still read 3 or 4 books per week (mostly horror and sci fi but practically anything.) I still read comics when I can get my hands on them (no small feat here in Puerto Rico). Dungeons and Dragons is still a must at family gatherings and we never fight about which is better (Star Wars or Star Trek). We can enjoy both. This blog will have all of that and a whole lot more. Stay tuned.