Books like All Hallows' Eve — picked by fans

This is one of the most powerful religious books I’ve ever read. It’s difficult work, and it took me a couple of days to understand the concept. Buber articulates that you can deal with people either as things or as souls. Many of us unconsciously place people in relation to ourselves as an “it.” But if you see past what a person appears to be, your relation to them becomes “I-Thou” rather than “I-it.”

I read it in my early 20s and am still impacted by how it teaches us to treat people as their inner selves. 

Have you ever wished you could read the mind of someone you love? Medieval theologians liked to speculate about heaven, but only Dante dared to imagine its social life. I’m especially struck by how he represents telepathy as a celestial way of life. The blessed not only see God; they also see him in one another, so their minds are completely open to each other’s thoughts.

In a realm where envy is impossible, purity of soul enables a spiritual intimacy that models what community might look like in the city of the redeemed. 

I was excited to discover that coinherence, the medieval Christian idea of personhood I explore, has a close parallel to the African concept of Ubuntu. A Zulu word for “humanity,” Ubuntu offers a refreshing corrective to the excessive individualism of the West. In Ubuntu the source of identity is not individuality, but community; not “I think, therefore I am,” but “we are, therefore I am.”

Michael Battle, a disciple of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, explores what an Ubuntu notion of personhood means for everything from peacemaking to the struggle against racism and apartheid. Yes, philosophical ideas can have real-world consequences!

Tanya (T.M.) Luhrmann tried to do the impossible.

She set out to describe what happens when Christians say God talks to them—and she wanted to do it in a way that makes Christian readers think “huh, she kind of gets us, even though she’s not one of us” and makes nonbelievers think “Oh! Maybe those people are not as crazy as I thought.”

She basically succeeds, and as a result, this book is one of the few accounts of the so-called “Christian Right” that does not drive me up the wall with condescension and reductionism. 

Luhrmann spent four years doing fieldwork in Vineyard churches, an evangelical Protestant denomination that, if you are not one of them, may score fairly high on your craziness scale. These people put their hands in the air during worship, sit at the kitchen table talking to God, and think God gives them predictions and advice… show more.

I adored this creepy, spooky middle-grade book set in Victorian-time London. It tells the story of 12-year-old Nancy Crumpet and her terrifying adventure with Skelter Tombola, who owns the amazing Scareground.

The descriptions were so powerful that I felt like I was right in the story with Nancy, experiencing the scary magic of the fair. The link between Nancy and Skelter is skillfully revealed, and the chapters kept my heart thumping throughout. I couldn’t put it down!

A trio of tall, dark, broodingly handsome werewolves await, in this action-packed, high-passion, angsty trilogy indulging the fantasy of ‘the beast within’. A terrifying transformation befalls the men of the Wulf dynasty, and the curse can only be avoided by never falling in love. The perfect premise for romance!

I love this book which teaches kids that scary things (like skeletons!) aren’t always as scary as they appear. Rebecca Evans, the author, is a friend of mine and does a lot of volunteer work to help other children’s book writers and illustrators, so I love supporting someone so involved and helpful! When I saw Rebecca read this book at an event, she had an adorable craft where kids could make skeletons out of gluing dry pasta to black paper—activity idea!

In this razor-sharp novella, Halloween is personified in a bloodthirsty creature who haunts the nearly abandoned town of Strang. Fearful of Halloween’s deadly tricks, the remaining residents leave small live offerings at their doorsteps every night at sundown. But once a year on All Hallows’ Eve, Halloween demands a bigger and bloodier sacrifice. Dripping with dreadful atmosphere, Hunt does a masterful job of rendering a story that is both disturbing and surprisingly emotional for such a quick read. Steeped in folklore and ancient traditions, this grim and twisted tale reminds us that the old custom of trick or treating was meant to protect us from evil, and that for all its modern fun and games, Halloween is supposed to be scary.

How to Catch a Monster is just one of the books in the How to Catch series.

It is a quick read for a bedtime story and very interactive and fun for little ones. The rhyming is catchy and the illustrations by Andy Elkerton are beautiful and colorful. All of the How to Catch books have personality and this one doesn’t disappoint.

The kids love the plotting and planning in order to catch the monster and as a parent, I enjoy watching the gears turn when I ask how they would catch a monster. It is a house favorite and gets the kids in the Halloween spirit.

I loved this adventure for younger readers, and I think it would be perfect for ages 5-8 who want an introduction to creepy, spooky stories. Autumn wants to dance and is desperate to join a dance team.

The story explores friendship, dealing with tricky people, and fighting to achieve one's dreams. I really enjoyed it, and the cover is so cute that friends always borrow it for their children—especially around Halloween.