October 1, 2015 – October 31, 2015
One of my most favorite times of year is just around the corner. The month of all things scary...October (and my birthday *wink)! This year, we're having a read-a-long with the normal festivities of Season of the Witch here at Castle Macabre. And don't forget about the FrightFall Read-a-Thon over at Seasons of Reading.
Our read-a-long is for the book The Bell Witch by John F.D. TAff...
The Bell Witch by John F.D. Taff is an historical horror novel/ghost story based on what is perhaps the most well-documented poltergeist case to occur in the United States. It tells the story of the Bells, an early 19th-century Tennessee farm family who begin to notice strange occurrences—odd noises, bangings, gurglings. Eventually, an entity reveals itself to the family, calling itself, simply, the Witch, and makes it clear from the outset that it was sent to kill the patriarch of the family, John Bell, for a reason it never makes quite clear.
The Witch’s antics, while not exactly endearing it to the Bells, make the spirit somewhat of a novelty. Word of its existence spreads, first through the Bell’s slaves, then through the rest of the community. It tells jokes, makes predictions, offers unwanted advice and even sings. It shows an intimate knowledge of The Bible and of history and politics.
It harasses those who annoy it most, saving its ire for John Bell and his teenage daughter, Betsy. These two people become the focus of the apparition’s attacks, both verbal and physical. Ultimately, the Witch fulfills its promise of killing John Bell, while also forcing Betsy and her mother, Lucy, into considering their own roles in what created the spirit.
The Bell Witch is, at once, a historical novel, a ghost story, a horror story and a love story all rolled into one. (from Goodreads)
The book is available on Kindle from Amazon for $2.99
We are also reading this book for my TuesBookTalkread-a-long group's October read on Goodreads. You can find the group here, if you care to join, and/or join us each week on Twitter at 8:30pm CST/9:30pm EST to discuss each week's reading section. Hashtag #TuesBookTalk
Here is the reading schedule we will follow at TuesBookTalk. I will post discussion posts here the day after our Tuesday Twitter chats. I will also post this in the sidebar when the event officially starts on October 6.
week of October 6 - Part I (discussion post October 7)
week of October 13 - Part II (discussion post October 14)
week of October 20 - Part III & IV (discussion post October 21)
week of October 27 - Part V (discussion post October 28)
I would really love to have some guests this year so if you have something scary you would like to write about, whether it's favorite horror books or movies, an original story or tale, or just a spooky experience you may have had, please contact me at truebookaddict AT gmail DOT com I would love to have you as my guest!
The hashtag for Season of the Witch: #witchseasoncmThis reading challenge event is hosted by Castle Macabre. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.