Many people view the beginning of October as one of two things: the beginning of the Halloween season or the continued encroachment of Christmas on more and more holiday seasons (essentially and cannibalisticly devouring every other holiday in its path). I don’t care what you think about Christmas, it’s that Halloween feeling that I want to evoke.

The October Country reminds us there’s a whole lot more to the season than only All Hallows’ Eve. We’ve got overcast skies and crisp, chilly weather. Leaves change colors and winds blow them down. There are pumpkins and witches and goblins and ghosts, but there are also black bats, grim reapers and crows. Night terrors and shadows and full, orange harvest moons, shrieking and laughter and cobwebs galore. Truly it’s not a single holiday but an entire country to explore.

Well Ray Bradbury does just that. He invokes the spirit of this season, that Halloween feel. The October Country is a book of short stories, but each one is a vignette that tickles the senses and tingles the spine. My favorite is The Scythe.

October is here. Bite a sweet carmel apple, get a copy of this book and go read it!