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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

October 2023 Reading Recommendations fo Adults by Frances Joyce

It’s a spooky October, and we have selections from the some of the greatest authors in the horror genre. With cooler weather coming, it’s time to spend a little more time indoors curled up with a good book. Also this month, we are featuring memoirs from some of our favorite celebrities and new healthy cookbooks to take advantage of the fall harvest. Enjoy!

The Whisper Man by Alex North – Tom and his son Jake move to a small town for a new beginning but find themselves thrust into the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer. Twenty years ago a serial killer known as “the whisper man,” murdered five people in this close-knit community. Is he back?

The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson – This classic is a Halloween must. Four seekers arrive at Hill House determined to either debunk the legend of its haunting or confront the unfriendly spirits. To their surprise, the house seems to gain power and the ability to control its inhabitants.

The Body By Stephen King – King’s novella was originally published in his 1982 collection of short stories, Different Seasons. It was adapted into the 1986 film, Stand by Me.

Strange Weather: Four Short Novels by Joe Hill – Four reasons for you to sleep with the lights on this October. Hill is a gifted writer who can spin terror into contemporary solutions. In Snapshot, a polaroid camera can erase memories. A young man takes his first jump from an airplane and ends up stranded on a solid cloud high above the ground in Aloft. After stopping a mass shooting at a local mall, a young security guard becomes the poster boy for the modern gun rights movement, the pressures that go with his newfound celebrity threaten to drive him to an unforgivable act of vengeance in Loaded. Lastly, in Rain, seemingly ordinary rain clouds unleash flurry of nails and sharp crystals capable of shredding human flesh.

Making it So by Patrick Stewart – From his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England growing up witnessing the abusive behavior of his father to his triumphs on the stage and screen, Patrick Stewart has lived an amazing life. Yet, he has remained humble and a loyal friend. Learn what has kept him grounded and thankful.

Thicker Than Water by Kerry Washington – Learn what prompted Kerry Washington to consider an acting career. She speaks candidly about life-changing events and how she manages to balance a career with marriage, motherhood, and activism.

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed – The bestselling author of Wild, spent over a decade dishing out advice as “Dear Sugar.” She has compiled the best of Aunt Sugar’s responses for you in this memoir.

Number One is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions by Steve Martin – Martin shares anecdotes from the sets of his movies for the first time in print with artwork from The New Yorker’s cartoonist Harry Bliss.

Half Baked Harvest Cookbook: Recipes from My Barn in the Mountains  by Teighan Gerard – 125 farm to table recipes with a creative twist.

5-Ingredient Cooking for Two by Robin Donovan – 100+ recipes portioned for pairs. Instead of facing a week of leftovers, put the fun and romance back in meals meant for two. 

October 2023 Reading Recommendations for Kids by Frances Joyce

Author Page: Where to Find Your Next Great Read by Fran Joyce