Creepmas Stories

If you're looking for a good book to curl up with this Creepmas, here are a few I've read over the last year that are fitting for the season.

I'm still a big fan of printed books, but I am growing to appreciate having access to thousands of books in the palm of my hand. Some of these books I own in the physical realm, but all the books I have listed are available for free with a valid library card through the Wisconsin Public Library online. If you haven't already, check out your own local services, you might be pleasantly surprised at all the goodies available.

And don't underestimate the joys of listening to sinister audio books while doing your Creepmas baking.

Not the first time I've read this and it won't be the last, Agatha Christie's Three Blind Mice, is one of my favorites.  I believe this was the first of her stories that I read as a wee lass and I still love reading it.  The idea of being isolated in a snowstorm with a murderer is chilling to say the least.

If you like Christie, then you'll probably also enjoy another English mystery maven, P.D. James.  The Mistletoe Murder And Other Stories, is a mostly holiday collection of four short stories.

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley is a relatively new book (2010) but it reads like an old Gothic novel.  There's a castle, a mysterious guardian, secrets and ghosts in a cold isolated landscape.  If you're looking for an old fashioned wintry ghost story, this would be an excellent choice.

Undead & Unfed, a two book series by Kirsty McKay, starts out on a school field trip in snowy Scotland that quickly turns to mayhem when people start turning into zombies.  These were fun books, with lots of festive dashing through the snow, albetit in the course of avoiding the undead.  Yes it's zombies and death, dire situations and bleak circumstances, but there's a lot of humor and it's not forced or unnatural, it just rolls right through.  The characters on the surface are the teenage clichés we're all familiar with, but they each show they run a little bit deeper than that while still staying true to their nature.  My only dig is the books felt like they were leading up to a trilogy that never materialized.  

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror (v2.0) by Christopher Moore
This is the third book in the Pine Cove series.  It isn't necessary to read the previous ones to enjoy this, unless you want to learn more about the weird happenings and strange residents of Pine Cove.

There's murder, an angel and zombies. The zombies are like Creepmas sprinkles on a book of fruit cake.  That's the best way to describe this book, like fruit cake. It has an odd flavor, with a weird texture and kind of a funny aftertaste.  But if you have a warped sense of humor, it's a fun story.

Last year after discovering one of the neighboring towns has a restaurant named Wendigo, there's even a cannibal burger on the menu, I happened to read a reference to Algernon Blackwood's The Wendigo. It seemed like the elder gods were trying to tell me something so I decided to give it a go. Written in 1910, it has some cringeworthy racism and stereotypes. It reads like a campfire story, which takes place around a campfire. For me it was more interesting to see what passed for supernatural writing in the early 1900's. Some of it was eerie and suspenseful, some a bit corny and yes there was the old timey racism that I'm sure didn't even raise an eyebrow at the time.  I'm glad I read it, but I'm sure there are better Wendigo stories to be had.

Back to this restaurant, I still have not ventured to eat there, so I can't comment on the dining experience, although it looks like they have some decent vegetarian options. But I am intrigued by the name. I'm trying to imagine applying for a loan to start a restaurant named after a cannibalistic monster. I can't help thinking this would be the perfect setting for a midwest Sweeny Todd, except of course here the twist is the owners are being completely transparent about the cannibalism but everyone assumes that means it's a joke. That's a Wendigo story I'd love to hear.