Happy Halloween! Folklore and Origins of Halloween

Happy Halloween! Trick or Treat! Hopefully this will provide some treats for you.

 Halloween has its roots in the Celtic celebration known as Samhain (pronounced sah-win). It was basically a celebration of the harvest and the Celtic New Year. Also on Halloween, they believed that the veil between this world and the afterlife was thin enough that some spirits could pass through into this world. Because not all of them might have had good intentions, people took to dressing up in costumes to confuse the spirits.

I've included 3 links below for people who are interested in learning more about Halloween and it's traditions. 

The first one is from the History Channel. https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-halloween 

The second one is from the Library of Congress https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2021/10/the-origins-of-halloween-traditions/

The third link is from the University of Kentucky https://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/fun-facts-you-probably-didn-t-know-about-halloween-uk-folklorist

I hope you have a Happy Halloween!

Quickie Review: The Thing at the Foot of the Bed and Other Scary Tales by Maria Leach

The Thing at the Foot of the Bed and Other Scary Tales by Maria Leach

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The stories in this book are all about things that go bump in the night and the creepy things that can sneak up on you - ghosts, witches, and more. They are written in an easy to read manner making it accessible for both children and adults. The black and white drawings that go along with the stories add to the creep factor.

This book was originally published in the late 1950s. It could be considered a precursor to the Scary Stories books that Alvin Schwartz has written. The stories are enjoyable as they are written or embellished for oral performance. Some of them do seem to beg for embellishment.

In addition, adults who are into folklore will enjoy the information at the end of the book which briefly tells of the origins for the stories. Altogether this is an enjoyably creepy collection of tales. I give it 3 stars out of 5.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.



View all my reviews

Waiting on Wednesday #79 - The Faerie Tree by Jane Cable

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

Synopsis from publisher:

How can a memory so vivid be wrong?

I tried to remember the first time I’d been here and to see the tree through Izzie’s eyes. The oak stood on a rise just above the path; not too tall or wide but graceful and straight, its trunk covered in what I can only describe as offerings – pieces of ribbon, daisy chains, a shell necklace, a tiny doll or two and even an old cuckoo clock.

"Why do people do this?" Izzie asked.

I winked at her. "To say thank you to the fairies."

In the summer of 1986 Robin and Izzie hold hands under The Faerie Tree and wish for a future together. Within hours, tragedy rips their dreams apart.

In the winter of 2006, each carrying their own burden of grief, they stumble back into each other’s lives and try to create a second chance. But why are their memories of 1986 so different? And which one of them is right?

With strong themes of paganism, love and grief, The Faerie Tree is a novel as gripping and unputdownable as Jane Cable’s first book, The Cheesemaker’s House, which won the Suspense & Crime category of The Alan Titchmarsh Show’s People’s Novelist competition. It is a story that will resonate with fans of romance, suspense, and folklore.

Why am I interested in this mystery? The last line of the blurb gets it for me. I particularly like that it will resonate with fans of suspense and folklore. Generally speaking, it sounds like an interesting plot. And I am wanting to find out what happened in 1986, and what will happen now that they are back in the same place again.

What book are you waiting on this week? Leave it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy reading!