Once again, I feel the need to help “educate” folks that certain Christian liturgical celebrations are not limited to my Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters. Now while I can’t speak for ALL Protestants, I do believe I can speak on behalf of a majority of the mainline churches (Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, UCC, Disciples in Christ, and of course, my fellow United Methodists) that yes, WE TOO celebrate “All Saints Day” in our own, unique way.
What we commonly do is have our All Saints celebration on the first Sunday of November, and call this “All Saints Sunday”. Every church has their own unique traditions, but a common one is the “reading of the saints”. In the Protestant tradition, “saints” are “everyone who has died”–this is not limited to specific individuals like “Saint Patrick” or “Saint Catherine” (i.e. people who have been officially canonized by the Pope as they are in the RC tradition)–we celebrate the lives of all the people who have passed away that year, and read off their names (”the reading of the saints”) and then light a candle in their on honor.
I have been to churches where the minister or acolytes light long tapers as the names are read, and I have been to churches where members of that person’s family come forward and light a tealight candle when their name is spoken. And I have been to churches where the congregation are invited to come forward and light a candle in honor of any “saint” from their lives, not just someone who has passed away recently. Sometimes a bell is rung with the reading of the names.
As a United Methodist, Holy Communion usually follows (we traditionally have communion on the first Sunday of the month), as a reminder that the saints are with us at the table. And the color typically worn by the ministers and that decorates the altar and sanctuary is white, the color of “resurrection”– we are born anew in Christ.
I love All Saints Sunday, I love both its simplicity and its celebration of the people who have touched our lives and left their mark as “saints”–may we follow in their footsteps, remember the good they have done, and continue that good as we live our lives.
Again, every church is different, every church has their own unique All Saints traditions, but remember, it’s not just limited to Catholicism or Orthodox traditions. It’s different, and it might seem “simpler” compared to those traditions, but it is nevertheless still acknowledged and celebrated :o)
it’s after 8, trick-or-treating is officially over (actually, it “officially” ended at 7, but I always keep the light on an hour after for the high schoolers) but it’s time to turn off the porch light and settle down for the evening.
TCM has two of my fav black and white spooky movies, “The Haunting” and “House on Haunted Hill” playing tonight. Plus there’s the season finale of “Halloween Baking Champion” on Food Network :oP
So time to settle down with a beverage, a blanket, and a fluffy cat on my lap :o)
Romance novels aren’t known for being especially frightening. When I first started researching for this post, I thought I’d maybe come up with a handful of books. But think about it: two of the biggest subgenres in romance – paranormal romance and romantic suspense – are based on “monsters” and suspense! After that clicked for me, my list just got longer and longer.
YA
Dark Visions by L.J. Smith I realize Smith is known for The Vampire Diaries series, but this series (it was originally three separate books but it’s been collected into one) was my jam as a teenager and I can’t resist including it. Teenagers with strange powers go to a special school that’s not what it seems. Gabriel was the first bad boy I ever loved.
Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong: The Summoning, The Awakening and The Reckoning The first book in this series genuinely scared me! I’m not going to spoil anything but, like Dark Visions, troubled teenagers go to a special “school,” only to realize things aren’t what they seem.
Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole. A personal favorite. Start at The Warlord Wants Forever(available within the Playing Easy to Get or Blood Red Kiss anthologies).
Now on to specifics (these are all series too, because that’s how we roll in romance):
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong I like Kelley Armstrong, okay? Elena is the only female werewolf. And how she got that way… well, it’s complicated. She’s trying to make her life as normal as possible, but that’s complicated too, especially when people start dying… and it looks like a werewolf is at fault. First of the Women of the Otherworld series. Also a tv show!
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione First in the Demonica series. About a demon-slayer named Tayla who is forced to get medical care from a demon doctor named Eidolon. A gritty urban setting full of true monsters.
No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper First in the Englefield series. Tough soldier Joan travels back in time to try to save what’s left of the world. Simon comes from a rarefied and much safer existence. Another series where the monsters are no joke.
The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles M/M romance. First in the A Charm of Magpies series. Lord Crane is going to die without some special help from magician Stephen Day. I loved the magic in this one, very creepy.
Firelight by Kristen Callihan First in the Darkest London series. A Phantom of the Opera story! Archer is forced to hide his face behind a mask and guards a terrible secret. He falls hard for beautiful Miranda… who has secrets of her own.
Historical Romance
The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long Okay, so maybe this one isn’t scary-scary. But there is a grave-digging element and a mystery to solve, plus I love the practical heroine, so it stays! First in the Pennyroyal Green series.
The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros A Beauty and the Beast story! Superstitious villagers leave a virgin sacrifice for the dragon haunting the dark castle on the hill. Which is really inconvenient for the “dragon” when he finds himself saddled with Gwendolyn. Second book in the Once Upon a Time series, but can be read as a standalone.
What Happens in London by Julia Quinn This one’s just fun. Olivia Bevelstoke doesn’t really believe that her new neighbor killed his fiancee, but… maybe a little spying wouldn’t hurt, just to be sure? Book two of the Bevelstoke series.
Contemporary Romance
Heroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips SEP with a gothic twist. Annie is stuck on a lonely island in the dead of winter… adjacent to the boy, now man, who bullied her as a teen. He’s now a horror writer – and is he the one trying to scare her off the island?
Romantic Suspense
Oh, gosh, we could be here forever. Here are some authors who write romantic suspense: Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, Linda Howard, Pamela Clare, Julie James, Julie Garwood, Cindy Gerard, Suzanne Brockmann, Lora Leigh, and Maya Banks. Here is a Goodreads list to get you started.
Classics
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen If you haven’t read this one, dang it, do it already because it’s so good. A parody of a gothic novel with that amazing Austen wit – plus a love story.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte A mysterious man, a moody governess, and a mad woman imprisoned in an attic? That’s perfect Halloween reading.
Beauty by Robin McKinley Another Beauty and the Beast story. You know I’m a sucker for them. The best word I have for the experience of reading this book: enchanting.
Is that enough? Do you need more, you insatiable horde? Then here is a Halloween-specific Goodreads list with titles from Tiffany Reisz, Lauren Willig, Jill Shalvis, and Laura Florand, and, as usual, please feel free to reply/reblog/tag me and suggest more titles. If I get enough additional recommendations, I’ll collect them all and create a master list.
Here’s to a spooky and romantic October, everyone!
A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet. 🎃 Happy Halloween! 🎃
Musings of a Yankee Countess 