Spooky TBR Picks- NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

- September 26, 2026

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,

It's that time again, picking your Spooky TBR for October. In this series I recommend some amazing books that I have read and reviewed. Let's see if I can add some scary times to your TBR.

NOS4A2 is written by Joe Hill and is published by William Morrow Publishers. In this macabre tale of horror, we are introduced to teen Vic McQueen AKA the Brat from Haverhill, Massachusetts. She is dealing with her parents' slowly decomposing marriage while listening to their constant bickering. One day she grabs up her bike and flees her home amidst a squabble about her mother's missing bracelet. She peddles faster and faster until she reaches The Shorter Way Bridge. On this day she finds that this bridge is an extension of her mind that can carry her wherever she wishes to go. Soon she has her mother's bracelet, having traveled to and from Hampton Beach, New Hampshire in minutes.

She continues to escape through the bridge weekly finding lost objects and soon finds herself in Here, Iowa. There she meets Maggie Leigh, an introverted librarian that has the ability to receive messages through Scrabble tiles. The young woman warns Vic of the "Wraith" and the evil man that drives the antique vehicle. She explains that he can do what Vic can, but he uses his gift for dark purposes. By her senior year in high school, she encounters the Wraith and its withered owner, Charles Talent Manx. A terrifying man with a lust for blood, Manx begins a decades-long rivalry that will pit the two in a battle to the death.

NOS4A2 gave me a solid novel filled with three-dimensional characters and extensive world-building. Vic McQueen was a kick-ass heroine that never gave up on stopping Charlie Manx. Manx was a brutal and deadly adversary in this book. But the scariest part of this book was the Children of Christmasland. With their scratchy little voices and rows of sharp teeth. Told in two timelines, this novel moved quick, and when the finale arrived, I was on the edge of my seat.

I had the pleasure of experiencing NOS4A2 with the incredible narration of actress, Kate Mulgrew. Her ability to accentuate voices and accents made this feel like a full-cast presentation. Excellent job.

This novel was nearly seven hundred pages and I zipped through it as if it were two hundred pages. Five stars later, I am was very happy with how much I enjoyed this scary book. It is an amazing way to enjoy spooky season.

Let me know what you are reading this spooky season in the comments below.

Because there is always time to read,

Xepherus3

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