Traveling west on an orphan train is supposed to give impoverished kids from dirty, crowded New York City a chance at a better life. But hope is not exactly what Charles, Patrick, and Opal are feeling as they're paraded in front of prospective "parents" and prodded like animals. Eighteen-year-old Charles' bulk makes him attractive as a farmhand, but his bruised face brands him as a troublemaker. Patrick, a 14-year-old Irish immigrant, is passed over because of his foreign accent. Tiny, silent Opal is in obvious need of a loving home, but the 8-year-old is so haunted by her past that others are put off by her skittishness. By the time they near their last stop, the trio of misfits has had enough. Deciding that they're enough for each other, they hop the train in Montana, determined to survive on their own. 

A desperate act brings the children to the attention of Nara Stewart, a hard-working spinster who runs a cattle ranch with her father. Although she's loathe to admit it, Nara could use help working her land. She's got enough problems on her hands what with trying to prove herself to her father while trying to keep her growing, forbidden feelings for a Native American man under control. The last thing she needs is three scraggly orphans causing her more stress. Reluctantly, she puts Charles, Patrick, and Opal to work, expecting they'll run off rather than buckle down. Life on the ranch and in a rough frontier town is not easy for any of them, but as the days pass, the kids and the Stewarts are forming something that almost resembles...a family. With crises pummeling them on every front, will the makeshift group solidify into the thing all of them most need? Or will the tentative bond dissolve when trouble arrives on their doorstep?

Ten years ago, 33-year-old Milla Anderson was a pro snowboarder at the top of her game. Along with a crowd of other young athletes, she came to Le Rocher, a ski resort in the French Alps, to train while pitting herself against the best of the best. Amidst the tense, sometimes vicious, competition, friendships were formed, rivalries heightened, and enemies created. The season ended with Saskia Sparks—the most beautiful and conniving snowboarder among them—missing, presumed dead.

A decade later, Milla receives an invitation from a former Le Rocher friend to reunite at the resort. Although reluctant to return to the site and revisit the trauma she experienced there, she can't help but be intrigued. She hasn't seen or spoken to anyone from that fateful season on the mountain in the intervening years. Is it finally time to put the past behind her? Time to renew friendships, even rekindle a past flame? Despite her misgivings, Milla goes, only realizing too late that nothing about this mysterious reunion is quite what it seems. The resort is deserted, save for her and four others; their cell phones have disappeared; an innocent-seeming icebreaker game turns sinister; and everything is going bump in the night. With the threat of an oncoming snowstorm looming over the uneasy group, it's becoming quickly apparent that none of them is safe. Someone wants the truth about what happened ten years ago—and they'll stop at nothing to get it.

Shiver, a debut novel by Allie Reynolds, is my favorite kind of thriller. I mean, an atmospheric locked-room type mystery set in a remote location that features dangerous old secrets coming to the fore as nasty weather threatens to trap all the victims together in one place? Yes, please! Those kinds of stories always get my imagination whirling and my heart pumping. Although there are many things Shiver is not, it is a page turner. The story is a crazy, addicting thrill ride that kept me racing through the pages. Even though I figured out who was behind the reunion setup about halfway through the book, I still wanted to know what was going to happen next. While Shiver's plot kept me engaged, its characters are not a likable lot. They're admirable for their athleticism and determination, but not for their fickleness, petty jealousies, cruelty, and cold-hearted competitiveness. A good deal of the story, in fact, revolves around who slept with whom ten years ago, which I absolutely could have done without. Although we do see some growth in a couple of the characters, overall they're just a very messed up group. That, plus the fact that the story's a mite predictable, made Shiver less enjoyable for me. Still, for pure entertainment value, it's not a bad read as far as thrillers go. It definitely kept me engrossed.  

(Readalikes: Reminds me of One By One by Ruth Ware; In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware; The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse; The Guest List by Lucy Foley; And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, etc.)

Ellie Montgomery-Hofstein is used to people gawking at her—and not in a good way.  She's always been bigger than her peers, which has made her the recipient of relentless bullying.  Even her mother is constantly haranguing her for being fat.  Now that Ellie's best friend has moved away, she's facing sixth grade alone, making her even more of a target than usual.  The only place she finds peace is in her backyard swimming pool where she feels weightless and free.

When bubbly Catalina Rodriguez moves in next to Ellie and welcomes her into her boisterous Mexican-American family, Ellie discovers another safe place.  With the help of her new friend and a caring therapist, she starts learning to stand up for herself.  Will these new skills help her face the biggest bully in her life?  Can Ellie help her mother understand that Ellie deserves to be loved just as she is?  Can Ellie finally free herself from the Fat Girl Rules and embrace her big, beautiful self? 

Starfish—a debut novel by Lisa Fipps—is a quick read, but one that sticks with you.  Written in free verse, it's raw and honest.  Anyone who's struggled with their weight, or been bullied for any reason, will empathize with Ellie's pain.  Hopefully, those who bully will also be moved by her story.  Starfish really is impactful as it teaches lessons about the impact that words have, for both good and ill, on other people; how bullying, whether done by children or adults, affects people; the importance of kindness and acceptance; and the empowering magic of learning to stand up for one's self.  This is an important, touching read that I hope kids will take to heart.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Wonder by R.J. Palacio)

If you can't tell, I'm a bit of a party pooper/stick-in-the-mud (I rock at Never Have I Ever).  And I've always been that way!  Case in point: I really don't like Halloween.  It's not for any religious or moral reasons—I've just never been much for dressing up.  Even as a little kid.  As a mom, I've dreaded the expense and stress of Halloween costumes, the over-consumption of candy (rest assured, though, that I've always been stoic about doing my mom duty by picking the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Twix bars out of my kids' buckets after they go to sleep), and the whole tromping through the neighborhood to take kids trick-or-treating thing.  It's just not me, you know?  

All that being said, I do still enjoy a spooky story now and again.  The older I get, the wimpier I get, so I've set aside the Stephen King books I consumed as a teen in favor of tales that are more Gothic and subtly scary—the kind that send a delicious tingle down my spine but don't give me nightmares.  I much prefer ghosts haunting creepy old houses to brain-slurping zombies, blood-sucking vampires, soul-stealing demons, and other freak-me-out ghouls.  Haunting is the vibe I usually veer toward instead of scary.  So, which authors are my go-to for shivery stories?  I thought you'd never ask!  I've listed ten of my favorites below for today's Halloween Freebie Top Ten Tuesday list.

Do you want to join the spooky TTT party?  Of course you do!  Flit on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.  Bonus:  Jana's list today is super fun.

1.  Kate Morton

Favorite of hers:  The Secret Keeper   

2.  Riley Sager

Favorite of his:  Lock Every Door

3.  Simone St. James

Favorite of hers:  The Sun-Down Motel

4.  Carol Goodman

Favorite of hers:  The Widow's House

5.  Jennifer McMahon

Favorite of hers:  The Invited

6.  Gilly Macmillan

Favorite of hers:  What She Knew

7.  Emily Carpenter

Favorite of hers:  Until the Day I Die

8.  Blake Crouch

Favorite of his:  Dark Matter

9.  Eve Chase

Favorite of hers:  The Daughters of Fox Cote Manor

10.  Maureen Johnson

Favorite of hers:  The Shades of London series 

There you have it, ten of of my favorite writers of haunting stories.  What about you?  Are you into scary stories?  Who are your go-to authors for haunting/creepy books?  Are you a Halloween lover, hater, or something in between?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!