October's Picks/Midnight Bayou

By Nora Roberts


Declan Fitzgerald has dreamed of owning Manet Hall for years. Trading in his briefcase for a tool belt, the former Boston lawyer has finally purchased the mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans and is determined to restore the crumbling house to its former glory. Rumors exist that say the decaying mansion is haunted, but Declan is too busy trying to rescue the house from the spiders and dust that have laid claim to it for at least century.

As Declan begins working, sometimes long hours in total isolation, he begins having strange experiences, including visions of people and some of the rooms in the mansion and how they may have looked over 100 years ago. He begins to wonder if the talk of hauntings is more than
just local legend. Add to the mix the beautiful Angelina Simone, whose grandmother is Declan's closest neighbor. They discover that Angelina and her granmother are both oddly tied to the house and its history. Before long Declan and Angelina are uncovering the secrets of the original owners of Manet Hall, secrets as dark and deep as the bayou that flows near it. In doing so they finally help lay to rest the ghosts of a murdered young woman and her husband who has been seaching for her for the past century.

Best-selling author Nora Roberts delivers what we consider a good, old-fashioned, ghost story that will have you sleeping with the lights on!

Southern Comfort!

Lemon-Blueberry Layered Dessert from myrecipes.com
Ingredients

15 lemon cookies, coarsely crushed (about 2 cups)

1 (21 ounce) can blueberry pie filling

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

6 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Prep

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon crushed cookies in the bottom of an 8 oz. parfait glass. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoon pie filling over cookies. Spoon whipped topping into bowl; fold in condensed milk and lemonade concentrate. Spoon 2 tablespoons of mixture on top of filling. Repeat layers once. Top with remaing cookies and chiil for 4 hours. Makes 8 servings

October's Picks/ CHICAGO HAUNTS, Ghostlore of the Windy City, by Ursula Bielski and

HAUNTED CHICAGO; History and Hauntings of the Windy City, by Troy Taylor

Two great reads for the Halloween season are from local historian and parapsychology enthusiast Ursula Bielski and occultist and supernatural historian Troy Taylor. They both have great stories about Chicago and it's ghostly past. From the most popular, Resurrection Mary and Bachelor's Grove, to the little know tales of encounters with the devil in Bridgeport.

These are also great history books and if you grew up in and around Chicago you are familiar with these sories. If not, then it's great way to learn about the city and it's haunted history. You may even want to take a ride to see some of the local "haunts" or take in one of the tours that are usually offered in the city this time of year.

Pumpkin Juice from seasonalrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups fresh pumpkin, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
honey, to taste
cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and/or allspice (all ground, to taste)

Prep
Juice the pumpkin by squeezing through a cheesecloth or using a juicer if you have one. Pour the pumpkin juice, apple and pineapple juices into a blender. Add the honey (start with 1 teaspoon, taste, you can add more later) to the juices and blend thoroughly. Add your spices to taste. This might take some experimentation to get the flavors just right. Chill your pumkin juice or serve over ice and enjoy!