A Halloween How-To: Costumes, Parties, Decorations, and Destinations

Rating:
Summary: Re: Great ideas for adult Halloween-lovers
Review: This book is chock-full of helpful ideas on how to haunt your yard, decorate your house, throw a Halloween party, and make a cool costume out of next to nothing. Yes, more pictures would have been nice, but I didn't feel that the few black and white photos throughout the book detracted from its usefulness. What I particularly liked were the helpful, real-life suggestions from average folks on what they did and what decorations/party/costume/haunting ideas had worked for them. Another very nice feature was that although the ideas in this book will work for both kids and adults, this is a book written primarily for adults who love Halloween looking to entertain other adults who love Halloween. I really enjoyed the sociological analysis of the holiday as well. The author talks about how Halloween has evolved over the ages--a more in-depth history than one usually finds in Halloween how-to books, debunks many of the myths surrounding Halloween, and talks about modern Halloween trends. The only thing that could have made the book better from my point of view was a section on Halloween decorating for cold climates. By the time October 31st rolls around in my part of the world, the snow is already on the ground, it's too dark to see any decorations that aren't lit up, and warmth is the first consideration when putting together a costume for trick or treating. That being said, if you want a good all-around guide to Halloween, buy this book and you won't regret it. I threw a modest Halloween dinner party last year and am planning a much more elaborate costume party this year thanks to this invaluable little handbook.

Rating:
Summary: Stereo Instruction Method to Haunting
Review: This book is filled with Awesome ideas for the serious haunter. It contains lots of history of Halloween, Jack-O-Lanterns, costumes, and destination Haunts, and spooking trick-or-treaters. Very thorough and extensive costume ideas. Good ideas on yard haunts.
The problem with this book is that there are barely any visuals. It is like reading a novel and hunting for the "good parts" It has limited photographs and illustrations for the size and amount of information it contains. Lots of descriptions of how to do things, but only the occasional picture/snapshot.
I went through it with a highlighter pen, like studing for an exam. If you are looking for something beautifully designed, crafted, and easy to read, this is not it. If you are looking for loads of great information, this is your book.