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I have a confession to make. I’m a wuss. Not when it comes to roller coasters, thrill rides, or soaring around Hawaii in a doorless helicopter, mind you. But put me in a haunted house and I might clock some poor 15-year-old “zombie” in the jaw … while screaming at the top of my lungs and flinging metal props to aid in my escape.

Yet despite all that, I love Halloween. I love the colors, the fanfare, and the ability to embrace some inner wild side for a day and not care what anyone thinks. (So yes, the same reason your nice muffin-baking neighbor is reading 50 Shades of Grey … again.) That said, I could do without the psychopaths in hockey masks. And the pea soup vomit. And the creepy  children with long black hair who move like spiders and climb out from abandoned wells.

That’s why my top Halloween movies* are the fun-creepy kind. The kind you watch with friends, quote at random times, and follow with a good night’s sleep. They aren’t necessarily for kids — just kids at heart. So grab a bowl of candy corn, pick a number, and enjoy:

1. HOCUS POCUS

Why: I’ve never forgotten that sizzling rendition of “I Put a Spell on You.” The bully situation is SO early ’90s (he calls the hero “Hollywood” and is somewhat obsessed with his sneakers). It has the only CAT I’ve ever actually liked. I still want dress up as part of the Sanderson trio someday (any volunteers?). And Bette Midler’s lips in this are just, like, Wow.

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2. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Why: It’s a musical for people who detest musicals. It’s extremely clever. It takes two polar opposite holidays and fits them together perfectly. There’s something about Tim Burton. And the animation is entertaining on its own.

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3. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Why: Tim Curry in fishnet stockings and a bustier. Plus, the Time Warp is extremely catchy; you’ve been warned.

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There’s never a bad time for Harry Potter, in my opinion, but October has got to be the best. With neighborhood lawns already filling up with witches, ghosts, goblins, and all sorts of spooky … what better time for a Patronus Charm?

Thanks to M’s Bookshelf and  Sky’s Book Corner for finding this neat little quiz that predicts what your unique magical guardian would look like. A cat? A horse? A phoenix? I apparently share the latter with Dumbledore. Can’t go wrong with that!

Click here to find out yours!

(Warning: This post may contain spoilers from season 3!)

Summer may be the season of leisure, but there’s something truly magical about autumn. The kaleidoscopic carpet of red and yellow leaves. The smell of stripped earth. The early sunsets. The brisk nights. And the return of our favorite TV shows.

This year, however, winter descends early as the fourth season of Once Upon a Time returns with a new face in tow: Elsa from Disney’s hit film, Frozen. Will the cursed Snow Queen play a villain? A hero? A romantic rival to the long-awaited and much-celebrated “Captain Swan?”

What’s more, will the Evil Queen slide right back into her old ways now that her flame’s wife is back? Now that yet another “happily ever after” has been yanked from her grasp?

Many questions hung in the air as season 3 ended in May. Thankfully, the answers will finally start coming tonight!

Despite my résumé, I’m not a huge fan of today’s media. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there aren’t loads of wonderful, ethical, idealistic journalists out there who want to make a real difference in people’s lives. In truth, this is probably the case more often than not, but they’re usually not the people who hold the purse strings. And those who do, unfortunately, seem to believe that sensationalized violence sells better. That evil should be slapped under a microscope and analyzed and theorized and replayed and dissected to the point where it’s absurd. That the monsters deserve more attention than the martyrs … because human beings are innately fearful … and that is an easy quality to exploit.

But I could go on about this forever and get nowhere. (As many, many others have done.) So instead, I’d like to share some of the sites I found last weekend, after I wiped CNN from my bookmarks and went on a search for “positive” news. They might just help you remember that for every horrible thing that happens in the world, there are a million other reasons to smile.

1. The Good News Network: This site gathers stories from around the globe. In addition to categorizing its stories by region, the Good News Network also makes it easy to find whatever your aura needs at the moment–be it cute pets, a good laugh, or a hero. Continue reading →

Do you still believe in fairy tales? Do you understand the meaning of “live like there’s no midnight?” If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Imagining what happened to our most beloved fairy tale princesses after true love’s kiss, the Amazon #1 bestselling Desperately Ever After series combines “Game of Thrones” with “Desperate Housewives and adds three heaping cups of Brothers Grimm.

Have you ever wondered how Cinderella would feel 10 years down the road, when her iconic ball gown no longer fit and she was an overextended mother of four? Or how long it would take “Beast” to return to his old, wolfish ways once he regained his good looks? Or what kind of man finds a comatose woman in the woods and decides to kiss her?

Set in a fictional realm based on New York City, the Desperately Ever After series takes a whimsical look at “happily ever after.” With laughter, wine, and a new take on old-fashioned chivalry, these friends see each other through life’s trials one secret at a time.

Like us, the characters struggle with family, kids, career, regret, magical watch lists (okay, maybe not 100% like us), friendships, and … especially … men. It’s a little bit fantasy, a little bit chick lit, and a whole heck of a lot of fun.

WARNING: It is worth noting that, while I have always been a fan of Disney, this series draws from the original fairy tales and my imagination. As such, there are no singing crabs, no flirtatious candelabras, and no Gaston. Belle’s father was a bankrupt merchant (not a beloved inventor), and Sleeping Beauty’s awakening may not have been as romantic as we’ve been led to believe.  I say this both to widen horizons and to ensure my fellow Disney-lovers that this series in no way aims to undo those animated “happily ever afters.” It simply aims to provide a few laughs, question what “happily ever after” means in real life, and present a different interpretation of how these centuries-old stories may have panned out.

This necklace, offered by Newartpendants on Etsy, features one of my favorite sayings. The number 398.2 corresponds to the folktales, fairytales, and fables section of the library.

If you’d like to do a little background reading, please see the following:

• Cinderella by Charles Perrault

• Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, as well as its adaptation by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont

• Rapunzel by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

• The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood by Charles Perrault, as well as its earlier inspiration, Sun, Moon, and Talia by Giambattista Basile

• The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen

• Snow White by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812)

• The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Additional tales mentioned in passing: Charles Perrault’s Bluebeard; Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid; and the Grimm brothers’ The Robber Bridegroom, Hansel and Gretel, and The Golden Goose