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Scary Reads to Give You Chills This Halloween, Part II

No matter the time of year, it can be thrilling to read a scary book while sitting at your Willow Hill apartment in the dark alone. We’ve gathered some of our favorite horror stories for you to enjoy being scared by! In our last post, we discussed I Am Not a Serial Killer and Space Eldritch ; now here are the rest: Maplecroft by Cherie Priest From Amazon: “ Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; and when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one... “The people of Fall River, Massachusetts, fear me. Perhaps rightfully so. I remain a suspect in the brutal deaths of my father and his second wife despite the verdict of innocence at my trial. With our inheritance, my sister, Emma, and I have taken up residence in Maplecroft, a mansion near the sea and far from gossip and scrutiny. “But it is not far enough from the affliction that possessed my parents. Their characters, their very souls , were consumed from within by something that left malevolent entities in their place. It originates from the ocean’s depths, plaguing the populace with tides of nightmares and madness. “This evil cannot hide from me. No matter what guise it assumes, I will be waiting for it. With an axe.” And if you enjoy Maplecroft, don’t forget to pick up the sequel, Chapelwood ! I Am Legend by Richard Matheson You may have seen the movie, but the novel is an entirely different — and far more chilling — story. From Amazon: “Robert Neville may well be the last living man on Earth . . . but he is not alone. “An incurable plague has mutated every other man, woman, and child into bloodthirsty, nocturnal creatures who are determined to destroy him. “By day, he is a hunter, stalking the infected monstrosities through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn…” What are your favorite scary stories? Let all of us at Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup know down in the comments!

Scary Reads to Give You Chills This Halloween, Part I

Adventure, action, and romance all make for a great story, but sometimes that’s not what people are in the mood for. Sometimes, we just want to be scared silly. And there are a lot of ways to accomplish that — scary movies, haunted houses, or sitting around a campfire telling spooky stories. But when you’re home alone at your Puyallup, WA Willow Hill apartment at night, one of the best ways to creep yourself out is a horror novel. Now, when people think about horror, they often think about slasher films or Steven King. While those are great, there is a whole host of other options out there. In two posts, we’ve gathered together a few excellent horror novels for you to try. I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells From Amazon: “John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it. He's spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential. He's obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn't want to become one. So for his own sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he's written for himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from damnation. “Dead bodies are normal to John. He likes them, actually. They don't demand or expect the empathy he's unable to offer. Perhaps that's what gives him the objectivity to recognize that there's something different about the body the police have just found behind the Wash-n-Dry Laundromat — and to appreciate what that difference means. Now, for the first time, John has to confront a danger outside himself, a threat he can't control, a menace to everything and everyone he would love, if only he could.” I Am Not a Serial Killer is the first book in a series — so if you’re looking for a whole run of books to try out, this is a great place to start. Space Eldritch Short Story Collection From Amazon: “Science fiction goes occult in SPACE ELDRITCH, a volume of seven original novelettes and novellas of Lovecraftian pulp space opera. Featuring work by Brad R. Torgersen (Hugo/ Nebula/Campbell nominee), Howard Tayler (multiple Hugo nominee), and Michael R. Collings (author of over 100 books), plus a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Larry Correia, SPACE ELDRITCH inhabits the intersection between the eternal adventure of the final frontier and the inhuman darkness between the stars.” Come back next time to pick up a few more scary reads! And if you have any favorite scary reads of your own, let all of us at Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup know down in the comments!

Fall Foliage Around Puyallup

Pacific Northwest residents know that this is one of the best areas around to catch the colorful autumn change in our local foliage. If you’re looking for the best places to watch the leaves work their magic near Willow Hill apartments in Puyallup, WA, we’ve compiled a list of our nearby favorites below. Swan Creek With plenty of alder, cedar, and maples trees on display, this two-mile trailhead is perfect for catching the changing leaves. The picnic areas, community garden, and wooden bridge that runs over the creek make this area as accessible as it is serene. It goes without saying that the creek and surrounding areas are muddy in the fall — even when it’s gone a few days without a good downpour. Be sure to wear boots or good hiking shoes. It’s also a great place to mountain bike in the fall. You can get directions here . Wright Park Twenty-seven acres with characteristic and diverse trees — some of which are one-hundred years old or more. With a paved loop that’s just a mile long, you’ll be able to take the six-hundred-plus state champion trees that call the park home. They also feature a historical on-site arboretum. Before you visit, we’d recommend downloading and printing the park’s tree map . And if you’re up for it, playing a game of lawn bowling or bocce ball is a must in this downtown park. You can get directions here . Naches Peak Loop This is one of the more popular kid-friendly hikes in the Mount Rainier National Park. What gives this area so much of its unique and memorable color is the local huckleberry bushes. The more leafy bushes on the ground bring the color change to a meadow perspective. Park just west of the Chinook Pass and follow the trail from the designated picnic areas. Locals like hiking the trail clockwise to get the best views. If you plan on hiking the full three mile — and change — loop, plan on about two hours. Other Suggestions For those that don’t mind the drive, Tumwater Falls Park in Olympia and the Mount Baker Scenic Byway are also known for their brilliant autumnal leaves. Do you have some of your own favorite places to catch the fall foliage? Do you plan on visiting any of the above destinations? Either way, we’d love to hear about it all in the comments below!

Oktoberfest Recipes

Last month, we talked about Oktoberfest Northwest, which is coming up this weekend. But if you’re not going to be able to attend, we didn’t want you to miss out on the best part: the food. (And thankfully, you can enjoy it in your own Puyallup apartment!) Oktoberfest-themed meals are known for robust traditional flavors. Whether it’s the hand-crafted beer, homemade pretzels, or a juice grilled brat, you’re bound to find something that provides the needed relief from pumpkin-itis in this week’s Willow Hill blog post’s list of ideas below. Beer Braised Cabbage Pairing perfectly with other standard recipes like spaetzle, this tangy and smoky dish finds its character in the added apple slices and thick-cut bacon. With just a bit of brown or amber ale, fresh green cabbage, grilled onions, and apple cider vinegar, this is an easy dish. And it’ll take you just forty-five minutes in total to make. You can find the recipe and short list of ingredients in full over here . Bavarian Pretzels There’s not much that goes better with your favorite fall ale or lager than a traditional soft pretzel. And because they only take about thirty-five minutes to make, there’s not that much holding you back from making that a reality. With the right amounts of flour, baking soda, active yeast, and coarse sea salt, you’ll have enough for six servings. The recipe and step-by-step can be found here . Bavarian Lentil Soup Onions, sweet leeks, lentils, carrots, yellow potatoes, and bacon all work together to bring this chilly weather cure-all together in a memorable way. Though this dish will take about an hour to make, it’s a cheap dish that’s worth the patience as it simmers away. With a little sauté skills, you can easily get this dish started and have enough time to finish the cabbage and pretzels by dinner time. You’ll find the recipe to this one over here .

Celebrate National Comic Book Day

Here’s a fun holiday coming up later this week: September 25th, National Comic Book Day. These days, comic books are seeping into all sorts of media… from movies to television to fine art, their stories and characters are icons of international culture. If you haven’t picked up a comic book since you were a kid (or ever at all), we’ve gathered together some of the greatest titles available. Check them out soon! Batman: Hush A new nemesis has come to Gotham and is stalking Batman through the night, using enemies like the Joker, the Riddler, and Ra’s al Ghul as pawns in a complicated plot targeting the Dark Knight and his allies. Batman is caught off guard at every turn by a mysterious foe that knows more about him than should be possible. Marvel 1602 If you are a fan of Marvel’s superheroes and their recent string of successful movies, than this comic will be of particular interest to you. The year is 1602; British court magician Steven Strange and the Queen’s premier spy, Sir Nicholas Fury, fend off an attack by the mad despot Von Doom. People with strange abilities and witch-like powers are appearing throughout Europe, and all the chaos seems to be centered around a young woman from the New World named Virginia Dare and the Indian warrior that protects her. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life Scott Pilgrim's life is totally sweet. He's 23 years old, he's in a rock band, he's "between jobs," and he's dating a cute high-school girl. Nothing could possibly go wrong, unless a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. Will Scott's awesome life get turned upside-down? Will he have to face Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends in battle? The short answer is yes. The long answer is Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life . Death Note A shinigami — a god of death — has grown bored with eternity. He decides to drop his death note, a notebook that will kill anyone whose name is written inside it, into the human world just to see what will happen. When a young genius comes across the note, he decides to use it to rid the world of criminals and evil; but an equally brilliant detective looking to solve the recent string of unexplained murders threatens to stop him.

Recipes for Chocolate Milkshake Day

Today is Chocolate Milkshake Day! If there’s a treat that’s easy to prepare right at home, it’s a milkshake. So we’ve gathered together a few interesting chocolate milkshake recipes that you can try out today. These recipes and their descriptions are from Allrecipes.com; take a look! Chocolate Surprise Milkshake "This milkshake is fantabulous! Chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, chocolate drink mix and chocolate chips are all whirled together with milk to produce a concoction so chocolaty, that it is sure to make you tingle." Chocolate Strawberry Banana Milkshake "A wonderful milkshake that can easily be adapted for low-sugar diets. My mother got me started on this 20 years ago. I rarely add sugar or sweetener, but I realize that some people enjoy a bit more sweetness. You can substitute orange juice for milk if you like." Chocolate Mint Milkshake "A cool, refreshing milkshake that will have you craving for more. All you need is milk, vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and a few drops of some peppermint extract.” Chocolate Spinach Milkshake "I learned this recipe from a friend and expected it to be disgusting considering it was filled with spinach. But it's delicious! It tastes just like a peanut-butter chocolate milkshake but it's healthy for you as well!" Don’t Knock It Until You Try It Zucchini Chocolate Banana Nut Milkshake "I discovered 2 giant zucchini in my garden. I decided to turn this treasure into a challenge and made a whole meal in which each course or dish featured zucchini in some way. This delicious concoction was what I came up with for dessert. The kids raved about it and asked for seconds." Coffee Brownie Milkshake "A cool creamy mix of ice cream, coffee, and brownie mix. Can switch it up with different flavored ice cream or make it an adult beverage by adding chocolate or coffee-flavored liqueur." Have your own favorite chocolate milkshake recipe? Let us know in the comments so that everyone at Willow Hill Apartments can try it out, too!