Welcome to the Shadows: Announcing 'The Accursed' Spooky Season Read-Along!
Get ready to dive into one of the most wildly ambitious, darkly atmospheric historical fantasies of modern literature just in time for Spooky Season. From October 1 through October 31, 2026, Marianne @ Let's Read and I are teaming up to tackle Joyce Carol Oates’s epic Gothic masterpiece, The Accursed—and we would love for you to join us!
Set in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1905–1906, the novel weaves real historical figures—like Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, and Upton Sinclair—into a chilling, surreal Gothic mystery. When a supernatural "curse" overtakes the elite families of the town, society crumbles under the weight of mysterious abductions, demonic visions, and long-buried hypocrisies.
At over 600 pages, it is a dense, feverish read—which is precisely why reading and discussing it together over the 31 days of October will make it so much more fun.
October Reading Schedule
We will break the novel down across the four weeks of October (roughly 150–170 pages per week) so we can all finish together right on Halloween night:
| Timeline | Assigned Reading | Key Themes / Focus |
| Week 1 (Oct 1–Oct 8) | Author's note, Prologue, + Part 1 | The curse descends on the Slade wedding; Woodrow Wilson's strain |
| Week 2 (Oct 9–Oct 16) | Part 2 | Historical cameos; the eerie Bog Kingdom; social satire |
| Week 3 (Oct 17–Oct 24) | Part 3 | Hysteria spreads; moral decay of the Princeton elite |
| Week 4 (Oct 25–Oct 31) | Part 4 to End of Novel | Climax, resolution, and unpacking the narrator’s reliability |
How to Participate
Weekly Discussion Posts: Every Friday in October (Oct 9, 16, 23, and 31), a new post will go live right here on the blog with guided discussion prompts, character trackers, and space to share your thoughts.
Comment Section: Drop your theories, favorite quotes, and reactions in the comments of each weekly post as you read along with Marianne and me at your own pace.
Grab your copy, dust off your reading chair, and drop a comment below if you're joining us this October!
Great, Lisa. I will have to invite my friends over the next week, as well.
ReplyDeleteShould be fun.
Yes, it should be very fun. I'm looking forward to it, Marianne.
DeleteSo do I. I'll post my reminder next week.
DeleteAnd here it is:
Deletehttps://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2026/09/buddy-read-accursed.html
If you have anything to add, please, do so. Thanks.
Thank you for the link and notification to your blog post regarding your post to The Accursed!!
DeleteYou're welcome. I also just sent you an e-mail about it.
DeleteI've responded to your email.
DeleteThanks. And for your comment on my page. I also changed this.
DeleteThanks for the update, Marianne.
Delete♥
DeleteI'm currently 9% into The Accursed. It feels quite different than other books I've read by JCO.
DeleteI totally agree with that. But she is a great author and I am sure we will get a lot out of it.
DeleteLooking forward to our 1st discussion on Friday, October 9th. Shall we each post discussion threads to our own blogs? How do you want to do our discussions this go around?
DeleteI don't mind either. We can each post our review on Friday and include the link to the other post. And whoever posts second can add their link in a comment.
DeleteSounds good!!
DeleteI'm just preparing my post for Friday.
DeleteI will begin preparing my post too! I finished reading part one last night. There's a lot to take in!
DeleteI just published mine here:
Deletehttps://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2026/10/oates-joyce-carol-accursed.html
And yes, there really is a lot ot take in. A lot, a lot.
Thanks for the link, Marianne. I will look at your post soon. Yes, the amount of infomration to take in is kind of overwhelming. I am enjoying The Accursed quite a bit... But perhaps, I was a bit ambitious in thinking the entire novel could be read in a month!!
DeleteI'm nor surprised you enjoy it. It's a JCO, after all. Still no Nobel Prize for her. :(
DeleteSadly, she did not win the Nobel Prize!! Last week, I had read that Margaret Atwood was on a list of those predicted to win the Nobel Prize... I love Atwood's writing too. I was hoping she'd win the Nobel Prize in Literature this year if JCO did not. But alas, Anne Carson won the prize instead. I have never even heard of Anne Carson before!!! Have you?
DeleteNope. Very sad. Margaret Atwood would have been a good choice, as well, but since this year a Canadian female was awarded the prize, I guess neither JCO nor MA will get it soon. :(
DeleteAnd no, I never heard of Anne Carson. And I doubt I will read anything by her. I'm not into poetry.
Next year, I'm hoping the Nobel committee picks someone notable that we know for their literature prize.
Delete