A HALLOWEEN HOW-TO: Costumes, Parties, Decorations and Destinations

In this entertaining romp, Bannatyne discusses Halloween trends past and present, dissecting such fun topics as costumes, recipes, movies, parties, myths and expeditions (Salem or bust!). She even closes with an up-to-the-minute chapter on "what's next" in Halloween observance. (According to the author, disguising yourself as a pillowcase ghost is so very last year, but you can't go wrong with classic monsters such as vampires and witches.) One of the most fascinating chapters addresses some of the myths about Halloween. Bannatyne claims, for example, that the razor-blades-in-apples-scare is merely an urban legend with no basis in fact. Who knew? (Sept.)