What to read for Halloween?

Image source: http://tinyurl.com/pwrhka6

If you are among those people who wait impatiently for Halloween 364 days per year, you are in the spirit of it already.

For the rest of us, the perfect book(s) that will give us a little "push" to feel it in our skin is the right trick.

Here is a list with some of our favourite stories for the season:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving 

A truly gothic story around the headless horseman who is looking for his head and terrorises the quiet hamlet of Tarry Town, New York in 1790. The story was written while Irving was living in Birmingham and it was first published in 1820. 

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

A love story filled with suspense about a teenager and the vampire she falls in love with. As Bella puts it: “About three things I was absolutely sure,” she says. “First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him – and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be – that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.” 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Four people come together in a haunted house to investigate the supernatural phenomena that occur in it. An unsettling ghost story that will make you look suspiciously at every dark corner or jump at every strange sound you hear.

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

Are you afraid of vampires? No? Well, you may be after you read the story of the perfectly evil blood-sucker hero of Rice's series of The Vampire Chronicles. From our part, we've done our duty and warned you.

The woman in black by Susan Hill

Another gothic story, placed in the 19th century England. The papers of a deceased (and creepy) lady need to be examined and the lucky guy finds himself in a mansion haunted by the ghost of a woman dressed in black. The description of the moors that surround the place is so vivid that you'll be dragged inside the story either you want it or not.

Pet sematary by Stephen King

Could a Halloween list not include at least one work of Mr King? This is for all those who think that they can't go on living without their pets. For those who wish their pets could live forever. Well, think twice, folks...

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The original Count Dracula. Not for the devoted fans of Twilight, but if you want to be counted as a real vampire fan, you just should read this. We love its gothicness, the desperation of the victims and the elegance of the Lord of the Night.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman  

A boy living in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts. And gets involved in a lot of magical and terrifying adventures. 

The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and other stories by Robert Louis Stevenson

A classic book about the dark forces that hide within each one of us. Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde - two different personalities brought into one after a chemical mixture is developed in the lab. Apart from being a very good thriller, it offers a look into the Victorian morality and an insight into human psychology.

Dead until dark by Charlaine Harris

The beginning of the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in a small town in Louisiana, US. Sookie has been "in trouble" since the day she was born as she has the ability to read other people's mind and learn their innermost secrets. Now her problems get more and bigger when a tall, dark and handsome vampire comes to town. The story is not the spooky kind of thing, but it is light and entertaining in its own way.

The exorcist by William Peter Blatty  

Who is Regan's friend in the basement? How can logic accept the paranormal? If you need a raw reading experience this Halloween then try what, perhaps, is the most terrifying novel written about evil and demonic possessions so far. Horror at its best.










Do you have a favourite book for Halloween? Please share it with us by leaving a comment.




[written by FK for Walkley Library]