Even though it doesn’t quite feel like it across much of the U.S., autumn is indeed here and somehow we’re halfway through October. If you haven’t started yet, it’s high time to jump into your spooky reads for the season!
Even if you’re not a fan of overtly scary books, reading anything with just a bit of a thrill is perfect in October and early November. From Stephen King to Agatha Christie to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, there’s a huge variety of books within this broader genre.
Some favorites that come top of mind for me:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (join us over at The Big Read!)
Misery by Stephen King
The Hunger by
Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay
Okay, your turn! What are your favorite scary reads for this chilling season?
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If you've read and loved 'The Haunting of Hill House,' you might want to try 'A Haunting on the Hill' by Elizabeth Hand. It was release last October and is a companion to Jackson's novel. This is the first time Shirley Jackson’s family has authorized a novel based on her work, and Elizabeth Hand does a bang-up job of honoring Jackson's legacy.
The setup is so good! A group of actors temporarily move into Hill House. They’re rehearsing a modernist staging of a 17th-century play about an infamous witch. I mean, why not practice your spooky play in a haunted house? What could possibly go wrong? ;-)
The descriptions of the hauntings are SO GOOD, and the story goes really interesting places. I loved it.
My go-to when I'm not sure what to read, but I want Gothic vibes that aren't too scary, I go back to 'Plain Bad Heroines' by Emily M. Danforth. It's a haunted house story with multiple timelines (basically now and 1902), charming/snarky footnotes, and a narrator who directly addresses the reader from time to time. The print book has fun illustrations and the audiobook is FANTASTIC, so you can't go wrong either way.
We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson
Aura by Carlos Fuentes