Reading With All the Lights On…

This week, appropriately enough, the prompt for The Broke & the Bookish’s Top Ten Tuesday meme is books that make for good Halloween reading. While I am by no means a horror aficionado, I have read a few books that I think fit the bill…

1. The Shining by Stephen King. I read this for Halloween and ended up liking it a LOT more than I expected to. Even more than the super creepy hotel, I was impressed with the characterization and the major ominous tones they brought to the story. I CAN’T WAIT for the sequel in 2013. Seriously.

2. Hell House by Richard Matheson. Once again, I was impressed with what the characterization added to the story. If you get really spooked by ghost/haunted house stories? Read this in broad daylight with all the lights burning!

3. Horns by Joe Hill. Ignatius, the main character, is one MAJORLY CREEPY dude. The pacing and complexity of this story seriously keeps you on your toes.

4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Confession: this is the ONLY book I’ve read by Neil Gaiman. I know, I know. But seriously, a boy growing up in a graveyard – what could make better atmospheric reading for Halloween?

5. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I don’t care if you’ve seen the movie, you still need to read this book! I was blown away by how much I loved it, because I definitely wasn’t expecting to.

6. The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle. The return of actually scary vampires to YA – how can you pass that up?

7. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Her other books might fit the season better, but this is the only one I’ve read to date. It is spooky, y’all. The characters are totally bizarre and definitely made the story uncomfortable in a chilling/Halloweenish way.

8. In the Tall Grass by Stephen King & Joe Hill. This is a novella that was just published this month, and I decided to read it immediately since it is so short (around 60 pages).  It started off awesome and creepy and then…all of a sudden…things took a turn. They got gross. Like I NEED TO SCRUB MY BRAIN WITH STEEL WOOL IN ORDER TO UNSEE WHAT I JUST READ gross. So, if you like your gore with a side of horror, allow me to introduce you to the next book you should be reading.

9. The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee. I just finished this one a few days ago – IT IS FREAKING CREEPY. Oh man, I honestly think its one of the creepiest haunting stories I’ve ever read.

10. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. Another one I just finished – and this one charmed the pants off me. If you’ve got a middle-grade reading boy in your household, buy this for him immediately! It is this awesome kooky adventure story that takes place on Halloween.