In the spirit of Halloween (not the pop-up store), this diversion, and our upcoming book chat Zoom, will focus on all things spooky. I will use the idea of spooky loosely here to include: ghosts, vampires, gothic, witches, horror, and things that goes bump in the night.
I must start by saying I am a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to reading horror. I prefer being able to sleep at night. However, this has not stopped me from being in a gothic book club or reading lots of spooky books over the years.
I have attempted to show a broad range of books, classified by type, but many books cross types – gothic ghost stories, or gothic vampire stories, etc.
Let’s start with ghosts. The ghost story is a classic genre. Ghosts can be terrifying or friendly. Here are a few:
- The French Girl by Lexie Elliott – a mystery around who murdered a university student.
- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill – a classic which takes place on the Scottish moors.
- The Invited by Jennifer McMahon – a mystery with a haunted house.
- Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol – a graphic novel with a friendly ghost.
When we think of gothic, Rebecca and Jane Eyre come to mind. A creepy house, a controlling man, an innocent young woman, a wife in the attic, etc. Here are a few I have enjoyed:
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – after you read this you may never look at a mushroom the same!
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – gothic tale centering around a book.
- Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart – English governess in a spooky French house.
I love a good witch story, whether the witch is mean or friendly. Here is my list:
- The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec – Norse mythology witch tale.
- A Curious Kind of Magic by Mara Rutherford – fantasy centered around a magic shop.
- Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman – family of New England witches.
The thing about psychological thrillers is that after you read a few you can never look at your friends and neighbors the same. You don’t know what kind of sociopath is hiding underneath that seemingly harmless persona, especially in these books:
- Lock Every Door by Riley Sager – it seemed like a pretty easy housesitting job until…
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind – an outstanding sense of smell leads to an obsession.
- The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
– the books that started the current explosion in this genre.
Blood sucking vampires have been popular since Bram Stoker penned Dracula. Here are some that you may fancy:
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice – the sophisticated vampire.
- Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu – this novella is considered one of the original vampire stories.
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab – toxic lesbian vampires (no need to say more)
Some authors have embraced the art of the spooky book. In my opinion, these two are the superstars of horror writing:
- Stephen King – the master of the horror book has been scaring people for decades with simple ideas like a haunted hotel, a massive dog, a psycho teen, and even a classic car.
- T Kingfisher – my new favorite author, I love everything she writes. She is funny, clever, and can really scare you. Nobody else can write a cozy horror book!
Please comment below with your favorite spooky reads. I hope to see you at our zoom on Saturday, October 10 at 11a.m. EST.
(*If you’ve registered for CBR 18, you should have received an invitation with the Zoom details. Contact us with any questions or if you’d like to sign up. It’s never too late!)
