There is nothing more I love to do than to read books that have a Halloween vibe. Some of my favorite Halloweens I have spent reading books. However, I’m a firm believer that Halloween books should not only be read throughout the month of October but rather the whole year as we all need a little spookiness in our lives.
So I have decided to create a list of some of my favorite past Halloween reads. I tried to have as many different authors as possible; however, my favorite authors received two spots on the list as I truly believe the works I choose from them are extremely good reads to read around Halloween. So without furthermore, time to read about some spooky good books to crack open either this month or in the months to come.
- “The Southern BookClub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” By Grady Hendrix
-
This book recommendation is definitely for all those horror fans out there as well as for those who may want to get into horror because this book was the book that made me more open to horror. The book focuses on female friendships and for those who are obsessed with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” it features just the right amount of vampire slaying as the title suggests. The book follows Patricia Campbell adjusting to being a stay-at-home mom and joining a true crime book club in order to make her life less mundane. Some odd occurrences such as children going missing began to happen in her town just as a new neighbor, who possesses a few odd quirks like sensitivity to the sun, arrives.
- “The Final Girl Support Group” By GRady Hendrix
-
I could not only include one Hendrix horror book recommendation. “The Final Girl Support Group” is perfect for those who love a good scary movie ending where the final girl is able to escape. The story focuses on Lynette Tarkington as she deals with trauma from a massacre she survived twenty-two years ago that lead to her being a final girl. In order to deal with the trauma she meets with a group of five other final girls as well as their therapist; however, things go array when one of the final girls goes missing. The book does an excellent job of tying in everyone’s favorite horror movies such as “Scream” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” into its plot so a must-read for horror fans.
- “We Have ALways Lived in The Castle” By Shirley Jackson
-
“We Have Always Lived in the Castle” is a horror that leans more on the side of being a thriller as it follows Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood who lives with her sister Constance and Uncle Julian in their family’s mansion. Her family is often ridiculed due to Constance being accused of killing their parents, aunt and younger brother as well as leaving their Uncle Julian paralyzed from arsenic poisoning. With the constant ridicule, the family lives in isolation from all others in town but, all of this changes when they are greeted by a ghost from their past. This is a good read for those who do not have much time to read as it is a relatively quick and short read. Some maybe be familiar with the book from its recent movie adaption with Sebastian Stan, Taissa Farmiga and Alexandra Daddario.
- “The Guest List” By Lucy Foley
-
For those who are Agatha Christie fans, this is the perfect contemporary take on “And Then There Were None” as it follows a wedding located on an island off the coast of Ireland. During the reception party, the power goes out as the weather worsens and the cell service becomes spotty as one of the members of the wedding party goes missing. The reader soon discovers that everyone has motives as to why they would want to bring harm upon this individual as the book recounts the events that lead up to the murder. It will keep you guessing until the end but I do not want to give too much away.
- “Rebecca” By Daphne du Maurier
-
Although many may brush off “Rebecca” as being a romance, I would argue otherwise as Rebecca’s presence tends to linger throughout the novel prompting great suspense as to what happened to the former wife of Maxim de Winter, Rebecca. The novel follows a nameless narrator as she falls in love with Maxim and moves to his incredible estate, Manderley. But how long can this marital bliss last as the narrator begins to question what truly happened to Rebecca? I, unfortunately, can not do this novel justice in describing it; however, I strongly recommend reading it. Although I will note this is a lengthier read as it is the longest book I have read this year.
- “Macbeth” By William Shakespeare
-
To break up the monotony of book recommendations, I decided to throw in a few play recommendations starting with the most cursed one or at least that is what the folklore claims. “Macbeth” follows Macbeth, an excellent general and Thane of Glamis, as he receives prophecies from three witches about him eventually becoming king. However, since “Macbeth” is a tragedy, he does not ascend to the throne without committing a few murders with his wife, Lady Macbeth. This is one of the most perfect Shakespeare plays for Halloween as it features various weird occurrences such as night becoming longer than day that all result from Macbeth’s murderous exploits.
- “Othello” By William Shakespeare
-
Since Halloween seems to be a holiday dedicated to villains and villainy, my next Shakespeare play features arguably the best and most notorious Shakespeare villain, Iago. “Othello” follows Iago as he attempts to bring demise upon Othello by pretending to be his friend. This potential demise also puts Desdemona, Othello’s wife, and his close friend, Cassio, in harm’s way. Iago’s actions are motivated by his jealousy over Othello’s success as a general. “Othello” like “Macbeth” is another Shakespeare tragedy that is extremely fitting for Halloween.
- Anything by Edgar Allan Poe
-
I had trouble choosing just one Edgar Allan Poe story as he is the “father of American Gothic” so I have decided to provide you with a number of Poe’s titles to choose from. In the TikTok above the stories featured are: “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Devil in the Belfry”, “The Assignation”, “MS. Found in A Bottle”, “Loss of Breath”, “A Tale of Jerusalem.” My personal favorite Poe story is “The Masque of the Red Death” which is about Prince Prospero attempting to avoid a plaque known as the Red Death as he stays within his abbey home. The story follows him and other wealthy nobles part taking in a masquerade within the seven colorful rooms of Prospero’s abbey. The party then becomes interesting as an unexpected guest arrives.
Have fun reading!