Spooky Season Reading List!

Ahh, the old October TBR. Every year it’s the same thing – you want MAXIMUM spooky vibes. You don’t want to possibly pick a month of duds and be left disappointed. But don’t worry, I am here to help, with suggestions for numerous subgenres! So there should definitely be a book or two to suit your tastes.

Atmospheric

These are the books that are perfect to curl up with under a blanket on a rainy day. Coffee included of course. If you’re looking for something atmospheric that celebrates Halloween itself, I’d recommend The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (sidenote: I am hosting a readalong over on my Instagram!). It’s short and fun, with really cute illustrations. May I also recommend Something Wicked This Way Comes by Bradbury? It’s light on the horror, but heavy on the autumn vibes. Yet another Bradbury option – this man was the epitome of autumn – is The October Country, one of my favourite short story collections. Another beautifully atmospheric book is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, follow it up with the Netflix show and you will have had your fill of unsettling creepy houses. Lastly, The Fisherman by John Langan, the best horror book that I’ve read so far this year and has shot into my top 5 books of all time. The dread just seeps through the pages. (The Fisherman may make a few more appearances in this post...)

 

Gory/Body Fluids Galore

This subgenre isn’t for everyone, but I personally love a bit of blood and guts in my horror – so I have plenty of suggestions. First up, Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke – it’s essentially about what happens AFTER a terrible atrocity. It’s brutal and raw, but there is heart there too, as well as characters you grow to care about. I can’t talk about this subgenre without mentioning David Sodergren – any of his books would fall into this category and I LOVE them all, so you can’t go wrong. But I want to give a special mention to his upcoming release, Maggie’s Grave. It’s insanity from start to finish, plenty of “WTF did I just read” moments. Amazing. Nick Cutter also loves a bit of gore, and The Troop has to be one of the most stomach-churning books I’ve ever read. Would recommend obviously. Another option is The Wicked by James Newman, which is the perfect homage to 80s horror. Body fluids galore! But it really was a rollercoaster ride that I didn’t want to get off! Again, you can’t talk about copious amounts of blood without referring to Clive Barker. One option is to prepare for the upcoming Hulu adaptation by reading the INCREDIBLE Books of Blood, and another is to read the inspiration for the Hellraiser movies – The Hellbound Heart. Both are fantastic. If you’ve already read and enjoyed The Hellbound Heart, I would recommend Bleed by Ed Kurtz, if you don’t mind some similarities between the two!

 

Chilling

Maybe the best category for spooky season?! These are the ones that are out to give you sleepless nights, to make you question whether or not you just saw something out of the corner of your eye. First and foremost, if you haven’t read Naomi’s Room by Jonathan Aycliffe, then the decision has been made for you. Do it. Not many books scare me, but this one did the job! Having the entrance to our attic directly above my bed did not help matters while reading this book. Another chilling option is The Shining by Stephen King – this book sells itself, it doesn’t need any of my promotion. But I love it and I think it’s perfect for this time of year – or the winter months! Summer of Night by Dan Simmons works well in the summer and is equally effective in the Halloween season. Kids on bikes fighting off a big evil that has descended upon their small town. What more could you want? Hell House by Richard Matheson is essentially The Haunting of Hill House on steroids. It is DISTURBING, but well worth your time if you like things a little...darker. It’s also about time that Ania Ahlborn came into the conversation – any of her books will see you through spooky season, but my favourite still remains The Devil Crept In. It’s unnerving and horrifying, I love it. It’s been a few years since I read Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill, but from what I remember there were definitely some creepy scenes – some that have lived long in the memory. Again, another solid option! Lastly I would have to recommend Kill Creek by Scott Thomas – I may have had some issues with it, but a lot of people simply adore it and it does do its job with an effective unique premise for a haunted house story.

 

Cults

I love a good cult story, but mostly in my non-fiction. So I only have two suggestions in this category, - seemingly I need more good cult fiction in my life - but they are two REALLY good ones. First is Within These Walls by Ania Ahlborn, which felt like a combination of the Jonestown Massacre and the Manson Family, so it was ticking a lot of my true crime boxes. Definitely check it out! Another book that reminded me of Jim Jones and his followers was Little Heaven by Nick Cutter. Cutter has fantastic well-developed characters and he really does bring the scares, as well as some guts and gore (of course)!

 

Lovecraftian

It goes without saying that you can bypass Lovecraftian fiction and go straight to the master himself, HP Lovecraft. I always get asked where to start with Lovecraft and the answer is – there’s no real bad starting place. If you buy one of his “Best of” collections, you’re going to get all the stories I’d recommend anyway. So go do that! But if you’re not a fan of Lovecraft’s style of writing, then there are plenty of books that will still give you the themes and tropes he is renowned for. As previously mentioned, there is The Fisherman by John Langan – I go on about this book a lot, so if you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for?! If you’re a big Lovecraft fan, or even if you’re not, I would recommend the anthology What October Brings, which is a collection of Lovecraftian short stories, a lot of which is set round the Halloween person itself. I have already mentioned David Sodergren and how all of his books are winners, but The Forgotten Island really delivers on the Lovecraftian vibes. Lastly, I would recommend the literary horror fiction novel, A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill. It’s so beautifully written. If you dig Stranger Things, you’ll have a lot of fun with that one!

 

Demonic

If you haven’t read The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, now is the time! But if you’ve been there, done that, want a different exorcism story, I’d recommend My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. I always say that in this book you come for the exorcism, but you stay for the friendship feels. It’s wonderful! There is also Seed by Ania Ahlborn, which left me imagining shadows in the corner of my bedroom at night. So, thanks for that, Ania. A great read, I love that Ahlborn isn’t afraid to go DARK with her storytelling. Another option is The Wicked by James Newman, which I have mentioned previously in the Gory section, so I shan't repeat myself. 

 

Vampires

I’m by no means a vampire expert, I’ve stuck to the more popular ones for the most part, but there’s a reason why they’re so popular. My favourite vampire novel is ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, and I’m sure that NO ONE is surprised. It’s wonderfully atmospheric, it takes place in the fall AND it has some of King’s best writing. The perfect fall read. There is also Dracula by Bram Stoker, of course. You can’t go wrong with that pick. Then you have Let the Right One in by John Ajvide Lindqvist, which is more of a story about loneliness and friendship than a traditional vampire story – but it is pretty damn disturbing, let me tell you. Some scenes are burned into my memory forever!! Finally I would recommend The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. Again, it’s more of a fun read than a terrifying book that will keep you up at night, but you need SOME lighter books to get through all the dark, traumatic ones.

 

Horror for Newbies

Often I’ll have people asking for recommendations that aren’t TOO scary, as a way of ushering them into the genre gently. Horror is so subjective, but I think I have a few good picks! Grady Hendrix is a great suggestion – My Best Friend’s Exorcism in particular. It’s pretty tame, mostly filled with nostalgia, but there are some slightly creepy parts thrown in there. The previously mentioned A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill is another incredible shout. It’s a very emotive book, basically a family drama with some supernatural aspects thrown in. If you want to check out King, then I’d go for a book like Carrie. It’s a gentle nudge into his works without absolutely scaring the pants off yourself. Lastly, I’d recommend The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White, which is a fantastic retelling of Frankenstein. There are some strong female protagonists, which I adore, and it’s delightfully creepy.

 

Emotional

I’m a big fan of emotional horror books. I love it when a book can terrify me and crush my heart in equal measure. So of course my first recommendation here is Pet Sematary by Stephen King, my most favourite book ever. To me, this book is flawless. The Fisherman by John Langan (how many times can I mention this book) is another one that slots in here nicely. It is just *chefs kiss*. I also wanted to mention IT by Stephen King, as it really does bring the feels. A lot of people view it as this big horror epic, but for me, and a lot of Constant Readers, it’s really about friendship and growing up and conquering your fears. Lastly, I want to mention Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke. Grief horror can be tricky to get right, but Burke exceeds in such a small number of pages. It’s chilling and heartbreaking all at once.

 

Coming of Age

Another popular subgenre that a lot of us adore! You have the usual suspects that are always mentioned – IT and Summer of Night – but I also wanted to bring attention to December Park by Ronald Malfi. I wouldn’t classify it as a straight-up horror novel, but there are enough scares and eerie scenes to justify reading it during spooky season. The same goes for The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson. It is a beautifully haunting read that leaves you wanting to highlight every perfectly constructed sentence.

 

Short and Sweet

Kealan Patrick Burke is the master of the novella and short fiction. His horror novel, Kin, previously mentioned, is also magnificent, but what he can achieve in such a limited number of pages will never fail to impress me. I’ve already mentioned his novella Blanky, but Sour Candy is another great choice! Although it may make you question ever having kids. And a Halloween recommendation list is not complete without reference to his Halloween/Autumn-themed collection of short stories, Dead Leaves. It’s perfect to dip in and out of alongside your other October reads!

 

I hope you’ve found this post useful – and please let me know if you pick any of these up! Happy reading!

 

Johann