Six Spooktacular October Novels
It’s Almost Halloween, Friends!
As I write this, I’m listening to Frakenweenie on a hotel TV in Charlotte, NC. All the channels are playing the fan favorites - Spirited Away, Ghostbusters, The Witches. Down the street, porches are webbed with orange Christmas lights and life-sized black widows. A skeleton in a baseball cap waves at me from the car wash outside my window, a smile frozen on his white face.
Kaitlyn and I really aren’t into horror reads, but we do enjoy a thrilling, chilling story once in a while. So between spiced pumpkin bakes and planning our couples’ Halloween costumes, Kaitlyn and I came up with a list of our favorite spooky reads.
Don’t worry, these ones aren’t too scary … 🎃
The Secret History
This story is essentially a murder mystery that plays out at a university in New England. We follow a group of classics students, and the effect that the death of one of their friends has upon them. The upstate campus setting makes it such a fall read to me, and I love the author’s voice…the writing is lovely, and she makes you fascinated with the characters.
Quick note here: this book deals with some dark themes and violence.
Rebecca
This gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier has echoes of Jane Eyre to me. Rebecca quickly marries an older man and moves to his manor, where the man’s dead wife (also named Rebecca) still has a strong presence in the house. Rebecca gives you spooky vibes through atmosphere, and the growing unsettled feeling that we are experiencing along with the main character.
The Haunting of Hill House
This book is another story that relies strongly on atmosphere to give you a creepy feeling. I love that Jackson’s writing style is simple and straightforward. She paints the picture clearly, the dialogue is pointed and snappy, and the characters are intriguing. Get ready for a whirlwind ending! Shirley Jackson also wrote another great spooky read called We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
What would life be like if I was forgettable? If I walked through life unseen for eternity? Make a deal with darkness, and you’ll find out. In this delightfully twisted plot, we see Addie’s future forever altered after she makes a deal with the gods of the night. Even her fingerprints disappear in a world that forgets her when she walks from a room. This story, however, is unforgettable. You’ll get to the last page and hope V.E. Schwab remembers us and writes a sequel.
*Just FYI, since we write about mostly clean reads — this novel contains some disturbing/explicit scenes
The Man in the High Castle
The first Si-Fi novel I’ve read in years, this chilling retelling of “what could have been” is more frightening than scary. Dick’s style took some time to get used to. I found his multiple POV’s to be a little challenging, but it’s well worth getting used to. All the characters are as intricately interwoven as a spider’s web. Deeply philosophical while at other times hauntingly disturbing, The Man in the High Castle will stick with you long after you’ve put it down.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Bring on the nostalgia! This YA novel by Elizabeth George Speare was one of my favorite reads as a young teenager. From setting the scene with Kit diving off a boat to rescue a creepy doll to the moment she’s accused of witchcraft in 1680’s Connecticut, I couldn’t stop turning the pages. There’s a touch of romance, a twisty plot, touching character development, and scenes just harrowing enough to keep this one on my Halloween book list forever.
So what are your favorite spooky reads, Friends? Share your suggestions in the comments. We need more spooktacular reads!
Your friend with a pen (and a Jack-O-Lantern),
Hope